Time to fire up the old blog site again. I haven't posted anything since last July when we were getting ready to return from the Summer in Spain. We don't go to Bogotá until 14 May but the preparation for an eight week trip to another continent takes a bit of planning, at least it does for us. What to take, what to leave? The elevation is about 9000 feet so even though it is much closer to the Equator it is not hot, even in the Summer time. Expecting highs in the 60s with frequent rain. Two umbrellas and Gore-tex rain jackets are definitely on the "to go" list along with sweaters and sweatshirts.
We found a nice apartment about four blocks from the archivo where Karen will be doing research and about a half block from the language school where she will take half day classes. It is also walking distance to the famous Museo del Oro, the Presidential Palace and several other museums.
Karen found tickets from Orlando for $89 on Jet Blue. Whatever they are charging per bag these days will raise it a bit but you can't get from here to Atlanta for that. For some reason it is $189 for the return but even that is cheap.
From what I have read, the electric outlets and the voltage are the same but most of them are the ungrounded ones that won't take the third prong and won't accept the kind of US plug that has one prong wider than the other. Fortunately, all of the items we plan to take that need electricity have two prong plugs with both prongs the same size. Laptops, electric razor, toothbrushes, cell phones all will work without adapters or voltage converters.
The other thing that will make it easier is even though it is on another continent it is in the same time zone. I Don't believe they are on Daylight Savings time so it may be one hour earlier there. Last Summer we had to remember to not call friends and relatives at 9:00 AM because it was 4:00 AM on the East Coast.
Look for more blog posts soon and when we get there I'll try to blog often and post photos.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Being Helpful When It’s Not
Intentions Versus Consequences
It’s like the earnest and eager Boy Scout who helps the little old lady across the street when what she was really trying to do was figure out which bus to take. The Boy Scout feels wonderful and documents his act to accumulate points for an award. The lady has to make her way back across the street unassisted, braving traffic and start over, having perhaps missed her bus. When one insists on providing unsolicited “help”, ignoring protests that help is not needed one is not really helping but hindering.
Some people need help and ask for it or don’t. Some people don’t need help, don’t want help but get unsolicited “help” that hurts.
The Setup
We waited in our apartment in Sevilla on Friday morning with our four giant suitcases, a backpack, a shoulder bag, a computer bag and rolled up art work in a cardboard tube. Antonio and Rosa, who manage about 25 apartments arrived promptly as expected at 10:45 with two bags of clean sheets and towels to set up the apartment for the next tenant due to arrive at 1:30. We had packed our belongings and cleaned the apartment way better than we received it. We were looking forward to getting back our 200 Euro deposit and departing by 11:00. We had planned to walk slowly the two short blocks to the little trolley that is a sad attempt at mass transit as it only goes about eight blocks from Plaza Nueva near our apartment to the bus station. We had tickets for the 12:30 bus for Rota, a little less than a two hour ride south where there is a naval air station with military flights back to the US. We, especially Karen, wanted to take a few minutes, stand near the cathedral, take a few more photos and have closure with Sevilla. Our eight weeks there have been a very memorable experience and we wanted to say a quiet goodbye. We had over an hour and a half to go eight blocks to the bus station so there was no rush.
Making an Exit
By about 10:50 we had received our deposit and were saying our goodbyes to Antonio and Rosa and making small talk in Spanish about our possible return to Sevilla and to one of their apartments. Antonio, seeing how much luggage we had insisted on “helping”. I explained and demonstrated how the two biggest suitcases have four wheels and can be pushed while pulling the other two. Karen and I planned to do what we had done for 16 days in Germany and France as well as upon our arrival in Sevilla, each take a pusher and a puller, hanging the other bags over the suitcase handles and moving it all by ourselves. It really is quite manageable and we had done it many times without “help”.
Antonio took the second largest suitcase and headed for the door. I thought he was just going to help us out into the hallway. We got to the elevator and disregarding our protests he got in with our suitcase and held the door, motioning for us to join him. OK, I think he just wants to help us out to the sidewalk. Outside he began to walk away with our suitcase. We protested more but it fell on deaf ears. He repeatedly insisted on “helping” and repeatedly declared "Vamos".
