We returned to Sevilla just in time to celebrate Semana Santa, a week-long celebration for the city. I did not realize the extent of this until I returned back and it took me about an hour to get to my apartment instead of 30 min! When I say there were people in the streets and it was crowded--I mean ALL OF SEVILLA was in the streets. Everyone was dressed to the nines, drinking and eating in the streets, spending all day in the streets, etc. It's really hard to explain if you don't see it yourself. A bunch of churchs have two massive pasos (floats)--the first one of Jesus before/during the crucifixion and the second of Mary. They're ornate and gorgeous, and carried by these people who have practived for months, Costaleros. There are also people dressed in what we would recognize as KKK outfits. The ones with points, capirotes, are Nazarenos and they carry large candles, cirios. Penitentes are the people without the points and carry crosses. Some people choose to go barefoot or with shoes. There's a lot of music--horns and drums--but then there are also silent cofradios (processions), which are really impressive. Streets were shut down--EVERYTHING is shut down--except restaurants of course, which are all selling bocadillos (sandwiches) and cans of beer. One night though, La Madruga (the dawn), is an ALL night celebration in which people march ALL night long with the pasos. All of the pasos go from their church to La Catedral and back to their church. Plenty of people stayed up all night to partake in this. It's just as much a cultural event as religious, but being an outsider, it kind of exacerbates the feeling of foreigness since there's no deeper significance to you. It was really cool to see everything, but as an outsider, it loses it's appeal quite quickly to be honest.
After walking around for a day(or really trying to walk around since it was kind of impossible), I wanted some peace and quiet so a couple of girls and I took a bus to Jerez de la Frontera (Sherry by border-literally). The Alcazar (palace) was closed but we went on a wine tour and tried some Tio Pepe in the end, which I have to say was really not pleasing at all. It was fun though! Jerez was just what we needed after the chaos of Sevilla! Today's Easter and there are still some processions going on in the city. I just can't wait to have Sevilla back to normal!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
MARRUECOS!!!
MOROCCO!!
I just came back to Morocco and it was amazing!!!!!
DAY 1. We left last Friday morning (really Thursday night) at 4 am. YUP. 4 am at the bus with all our stuff. We drove to Algeciras, took a ferry to Ceuta, and then drove all day to Fez, arriving at 6pm (and we lost 2 gained 2 hours!!). So that night was just spent in the hotel, which I think everyone was fine with!
DAY 2. The next day woke up early and went to the Medina, which literally means civilization and is the oldest part of the city--the old world market that looks the same as it did hundreds of years ago. This place was a true labyrinth!! We had Moroccan guides that took us around because otherwise, it would have been impossible. We went to one place where they make beautiful Moroccan carpets and were given a presentation. Everyone was thinking that they wouldn't end up buying a carpet but then half the group did. Long story there. Jennie and I are looking at carpets and this guy is trying to sell them to us each for 200 euro, which of course we're not going to buy. Then we get him all the way down to 50 euro each (after a lot of haggling), we say we're going to buy it and have them in bags when one of our friends shows some other salesman that we got them for 50 euro each. All of the salesmen are then yelling at us telling that they were 100 each so we just give them back and say "ok, fine" and leave. So then we visited a "pharmacy" where we were given demonstrations for all of these oils, creams, spices, etc. All throughout this, we're being followed by guys trying to hock us necklaces. This was soooo exhausting and for some reason they would not leave me alone specifically and a couple girls in my group even said to them "SHE DOESN't WANT IT," which was nice. Sooo then we had lunch of these salads and then steamed vegetables and couscous. Ok so here's where it gets interesting. I get up to use the bathroom, but on my way out, this woman just kind of guides me into this backroom (later, a couple of my friends told me they saw some women take me and were freaking out). Low and behold, in the backroom (which is a huge empty Moroccan store) is the guy from the carpet store who had tried selling Jennie and me a rug. He asks me if I still want to buy it so I go and get Jennie and ask her. We go back to the backroom where there's just another lady standing there creepily as we barter for the rugs again. We decide to get them--I really need a Moroccan rug for my house this year--so when we say that we have to pay in credit, he tells us to follow him (we're IDIOTS). We go outside around the building to the front and then follow him upstairs. He tries getting us to pay 20 euro more and then 10 euro more, but we get him to stick to the price. We finish, we go down the stairs and come out in the front of the restaurant where Quique, our director (who is SOOOO AMAZING) asks us where we were. We explained and he reminded us not to trust anyone, and we felt reeeeallly stupid. Ah Quique we're sorry!! So after that adventure, we ended up seeing the place were they make all the beautiful pottery and mosaics, went back to the hotel, rested, ate, and went to a show back at the same restaurant. We all exited through the same place where we had bough the rugs so Jennie an I had some major "déjà vu."
