On Adventures in Greece Part III: On Top of the World

In which a group of 16 students wander down a mountain

In life there are those things that you love to do but rarely make time for¹. For me one of those things is hiking. I love getting out into nature and taking it all in, and every spring I talk about wanting to hike and camp with my friends, or by myself, and it never seems to happen. So when I realized that Thessaloniki was so close to Mt. Olympus and that there were a number of hiking trails on and around the mountain I instantly got excited. Thankfully this would be one hiking experience that
would not be just talk.

This last Sunday I had the opportunity to take 16 of our 21 students to Mt. Olympus National Park and hike for the day. It was exhilarating, breath taking, exhausting², nerve racking, uplifting, stressful, and glorious. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

Most of the students that were with me were not avid, or even regular, hikers. Some of them had only hiked once before and it was most likely a midwestern style trail hike at a state park. Almost all of them had on tennis shoes and carried with them a couple of bottle of water and a lunch. When we got to the mountain our guide who had be provided for us took us to a 15th century monastery part of the way up the mountain, after briefly touring the monastery (which was under renovation as it had been destroyed during World War II³

Initially the guides plan was for us to return the way we came and take the bus down to the village in the foothills and that would be it for hiking. Some of the students wanted to go higher up the mountain (something neither I nor the guide were comfortable with) but we discussed it and settled on us following the trail down the mountain and meeting him and the bus in the village.

If you noticed that the sign says Litohoro is 4 hours away congratulations! You realized what we did not. Though in my defense our guide never thought to mention that it was a four hour hike either. I only discovered this when I talked to a hiker after we'd been going for about 2 hours or so and he said that's how lone he'd been hiking up. I decided to keep that bit of news to myself for as long as I could.

The first half our our trip was great, the trail was pretty easy, we were feeling rested, and we stopped to take a lot of pictures.

Our bus was scheduled to leave and head back to Thessaloniki at 4:00, and that the rate we were headed we weren't going to make it. So we discontinued the photography sessions and marched onward. As the time past student grew more and more tired. There was definitely complaining happening, but they were also very supportive of each other.

My favorite quote from the afternoon was when Gabi asked: "If I break my leg, with they airlift me out of here?"

"I don't think they could get a helicopter in here," I replied, "They'd probably have to take you out on a stretcher."

"Not worth it." She told me as she continued past.

Since many of the students didn't have much hiking experience there was some definite confusion as to why, if we were going down the mountain, there was so much up and down. My stress level increased when some of the students, who were absolutely exhausted by this point, slipped in a few places. Thankfully it was when they path was easier and they just weren't paying attention, but I was still concerned. At one point we crested yet another hill and saw this:

That little reddish mass way off in the distance is the village of Litohoro, our destination. And while it was still a long, long⁴ way off just being able to see our destination was rejuvenating. We pressed on with new energy, or at least adrenaline, and we completed the last leg of our journey.

When we were about 45 minutes from the base of the mountain we met our guide who had start up the mountain to meet us. He took us the rest of the way out, which was helpful, because that little town was confusing and we'd still be wandering around looking for the bus.

Before we left the park we did stop to take one more picture, thankfully, since our guide was with us I was actually able to be in one, which is rare on these trips.

The students were all extremely glad that we made it off the mountain⁵. Most of them were asleep before we even got out of the village. I know that it was a challenging day for them all but I'm glad I got to offer them this opportunity. What was even better was the next day when they could look back on the hike with fresh eye. All of them were glad they went, and more than one said that ultimately they are glad that they didn't know what they were getting into. Because if they had they wouldn't have signed up to go in the first place.

As I reflect back on the day it was certainly my highlight so far. Even despite my own exhaustion it was such a unique experience that I wouldn't change for anything.

_______________________

1) Or maybe that's just me, because I'm such a 9.
2) Both mentally and physically.
3) Those damn nazi ruin everything.
4) Seriously it felt like it was forever way.
5) Except for the fact that they first WCs we found only contained squatty potties.

On Adventures in Greece Part II

In which a trip up a hill takes a disastrous turn, but ultimately ends positively

On our second day in the city we took a bus tour around different parts of the city which was really cool because we got to see a lot of the city all at once. But sucked at the same time because were seeing all these really cool streets and locations and couldn't get off the bus and explore them¹. I did my best to take what pictures I could, but it was very difficult. I got a couple of good shots though.

Here's one

As the tour went along we slowly made our way up a hill to the oldest part of the city which is still surrounded by an ancient wall. As we crested the hill the entirety of Thessaloniki stretched out in front of us in a beautiful panorama. I knew that trying to snap off a quick pic would be futile so I just enjoyed the view for what it was and decided to come back another day.

