Today

Today I am thankful. I won’t be eating turkey, dressing, or pumpkin pie today for the first time in my life, but this year I don’t need all of that to remind me to be thankful. Today I look around and I see the largest gothic cathedral in the world amidst hundreds of orange trees that charismatically line each and every cobblestone street, and I am thankful. I am thankful for this opportunity to study a language that I love in such a beautiful country. Sure, I could choose to dwell on the fact that I am missing a yummy Thanksgiving meal with my family back home, but I choose to see how very LUCKY I am to be missing that one meal to be here in Spain instead. I am learning new things; I am growing as a person from these things; and I am experiencing a culture different than my own. For all of these things I am thankful.

Part II- Spain

Mamasita was lucky enough to be able to use some of her American Express points towards obtaining a free room at one the most luxurious hotel in Sevilla. And I must say that the luxury was very welcomed after our hellish day of travel from Italy. I had to leave mom by herself a lot while we were in Sevilla since I have school in the mornings, but our Sevillian afternoons consisted basically of seeing the high points of Sevilla and shopping, of course. The best part about her being in Sevilla was that she got to meet my host parents and see where I’ve been living for the past 2 and a half months. She briefly met my host parents the first night, but I brought her back on that Thursday to have a big ole, Spanish-style, family lunch. Seeing as though my mother speaks zero Spanish and my host parents speak zero English, I had my work as translator cut out for me. From everything I’d told her about the food I’m served here, mom was a bit concerned with what she was about to consume. I, personally, couldn’t wait for her to get to see and taste what I’d been enduring the last 2 and a half months. Well wouldn’t you know that my host mom decided to put on a show for my mom and serve us maybe the best meal we’ve had since we’ve been here?! We had braised chicken, vegetables (which we rarely have), French fries (typical), plates of cheeses, prosciuttos, and olives, and wine (which we’ve never had) to top it all off. Afterwards, we had coffee and dessert, and mom looked at me said that she didn’t really understand what all my complaining was about. I quickly reverted her attention back to the chicken nugget story. I can’t complain about this though because she did get to experience a real Spanish lunch, which is much better than the alternative norm that Jennifer and I experience everyday. And guess what she did after her first big, fat, Spanish lunch? She took a siesta, of course.

Her second weekend in Europe had us visiting Barcelona- mi corazon (look it up if you don’t already know it). I have to admit that I was a much better tour guide of Barcelona than I was of Sevilla. Funny how I lived there for a shorter period of time but I feel like I know that city better than I do Sevilla. Anyhow, our first night in Barcelona was probably the most fun/epic night of the whole trip. I wanted her to meet my friends Jordi and Raul, and Jordi was leaving for the weekend the next day so our first night was the only night she could meet him. The plan was to go to Jordi’s bar to visit and have a few drinks. Well we didn’t get checked into our hotel until about 11p.m., so we didn’t even get to the bar until midnight. The famous quote of the night was something my mom said when we were walking to the bar- “Callie, I’m not staying out until 2 o’clock in the morning.” Little did she know…

Sweet Jordi greeted us with big hugs and two glasses of free sangria. We honestly weren’t planning on staying long, but the atmosphere at Summum (Jordi’s bar) was so lively and fun that we just went with the flow. We were flowing and the free drinks were flowing; it just makes for a good time. Two guys sitting nearby who were clearly already well into the drinks decided to strike up a conversation with us. One was from France and the other was from Columbia, but looked like he was from China. They of course insisted that we were sisters and proceeded to tell me that if she really was my mom, then I was only about 16 years old. Had either of them been remotely cute or a tad bit interesting, this may have irked me. That wasn't the case. In a nutshell, I was playing defense all night for my ever-so popular mother. Who's surprised? The funniest part came when the Columbian looked at her a bit later and said, “What’s my name?” and she responded with, “I don’t remember, but it was something funky.” He threw his head back and erupted into squeals of laughter that instantly made me realize exactly who he reminded me of- Long Duck Dong from the movie Sixteen Candles. If you’ve ever seen the movie, you can understand why I would almost wet myself every time the boy let out so much as a giggle. After numerous failed attempts at hitting on my mother, and with the arrival of my other friend, Raul, the terrible two-some finally left us. Raul is the one who co-owns the restaurant, Caramba, with Jordi. He has a big passion for cooking, so naturally he and Mama made fast friends- and even faster friends when he made nachos for her at 3 o’clock in the morning. It’s hard not to make fast friends with Jordi and Raul though. They are 2 of a kind! The night was so eventful that before we knew it, it was 4 a.m. That’s right ladies and gents, I kept my mother out until 4 o’clock in the morning. And I will say that there was no twisting of the arm involved. At least she was right when she said she wasn’t staying out until 2!