DAY 3. More travel. We leave the hotel early and drive from Fez all to Ifrane to Erfoud, stopping in some place to eat really good meal in this restaurant on the side of what looks like the Grand Canyon. The whole ride was absolutely MAGNIFICENT. Just amazing (even though it was ALL day). When we got to Erfoud, we left our big autobus home for jeeps. When we were leaving the town for the desert we had to cross this bridge which is not even above water--its partially submerged with water running--CRAZY! And then we just drove in the open desert for an hour until arriving at the campsite--the haimas (tents-hard to describe though). After an exhausting--physically and mentally draining--visit to Fez, Jennie and I were really drained so we kept telling each other "everything will be better in the desert." That night we played music before dinner and just hung out in dunes for a bit--I had bought some handrums and had my ukulele and another girl had a guitar and drum.
DAY 4. This day was jam packed!!! I woke at 5:15 am to see the sunrise in the dunes. We rode camels through the desert, climed a MASSIVE sand dune, walked into the local village, walked through an oasis, went to another carpet store for a demonstration (enough!), back to the haimas, hung out with the Berber children, played music and danced with the Berbers, got henna done, hung out, talked to people from the different ISA programs, and had danced after dinner to the live band. The end of the night was really just like the finale of some movie where all the characters are reunited in the end since everyone was there dancing--all the Berber kids, the people that took us with the camels, and the salesmen from the 2nd carpet store. So weird!
DAY 5. Leaving the haimas, the Berbers, and our desert adventure. We took the jeeps back to Erfoud and then the bus to Meknes. Another full day of travel! When we were unloading, some shady guy tried stealing the rugs--to which I told him they were mine (!!!) and some girls yelled for the bus driver and they chased this guy down the street after he tried stealing some other stuff. After we got settled, Jennie and I went to walk around in Meknes for a while and noticed that EVERYONE in cafés(and there were a LOT of cafés) was male. It was weird, but not as weird as going to the discoteca that night. All of the Moroccan women in the discoteca are prostitutes and all of the Moroccan men know that. And then a bunch of ISA students. It was fun nonetheless, just a bit strange to know what's going on around you.
DAY 6. Left Morocco at 7am for all day travel, returning to Sevilla after 8pm (after LOSING 2 hours!). Then we had to traverse the Semana Santa crowds. That's a different story.
Just a few last funny things thanks to Quique:
I just came back to Morocco and it was amazing!!!!!
DAY 1. We left last Friday morning (really Thursday night) at 4 am. YUP. 4 am at the bus with all our stuff. We drove to Algeciras, took a ferry to Ceuta, and then drove all day to Fez, arriving at 6pm (and we lost 2 gained 2 hours!!). So that night was just spent in the hotel, which I think everyone was fine with!