The very next day as it turns out.

After class the following day we were down at the city center for a walking/snacking² tour of the market. While we were at lunch I asked one of our contacts how best to make our way back up the hill to the old part of town. She told me that we simply had to hop on a city bus and it would take us right up there. Eventually. Also, it would be crowded. Like insanely crowded³.

She was NOT kidding. The buses in Greece are nuts. No matter how many people are on them more and more just cram in. It's like playing sardines with a group of hot, sweaty strangers. Needless to say our students are not huge fans of the buses. However, we hopped on and made our way up the hill. Eventually we arrived and found ourselves with this view....

It was pretty stellar. The students took a ton of shots⁴. Including some Titanic style "King of the World" shenanigans. After we were done with pictures the students wanted to hit up some souvenir shops before we wandered a bit. I didn't have much interest in that so I kind of meandered about, killing time. I was taking some pictures of the wall when a student came out and kind of slumped down on the curb. I went over to see what was happening and looked up at me and said, "My wallets gone."

She had been pick pocketed on the bus.

They got her driver's licence, her debit cards, and all the money she had for the trip.

It was absolutely devastating.

This is one of those things that, as the instructor, you realize is always a possibility, but you never really prepare yourself for. We sat there for a while on side of the street while she cried. Then we talked about the next steps and I helped her to make the necessary calls home. It was the toughest thing I've had to deal with on either of these study abroad trips. For many students something like this happening would have absolutely ruined their trip, but this student in particular is very tough, and while her day was pretty much shot to shit she's told me she not going to let it ruin her trip. Even shorty after realizing her wallet was gone she soldiered on as we descended the hill.

While we rode the bus up to the wall we decided to return to the hotel by walking. Thankfully Thessaloniki is on the coast, and our hotel is only two blocks from the water. So all you need to do is keep walking to the water and then make sure it's on your right. This gave us the freedom to wander nearly aimlessly back down the hill. On our way down we took some short cuts through, basically, some backyards, and took what appeared to be a locals only shortcut behind a cemetery. It was actually a very nice walk back, though when all was said and done we had walked 6.3 miles that day.

What hit me the most about the city during our walk down the hill was the crazy time paradoxes you encounter with the various structures. At one point we were waiting next to a 4th century Roman arch, which was across the street from some apartments from the 1970's⁵, which sandwiched a church from 1531, directly across from a Starbucks.

What?

The history of this city is crazy. Everywhere you turn you come face to face with some new discovery. There's so much to do and the fact that it's not a big tourist city makes it that much nicer to explore. I can't wait to get back down to the city square and get lost for a few hours.

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1) I will find all those places again. You will not best me tour bus.
2) Snalking?
3) She didn't actually say insanely crowded, but it's funny to think of her saying that in her Greek accent.
4) Pictures not booze, that would come the next day.
5) I'm guessing.

On Adventures in Greece, Part I

In which we acclimatize ourselves to the Grecian culture.

After exploring a bit of the city of Thessaloniki with some of my students this afternoon I found myself with a bit of free time before our next adventure. So I decided to do two things I've been meaning to since I arrived here in Greece. A) Try a greek beer. And 2) write a blog post. When I finish the post I'll give you my review of the beer¹. So I went up to the patio off my room and got to writing.

Oh, hey, that's my view.

We've been in country for about 24 hours already and while I wouldn't say we feel quite settled in yet we are getting there. Our hotel is in a nice location, not too touristy, but not out of the way either. They are doing all they can to make our students feel welcome. Which is great, so far there hasn't been much homesickness. The group is starting to come together. There were small pockets of students who knew one another previously, but most of them were strangers, I don't expect that to last much longer. Similarly, while I know about 4 students well the rest of them I do not. One of my big personal goals is to really connect with each of them individually and have a good conversation with everyone before we leave. Pretty lofty given how quickly the trip will go by, but what's the point of a goal if it's easy to attain?

This morning we had our first class. It was a guest lecturer who gave us a crash course in simple greek phrases. I thought it was a fantastic idea, whereas last year we had a number of students who spoke Spanish we don't have any greek speakers. So we are all coming from the same place. It was wonderful to watch the students try to apply what they've learned when we went out for lunch today.

Hold on a second I'll be right back...

Okay, sorry about that².