We got a late start to our first full day in Barcelona, but that’s okay because that’s how we do it over here in Spain. And by we I mean us Spaniards. We started the day at La Boqueria, which is the biggest, most fabulous outdoor market you could ever imagine. I think it tortured her a little to be there and not be able to buy anything. After we left the market we walked down Las Ramblas, which is the main strip of the city, to the port and beach area. Mama got to touch the Mediterranean for the first time in her life and I show her where I worked that summer and take her to the exact spot on the beach I used to go to every day after work. It was definitely special to get to show my mom where I spent that unforgettable summer. Naturally, she fell in love with Barcelona- it’s impossible not to. The versatile city has something for everyone in my opinion. Typical of our luck, the Pope happened to be in Barcelona the same weekend as us, so it was extremely crowded at all the tourist hot spots. Between only having two days in Barcelona and the Pope’s being there, I have to say we did a pretty good job of covering the city.

I felt it appropriate to do one of the most Spanish things I could think of before Mama left, so I took her to a flamenco show on one of her last nights in Spain. We drank red wine and ate tapas at a table so close to the stage that I’m pretty sure I could feel the taps of the dancers’ tap shoes in my chest. The traditional Spanish dance show was a great way to send her out with a bang. We had so much fun during the 2 weeks she was here, shared so many laughs and drank so much red wine. While there were times that were stressful or overwhelming, whether it was getting ripped off by a dirty, old man on a train or being bested by a gypsy with a sprig of rosemary, we’ll look back at those times and laugh because they’ll make for some of the funniest stories. I’m so thankful to have such a close relationship with my mother. We are the best of friends. Before she came, I told her how excited I was to have her visit me over here because no one in my world back home really knows this part of my world, and of all people, she would be the one who would be able to see the part of me that shines in this world. Spain is so special to me and it’s a place that has played a small part in shaping the person I’ve become, and to have had the chance to show it to the person who played a HUGE part in shaping the person I’ve become is something I’ll always cherish. Thanks for the memories, Mamasita! We’ll be talking about this one for the rest of our lives!

Italy Pics

Thelma and Louise do Europe, Part 1- Italy

Hola, strangers! So I know it has been forever since I blogged, but between school, traveling with Mama, being her tour guide AND translator, I didn’t have time for much else. I have to admit I have missed blogging though! I have so much to write about that I think I’ll do it in increments, so here goes part 1 of the adventures of Thelma and Louise….

As you already know, mama came to visit me over here for 2 weeks. Or maybe I should say my sister, because everyone we met on our trips insisted that she was just my older sister. It was a recurring theme for sure. Reaaaal original, people; like I’ve never heard that before!!! Anyway, We met in Rome the first night, a Wednesday, and our first meal of the trip was at a tiny little restaurant that we accidentally stumbled upon, and it turned out to be one of the best meals we had on the whole trip- authentic Italian cheeses, the best prosciutto either of us have ever tasted, a big plate full of pasta, and of course lots of red wine. It’s a very good thing I’m not studying abroad in Italy or I’d be coming home and going straight to fat camp. We were only supposed to spend 1 night in Rome and leave for Positano the next morning, but due to lost baggage, we had to stay 2 nights in Rome. I was actually happy about this because I’ve never been to Rome, so I wanted to see a few sights. We toured the Coliseum, a bunch of the ruins, the Pantheon, and the Trevi fountain. I’d say we did pretty good for 1 day!

We woke up Friday and took a train down to Salerno, where we then took a ferry to the fairy-tale town of Positano. Tucked away into the mountainous coastline of Amalfi, this sweet, little town was unlike anything I’d ever seen. All of the buildings are built into the mountains, each and every one of them promising an amazing view of the Mediterranean. Since the whole town is built into the mountain, you have to take steps and winding pathways, overhung with vines and flowers, to get anywhere. We stayed at a cozy bed and breakfast called La Fenice, run by a man named Constantino, his wife, Angela, and their 2 sons. Paradise found. Once past the gate, you climb a steep, winding, vine-covered stairway to the main house, turning around all the while so as not to miss a single view of the sea and landscape.

Our first full day in Positano, we hiked around the town, taking in the sights, and doing a little window-shopping. We ate at a beachfront restaurant called Chez Black where my mom was served the biggest portion on pasta I’ve ever seen, so big that they brought her a bib to wear while indulging. I ordered a pizza and it came in the shape of a heart. This is what happens when you smile at people over here. It’s interpreted differently than it is back home. Mama and I looked around and everyone else’s pizza was just in plain ole’ circular form. And I had made eye contact with the pizza chef earlier so I smiled at him, just like I do everyone that I make eye contact with!! So, tip for tau- If you smile at a European man, he will think that you like him. And then he will make you a heart-shaped pizza.

