Due to the city of Granada celebrating the week of Corpus Christi, one of their biggest Holiday's, my internship cite was closed for the week, along with many other businesses and activities. However, my week was not a wasted. I spent this week immersing myself in the culture of Granada by celebrating a huge Holiday in true Spanish style. It was intriguing to watch how a different culture celebrates Holiday's compared to what I am used to back in the United States. I also went to a famous Flamenco show in a cave and went to Almunecar to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation on the Mediterranean Sea.
The festivities started with a small parade that marched through the streets of Granada. To be honest, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw that afternoon. This parade was very strange and like nothing I had ever experienced. The parade started with Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand followed by their Muslim Nasrid predecessors. Then there were scary looking "giants"that were menacingly staring over the crowd, followed by creepy flying monkey looking things. Then came the funny part, people wearing huge paper mache heads running down the street bopping children on the head with blown up pig organs. Supposedly this is a tradition that has gone on for many, many years. The bobble-head looking faces resemble famous people in power now and throughout Granada and Spain's history. The children loved it, although the bopping was quite excessive and I am sure they were not aware the"balloons" were actually pig bladders and kidneys. Anyway, the bopping continued for a while until the float of Mary Magdalene slaying a dragon, wearing the latest fashion for the upcoming year, brought it to a close. No matter the oddity of the parade, it was a very good time and it made me laugh uncontrollably. I am sure some of our Holiday traditions in America would have Spaniards doing the same, and that is why I love humanity.
That night, we went to a traditional Flamenco show. I absolutely loved it! The atmosphere was cool and different, and the men and women were very talented. The performance was in a cave, which is an old tradition of this region. Many gypsies and other outcasts used to live, and some still do, although it is illegal, in caves on the side of the mountains surrounding Granada. The cave was long and narrow so our seats were along the sides and the dance floor was in the middle, even the set-up of the performance wasn't what I am used to! There was live music accompanying the dancers throughout the whole show and the performers were so passionate. I could tell in the way that they danced that they loved their job and wanted to show the beauty, strength, and delicacy of Flamenco dancing to the audience. The way they were able to be delicate, yet so strong in their movements was what impressed me the most. I would tell anyone visiting Granada that a Flamenco show is a must see.
Thursday morning I woke up early and went to Mass at the Cathedral. Corpus Christi Mass is one of the main events of the week, of course, and although I didn't understand much of what was being said, I am happy I got the experience to attend. The main difference at this Mass was that when it is time to receive communion there are no nice orderly lines to go in. It is literally a free-for-all dash to form a hectic circle around the Priest. The blob did receive the Eucharist in a fairly fast amount of time, although my friend did get pushed by a couple of nuns. When church was over, we waited another hour (way too long) for the Eucharist to be placed on top of a float that was held up by about thirty men. This float must have been very heavy, since it was covered in gold, flowers, and candles. We then hustled to the spot where the rest of the group were watching the procession and the float with the Eucharist in it was the grand finale. I was told this procession was a huge deal here. I was expecting music, floats, crazy bopping like the day before. To my surprise, though, it was nothing more than men and women wearing fancy clothes and heels I could not take a step in, let alone walk through the whole city, holding candles and rosaries. The one exciting thing was when the float at the end almost dropped the Eucharist because the top of the float hit the bottom of a string of lights dangled across the street. The men carrying the float did a phenomenal job, however, and were able to maneuver backwards only breaking the very top and avoiding complete disaster. Apparently, if the Eucharist had fallen and touched the ground there would have likely been immediate panic throughout the city and who knows what could have happened. Even though the procession was not what I was expecting and I found it boring, it was still a traditional experience the people in my new home have enjoyed for generations and I am grateful that I could be a part of it from start to finish to get a full grasp on the importance of Faith in their lives.
The celebration continued in to the evening with all of us going to la Ferria (the fair). I was told that this fair was not your typical fair that you would expect to go to in Maine. As I stepped off the bus, I could immediately confirm those claims. The entrance to the fair was lit up by a light bulb structure of the Cathedral. It was absolutely massive and the lights were beautifully shining against the dark night sky.
As we entered through this structure, the fair opened up to rows of bars, clubs, sit down restaurants, and street performers. To the left was all of the rides. These were not your typical fair rides or size, though. The ride section was enormous and the rides were a lot more to be desired than the Albion Fair, that's for sure. I splurged on a ticket for the ferris wheel and got a birds-eye view of the entire fair and some of the city. It was definitely worth it! Then we went back to the other side and checked out some of the clubs and bars. My friend and I stayed out until all hours of the morning dancing and having a good time soaking in all that this fair, and Spain, had to offer. I don't think any fair I go to back home will ever be able to compare to this one, and I guess I'm okay with that.
On Saturday we loaded up a van and hit the road to Almunecar, a town situated right on the Mediterranean coast. We were fortunate enough to have a beach house provided for us to stay the night in only a couple minutes walk away from the beach. The beach was not sandy, but the rocks were very flat and were fairly comfortable to lay and relax on, as long as you had a towel to lay on or your skin would burn off. Either way, your skin was bound to burn from the sun rays anyway. I swam in the Sea and have not felt so content in a long time. The water was a perfect temperature to cool off in, not too hot or too cold. I would lay out in the sun, with my SPF 30 on, of course, and heat up for a few minutes and then jump right back in to the water to cool back off. The best part of the beach trip was going in to the Mediterranean Sea. I would have never thought I would have the opportunity to swim in this beautiful, clear enough to see my feet, water. It had always been kind of a dream of mine to swim in the Mediterranean and now I can say I officially have. I hope one day I am lucky enough to return to this magical Sea. At night there was a group effort to cook burritos and we set it up like it was our own Spanish Chipotle restaurant. The food was delicious, the company was great, but the bugs and Mike's Thinking and "Laughing" game were not. The next morning we woke up to watch the sunrise over the mountains that rimmed the Sea. I have not experienced a sunrise on this side of the world, and I could not have asked for a better place to witness my first one. The sun spattered bright pink and pale yellow hues across the sky over the Sea and lined the clouds with a neon shade of pink. I am happy I got to experience at least one sunrise in Spain because life is too short to sleep in and not witness a sunrise everywhere you travel.
This week was really about experiencing Granada's culture not through the eyes of a tourist, but through the eyes of a local. I found a new appreciation for the art of Flamenco dancing and the importance this community places in their Faith. Granada's nightlife is definitely what they make it out to be and being able to enjoy a night out with friends was great. I also rediscovered my love of the Ocean and realized how much I enjoy being in the water and by the water. I can't believe I have less than two weeks left in this city. It has gone by so fast and I'm sure my last weeks will fly by even faster. This week promises me more meaningful work experience and adventures throughout Barcelona. Stay tuned!