Greek is a very interesting language to try and learn. There are definitely words that are familiar, but over all it is very strange and new. However, we've had some wonderful teachers. Both in our class this morning and through our contacts here in the city. They have been very patient with us as we have muddled through the usage of their native tongue. I think that the coolest moment though was today at lunch. Myself and a few of the students tried a restaurant that one of the hotel employees recommended. When we got there we found that the owner didn't speak very much English. He basically new enough to tell us what the various dishes we were looking at contained. "Fish. Beef. Chicken liver."

We ordered and sat down and he would come by every once and a while to check on us. We utilized the little Greek that we knew/remembered, and he was thrilled at our attempts. When we mispronounced words he would correct us until we got it right then he'd shoot us the double thumbs up. As the meal wrapped up he thanked us and shook some of the students' hands.

After lunch we strolled around the area near our hotel a little before heading back to our rooms. In the midst of writing this I left for a tour of the city and dinner, but that can be saved for another update.

By the way. The beer was pretty much terrible. Though it got better as it went on, I don't know if that's because it was a little warmer, or if it was because I was 2/3rds of the way through 500 mls.

Kalinihta³!

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1) Spoiler alert: My rating was not too good for the beer.
2) For an accurate experience of this break stop reading this and come back 6 hours.
3) "Kali-neéck-tah" mean "good night"

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On Spanish Adventures Part VII: The Day That Was All Days

In which blindly wandering leads to expectations going unmet and yet exceeded.

I read a lot on vacation. When you are at the beach most of the time it's what you have to do, otherwise you go crazy. Though in all honesty I think I did go a little crazy anyway. This year I reread one of my favorite books, Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut. It is a satirical story that focuses on, among other ideas, religion. All throughout the book there are teachings, wisdoms, and fragments of calypso songs by Bokonon, the creator of Bokononism. As I was reading this morning a quote jumped out at me and I was instantly taken back to Valencia.

The last few days we spent in Spain we were in Madrid. While we were there a question popped into my head that I began to ask my students about. That question was: "what moment best encapsulates your overall experience in Spain?" I really liked this question. I got to hear about highlights of various students while at the same time really forcing them to consider what their trip was all about. This post will, in a roundabout way, get to the moment for me. Along the way I am going to try and punctuate my story with quotes from other, more talented authors.

As Bokonon says: 'Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God¹.'

Well before we left for Spain my student Emily was in my office and we looking at the city on Google Maps. We noticed that there was a very large lake just south of town that had a national park around the southern coast. Obviously we had very little frame of reference about how long it would take to get there, but we knew that we wanted to try and spend a day there.

Then we got a look at our schedule for our time in Valencia. It was jam packed, just about every day had class and or an event happening. It seemed less and less likely that we would be able to make the trip down. Then, as our final week began, it was decided that we were going to cancel one planned activity on our last day in Valencia to give our students more free time to end on. Emily immeadiately went to talk to our contact Manuel to get details about getting to the lake. After talking to Manuel she immediately found me and asked me to talk to Manuel about getting to the lake. To her credit it was not the simplest journey. Here is what we were told:

Take a city bus to a specific stop. Leave bus and transfer to another. Leave second bus and walk to the stop for the bus out of town. The stop will only be marked by a small sign and will arrive at 4:00pm. Ride the bus bound for El Palmar for 30 minutes, it will drop you off at the edge of town. Make sure you are back at the stop at 8 because that's the last bus back into town.

It was a little convoluted but it seemed do able so we planned to meet up in the afternoon after the girls finished their last lunch with their homestay families. We opened the trip to anyone that was interested but in the end my travel companions were once again Kate and Emily.

I met Kate and Emily and the first leg of our journey went off with out a hitch. We caught our two city buses and arrived at the point that Manuel had described with over half and hour to spare. There was even a little yellow sign and a guy waiting by it. Success!

But that's the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned. I don't want to know what people are talking about. I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses².

It was an unusually cold, cloudy, and windy day in Valencia. We had been spoiled with amazing weather our whole trip and now things were a little more uncomfortable. There was no bench or shelter at this bus stop so to help keep warm we just sat on the sun-soaked sidewalk. I'm sure we looked quite absurd. As four o'clock approached two things happened. One good, one not so much. The good was that other people started milling about this bus stop, which definitely filled me with some confidence. The not so good? Rain. It wasn't for long but it did start raining fairly heavily while we waited. So Emily, Kate and I took shelter as best we could underneath a small tree that was nearby. It served it's purpose, though now we were both cold and wet.