“Help” Starting to Hurt
I was having a vision of an old lady being dragged across a street against her will. Antonio marched out ahead of us, pulling a four wheeled suitcase on its two back wheels instead of pushing it on all four wheels and marched to the taxi stand. I was pushing and pulling and Karen was pulling one with a free hand intended for the one Antonio had. He arrived at the taxi stand a good 50 yards ahead of me and 50 more ahead of Karen, instructing the driver to begin loading our bags.
Trapped! In hindsight, after Antonio left we should have paid the driver a couple or Euros for his trouble, walked across the street to the trolley stop where I would have guarded the bags, and let four or five trolleys go by. That would have allowed Karen to have her closure with Sevilla. It all happened so fast and was so confusing we were flabbergasted and just rolled with it. You had to be there to understand.
Here is the last photo Karen was able to get from the taxi window as we were pulling away and headed for the bus station.
Sometimes I think we are too nice and polite for our own good.
It’s like the earnest and eager Boy Scout who helps the little old lady across the street when what she was really trying to do was figure out which bus to take. The Boy Scout feels wonderful and documents his act to accumulate points for an award. The lady has to make her way back across the street unassisted, braving traffic and start over, having perhaps missed her bus. When one insists on providing unsolicited “help”, ignoring protests that help is not needed one is not really helping but hindering.
Some people need help and ask for it or don’t. Some people don’t need help, don’t want help but get unsolicited “help” that hurts.
The Setup
We waited in our apartment in Sevilla on Friday morning with our four giant suitcases, a backpack, a shoulder bag, a computer bag and rolled up art work in a cardboard tube. Antonio and Rosa, who manage about 25 apartments arrived promptly as expected at 10:45 with two bags of clean sheets and towels to set up the apartment for the next tenant due to arrive at 1:30. We had packed our belongings and cleaned the apartment way better than we received it. We were looking forward to getting back our 200 Euro deposit and departing by 11:00. We had planned to walk slowly the two short blocks to the little trolley that is a sad attempt at mass transit as it only goes about eight blocks from Plaza Nueva near our apartment to the bus station. We had tickets for the 12:30 bus for Rota, a little less than a two hour ride south where there is a naval air station with military flights back to the US. We, especially Karen, wanted to take a few minutes, stand near the cathedral, take a few more photos and have closure with Sevilla. Our eight weeks there have been a very memorable experience and we wanted to say a quiet goodbye. We had over an hour and a half to go eight blocks to the bus station so there was no rush.
Making an Exit
By about 10:50 we had received our deposit and were saying our goodbyes to Antonio and Rosa and making small talk in Spanish about our possible return to Sevilla and to one of their apartments. Antonio, seeing how much luggage we had insisted on “helping”. I explained and demonstrated how the two biggest suitcases have four wheels and can be pushed while pulling the other two. Karen and I planned to do what we had done for 16 days in Germany and France as well as upon our arrival in Sevilla, each take a pusher and a puller, hanging the other bags over the suitcase handles and moving it all by ourselves. It really is quite manageable and we had done it many times without “help”.
Antonio took the second largest suitcase and headed for the door. I thought he was just going to help us out into the hallway. We got to the elevator and disregarding our protests he got in with our suitcase and held the door, motioning for us to join him. OK, I think he just wants to help us out to the sidewalk. Outside he began to walk away with our suitcase. We protested more but it fell on deaf ears. He repeatedly insisted on “helping” and repeatedly declared "Vamos".
“Help” Starting to Hurt
I was having a vision of an old lady being dragged across a street against her will. Antonio marched out ahead of us, pulling a four wheeled suitcase on its two back wheels instead of pushing it on all four wheels and marched to the taxi stand. I was pushing and pulling and Karen was pulling one with a free hand intended for the one Antonio had. He arrived at the taxi stand a good 50 yards ahead of me and 50 more ahead of Karen, instructing the driver to begin loading our bags.
Trapped! In hindsight, after Antonio left we should have paid the driver a couple or Euros for his trouble, walked across the street to the trolley stop where I would have guarded the bags, and let four or five trolleys go by. That would have allowed Karen to have her closure with Sevilla. It all happened so fast and was so confusing we were flabbergasted and just rolled with it. You had to be there to understand.
Here is the last photo Karen was able to get from the taxi window as we were pulling away and headed for the bus station.
