Easter Down South

After a very busy few weeks juggling the job, the annoying year abroad essays and receiving guests, I am enjoying a week's holiday in Andalusia.

Mama Framboise Tea with the mother and Lucinda

I have travelled a lot around Spain; Galicia and the Basque country in the north, Barcelona and the Balearic Islands in the east and Salamanca in the west, but I have never made it down south. My flatmates are from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a small town near Jerez in the heart of Andalusia, so it seemed the right time to visit this part of the country, a region so different from the affluent north and cosmopolitan Madrid. It's also the first time I am travelling alone. This was met with a few strange looks when I told my flatmates; it seems that doing anything alone just isn't normal in Spain, from eating at restaurants to going shopping, everything is in groups. Obviously I would have preferred to go with someone else but my English friends have gone home for easter and it means I get to be selfish and visit exactly where I want. I have booked sociable-looking hostels so hopefully I will meet people! 

On Friday afternoon, once my flatmate had finished work, we piled into the car and began the journey to Seville. 6 hours later we arrived, dropped off one of my flatmates to meet a friend and collected another's dress for the Feria de Abril in a few weeks time. We then continued to my flatmates' parents house in Sanlúcar. The apartment was beautiful and right on the beach. After a delicious supper of salad and seafood we had a much needed early night(by Spanish standards).

I spent yesterday with my tourguides, flatmate Blanca and her boyfriend Carlos. Their tour was amazing, especially as it involved stopping for a Manzanilla(the traditional sherry wine made in Sanlúcar) at every site! In the evening we watched the first of the traditional easter parades that the south of Spain is so famous for, something I feel I am going to be seeing a lot of in the next week!

Blanca and I visiting the beautiful Palacio Posada

Palacio Duques de Medina Sidonia

Solear Manzanilla Sherry

Today, after a quick walk on the beach and goodbyes to my flatmates and their parents, I took the train to Cádiz where I am staying for the next few nights. 

More easter parades in Cádiz

South American art centre, Brazilian painting paying 'Homenagem a Santos Dumont'.

This artist's exhibition didn't grab me as much, all of his paintings were like this one!

Sunset beach run

A day in Itu

On Sunday I spent my first day out of São Paulo since I arrived. My friend Gabi kindly invited me for the day to play tennis at her country house in Itu.

We took a quick pit stop in Starbucks and then headed onto the Marginal Tietê, the highway that goes through central São Paulo and out towards Campinas. 

After around an hour drive, we arrived at the paradise that was Itu. It was basically a Brazilian version of the OC neighbourhood, the houses were all immaculate and the streets were even named after fairytales, Gaby's house was on "Ugly Duckling street"!

We had quick tour of the house then headed for the tennis courts. I was really happy to find that most of them were clay; much slower surface so you don't need to run as much, important in 30 degree heat!

Scorching

Gabi's dad coached us for hours, I really needed it, I was so rusty, but he helped me so much and by the end I felt like everything was returning to normal.

When we finished Gaby's dad bought us a drink called Itubaína that is produced in Itu but has become famous throughout Brazil, it definitely gave us the energy boost we needed! We then drove to the restaurant for lunch,after so much exercise we were starving! I chose a well-deserved americano sandwich with chips, it was AMAZING, i'll definitely be ordering it again next time!

Itubaína

After lunch we went to visit Gabi's aunt. Her house was beautiful, literally like something out of a movie. Gabi told us that the footballer Ronaldo had just moved in to the house nextdoor! We sat on the patio and enjoyed the sunshine whilst eating strawberries with calda de leite condensado, yum!

Relaxing on the patio, exhausted...

Gabi's aunt's beautfiul dog, Bella

Paradise...

We then drove back to the tennis courts for an evening session where Gabi's dogs Jimmy and Chloe also joined us! Gabi's dad gave us more training, I was so grateful for the time he spent with us, he was such a great coach. Tennis is just one of the many sports he plays at the same time as being a very important state lawyer! His trophy collection was impressive!

The trophy collection

Jimmy the yorkie!

Sunset on the courts...

After playing through the sunset until it was pitch back, we went back to Gabby's for showers and drove home to São Paulo, of course making a compulsory stop at a service station for food, why are Brazil's SO much better than ours?!

We returned back to the traffic of São Paulo, which other city has traffic at 10pm on a Sunday evening?! I arrived home exhausted but very happy after what was definitely my favourite weekend so far. 

Traffic on a sunday night??!

This week I have been seriously busy, I started a new teaching job in the evenings which I am really enjoying and yesterday we had a staff "away day" which was really fun and ended, as most things do in Brazil, with a BBQ and Caipirinhas!

Lots to look forward to this weekend, drinks after work at the Consulate's English pub, a birthday party and possibly a day at the beach on Sunday...

Até mais!!!