As we were waiting for our bus we kept seeing touring buses arrive and stop near where we were but not where we were. Kate, being ever so helpful, began asking if we were in the right location. Was I sure that this is where our bus would pick up? There are other buses stopping across the street, are you sure that's not where we should be?

No, Kate, I said, this is where Manuel told us to be. I'm sure we are in the right place. (Fun fact, I was NOT at all sure we were in the right place. That doubt would soon increase).

Things got really interesting when four o'clock came and went and no bus arrived. Well, that's is to say no buses arrived at our stop. Plenty of other buses passed us and stopped near us, and every time Kate would ask if we try to find a different stop. I told her that we were absolutely in the right place, because when you lead a trip like this sometimes the best thing you can do it put down a huge line of bullshit. The only thing that kept me sticking with my story was that the other people waiting were a) still waiting and b) looked as perplexed at the lateness as we did.

Finally at 4:30 a bus pulled up. Kate, who speaks better Spanish then she gives herself credit for, asked the young guys who was initially waiting for the bus if it was headed to El Palmar. He spoke to the driver who confirmed that it was, in fact, our bus. I breathed a deep sign of relief at knowing I did not ruin our last day in town.

We hopped on board and grabbed the seats way in the back. On our trip we chatted and bullshitted about who knows what. After a little while there was a break in tall grass to our right and we had our first great look at the lake. It was beautiful (and we learned the week before that it was the biggest lake in Spain) and our excitement grew.

The lake, as seen from out bus ride home.

Then our bus unexpectedly turned left, away from the lake.

Once again questions began. Should be get off at one of these stops? Is this the right way? I assured them both that were were headed the right way and we should stick with the plan. Eventually we approached a parking lot looking area which I knew would be our stop. Our young friend from earlier found us and told us that this was our stop. We climbed off our bus and started walking towards the sleepy little town of El Palmar, sure that our lakeside adventure was about to begin.

What a bunch of idiots.

There are several ways to react to being lost. One is to panic...another is to abandon yourself to lostness, to allow the fact that you've misplaced yourself to change the way you experience the world³.

We strolled into El Palmar in the same manner that we moved through just about every Spanish city that we visited. We picked a road and started walking, in what we assumed was the direction of the park. El Palmar was a strange little town. On the Main Street every single building housed a restaurant. All of them had tables and chairs set up on the sidewalks. It seemed incredibly quaint.

And yet, it was empty.

We walked up and down the streets of El Palmar multiple times throughout the day and all together we saw, perhaps, 7 people. It was like something out of the Twilight Zone, everyone had been kidnapped and was currently being replaced by pod people. If only we were there the next day I'm sure we would have met a large number of kind people with vacant looks in their eyes.

It was really quite upsetting to be in such a deserted town, especially after being in some of the most crowded cities in the country. But we didn't have much time to think about it. We had a park to explore and not much time in which to explore it. So onward we went. I was using my incredibly unreliable and crappy cellphone to navigate us to where we needed to be. I kept saying things like, "I think it's this way" or "it seems like it should be down this road." I'm sure I filled the girls with a great deal of confidence.

We can to what can only be described as a dirt path that headed away from the road for a bit before curving around a bend. According to the map this road would lead us directly to the park. I told Kate and Emily that's the direction we needed to go. Emily was, as usual, all for it. Kate was, as usual, a little more hesitant, but she was a trooper and came right along (also she's a Type 2, so she was going to go where ever we left anyway). So we headed down the path, wondering just where it would lead us. As we came around the bend I just had to laugh. In the middle of the path was a tractor, a truck, and a car. Along with a few farmers having a chat. To either side of the path? Rice fields. As far as the eye could see.

The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see⁴.

There is no park. That's the punchline of the joke. Or, I guess more accurately, the park was the rice fields. It wasn't a park in the traditional American sense, it was there to protect the land and the paella rice fields. So we walked down these paths, laughing and talking. We told stories to one another, each more ridiculous than the last. It was one of my most cherished moments of the trip, and that walk between the rice paddies was my moment that most typifies my Spanish experience.

The typifying moment.

When we came to a crossroads we decided that we had had enough of "hiking to the park" and figured we would try and get to the lake. We walk directly to the closest shore line of the lake only to find our way blocked by a private farm. So we began to follow the edges of the farms and walking back along the road that the bus came in on, hoping to, at the very least, catch a glimpse of the lake.
Eventually we would, we got right up to the edge. But before that Emily schemed about how to steal fruit that was hanging just out of reach. Kate befriended a sickly looking feral cat (she had to chase it was Harry and the Hendersons style). We attempted to, and initially failed at, taking a selfie (thanks zoom lens). And we discovered an oddly out of place hotel that included a group of gentlemen sitting on the porch sharing a bottle of Johnny Walker, it was like something out of a movie. I'd really wished that I could speak Spanish so I could chat with those guys.