Sometimes I think we are too nice and polite for our own good.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Advantages of a Broken Potty
Putting Up With It
When we moved into our apartment in mid-May one of the things we discovered as we were settling in was that the toilet seat was considerably loose. So loose that occasionally if one were to reach for something while seated, the seat would flop over toward the side and threaten a pinch. We never actually got a pinch but the threat was there and the mere thought made for a less than comfortable session. Mr. "Fix Everything" Bill took a brief look at it, saw the bolts were corroded and unmovable and decided to wait. It's not so bad. Maybe it'll get better by itself.
Not having the greatest confidence in our Spanish language skills we hesitated to report this matter to the landlord for repair. I mean we can make our way through restaurant menus, shop in a grocery store, get a haircut, buy train tickets and ship at the post office in Spanish but since "potty" is a personal and private area we remained silent about the problem and suffered through it. Until...
The Breaking Point
On July 4th we had a party for all of the UNF crowd plus Americans from other universities we met here in Sevilla who are also doing research in the archivo. They weren't aware of our malfunctioning potty seat and hadn't learned to make only small, slow moves so that it wouldn't slip off to one side and threaten to bite. We discovered on the morning of the 5th of July that it wasn't just loose but had broken free. Someone had probably slipped completely off to one side and being embarassed had not reported the incident. (Note to self: Our discussion of to whom this may have happened and how was interesting but shall remain private.) Since the seat was now free of its hinges on both sides it was perched rather precariously upon the bowl and could slip to either side or to the front without warning or provocation. Enough! A report must be made.
The Surprise
I know the title of this blog is "Advantages of a Broken Potty" and I am getting there so bear with me. We chickened out on calling the landlord and after more dicsussion decided to enlist the help of Karen's professor, Dr. Francis, who has near native Spanish skills and is our liaison with the landlord, to make the report. Surely someone with a Ph.D and near perfect Spanish could figure out how to solve our dilemma. He sent an e-mail on Monday and we waited for a response. It came on Tuesday.
I entered the apartment after joining the group for "Onces". I realized the door was unlocked, a light was on and the air conditioner was running. Knowing I hadn't forgotten any of those three I immediately knew someone was there. I called out Hola! A response came from the bathroom. There was Antonio, the landlord, in our bathroom, perched on the bidet installing a new toilet seat. I wish I had taken a photo.
We exchanged pleasantries and after a few minutes I decided to practice my Spanish and arrange an appointment to check out of our apartment on July 15th. "Estaremos dejando el 15 de Julio". His immediate response, with a smile, was "No es posible". I was confused and it took a bit of back and forth for me to realize that what we thought we had rented for two months was really rented for only eight weeks, 56 days instead of 61 days. Instead of having eight more days we had only three left. Antonio explained he has five other apartments in the area available and will gladly rent us one for the additional five days for only 410€, about $560. Yippee?
No not really. Only one has a telephone and Internet and it is across the river and a 25 minute walk to the archivo, 20 more than our current location. Have I mentioned how hot it is here? Plus we have gotten very comfortable here after almost eight weeks and have stuff spread around in every drawer, shelf and cabinet. We had made a list of six more things we wanted to do before leaving Sevilla, we hadn't yet been to the post office to ship our packages, etc. Packing hadn't really made it to the "to do" list yet. We weren't ready to leave five days early, were we? Plus I didn't want to pay that much for something I thought I already had.
Advantage and Opportunity
After mulling it over I decided to seize the opportunity to move on, travel south to Rota Naval Air Station, check in and wait for our ride back to the States...early. Karen called me at 2:30 to tell me she was coming home for lunch and bringing three friends if we had enough to eat. I fixed three more sandwiches and waited to tell her the "news".
Her first reaction to the situation was disbelief, there is a mistake. Nope, no mistake, we have to move. She started getting online and checking local hotels so she could work in the archivo a few more days. After a few minutes and discussion over lunch she too realized we have an opportunity. I should have known she would view the opportunity differently though.
Karen got online again and began to search for hotels along the southern coast of Spain, beaches on the Mediterranean where we could use those "lost" five days. I began having nightmares while awake, still having vivid memories of 16 days trudging through Germany and France, lugging four humongous suitcases plus other paraphernalia. I wasn't looking forward to a repeat of that in southern Spain. Within a few minutes, fortunately the nightmare faded.
Searching the web for hotels Karen realized it is Summer and the annual en masse trek to the beaches has begun all over Europe. Hotels are not to be had, so we agreed to head to Rota, get a place to stay on base, rent a car and take day trips along the coast of southern Spain from there.
