We are continuing to enjoy our time here in Granada (despite contending with a seasonal cold or two...) and I wanted to update you all with a few highlights of this month :)
Las Alpujarras
We went on a little bike trip to the Alpujarras (a mountain range nearby) at the invitation of a new friend, Fran, who is a journalist in Madrid. He was in the midst of filming a cycle-tourism pilot tv show, and wanted to have a few companions along. (Our tandem might make an appearance in the pilot, who knows?)
Our destination was Pampaneira. I had been there once before, but had gone by bus. And let me say, it was MUCH more fun to go by bicycle. The roads in the Alpujarras are very steep and they slowly wind up the sides of the valleys to reach little villages that are perched high on the edges of the valley. In a bus this is a perfect storm for the worst motion-sickness you can ever experience.... (see: switchbacks and pinturns for 2 hours) but on a bike it is fantastic! Yes, it was still steep, but as the road is right on the edge of the valley the incredible views more than make up for it. And even the roads themselves were in perfect condition. It was as if they had been paved just before our visit, plus at this time of year there is very little traffic :)
Audition News
Some other exciting news is that Nathan had success with an audition for a choir project in Germany! The news came on Nathan's birthday, which was fun :) It is a three week project that starts at the end of February. The rehearsals will be in English and German so he will also have the chance to practice a little of his German as well :) He is definitely looking forward to the project.
Villancicos
Every year my friend/colleague Joaquín hosts a Christmas party for children. All of his friends who have kids come together and hear a creative re-telling of the Christmas story, followed by Christmas carols and lots of food and candy. Even though we don´t have children, we were invited :)
It was very cool to listen to the Christmas story with all the drama and mystery that Joaquín and several other parents wove into it. The only light was by candlelight, there were sound affects, music, and pictures projected on the wall at key moments. The 15 or so little ones seated on the floor were mesmerized (well, other than for a few VERY young ones who were more intent on putting keys, instruments, and anything else they could find into their mouths rather than listening to a story).
The Christmas carol portion of the evening was fascinating, as the ¨villancicos¨ that they have here are very different from what we usually sing in Canada. There are a few that overlap, but not many, and even the style of singing is quite different. We are, afterall, in the south of Spain, the heart of Flamenco country, and you can really hear how influential it is when people get together and sing! Not only do the villancicos have some of the same rhythm and harmonies, but the style of singing is also more like flamenco than anything else. One of my favorites was "Los peces en el rio" (you can listen to a version by the Gypsy Kings here, lyrics here). The Gypsy Kings version will give you a good taste of the flamenco-style singing I am talking about.
Posada Mexicana
One of our good friends, who also hosted the Día de los Muertos party in November, hosted a mexican posada party the other night. In Mexico there are 8 or 9 nights of these celebrations leading up to Christmas Eve. The evening starts off with a villancico of the dialogue between Joseph & Mary, and the Innkeeper (Please give us shelter - No I don´t have room - Please, my wife is pregnant - No, go away or I´ll beat you with a stick - Wait, you don´t understand, my wife is Mary and is going to give birth to the savior of the word - Oh! I didn´t realize! Of course, please come in!*) *Note: very loose translation...
The guests of the party divide into two groups to sing the song, and once everyone in the Joseph & Mary group have been invited in, everyone drinks ponche (which is like hot apple cider but with many different kinds of fruit) and eats snacks. And then it is time for the piñata/s!
When Luke and I spent a Christmas (way back when) in Mexico, we got to go to several posadas and they were absolutely one of my favorite highlights of our trip. And although that was a long time ago, I obviously still have strong memorizes as the instant someone yelled "Dale!" (hit it!) I suddenly remembered the song you're supposed to sing while someone tries to hit the piñata. Loli laughed when she heard me singing it because she had forgotten to teach that to everyone before starting. With the singing, yelling of instructions, and sticks and piñata flailing about in the air, it was just the right amount of chaos :)
Christmas Plans
We are very fortunate to have many invitations to various dinners over the holidays. For Christmas Eve we will be spending the evening with several other students who are also not home for the holidays. Christmas Day we have been invited over to join in a friend's family dinner and then we have several other invitations for various occasions. The only downer is that we are both still fighting the tail end of a cold, and so also trying to get as much sleep as possible as well!
I hope you are all doing well. Wishing you many blessings of health, joy and peace during this beautiful time of year.
Blessings,
Candyce
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