Barcelona's Architecture

We made this brief visit to Barcelona, a city justly famous for its outstanding architecture. In our two days there we spent much of the time just getting an overview of the city. We find the "hop on, hop off" bus tours that are available in many cities are a good way to gain a perspective on a city and choose places we want to spend additional time with. Our list for Barcelona is very long and we contemplate spending several weeks there sometime. (That will have to wait until next year, since our travel schedule is already full for 2009.) Barcelona is Spain's Paris, a fashionable, modern/ancient city with a vibrant atmosphere and surprises at every turn.

We found a church devoted to Santiago (Saint James the Greater) of Camino de Santiago fame. It was a total surprise for us, not the least of which were the Community of the Lamb, a group of young people who are devoting themselves to prayer and contemplation. Their singing and deep devotion were quite moving.

The next day we discovered that we were staying in the ancient Jewish quarter of Barcelona and we spent some happy time walking in the "Call" (Catalan for Jewish quarter) and reading the many plaques describing the area.

Of course, there was a festival going on (when is there not a fiesta here in Spain), so there was intense noise of crowds and fireworks going on all night. The Fiesta de San Joan (Saint John the Baptist) is one of the primary celebrations in Catalunya. We are gradually learning to sleep through almost anything.

We took an overnight train from León, which arrived at 9 AM. We had a sleeping compartment for two that was comfortable, but the constant motion made for a fitful night's sleep. The return trip was during the day on one of Spain's fast trains, the Alvia. These trains are very comfortable and spacious and we arrived back in Sahagún rested and happy.

A Few Photos of Oviedo

I thought I would post a few photos from our recent short trip to Oviedo to escape the fiestas in Sahagún. We really like this city, which was recently made famous by being featured in Woody Allen's "Vickie Christina in Barcelona" (a town we visit next). There is much to see and do there, including these wonderful preRomanesque churches, a wonderful public park with mature trees, street dancers, and an ancient building over one of the natural springs.

America’s Secret Ayatollahs

The events in Iran after the much disputed elections seem to be gaining force by the day. There has yet to be an all-out crushing of the opposition by the current Iranian government. The reason for this may well be that they haven’t been able to characterize the demonstrations as Western inspired and show any evidence that the US government is behind them. President Obama has remained cool and calm and made our administration’s position clear--that this an Iranian matter and our meddling will be counter productive.

Meanwhile the right wingnuts (read Republicans) have been rattling their sabers for all they are worth and calling Obama every name in the book. They would have us get involved in trumpeting our support of the opposition against the current government, which would be all it would take for the Iranian government to step in with heavy military and paramilitary might to crush the opposition, killing thousands of Iranians in the process. They may do that anyway, but do we want it to be blamed on us? Really, fellows, whose side are you on here? Do you really want this peaceful opposition crushed?

Here’s my theory for the day. Perhaps our right wing Republicans are secretly in league with the Ayatollahs. Perhaps they are for the theocracy in Iran. After all, that’s what they want for us--a Christian theocracy to oppose the Islamic theocracies abroad. That, at least, makes their actions make sense. Or perhaps the party of “NO” just has to be against everything Obama does, even when he is acting in our best interests. Or perhaps they are depending on the American population to be stupid enough to not see through their smoke screens. I hope they really aren’t themselves as stupid as the small segment of the US population they still appeal to. We do need at least a two-party system in the US, and it doesn’t really help for one of those parties to be that dumb.

The Grand Finale

We got back from Oviedo this afternoon. It was a good trip and we enjoyed ourselves very much. We are now in the midst of the "grand finale" of the fiesta here in Sahagún. The Plaza is filled with screaming people, bands are playing at the top of their lungs, the drums are pounding for all they are worth. In the middle of all this there was a fireworks with many firecrackers punctuated by huge explosions. It is nearly 1 AM when I'm posting this. Here is a picture I took just a few minutes ago. (Memo for next year, be sure to stay away until Monday after the fiesta is over.)

We're Escaping

Last night the concert just below us went on until about 4 AM and we could hardly get to sleep. Tonight there will be a heavy-duty rock group called "Huecco" which features lots of young men in dreads. If the noise last night, which was from a middle of the road group headed by a singer, is any indication, we are in for an major assault. We have decided to escape to Oviedo for the next two nights. There will be peace and quiet there, we got a good deal on a hotel, and there are several pre-Romanesque churches that we want to spend some time in. Here is the procession after the mass today.

The close-up of the man in these photos is our friend, David, who invited us to join his peña. He is a good guy!

As I write this the arial bombs are going off every 15 seconds or so. Elyn is trembling!

Here We Are

Well, we are into it. We joined our peña for the evening. First there was the blessing of the peña flags at the church, then the proclamation by the mayor of the town. Formalities finished, the peñas took off for the bull ring. Each peña has its own band so the din was extraordinary. At the bull ring there was a running of the bulls and some local boys playing at being bull fighters. We lasted for a half hour or so and then went down with David to have some coffee and wait for the dinner, which began around 11 PM. The food was great and we ate our fill. Everyone was very friendly. Now it is 1:30 in the morning and the concert is going full blast just below us. I decided to put up these photos and then try to get some sleep. Good luck!

Ready for the Fiestas?