I called the base at Rota and was able to change our reservation for a room from the 15th to the 10th. If all works out we will see what we want to see and still get back home a little earlier than we thought.
I shudder to think what predicament we would have found ourselves in if I had not told Antonio our expected departure date. He may have shown up on Friday at 1100 to check us out of the apartment and we may have been off for the weekend to wherever thinking we had five more days.
Anyway a broken toilet seat brought me face to face with the landlord and our misunderstanding has turned into an opportunity to move on and see more of Spain. Life is great if you let it be!
Here it is all fixed, a new seat with the label still on it. That sure takes the "bite' out of things...
When we moved into our apartment in mid-May one of the things we discovered as we were settling in was that the toilet seat was considerably loose. So loose that occasionally if one were to reach for something while seated, the seat would flop over toward the side and threaten a pinch. We never actually got a pinch but the threat was there and the mere thought made for a less than comfortable session. Mr. "Fix Everything" Bill took a brief look at it, saw the bolts were corroded and unmovable and decided to wait. It's not so bad. Maybe it'll get better by itself.
Not having the greatest confidence in our Spanish language skills we hesitated to report this matter to the landlord for repair. I mean we can make our way through restaurant menus, shop in a grocery store, get a haircut, buy train tickets and ship at the post office in Spanish but since "potty" is a personal and private area we remained silent about the problem and suffered through it. Until...
The Breaking Point
On July 4th we had a party for all of the UNF crowd plus Americans from other universities we met here in Sevilla who are also doing research in the archivo. They weren't aware of our malfunctioning potty seat and hadn't learned to make only small, slow moves so that it wouldn't slip off to one side and threaten to bite. We discovered on the morning of the 5th of July that it wasn't just loose but had broken free. Someone had probably slipped completely off to one side and being embarassed had not reported the incident. (Note to self: Our discussion of to whom this may have happened and how was interesting but shall remain private.) Since the seat was now free of its hinges on both sides it was perched rather precariously upon the bowl and could slip to either side or to the front without warning or provocation. Enough! A report must be made.
The Surprise
I know the title of this blog is "Advantages of a Broken Potty" and I am getting there so bear with me. We chickened out on calling the landlord and after more dicsussion decided to enlist the help of Karen's professor, Dr. Francis, who has near native Spanish skills and is our liaison with the landlord, to make the report. Surely someone with a Ph.D and near perfect Spanish could figure out how to solve our dilemma. He sent an e-mail on Monday and we waited for a response. It came on Tuesday.
I entered the apartment after joining the group for "Onces". I realized the door was unlocked, a light was on and the air conditioner was running. Knowing I hadn't forgotten any of those three I immediately knew someone was there. I called out Hola! A response came from the bathroom. There was Antonio, the landlord, in our bathroom, perched on the bidet installing a new toilet seat. I wish I had taken a photo.
We exchanged pleasantries and after a few minutes I decided to practice my Spanish and arrange an appointment to check out of our apartment on July 15th. "Estaremos dejando el 15 de Julio". His immediate response, with a smile, was "No es posible". I was confused and it took a bit of back and forth for me to realize that what we thought we had rented for two months was really rented for only eight weeks, 56 days instead of 61 days. Instead of having eight more days we had only three left. Antonio explained he has five other apartments in the area available and will gladly rent us one for the additional five days for only 410€, about $560. Yippee?
No not really. Only one has a telephone and Internet and it is across the river and a 25 minute walk to the archivo, 20 more than our current location. Have I mentioned how hot it is here? Plus we have gotten very comfortable here after almost eight weeks and have stuff spread around in every drawer, shelf and cabinet. We had made a list of six more things we wanted to do before leaving Sevilla, we hadn't yet been to the post office to ship our packages, etc. Packing hadn't really made it to the "to do" list yet. We weren't ready to leave five days early, were we? Plus I didn't want to pay that much for something I thought I already had.
Advantage and Opportunity
After mulling it over I decided to seize the opportunity to move on, travel south to Rota Naval Air Station, check in and wait for our ride back to the States...early. Karen called me at 2:30 to tell me she was coming home for lunch and bringing three friends if we had enough to eat. I fixed three more sandwiches and waited to tell her the "news".
Her first reaction to the situation was disbelief, there is a mistake. Nope, no mistake, we have to move. She started getting online and checking local hotels so she could work in the archivo a few more days. After a few minutes and discussion over lunch she too realized we have an opportunity. I should have known she would view the opportunity differently though.