We finally did get close to the lake. Obviously it would have been optimal to have found a beach, or a park, or, hell, even like a boat ramp or a pier. Instead what we found was a cemetery (really more of a mausoleum). Behind the cemetery was a small garden, a chimney that I hope wasn't for cremating bodies, and the lake. It was about as unglamorous as it gets, and totally in line with what our day had been like thus far.

Our astonishing lakeside view, cemetery adjacent.

Eventually we realized this glimpse, this taste of the lake was as close as we were going to get. So we decided to head back to El Palmar to get a drink and kill time before our bus came.

I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them⁵.

I don't know if I can put into words how great it was to spend so much time with Kate and Emily. Any time you go through an experience like this trip you are going to get to know the people you are with on a deeper level. I had the amazing opportunity to watch these two amazing young women get to know themselves better and get to know each other better as well. As an added bonus I got to know them better. There were conversations that I had with each of them individually that I will always cherish. And there were moments, like sharing a pitcher of sangria in the one freaking restaurant that was open in all of El Palmar, that will always make me smile.

I've been doing my job for just about two years now and I still tell people that I meet that it is the best job that I've ever had. Experiences like this day, knowing students like Emily and Kate, that's why I love my job. It has been my absolute joy and honor to have gotten to know these two young women. To be there when things are good, and to be there for them when things are at their worst. They drive me up the wall at times, but more often they make me smile and laugh and love life more.

Wisely taken in the middle of a one-way bridge.

I hope that they realize how much they mean to me, and that no matter where life takes them I will be there for them.

It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way⁶!

This post went on way longer than I had expected. I didn't even get to the trip home, which was full of it's own misadventures. Especially for the girls.

But that's their story, not mine.
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1) Vonnegut, Kurt. Cat's Cradle. New York; Dell, 1963.
2) Bryson, Bill. Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe. New York; William Morrow Paperbacks, 1992.
3) Niffenegger, Audrey. Her Fearful Symmetry. London; Scribner, 2009.
4) Quote by G.K. Chesterton
5) Twain, Mark. Tom Sawyer Abroad. New York; Charles L. Webster & Co, 1894.
6) Riley, Penelope. Travel Absurdities. iUniverse, 2008.

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On Spanish Adventures Part VI: Fruit Thieves In the Night, In the Day

In which adventures are delayed, plants are known intimately, and the world's greatest fruit is procured.

Prologue¹: Obviously I am no longer in Spain. Sadly when our trip came to an end I had only written 4.5 posts. However, there are a great many stories to tell and I would like to challenge myself to keep writing. So I am going to continue posting them. I'm currently on vacation so hopefully I'll have time to write one every day or so (though I realize I've made that promise before). From here on out I will not be writing in any sort of order. I will just be telling stories as I decide I want to tell them.

Okay, on with the show.

As you would expect with any such trip our group of 20 students and 2 staff members we naturally broke down into smaller groups. To their credit our students did an excellent job of not excluding anyone. We definitely saw people interacting with a variety of students, and everyone got along very well. But generally there were patterns that emerged. Knowing that I would be going on vacation this week and would be at the beach the whole time I did not desire to spend my afternoons at the beach. Just as I knew that I didn't want to spend all my free time shopping. Instead I wanted to see lots of different parts of town, and experience as much as I could of Valencia. This led me to spend most of my time with Emily and Kate².

I had already known them well as they had been in my classes the previous two years. This led to a lot of inside jokes, dredged up histories, and a general familiarity with one another that made for a very pleasant three weeks. Many of my stories from the trip revolve around Kate and Emily, so don't be surprised if they make a reappearance.

This particular adventure that we shared, like most of them I suppose, can be summed up with two basic tenants. Firstly: not really knowing where we were going. Secondly: photography.

In Valencia there was a botanical garden that we had heard about that we wanted to check out. So one afternoon we planned to hit up a fine arts museum for a bit then walk over to the botanical garden. The fine arts museum went off with out a hitch. We saw a TON of incredibly religious art. Emily got yelled at for trying to take pictures in the one room you weren't allowed to take pictures in. I, very sacrilegiously, recreated a painting of Jesus holding the Eucharist³. And by the end of our visit we were all pretty much over Jesus⁴. Especially after seeing multiple paintings of Mary shooting breast milk into Jesus's mouth, or the mouths of other saints and martyrs⁵.