DAY 2. The next day woke up early and went to the Medina, which literally means civilization and is the oldest part of the city--the old world market that looks the same as it did hundreds of years ago. This place was a true labyrinth!! We had Moroccan guides that took us around because otherwise, it would have been impossible. We went to one place where they make beautiful Moroccan carpets and were given a presentation. Everyone was thinking that they wouldn't end up buying a carpet but then half the group did. Long story there. Jennie and I are looking at carpets and this guy is trying to sell them to us each for 200 euro, which of course we're not going to buy. Then we get him all the way down to 50 euro each (after a lot of haggling), we say we're going to buy it and have them in bags when one of our friends shows some other salesman that we got them for 50 euro each. All of the salesmen are then yelling at us telling that they were 100 each so we just give them back and say "ok, fine" and leave. So then we visited a "pharmacy" where we were given demonstrations for all of these oils, creams, spices, etc. All throughout this, we're being followed by guys trying to hock us necklaces. This was soooo exhausting and for some reason they would not leave me alone specifically and a couple girls in my group even said to them "SHE DOESN't WANT IT," which was nice. Sooo then we had lunch of these salads and then steamed vegetables and couscous. Ok so here's where it gets interesting. I get up to use the bathroom, but on my way out, this woman just kind of guides me into this backroom (later, a couple of my friends told me they saw some women take me and were freaking out). Low and behold, in the backroom (which is a huge empty Moroccan store) is the guy from the carpet store who had tried selling Jennie and me a rug. He asks me if I still want to buy it so I go and get Jennie and ask her. We go back to the backroom where there's just another lady standing there creepily as we barter for the rugs again. We decide to get them--I really need a Moroccan rug for my house this year--so when we say that we have to pay in credit, he tells us to follow him (we're IDIOTS). We go outside around the building to the front and then follow him upstairs. He tries getting us to pay 20 euro more and then 10 euro more, but we get him to stick to the price. We finish, we go down the stairs and come out in the front of the restaurant where Quique, our director (who is SOOOO AMAZING) asks us where we were. We explained and he reminded us not to trust anyone, and we felt reeeeallly stupid. Ah Quique we're sorry!! So after that adventure, we ended up seeing the place were they make all the beautiful pottery and mosaics, went back to the hotel, rested, ate, and went to a show back at the same restaurant. We all exited through the same place where we had bough the rugs so Jennie an I had some major "déjà vu."
DAY 3. More travel. We leave the hotel early and drive from Fez all to Ifrane to Erfoud, stopping in some place to eat really good meal in this restaurant on the side of what looks like the Grand Canyon. The whole ride was absolutely MAGNIFICENT. Just amazing (even though it was ALL day). When we got to Erfoud, we left our big autobus home for jeeps. When we were leaving the town for the desert we had to cross this bridge which is not even above water--its partially submerged with water running--CRAZY! And then we just drove in the open desert for an hour until arriving at the campsite--the haimas (tents-hard to describe though). After an exhausting--physically and mentally draining--visit to Fez, Jennie and I were really drained so we kept telling each other "everything will be better in the desert." That night we played music before dinner and just hung out in dunes for a bit--I had bought some handrums and had my ukulele and another girl had a guitar and drum.
DAY 4. This day was jam packed!!! I woke at 5:15 am to see the sunrise in the dunes. We rode camels through the desert, climed a MASSIVE sand dune, walked into the local village, walked through an oasis, went to another carpet store for a demonstration (enough!), back to the haimas, hung out with the Berber children, played music and danced with the Berbers, got henna done, hung out, talked to people from the different ISA programs, and had danced after dinner to the live band. The end of the night was really just like the finale of some movie where all the characters are reunited in the end since everyone was there dancing--all the Berber kids, the people that took us with the camels, and the salesmen from the 2nd carpet store. So weird!
DAY 5. Leaving the haimas, the Berbers, and our desert adventure. We took the jeeps back to Erfoud and then the bus to Meknes. Another full day of travel! When we were unloading, some shady guy tried stealing the rugs--to which I told him they were mine (!!!) and some girls yelled for the bus driver and they chased this guy down the street after he tried stealing some other stuff. After we got settled, Jennie and I went to walk around in Meknes for a while and noticed that EVERYONE in cafés(and there were a LOT of cafés) was male. It was weird, but not as weird as going to the discoteca that night. All of the Moroccan women in the discoteca are prostitutes and all of the Moroccan men know that. And then a bunch of ISA students. It was fun nonetheless, just a bit strange to know what's going on around you.
DAY 6. Left Morocco at 7am for all day travel, returning to Sevilla after 8pm (after LOSING 2 hours!). Then we had to traverse the Semana Santa crowds. That's a different story.
Just a few last funny things thanks to Quique:
- at the ceuta/morocco border: "put your passports in this bag and you'll get them back later"
- about getting the dirhams (moroccan currency) we ordered: "the guy with the money should come to the hotel later. maybe"
- "one of the jeeps didn't show up so i guess we'll wait." (jeep with students just didnt show up until much later)
- "the king is coming to town" (moroccan king was coming to town but it just sounded funny)
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