Karen got online again and began to search for hotels along the southern coast of Spain, beaches on the Mediterranean where we could use those "lost" five days. I began having nightmares while awake, still having vivid memories of 16 days trudging through Germany and France, lugging four humongous suitcases plus other paraphernalia. I wasn't looking forward to a repeat of that in southern Spain. Within a few minutes, fortunately the nightmare faded.
Searching the web for hotels Karen realized it is Summer and the annual en masse trek to the beaches has begun all over Europe. Hotels are not to be had, so we agreed to head to Rota, get a place to stay on base, rent a car and take day trips along the coast of southern Spain from there.
I called the base at Rota and was able to change our reservation for a room from the 15th to the 10th. If all works out we will see what we want to see and still get back home a little earlier than we thought.
I shudder to think what predicament we would have found ourselves in if I had not told Antonio our expected departure date. He may have shown up on Friday at 1100 to check us out of the apartment and we may have been off for the weekend to wherever thinking we had five more days.
Anyway a broken toilet seat brought me face to face with the landlord and our misunderstanding has turned into an opportunity to move on and see more of Spain. Life is great if you let it be!
Here it is all fixed, a new seat with the label still on it. That sure takes the "bite' out of things...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Córdoba Parte Dos
Why We Went Back
Karen and I returned to Córdoba last weekend after visiting the weekend before. The first was only a day trip and we realized there was much to see so we went back and spent the night having almost two full days to look around.
The Mezquita (Spanish for Mosque)
The Mezquita, also known as the Cathedral of Córdoba was begun as a mosque in the 9th Century by the Muslims. To build the mosque they razed a Christian Visigothic church, San Vicente, which had been built atop a Roman pagan place of worship. When Córdoba was re-conquered by the Spanish in the 13th Century the mosque was turned into a Christian church. The structure has been added onto several times and is several times its original size.
The bell tower shown here was built around the mosque minaret. Many sites are considered holy by more than one religion and a conqueror often would use part of an existing structure, expanding and redecorating it to their taste. I am not sure whether this was done for economy or to taunt the former owner, like keeping a hostage instead of executing a prisoner. I am certain that more than one historian has published a thesis on the topic, if not there's your idea.
The tower is at one corner of a walled courtyard that is paved with what looks like small river rocks. Many of the streets and sidewalks in Córdoba are also paved the same way.
They have used light and dark colored stones to create patterns.
La Sinogoga
We also visited La Sinogoga, (the synagogue) the only one left in Córdoba and one of only three in Spain that pre-date 1492 when all the Jews were expelled from Spain. Karen poses beside a statue of Maimonides, a Rabbi, physician and philosopher born in Córdoba in 1135. Legend has it if one touches the statue one will be endowed with his knowledge. We didn't really believe that but both of us touched it anyway.
Streets, Houses and Flowers
Karen and I pose below on Calleja de Flores, a narrow, dead end alley lined with flower pots. The bell tower is in the background.
There is so much more that we saw and I didn't include in this short blog. Nice people, castles, museums, breathtakingly picturesque streets and homes. A really great place to visit.
Karen and I returned to Córdoba last weekend after visiting the weekend before. The first was only a day trip and we realized there was much to see so we went back and spent the night having almost two full days to look around.
The Mezquita (Spanish for Mosque)
The Mezquita, also known as the Cathedral of Córdoba was begun as a mosque in the 9th Century by the Muslims. To build the mosque they razed a Christian Visigothic church, San Vicente, which had been built atop a Roman pagan place of worship. When Córdoba was re-conquered by the Spanish in the 13th Century the mosque was turned into a Christian church. The structure has been added onto several times and is several times its original size.
The bell tower shown here was built around the mosque minaret. Many sites are considered holy by more than one religion and a conqueror often would use part of an existing structure, expanding and redecorating it to their taste. I am not sure whether this was done for economy or to taunt the former owner, like keeping a hostage instead of executing a prisoner. I am certain that more than one historian has published a thesis on the topic, if not there's your idea.The tower is at one corner of a walled courtyard that is paved with what looks like small river rocks. Many of the streets and sidewalks in Córdoba are also paved the same way.
They have used light and dark colored stones to create patterns. The interior of the Mezquita shows the juxtaposition of the Muslim and Christian architectures and how parts of the original 9th Century construcion were just redecorated and reused. Note the Moorish arches with alternating red and white stones right next to the Gothic ceiling.