Upon leaving the museum we started walking in the general direction of where we assumed the botanical garden was (as was our way). I checked the map and made some adjustments. Kate proceeded to give me shit for not knowing where I was going (as was her way). And eventually we made it to the garden. Or so we thought.

This botanical garden was small. Surprisingly small. And didn't have much going for it by way of flowers and the like. But according to the map the next street over was the edge, so we much have been in the right place. We wandered around, the girls (Kate, Emily, their German homestay sister, and another student) took pictures, and overall we felt a little let down by the garden. I left the group and walked around a little and noticed a rather large wall running the length of an alley. I followed it along until I found a locked gate and looked through it.

That's when I found the real botanical garden. Whoops.

So I gathered up the girls. Which was more difficult than you would think given that there were only five of them. And we started following the wall. We were all thoroughly confused about how in the world you get into this place when we finally came across the entrance. Excitedly the turned to go into the garden when we were informed of two important things. A, it cost money to get in. And b, they would be closing in 30 minutes anyway.

Whomp whomp.

As usual our plan was going arie.

We talked to the lady working the ticket both and she informed us that we could enter the garden the next day for free. So we decided to postpone our botanical adventure for one day.

The next day we found ourselves back in the garden. It was incredibly beautiful. There were different sections with different types of plants. There were multiple green houses and terrariums to explore. I wish that I had had more time to look around. But I did what I could. Prior to the trip I had purchased a new camera and was simultaniously trying to learn all it's features while desperately trying to remember everything that I learned in high school photography about ISO's and f-stops. Meanwhile, Emily was awkwardly laying in walking paths and grinding up on trees to get the pictures she envisioned. Kate wandered around taking pictures of all the feral cats or taking pictures of Emily taking pictures⁶.

After a time Kate and I reconnected and started walking around together. Kate wanted me to take a picture of her standing amongst some cacti.

Then this happened:

Emily found us and I took this delightful, if not slightly dark, picture:

Then may favorite part of the day occurred...

Interlude: Before I tell you about my favorite part of the day I need to give you some back story. One of the best parts about Valencia was the sheer number of fruit stands you could find. Every morning I would have some sort of fruit from a fruit stand. My first trip to buy fruit I noticed that there were these weird orange fruit that looked a little like apricots but bigger and with little brown spots on them. Eventually I decided just to buy one and check it out.

Ho-ly crap. These things were soooo good. They were tart, and sweet, and easy to eat, and I want one right now. As our trip went on I learned that in Spain they are know as nisperos (here in the states they're called loquats), and that they have a short shelf life, they don't travel well, and their season is very short. In America they only grow in the southern most part of California and dammit if I don't finally have one good reason to move to SoCal. They are the best, and I ate them all the time.

Interlude over.

As we were getting ready to leave the garden Kate mentioned that she saw trees that were growing this amazing fruit. Obviously that is where I wanted to be, so we headed in that direction. When we got there we noticed an older gentleman helping himself to some of the fruit.
Of course we were going to do the same.

So I reached up and grabbed a few of them. But they were small and somewhat lacking. I looked up and noticed all the delicious fruit just out of reach.

I casually suggested to Emily that she should get on my shoulders so we could better plunder the goodness of the garden⁷. Emily, who is always up for anything, very excitedly agreed. So I bent down, she climbed up on my shoulders, and we got to work. I would say that these pictures speak for themselves.

Botanical gardens 0 - Josh, Kate, and Emily 1⁸.

PS - Those were the best tasting of all the nispero that I had. It's true what they say, "Stolen fruit is the sweetest fruit⁹."

PPS - When we were in Toledo at the end of our trip Emily ran a short distance from the synagogue we just left and I assumed that she was trying to get one more quick picture. Instead she was stealing more fruit from a nearby tree. Good work Em.
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1) Or preamble, or introduction, or forward, or whatever the hell you want to call it.
2) While normally I refrain from mentioning students by name or including their pictures, but I asked Kate and Emily about this before I started writing. They were cool with it.
3) I held a 2 Euro coin and my cellphone.
4) This sounds worse than it is. It was more that we were over art about Jesus. Sorry Jesus, no hard feelings.
5) It was like the most upsetting carnival game ever.
6) #stroblgetstheshot
7) There's absolutely no Biblical allusion to be found here.
8) Unless you count Kate's run in with the cactus, then it was all tied up.
9) I don't know if they say it, but I just said it.

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On Spanish Adventures Part V: The Best Day

In which we at long last cover what ended up being the best day ever.

