Spain: Part II

On Saturday we visited the modern Valencia. We spent most of our day at the Center for Arts and Sciences, particularly at the aquarium called Oceanographic. The architecture in this area is all new and really, really modern. I felt like we were on the set of a Jetsons episode in real life. On our way there, Craig was interviewed by some Spanish TV station who was in the area to get tourists' opinions on the mod architecture and also because the Valencia Tennis Open was starting.




The aquarium was not crowded at all mainly because it has separate sections and is divided by seas and their corresponding wildlife. The dolphin show was hokey and Owen was very disappointed that there wasn't a single splash in the designated splash zone.




After the aquarium, we walked to a ginormous playground called Gulliver Park. It is a huge reclining Gulliver like he's been tied down by Lilliputian children. He's got ropes and stairs and slides all around him. Very creative.



Elvis IS everywhere!

As it was Halloween night, kids were trick or treating in the neighborhood. Our kids were nonplussed with the loot that the kids staying with us brought home. Their costumes and candy haul were way lame. Halloween is just beginning to be celebrated in Spain and we could tell. Definitely not up to US standards.

On Sunday, we veged out at a beach south of Valencia in the town of Cullera. Very peaceful.


On Monday, we drove inland to explore an aqueduct Kris had spied on the map. It was very well signposted and that was a very good thing because as we arrived into the town where the aqueduct was and followed the sign, the road immediately turned into a gravel driveway. After about 20 minutes, we pulled into a desolate parking area with signage, none of it in English, so we were definitely off the beaten track.
The aqueduct was really cool. No one was around for miles. There was a trail up to the first feature, the classic aqueduct bridge over a ravine. The trail went across the top and into a series of tunnels hand cut into the side of the mountain. Not sure this would have been possible in the States without having a bazillion guard rails and a mandatory liability waiver.









Next we drove up and over the mountains on a two-hour twisty-turny road to reach a huge cave complex, the Coves de San Josep. 2750 meters have been explored and most of it is filled partially with water so you jump into a boat that a guy rows into the caves. Along the way, it is necessary to duck your head. There was a portion to get out and walk and then the guy meets you and rows back. We were in the boat with another family who also had three boys, but the oldest was about Owen's age. The kids definitely liked it and so did the adults.

Photography was not allowed so this is all you get to see.

On Tuesday, Craig took the kids to a riding lesson while Kris did some reading. The kids did very well and no one fell off. Evan did particularly well.




We had a yummy paella lunch in another town called L'Eliana.


And then we explored Betera. The town church was nice and it was surrounded by a park.

In the park, one could walk around and say the Stations of the Cross at each little tower...

or one could just visit the shrines dedicated to local saints and martyrs...
(A lot of little old ladies were walking around doing that.)

Girl power at its finest


Even saints love dogs.

or one could simply sit and read.

Happy 234th Birthday US Marine Corps!

Happy 40th Sesame Street!

How I Spent My Half-Term Break by: Craig & Kristen McCarter

We had a very relaxing time in Spain. The weather was unbeatable (mid 80's to 90 degrees) and the beaches were nice although we were told that the weather was not characteristic. The scenery was enjoyable once we escaped the touristy areas and the small villages were charming and friendly. The number of orange and olive trees was just mind-boggling! The city of Valencia was very photogenic and easy to navigate. The roads were very well-marked and everything was signposted somewhere along the journey. The roads were also well-built so tourism and the EU are doing their part in terms of infrastructure.

That said, I am not a fan of Mediterranean Spain. The Spaniards tend to dispose of litter where ever it suits them and they have the dreaded plastic shopping bag Walmart curse without the Walmart. One thing I do like about the UK is the stress on reusing (and sometimes charging for) plastic bags or using sturdy carrier bags. Buildings are in various states of disrepair or construction has been abandoned. It reminded me a lot of Mexico and Puerto Rico which are both nice places to visit, but just have that junkiness about them. Monuments and special places of interest tend to be rebuilt versions of the real thing to boost tourism. I know that Williamsburg-type venues serve a purpose but it is disheartening to see actual history torn down, replaced and/or altered to what it "should" look like. The beaches are gorgeous in smaller towns, but industry is literally right next to them which was unnerving. The Costa Blanca leading to the Costa del Sol is like a New Britain with even worse driving, parking and food than we experience in the UK because it's old age pensioner land and geared towards them and soft mushy food. (I do want to note though, that the food in Cheltenham is great.) I think part of my attitude is that I had high hopes and Spain just didn't reach the mark, can you tell?

Craig kept a journal of this trip and I am pretty much going to plagiarize his writing because it's good material. So, here goes...