Here I am in my Fiesta costume. How, you might wonder, did I find myself in such a get-up? Well, it came about in this way. Our massage therapist, David, in a gesture of good will to “the Americans” invited us to join his peña for the Fiesta. All this requires some considerable explanation.

In the first place, what is the fiesta? The Fiesta San Juan de Sahagún is simply put, the biggest party of the year here in Sahagún. As with nearly everything else here, there is a religious impetus. The figure around which this party revolves is San Juan (or Saint John in English). This saint did many miracles and there is a local church dedicated to him. Each day begins with a mass of some sort, but they get that part over with in a hurry so the party can begin. After the mass and official presentations or processions are over the party gets under way. And what a party! There will be the running of the bulls (well, actually, cows), the proclamation of the fiestas (with fireworks) at the Town Hall (that is directly across for our apartment by the way), and a concert by un Orquesta Monumental (whatever that means) here in the plaza. Supposedly, there is also some event in the bull ring that involves the peñas (of which, more in a minute). And that, dear friends, is just the beginning! Every day and every night (until about 4 in the morning) there will be loud music on the Plaza in front of our apartment and drinking and partying nonstop.

Time out for a discussion of the peña system here in Spain. People get together and form a club, which has paid membership, meets together, has a costume, and gathers as a group for the fiesta. There are eleven different peñas in Sahagún, each with distinctive characteristics (one for men only, one or two for women only [the women’s group split into two we are told], one for families, etc. Our peña for the event is El Pozo, which we don’t have the slightest idea about. Pozo refers to one of the miracles of Saint John in which he saved the life of a young boy who fell down a well and drowned. Anyway, our peña will eat and drink together during the fiesta and take part in the festivities as a group. For this we pay a daily fee and can participate as much as we can stand. Frankly, Elyn and I feel like we would if we had been invited to a pow-wow in the US with the requirement that we dress up as Indians! To say that we have cold feet would be an understatement. Nevertheless, we will probably join in for some of the festivities. Stay tuned for all the exciting developments!

A Serenade

The young men of St. Gregory's Academy came back this morning to have us cook some donated food for them in our kitchen. After their breakfast they gave us a wonderful concert and were rewarded with our friend Paca's best cookies. We had a heartwarming connection with these young men and their teacher, Luke. If you are a parent looking in from home, rest assured that your son is doing well and having a rich experience here in Spain. They have also enriched the lives of two transplanted Americans here in Sahagún (LEON) Spain. Buen Camino to you all! (Click on the photo to get an enlargement.)

An American Surprise

We were sitting in our living room this afternoon when we heard singing down on the Plaza Mayor just below our apartment. When we listened carefully we realized that the language was English and the young men were very good singers. We opened our balcony doors and asked them where they were from: St. Gregory's Academy in Pennsylvania they said (Check it out HERE.)

This is the second time that the senior class has done a bike pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, traveling without money and making their "living" by doing singing and juggling shows in the towns they pass through. We gave them some food and after they had eaten (courtesy of the Sisters of San José here in Sahagún) they came back to the Plaza to do a show and to collect some money.

The show was great (see photo) and the local people generous. We had a great evening of entertainment. Just another evening in a quiet little Spanish town!

Fiesta Preparations Continue

Today the local police spent the morning putting up fancy banners and decorations on the Town Hall building just across the plaza from us. Notice the continued growth of the trees on the plaza.

Names

I minor confusion that we constantly face, living in Spain is the difference in naming conventions between English-speaking countries and the Spanish. We, of course, have a first name, a middle name, and a last or family name. In Spain people have only a first name and two last names, which designate the two families they spring from. So, whenever we are dealing with official business (banks, the local town hall, etc.) they assume that my "given" name (my nombre) is Gary and my "first last name" (or apellido) is Charles, and my "second last name is White.

At first we would try to explain the difference and the concept of a "middle name" but it would cause great confusion, since all official forms have a blank for the nombre and two blanks for the apellidos. Minor officials had to call superiors to work out the difficulties and much time was wasted by all concerned. At last, I have given up and now tell them that, yes, my family name is "Charles White." When all this is printed out it works just fine, since the names are in the same order. Never mind what my birth certificate says, I'm now "Charles White" and my given name is Gary.

We asked when signing documents if we had to use all of the name instead of my usual Gary C. White, but the officials said, "sign however you want." I'm glad that, at least I don't have to change my signature. Now, we can save a hour or so of waiting at each official encounter and we are named just like every other Spaniard.

Fiesta Preparations

This morning when I looked out from our balcony I saw the beginnings of fiesta preparations. Prominently displayed on the lamp posts in the Plaza Mayor are signs announcing the bull fights here in Sahagún. There is a bull ring at the edge of town and I’ve seen workmen rebuilding steps and preparing it for action for several weeks now. The posters are the first clear indication of what we will soon experience here. Not that I plan to attend the event, but we will be treated to the local version of the “running of the bulls” just like in Pamplona. Well, not quite. In Sahagún there will be a running of the cows. Apparently, they will bring in a herd of cows with horns and run them through the streets. We will witness this event, since everything that happens here centers on the Plaza Mayor.

Looking down from our balcony I saw the local policemen stepping off the width of the plaza and planning for the concerts that will take place here. There are posters up for the concerts of various rock groups. The concerts begin after midnight and continue to 3 AM we are told. I’ll probably be in the thick of it, with my new white pants and my shirt from the peña (social club) that has invited us to be their guests. Olé!!