Our schedule only mentioned that we would be attending Paella cooking demonstration. So we assumed that we would be in a resturant in the city or at perhaps a demonstration kitchen in classroom at the culinary school. When we hopped on a subway I wasn't that surprised, most of our activities up to that point had taken part in the central part of the city so I figured this would be more on the outskirts. We travelled along and until we left the underground and immerged back into the light. That was when I realized we were headed somewhere a little different, we were leaving the city completely.
Shortly there after we arrived at our stop, we left the train and walked through a quiet little town a few minutes north of Valencia. It was strange, after being in the city for even such a short time coming to this small town felt so isolated and peaceful. I had assumed that we would be going to a small family resturant in town. I was right, and wrong.

We passed straight through town and upon reaching the edge we crossed a small street and stepped down onto a sidewalk. Well, maybe sidewalk is a little too generous. Really it was a path that was paved over an irrigation ditch between two feilds. There was a 2.5 foot drop off to the left and it inexplicably got narrower at the half way point. At the end of the path our guide, Manuel, turned up a gravel drive. We weren't going to a resturant, we were headed to a farm. Toni's farm to be exact.

Toni is a farmer and chef who believes that food should take as few steps as possible to get from the farm to the table. He also believes that dining should be a slow moving, family based experience. So he opened up his home to those that want to enjoy a traditional Spanish paella experience, and according to Manuel many in Valencia consider it to be the finest paella in the region¹.

Upon our arrival we were all taken aback by where we were. No one expected this. We looked around the courtyard and talked to one another about how amazing this all was. Some of the students couldn't get over the fact that there were chickens just freely roaming about². An older gentleman came over to Manuel and greeted him, Manuel introduced us to Toni and told us that Toni would be showing us around the farm and demonstrating how to make his paella.

The first thing we saw was the firehouse³ where they cooked the paella. Toni cooked all his paella over open flame in huge pans, on busier days he will cook up to three pans at once. Our students watched as his sous chef browned the rabbit and chicken that would go into the dish. Toni then called our students over to a table with a large pile of green beans and asked our students to help split them into thirds. They gladly gathered around and began to help out. The phrase 'many hands make light work' definitely came into play in that moment, they were done very quickly. After the beans were handled we went into a nearby barn that housed, among other things, antique farming equipment. Once there all of our students received straw hats, it was time to head out into the fields to get our salad for lunch.

We headed out away from the main house past some animal pens. Ducks, goats, donkeys, basically what you'd expect on the farm. Having spent some time as a part time chicken wrangler and farmers market employee it is easy to forget how fun it can be to unexpectedly come across farm animals. However, my students were very quick to remind me. It was so great to watch them laugh, take pictures with, and generally just be amazed by these beautiful animals. Getting to watch my students experience all these new opportunities has definitely been one of the greatest joys of this trip, it's something I look forward to every day we are here. Once we finally got them past the animals Toni took us out to into his fields where he harvested the greens and beets we would be having for lunch. Once he cut free a head of lettuce he would toss it to our students. At which point they noticed the bugs on the vegetables and freaked out a little. And thus did our students have their first experience with truly organic farming.

Side note: Toni is a big believer in organic farming. He doesn't want to have to use any GMO corn so he grows his own and keeps his own seeds. In fact Toni's whole operation really ran close to my heart. When I was back in Bloomington cooking for community dinner I would often think about what type of situation I could find myself in to be happy as a cook. I decided that for me to be happy I would have to have home based experience. Where I would have a set meal for a day and people would come in and sit at diningroom tables and enjoy whatever I made that day. It would include fresh purchased items to ensure freshness and would be very communal in its feel. This is similar to what Toni has going on. He welcomes people into his home for lunch but lunch happens at the scheduled time whether you are there or not. But you are welcome to stay and relax and eat as slow as you wish. Manuel told me that some people will stay from 1 until 6 (we were there until 5 or so).

Anyway, when we got back to the restaurant part of the farm the vegetables, water, and seasoning was already cooking. As we waited for the seasoning to be just right, so that we could try the broth, we were treated to a little refreshment. Toni brought out peanuts, butter beans⁴, beer, and coke for the students to enjoy. I loved walking among the students and just listening to them chat about the day while they sat in the shade of the tree. While the students were snacking my co-worker and I sat down with Manuel, our representative from the organization we were working with. It was a really neat experience to sit and talk with him for about an hour. We discussed working with college students and the struggles and joys of doing so. It was a really cool moment.