For dinner, we went back down to a restaurant on the beach and had drinks after at an outdoor bar. There are a couple of “stray” dogs that roam around the beach and like to just mosey on in and visit with the tourists. (I put stray in quotes because everyone that works on the beach takes care of them and feeds them.) There was a German Shepherd mix named Nando who came right up to us to visit, and when he obviously sensed that we were dog people, he hopped right up on the booth with mama and put his head in her lap. We made fast friends with Nando and a little, black dog who’s name we never knew; such fast friends that when we started heading back up to the hotel, they followed us. It didn’t take long for me to notice that the little dog was very sick. He was trying his hardest to keep up with us but he kept stopping and going into coughing fits. Well, you better believe I told mom that we had to carry him because he couldn’t make it up all the steps. And by we carry him, I mean her carry him. Considering she works out with a big, ex-Ole Miss football player twice a week, she was the better candidate for carrying the 20-pound dog up the town of stairs. When we got halfway back up to our hotel some men asked us why she was carrying the dog and we told them that they were going to follow us either way so we might as well carry the little one to save him the trouble. One of the men said he’d drive the little dog back down to the beach in his truck, so mama put him in the truck bed and we went on our way. We were just barely around the corner when we heard little man running after us yet again. He had jumped out of the truck bed to follow us! We had heard earlier in the night that Constantino (the hotel owner) used to be a veterinarian, so mama scooped up the little dog again, thinking that Constantino wouldn’t mind too much if we brought them home. It wasn’t until we got back to the hotel and had 2 stray dogs sitting on our beds that we looked at each other and kinda went, “uhhhh what have we done?”. We finally came to our senses that as much as we wanted to cuddle with them all night, they just couldn’t stay in our hotel room. So being the dog-lover and marathoner that she is, Mama put on her running clothes at midnight to take the dogs back down to the beach so that they wouldn’t get run over on one of the winding roads by our hotel. All I have to say about this story is that some things just never change! It’s reminds me of the saying from “Sweet Home Alabama”, you can take the girl out of the honky tonk but you can’t take the honky tonk out of the girl!

Sunday found us in a small town up the mountain called Ravello. This is where we took the most beautiful pictures that you may have seen on my facebook page. The town is so tiny that I think the only reason people go there is for the views and to eat at a restaurant called Cumpa Cosimo. We had read about it in Fodor’s and we followed their recommendation to order the mixed plate of pastas of the day to share. Best recommendation ever. They brought over a huge plate full of 5 or 6 different types of pasta and divided it evenly onto each of our plates. Mama cleared her plate first and the owner’s son came over and asked her if she wanted more. She unconvincingly said no but he grinned at her and said, “Yes, I bring you more.” Being the Italian that he is, he was not trying to hide that he had a crush on mama in the least. After the pasta refills, he brought us a plate full of desserts and 2 shots of Limoncello on the house. It was hands down, the best food of the entire trip.

We left Positano early Monday morning to head to Spain, and the day just started out bad from the get-go. We had to be up at the crack of dawn to catch a bus to Sorrento, where we had to take a train to Naples, where we had to catch another train to Rome to get to the airport. It was just one of those days where if something could have gone wrong, it did. When we got to Rome we wanted to take a taxi to the airport instead of the metro because our bags were so heavy. Well go figure that there would be a marathon going on in Rome and so most of the main roads were blocked off and traffic was horrendous. Our cabdriver took advantage of the fact that we were female tourists and acted like he didn’t know which roads were closed so that he could take a big 25 euro loop just to end up right back at the train station. So basically, he started the meter at 25 euro and wasted 30 minutes of our precious time. When we finally got to the airport an hour later, we only had 1 hour before our flight, and the lovely creature dropped us off in the pouring rain (not underneath the overhang), and told us it would be 100 euro. This is a time when you wish with all your might that you could speak “slang” Italian but considering I was getting drenched standing out on the sidewalk with all the bags, mama wasn’t really in a position to argue; so the asshole got the better of us. Excuse my French… Or should I say Italian?? Once inside the airport, the geniuses thought they had no record of us, but ended up finding our reservation. We were connecting in Barcelona and it wasn’t until we got on the plane that we realized that they’d only checked our bags through to Barcelona. It was really an unbelievable day. To wrap things up, we ended up missing our connecting flight in Barcelona since we had to go out and get our bags, but fortunately the airline put us on a later flight free of charge. We made it to Sevilla, bags and all at about 8:30 p.m. As wonderful as Positano was, we learned that it is VERY hard to get to and from, and that one should leave much room for error when traveling. Thus ends Part 1 of our adventures in Italy. Stay tuned for Part 2 Spain edition. Ciao bellas!