yesterday instead of cleaning

Gabacious think it looks like a bobcat instead of an owl. The shape didn't turn out quite right.

I don't think I've done embroidery since my teens. It was oddly relaxing. I listened to a few chapters of House of Mirth while I made it.

downtown

Sunday night we went to downtown Malaga. I love the lights of Calle Larios!

It's so sad to me that public nativities are increasingly considered offensive in the U.S. Not so in Spain! Behold Malaga's gorgeous flower creche:

Not that we're lacking in secular decorations...

We went to sing Christmas carols as a missionary activity. Gabacious and Xinnia accompanied and drew admiring crowds. It felt amazing to be outside in such comfortable temperatures in mid-December!

nativity fair

I didn't get photos of the more serious, traditional Spanish nativity, but maybe I can get some later. In Spain, a creche is called a "Belen," meaning "Bethlehem," because Spanish nativities are supposed to represent the entire town, and in some of the more extensive, it seems a good part of Judea is there. Do you see the bullring? I wish I'd gotten a close up.

In Spain, nativities are traditionally made in two areas: the town of Olot in the Catalan region and Murcia in Andalucia.

The Catalans are supposedly responsible for introducing the caganer, a squatting pooping person, to the nativity. Spanish children love to find the little bare-bummed squatter. Can you see him in the above photo? How about below?

New caganeres of famous people come out every year. Guess who is the number-one smash-hit bestseller this year?

Are you wondering why something so vulgar is included in such a holy scene? Here are some possible reasons:

• The Caganer reinforces that the Baby Jesus was born human, with all that that state implies.
• The Caganer represents the equality of all people. Regardless of status, race, or gender, everyone defecates.
• Increased naturalism of an otherwise archetypal (thus idealized) story so that is more believable, taken literally and seriously.
• Tradition. There was a huge public outcry in 2005 when Barcelona's city council commissioned a Caganer-free nativity. Many saw it as an attack on Catalan traditions. The local government countered that the Caganer was setting a bad example of public defecation, recently outlawed. A Save the Caganer campaign was eventually successful in restoring the Caganer to the public nativity.
• It's a fun game for children to find the Caganer. (There is one in the nativity at my children's school and everyone has to find the pooper, discretely tucked away in the corner, answering the call of nature, every time they go by.)
• Spaniards think it's funny.
  

I want to get a Spanish set, but I didn't have time to decide which one I liked best. There were so many! I did pick up two Peruvian nativities. Which do you like best?

alcazar gardens

When we got to Seville we immediately stopped for a snack. Hot chocolate and churros always bliss us out for a little while. A perfect start to a long day of sight-seeing!



We found that dozens of brass bands were assembling for the parade in honor of La Inmaculada. We stood on a little wall to watch. The kids loved the uniforms.



After seeing a few bands, we headed off for the Alcazar, a medieval Moorish palace. (We had planned on seeing the cathedral, but it was closed to visitors because of the holiday. We were disappointed at first to not see the cathedral, the largest in the world in the Gothic style, but after seeing the Alcazar we realized there was no way we could have seen both in one day with the kids.)

I got distracted on the way by a creche fair. Oh. my. gosh. I tore myself away after an hour. That episodes deserves its own post, so more on that later.



The Alcazar was beautiful, but again, the gardens were what made me want to stay forever. I didn't see a walled garden until we first went to Europe five years ago, but I had dreamed of them for years. I wonder if my obsession with enclosed gardens began with my mother first reading The Secret Garden to me when I was about Stella's age?



(Incidentally, I am also obsessed with the Garden of Eden and all of those goings-on. Somehow, the Garden of Eden has ended up in my 1830s New England historical fantasy.)



Forget the Plaza de España, the cathedral, the bullring. When we go back to Sevilla with Jefe's brother next week I only want to plant myself in one of those gardens.

More garden images to come.

ah, sevilla!

Yesterday was Dia de la Inmaculada, a national holiday in Spain. We took the kids to Sevilla, and had a wonderful time! We were there all day, but only saw a teeny-tiny part of what Seville has to offer. More to come.

happenings

These are "polvorones" or "mantecados." I think those two words refer to the same thing: Spanish Christmas-season baked goods that contain generous amounts of lard. They taste like crumbly pie crust that's had some chocolate or cinnamon or almonds and sugar added. Not my favorite, but aren't the artisan wraps pretty? Turron, however, is heavenly. It was originally a hard, crunchy candy made of honey, sugar, egg white, and nuts. Now it is pretty much any delicious nougat or chocolate or fudge-like candy, hard or soft. The rectangular shape and size (like an extra-large candy bar) seem to be the only thing turrones have in common. I figure I need to try all of them. Right? This one's a favorite, as is the chocolate mousse. We also love the chocolate hazelnut with almonds. They still sell them outside of Christmas season but not nearly as much.
The kids are doing all kinds of 50 centavo jobs to earn money to buy each other Christmas gifts. I'm doing Mama's Christmas Store this year, an idea I stole from Gabriela at Living La Vida Loca.
I got my hair cut. Hey, this is news. It's been three and a half months.
Ah, well. Not the first time. Where's the super glue?

generalife

I am married to this man.









We spent 6 hours at the Alhambra and Generalife gardens. I thought the kids would get bored, but they didn't. Well, Stella did a little bit. She still wants to go back in December.

As beautiful as Palacio Nazaries is, I almost think I like the Generalife gardens better. We went at sunset, so the lighting was gorgeous.