There would be 1014 arches supporting the ceiling except that twice over the centuries different bishops have removed some of the columns and built churches inside the mosque. It's down to about 850 left. King Carlos V, after authorizing the latest remodeling without seeing it, came to visit the site and remarked something like "We are tearing down something of historical importance to build something we can see everyday". He was correct. There are thousands of beautiful churches in Europe and the mosque was already redecorated and being used as a church.
The view above shows only a small fraction of the building. It is impossible to stand in any one place inside and see all of it, even in the center. It is immense and I would estimate that it covers the equivalent of several city blocks.
La Sinogoga
We also visited La Sinogoga, (the synagogue) the only one left in Córdoba and one of only three in Spain that pre-date 1492 when all the Jews were expelled from Spain. Karen poses beside a statue of Maimonides, a Rabbi, physician and philosopher born in Córdoba in 1135. Legend has it if one touches the statue one will be endowed with his knowledge. We didn't really believe that but both of us touched it anyway.
Another example of the juxtaposition of two religions is this photo taken inside the synagogue showing a cross added to the wall of the synagogue sometime after 1492 when the Jews were expelled from Spain and it served as a Christian church.
Streets, Houses and Flowers
Karen and I pose below on Calleja de Flores, a narrow, dead end alley lined with flower pots. The bell tower is in the background.
Below is a shot from the other end.
We liked this place so much we went back at night and took some more photos. It was so quiet and we were the only ones in the courtyard. 
This is one of the many, many beautiful courtyards in Córdoba. The foyer led into an area with fountains and lots of flowering plants. The entrance to someone's home.
This is a window shade woven from fiber. Many of the houses had the bottom draped over the porch railing, blocking the sun but letting in the breeze. Couldn't really do that on this window since the bars go to the top. We were told that in the old days before air conditioning the people would wet the shades so that as the breeze blew through them and evaporated the water it cooled the house. Pretty clever! Perhaps something we should consider in Florida as we move toward green technologies to climatize our homes.
This is one of the many, many beautiful courtyards in Córdoba. The foyer led into an area with fountains and lots of flowering plants. The entrance to someone's home.
This is a window shade woven from fiber. Many of the houses had the bottom draped over the porch railing, blocking the sun but letting in the breeze. Couldn't really do that on this window since the bars go to the top. We were told that in the old days before air conditioning the people would wet the shades so that as the breeze blew through them and evaporated the water it cooled the house. Pretty clever! Perhaps something we should consider in Florida as we move toward green technologies to climatize our homes.
This house had even more plants and flowers than most. The green stuff at the top appears to be growing from pots on the roof. It was hanging down on the two sides of the house we could see.
We wouldn't mind going back to Córdoba again and actually we think we could enjoy living there.
We wouldn't mind going back to Córdoba again and actually we think we could enjoy living there. There is so much more that we saw and I didn't include in this short blog. Nice people, castles, museums, breathtakingly picturesque streets and homes. A really great place to visit.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Evening Stroll in Sevilla
Touring the neighborhood
A couple of evenings ago we decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood to get some fresh air. We started out about five minutes before 10. The sun had just set but the sky was still light and some of the street lights were starting to come on. After only a couple minutes we walked past La Giralda, the tower on the Cathedral of Sevilla, stopping to take a photo of the fountain that is in the plaza. We are amazed every evening at how late it stays light here. Notice the bright sky behind the fountain at 10 PM.
Just around the corner from the fountain is a typical narrow street, crowded during the day with a stream of cars, trucks, motorcycles and scooters, it is quiet now since most of the locals are in restaurants eating dinner. I am pointing to the lobby of a four star hotel tucked into this narrow space.
Karen poses on the "sidewalk" of this narrow nearby street. Notice the chunk out of the wall on the right, probably from a truck. Further up the street past Karen where the street gets even narrower, there is a steel plate bolted to the wall to protect it from traffic. Many of the tight corners have multiple scrape marks since the locals insist on driving vehicles of all sizes on any street. Pedestrians often must turn sideways and back against the wall with vehicle mirrors brushing their clothing as they squeeze by. We have not seen a single traffic accident...yet.
on our little street, Calle Conteros It is only one block long stretching between Alemanes and Francos.