Part One: 30 October 09 - Valencia, Spain
Today is Day 2 in Valencia and actually our first full day. The trip down was pretty easy. Bristol airport was dead at noontime and we zipped right through security. (I, Kris, attribute that to our fantastic ability to learn the system and pack well.) We are staying in a neighborhood west of the town of Betera which is 20 minutes northwest of Valencia. There is a military base here and one of the first people we saw yesterday was a US Soldier in his fatigues at the grocery store. Weird. The place where we are staying is a little (Editor's note: A LOT) different. We thought it was a guest house on a big estate. Instead, we are staying in the house and cohabiting WITH a single mom and her two sons. Quite uncomfortable at first and a shock really, but we are actually getting used to it. The owners have a minifarmful of animals: three chickens, three bunnies, two not-so-well-behaved-but-friendly dogs, a really smelly goat (think teenage boy) and a lame (literally) miniature pony. There is a pool and a small pond with fish and frogs. It really is Owen's dream house. The kids are enjoying having other kids to play with and they are learning many new Spanish card games.

Today, we went to the beach in Porto de Sagunt. It was nice with very fine sand and crystal clear water. It was just warm enough to swim in the Med, but the air was downright balmy at about 90 degrees - not usual for this time of year. After the beach, we had a good lunch at a little restaurant ('bocateria" or sandwich shop). The hamburgers were sort of pork burgers (really were chopped ham as opposed to chopped steak). The paella was authentic.

After lunch, we walked over to a little cafe selling Horchata de Xufa and gelati. The kids opted for gelati and we got horchata. Turns out 'horchata' sounds a bit like the word for 'spoon' especially if you make a /d/ sound in place of the last /t/. The girl couldn't make it out and held up a little gelati spoon. We got our horchata after a laugh. It's an interesting taste. It's made from ground up tiger nuts which aren't nuts at all but are actually tubers on a big grass plant. I thought horchata tasted like a ground parsnip smoothie and very health food like. Wheat germ in milk anyone? That was Kris' first and last horchata.

Next, we went into Sagunto which is an old Roman, Iberian, Moorish, Valencian town. Owen took a lot of these photos.





There are big castle ruins on a 200' hilltop with lots of Roman and Moorish walls about 1 kilometer long. If we hadn't been so tired we would have loved to explore it all because it was the real deal.

Refurbished amphitheater

Playing statues below

More town shots

Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night Revisited

Editor's note: This is a reposting from last year for all of you who might want to relive the adventure or gain some insight for the first time. As type, celebrations are continuing well past the actual evening (11/5) in our park out back. I am just wondering when the madness will end. Owen's school has its Bonfire Night next Saturday. I can only hope the weather is better than last year.

Bonfire Night is in full swing right now (11/5/09 7:20 pm) and all of our neighbors are lighting off fireworks right next to our houses! The park our house overlooks is full of crazy fireworks. It's a bit unnerving but pretty. There are like 10 mini 4th of July's going on simutaneously.

"Remember, remember the 5th of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot
We see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!"

On the night of November 5th throughout Britain, bonfires are set alight, effigies are burned and fireworks are set off. This is to celebrate the defeat of the "Gunpowder Plot", a conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605.

The Story of the Gunpowder Plot

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics had hoped that her successor, King James I would be more tolerant of their religion, but this wasn't the case.

In 1605, Guy Fawkes joined with a group of four other Catholics led by Robert Catesby, in a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, which would kill the King and Members of Parliament, who were making life difficult for Catholics. To carry out their plan, they stored 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar just under the House of Lords. However, one of the conspirators, Francis Tresham, sent an anonymous letter of warning to his brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th. The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators. The King's soldiers discovered Guy Fawkes and the barrels of gunpowder in the cellar under the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of November 5th. He and his fellow conspirators were caught, tortured and executed as traitors.

Bonfires and Burning the Guy

The tradition of Bonfire Night began the same year as the failed Gunpowder Plot. The conspiracy was foiled in the night between the 4th and 5th November 1605, and already on 5th November agitated Londoners, who knew little more than their King had been saved, lit bonfires in thanksgiving.

In 1606 Parliament agreed to make 5th November a day of public thanksgiving and ever since then the day has been celebrated with bonfires and fireworks.
Preparations for Bonfire Night include making a dummy of Guy Fawkes (called the "Guy"), which is placed on top of the bonfire before it is set alight. Sometimes in the week or so before Bonfire Night children will take their Guys on to the street and beg "a penny for the Guy". The money then goes towards the fireworks.

The extent of the celebrations and the size of the bonfire varies from one community to the next. In Sussex, towns such as Lewes compete to have the best Bonfire Night celebrations. The Guys used in these celebrations can be enormous - the height of a small house - and under the guy's arm is placed a barrel of gunpowder, so you can imagine the bang when it goes off!

Bonfire Food

One of the best parts of Bonfire Night is bonfire food. Traditional food includes potatoes baked in the bonfire, sausages cooked over the flames and marshmallows toasted in the fire.