Finally the time was upon us and we headed into the resturant proper for dinner. And what a dinner! This was a multicourse affair. I didn't get pictures of EVERY course, but I got most of them.

Round 1: Bread

Of course we started with bread, what else would you expect. Spaniards freaking LOVE bread. So we had bread, with a tomato-olive oil spread. It tasted great, but it's a total trap. Don't fill up on bread people.


Round 2: Fried potatoes

No picture of this one. But I can describe it for you. Imagine fried potato cubes about two or three times the size of home fries from Denny's. Now season them with something that tastes similar to seasoning salt. Lastly put a huge blob of garlic mayonnaise on the top⁵. There you have it.

Round 3: Salad

There may have been an additional course in here but for the life of me I can't think of it at the moment. However, this salad with forever be in my brain. As will just about anytime in Spain that I was able to enjoy fresh vegetables. We went to town on these salads, it was made all the better by the fact that we helped to pick the lettuce and beets used.

Round 4: Paella

Traditional Valencian Paella includes: rabbit, chicken, green beans, butter beans, rice, and deliciousness. It was amazing. I was already feeling full but it didn't matter, I still ate every bite.

Round 5: Dessert

No pictures, sorry. It was a choice of orange slices or a wedge of roasted pumpkin. I went with the orange slices because I can roast a pumpkin myself in the states, I can't eat a fresh from the farm Valencian orange. I regret nothing.

Round 6: Port wine

We ended dinner with some port wine. It was very sweet, and very strong. Our students didn't really enjoy it all that much. I thought it was great.

So that was our day at Toni's. It's sad that it took me so long to write this. I literally had most of it done a week and a half ago. I'm going to try to keep updating with various stories from the trip over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for reading!
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1) Based on my, admittedly, limited experience I would have to agree.
2) Some of them desperately wanted to pick up the chicks that were there.
3) I don't know what it's really called, but its a little three sided structure where they had fires for cooking paella, so we'll go with firehouse.
4) A traditional component of paella, these delicious little beans were so tasty a number of students brought some back to the states with them.
5) Because if there's one thing people in spain love as much as bread it's mayonaise. It was inescapable. I once got mayonnaise with my paella (a rice dish), because Spain.

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On Spanish Adventures Part IV: Short and Sweet Addition

In which we catch up, mainly pictorially.

I have had so many amazing experiences the last three days that I want and need to write about¹. Between a bike tour of the old river, to visiting a farm and having the most amazing meal, to exploring the backstreets of old Valencia², to the football match last night. It's been a total whirlwind. But I just spent the last two and a half hours in my room grading so I'm getting a little stir crazy. But, I wanted to give a little update, let people know I'm alive, and share a few pictures.

Unfortunately most of my pictures are stuck on my camera, but I'll get them off of there soon. Until then, enjoy!

A shot from Old Valencia.

On our walking tour of Old Valencia there were a lot of neighborhood that had this classic European look. I didn't get to take as many pictures as I was hoping, but fortunately I went back a few days later with some students and was able to take some more.

This is a shot from further up the street.

Like most a lot of European cities you see a blend of classic architecture with modern flair.

We spent a whole day at a small farm just north of the city where a man has turned his home into a resturant for traditional paella. In his barn he has many of the tools they used to use to farm before modern conveniences. He also has peppers native to the region that you can't find anymore. As well as his own GMO-free corn³.

Adding rice to the paella.

This guy was awesome, he was the sous chef and he was great about talking with our students and letting them experience this multi-hour cooking process. He even hand wrote the paella recipe in spanish at the request of one of our students.

Seriously so good

Most of the beer here in spain is pretty cheap and terrible. Not that I ever complain about the price, I've bought a lot of beer for 1 Euro⁴. Before we came out to the farm one the director of the group we are working with mentioned that he and I could try this great beer that they had. It was amazing, it's almost like a saison but with honey and rosemary. My mind was blown. Then he said you could only get it at the brewery and I was a little disheartened.

Yesterday when I was walking around Old Valencia we saw a beer shop. One of my students wanted help picking out something for her dad so we popped in. I scanned through all of the beers from Spain and there on the bottom shelf in the last place I looked I saw this beer! So I bought some and will be bring it home with me!

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1) Before it all disappears from my mind grapes.

2) We found so much awesome street art.

3) This was the most amazing day, I will be writing about it more in the future.

4) So you don't tip in Spain. As a result servers don't try and up sell you on much. Last night a bartender talked me out of a nicer more expensive beer and down to a cheap shitty one. It was late so I didn't care, but talk about something that would never happen in the states.

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