Thanksgiving, Ronda, Betis soccer game
On Thursday I took a nap after class, then showered, changed and went to a restaurant down the river. There was a big room where everyone socialized for half an hour with wine, beer, cheese and ham. Most of the students and some professors and guides and people who work for my study abroad program were there. It was about 200 people. We ate dinner in a huge room and had turkey, mashed potatoes, shrimp salad, apple pie and lots of wine. Some people toasted, I called home and talked to a few people eating Thanksgiving dinner in Oconomowoc – it sounded like everyone was having a great time at home. People slowly left and headed to a club about a mile away. Seven of us piled in someone’s little car, most people had to walk or take a taxi. We got more free drinks at the club, there was a little fashion show going on, and loud music. It was fun to have everyone together for a night. And it was a really late night.
On Friday I didn’t do much, slept, did homework, went for a run and went to see a movie at the big mall in Sevilla. On Saturday I went to Ronda, a town in the mountains two hours east of Sevilla. Almost everyone I know has already been there, and they all said it was one of the most beautiful places they have ever seen. Three of us who hadn’t gone there yet decided that we had to go. It’s a big town that has a deep gorge cutting through the middle and the town ends at a cliff. It’s in the middle of nowhere, and it was cold and windy but since it was sunny and we walked a lot we stayed warm most of the time. There are three stone bridges spanning the gorge, the oldest bullfight ring in Spain (it is the birthplace of modern bullfighting), and several small museums and gardens. We walked around the new and old parts of the town, crossed all three bridges, took some pictures at the cliff, went shopping (I got lots of little gifts for my family for Christmas - I have to get a lot!), walked to a farm to see the sheep and goats up close, and got coffee and pastries. I slept on the bus ride back, and then went out again.
On Sunday I did some homework, I’m writing papers on the Western Sahara, Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar and his first film Tesis, and the Andaluz dialect. After a paella lunch at 3:30 pm I went to the Betis soccer stadium to see a game against Cádiz, a local rival. It reminded me of football games at Madison, the streets were mobbed with people walking to the stadium, cars driving around and honking with flags, and people drinking everywhere. It was perfect fall weather for the game, and the sun set around halftime. Betis scored 7 minutes into the game and had some very close shots. Cádiz scored on a penalty kick in the second half and the game finished tied 1-1. The atmosphere was similar to a football game, a huge stadium full of people wearing the team colors and doing the songs and cheers, and I was used to all of vulgar language from the UW games. The fans were a bit more reckless than in the US. The section for the visiting fans is surrounded by a six-foot tall glass wall, to keep them separated and somewhat safe from the home team fans. People throw lots of stuff and shoot off fireworks and throw rolls of toilet paper on to the field. A group of little kids one row ahead of us were making paper airplanes and throwing trash the whole game, sometimes they tossed stuff over the balcony to the level 50 feet below us. A few rows behind us a bunch of teenagers were shooting off bottle rockets, every once in awhile one would zoom right over our heads. The rowdy fans behind the goals set off some really loud firecrackers. There were lots of Cádiz fans there, and since we sat next to their section, a lot of people nearby threw lots of trash at them. I need to learn the cheers and go back to another game. Later that night I watched some american football games at a bar nearby, it was weird to see football again, I hadn’t watched a football game since the Super Bowl last year. I hear the Packers stink this year.
So, four more days of class, and then the Canary Islands…
On Friday I didn’t do much, slept, did homework, went for a run and went to see a movie at the big mall in Sevilla. On Saturday I went to Ronda, a town in the mountains two hours east of Sevilla. Almost everyone I know has already been there, and they all said it was one of the most beautiful places they have ever seen. Three of us who hadn’t gone there yet decided that we had to go. It’s a big town that has a deep gorge cutting through the middle and the town ends at a cliff. It’s in the middle of nowhere, and it was cold and windy but since it was sunny and we walked a lot we stayed warm most of the time. There are three stone bridges spanning the gorge, the oldest bullfight ring in Spain (it is the birthplace of modern bullfighting), and several small museums and gardens. We walked around the new and old parts of the town, crossed all three bridges, took some pictures at the cliff, went shopping (I got lots of little gifts for my family for Christmas - I have to get a lot!), walked to a farm to see the sheep and goats up close, and got coffee and pastries. I slept on the bus ride back, and then went out again.
On Sunday I did some homework, I’m writing papers on the Western Sahara, Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar and his first film Tesis, and the Andaluz dialect. After a paella lunch at 3:30 pm I went to the Betis soccer stadium to see a game against Cádiz, a local rival. It reminded me of football games at Madison, the streets were mobbed with people walking to the stadium, cars driving around and honking with flags, and people drinking everywhere. It was perfect fall weather for the game, and the sun set around halftime. Betis scored 7 minutes into the game and had some very close shots. Cádiz scored on a penalty kick in the second half and the game finished tied 1-1. The atmosphere was similar to a football game, a huge stadium full of people wearing the team colors and doing the songs and cheers, and I was used to all of vulgar language from the UW games. The fans were a bit more reckless than in the US. The section for the visiting fans is surrounded by a six-foot tall glass wall, to keep them separated and somewhat safe from the home team fans. People throw lots of stuff and shoot off fireworks and throw rolls of toilet paper on to the field. A group of little kids one row ahead of us were making paper airplanes and throwing trash the whole game, sometimes they tossed stuff over the balcony to the level 50 feet below us. A few rows behind us a bunch of teenagers were shooting off bottle rockets, every once in awhile one would zoom right over our heads. The rowdy fans behind the goals set off some really loud firecrackers. There were lots of Cádiz fans there, and since we sat next to their section, a lot of people nearby threw lots of trash at them. I need to learn the cheers and go back to another game. Later that night I watched some american football games at a bar nearby, it was weird to see football again, I hadn’t watched a football game since the Super Bowl last year. I hear the Packers stink this year.
So, four more days of class, and then the Canary Islands…
posted by Sam at
6:29 PM
3 Comments:
WOOO canary islands!! right now it is SUPER windy (up to 100km) and tomorrow we have a WIND DAY! (like snow day - no school!)
toma (take that)
see ya (literally)
fav sister, marty
By
martha, at 9:33 AM, November 28, 2005
ahh martha you learned "toma"!
that was my favorite phrase that i learned in spain.
that soccer game sounded like a lot of fun, sam. in fact, at the last badger game there were some people from mexico right in front of me doing the same thing that you were doing -- it was their first Badger game, and they didn't know any of the cheers (but I taught them some of them in my broken Spanish).
By
Anonymous, at 1:37 PM, November 28, 2005
Sam, don't forget your butt shorts when you visit Marta Broomitt. Tell 'em it's a family thing.
By
Anonymous, at 7:39 AM, November 30, 2005
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