With Evelyn at the Alcázar
I’ve been looking forward to Evelyn’s visit for months. She’s an extremely experienced traveler and has boundless energy. Even though – due to flight cancellations and weather – she arrived in Sevilla 30 hours later than she’d planned, she looked cute and was ready to sightsee.
After our high school graduation, Evelyn and I took an unforgettable trip through Europe with two dear friends, Callie and Sarah. This time around, Evelyn is in Europe after graduating from NYU business school. Three of her fellow MBAs from school met up with her in Sevilla (the first stop on her marathon Euro vacation). Brad and I try not to look puzzled when the four of them start discussing finance, consulting or boroughs in "the city," aka New York.
Aval, Nelson, Evelyn, Andrea
We have introduced Evelyn to the joys of life in Sevilla: riding bikes, picnicking by the river, tinto de verano, having tapas outside in little plazas . . . During her time in Sevilla, Ev and her crew are visiting the important sights in the city, and they’re taking day trips to Granada and Córdoba – must dos if you’re in Andalucía.
Meanwhile, we’re processing the complex emotions that come with our move back to the U.S. To be honest, I don’t know if Brad has so many complex emotions – mainly he feels happy about getting back to chicken wings and barbeque. As for me, though, I feel very strange about leaving. “Bittersweet” doesn’t really capture the feeling. Last night I told a little old lady with heavy shopping bags where to find a taxi, and I felt so sad that I soon won’t be able to give little old ladies directions in Spanish.
Tonight my German friends, Christina and Stefi, are having their going-away party at their apartment. (Stefi requested that I bring “stuffed eggs” – she loved my deviled eggs at Easter.) They leave Sevilla this weekend. I’m glad we don’t leave long after they do because I would miss them so.
Brad is finishing up his research at the archive. He took some photos at the morning coffee break yesterday. We’ve really enjoyed our time with some of the other researchers and we want to remember them. Brad was especially excited to get a photo of the woman who makes his coffee every morning. He often (unselfishly) orders coffees and toasts for the whole archive crowd, and waits for everyone's order at the counter. He’s seen this cafe woman practically every weekday since September, but she didn’t break down and start smiling at him until recently. According to Brad, she only smiles at him and scowls at everyone else. What can I say? He’s a charmer.
He doesn't even know her name, but they have a special connection
Juanjo and Tien (with her tostada)
Anele, Michael, Christen and Justin
We leave in a week. We’ve already shipped a few boxes back, we donated books and clothes, we’ll force our Spain and Europe guidebooks on Evelyn, and we’ll pray that the rest of our junk can fit into our five suitcases. In preparation to say, “adios,” I’m strolling down my favorite streets and through my favorite neighborhoods. I’m also eating buckets of fresh gazpacho and piles of fried fish.
No comments:
Post a Comment