Primeros Días

Bar hopping in Madrid’s gay district, roaming through an iconic castle in Segovia, gazing at Velasquez and Goya masterpieces at The Prado museum, marveling in the cathedral of Toledo, meeting the U.S. ambassador to Spain, apartment hunting in Sevilla, stuffing 1,000 euros in my bra for safekeeping, dining on gazpacho, sausages, patatas fritas and wine with real Spaniards in their backyard . . . and that was just our first week in Spain.

When Brad and I arrived in Spain just over two weeks ago, we hit the ground running. We’ve only stopped every now and then for a 3-hour lunch. That’s right; Spaniards have a unique daily schedule that typically involves a 2 to 3-hour lunch break or “siesta.”

A typical day in Spain:

7 a.m. Despierta (Wake up)

11 a.m. Merienda (Mid-morning snack) Maybe a cafesito (little coffee) and cruasan (croissant)

2-5 p.m. Comer (Lunch) Most restaurants will have a “Menu” for a set price. You get 3 or 4 choices for your 1st course and 3 or 4 choices for your second course. Both courses can be pretty heavy. Bebida (a glass of wine or beer) and postre (dessert) are included.

9-11 p.m. Cena (Supper) Supper typically involves some wine or beer and tapas – small plates of olives, cheese, cured ham, etc. In Sevilla, pork, cheese and fried seafood are especially popular.

Does this schedule imply that one's day revolves around food? That's how they roll in Spain. Doesn't really take much to get used to this.

During the siesta, many businesses close – some for the rest of the day. Hence, it is best to simply go with the flow and embrace the schedule. During our first week in Sevilla, Brad and I encountered serious difficulties getting a bank account, cell phones, lease on an apartment and even electricity. But I’m learning to respect that not everyone does it like we Americans do – and thank goodness for that!

I’m discovering that for every little quirk about Spain that may annoy me, there is some other quirk that is brilliant. For example, many businesses (banks included) are only open from 8 or 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. each day, but you get to have a big 2-hour lunch with 3 courses and wine every day!

Below are some photos from our first week in Spain:



When the manhole covers are this lovely, you know Madrid will be a classy city. Brad's suggested caption for this photo: "Covering Madrid's smelly parts for 500 years."









This is a 1st-century aquaduct in Segovia (a city about 1 hour north of Madrid.) Look how happy I am to not be at work . . . I couldn't care less when that aquaduct was built. Just kidding!

The Real Alcázar in Segovia. It's really old and it has a moat - how cool. This castle allegedly inspired the design of Cinderella's castle at Disneyworld. A view of Segovia from the tower in the castle.

In Toledo: Brad with Rob, a fellow colonial Mexian historian, who also has a Fulbright to research in Sevilla.




Before I forget all of the adventures that Brad and I have had, let me mention a few. We’ve been to: Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Sevilla, Ronda, Jimena de la Frontera, Castellar de la Frontera, Tarifa, Bolonia . . . Stay tuned!