A couple of evenings ago we decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood to get some fresh air. We started out about five minutes before 10. The sun had just set but the sky was still light and some of the street lights were starting to come on. After only a couple minutes we walked past La Giralda, the tower on the Cathedral of Sevilla, stopping to take a photo of the fountain that is in the plaza. We are amazed every evening at how late it stays light here. Notice the bright sky behind the fountain at 10 PM.
Just around the corner from the fountain is a typical narrow street, crowded during the day with a stream of cars, trucks, motorcycles and scooters, it is quiet now since most of the locals are in restaurants eating dinner. I am pointing to the lobby of a four star hotel tucked into this narrow space.
Karen poses on the "sidewalk" of this narrow nearby street. Notice the chunk out of the wall on the right, probably from a truck. Further up the street past Karen where the street gets even narrower, there is a steel plate bolted to the wall to protect it from traffic. Many of the tight corners have multiple scrape marks since the locals insist on driving vehicles of all sizes on any street. Pedestrians often must turn sideways and back against the wall with vehicle mirrors brushing their clothing as they squeeze by. We have not seen a single traffic accident...yet.
on our little street, Calle Conteros It is only one block long stretching between Alemanes and Francos.
This photo is looking away from our apartment up Francos. There is also a restaurant there and one behind the photographer. We are never without a choice of where to eat.
Here is our little street. It is for foot and two-wheeled traffic only. Motorcycles and scooters park along the side every morning and come and go during the day and evening as the restaurant workers come and go. Our balcony is the one above with the sign "Alquilo Apartmento" or Apartment for Rent.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Men are from Warm Women are from Cold
Temperature Control
We are rarely experiencing the same sensations when under the same physical conditions. One is always hot, the other is always cold. In the car, in the house, in a store or walking down the street.
Karen and I have never agreed on what is cold or hot. We are currently in Sevilla, Spain where it is now over 100°F during the day and above 90 really late at night. We are both uncomfortable for the opposite reasons and struggling over control of the temperature.
I am going to state Bill's Interpretation of the Law of Thermodynamics, a universal truth believed by only about half the population (men): Women have never and shall never understand the concept of "thermostat" on an air conditioner or heater.
A man will experiment with a thermostat until he finds a comfort zone, usually (according to a woman) a few degrees above absolute zero in the summer. A woman will turn on an air conditioner until she is cold, then turn it off (or not) and open the windows and doors, suffocating any nearby man.
We are seeking compromise so that we are both comfortable but what is that? Depends. What is a comfortable temperature for a woman? Depends. What is fresh air? Depends. Is it possible to settle on a temperature even if one goes naked and the other wears a parka, hood, gloves and mukluks? Depends.
Even when I offer "OK, turn off the AC but leave the doors closed until it gets warmer then turn on the AC" (because it's 100 outside and in five minutes will be 99 inside) that doesn't work because then there's no "fresh" air. We are living in a tall building very near the center of a very large European city, across a narrow walkway from another tall building. It has not rained here in the month we have been here. Did I mention it is over 100°F outside, with little breeze? "Fresh" air is somewhere way above the roof...it doesn't come wafting in from the great outdoors and the several restaurants below. To be fresh it would have to be piped in from above and filtered, which is exactly what the AC happens to do, when it is on.
How about if I try to use the thermostat concept and say "Let's leave the doors closed and the AC on, you put on a sweater and we will crank up the temperature one degree at a time until you take off the sweater and are comfortable". Nope, go back to the fresh air thing above.
It's only June 14th and this is going to get very interesting. July is coming and it's going to be even hotter.
Flag Day and Army Birthday
June 14th? It's Flag Day in the US and the 234th birthday of the US Army. Happy Flag Day and Happy Birthday my Band of Brothers and Sisters! On 14 June 1775 the Continental Congress passed a resolution establishing the Army. It is today our country's oldest service.Click here to read the resolution.
We are rarely experiencing the same sensations when under the same physical conditions. One is always hot, the other is always cold. In the car, in the house, in a store or walking down the street.
Karen and I have never agreed on what is cold or hot. We are currently in Sevilla, Spain where it is now over 100°F during the day and above 90 really late at night. We are both uncomfortable for the opposite reasons and struggling over control of the temperature.
I am going to state Bill's Interpretation of the Law of Thermodynamics, a universal truth believed by only about half the population (men): Women have never and shall never understand the concept of "thermostat" on an air conditioner or heater.
A man will experiment with a thermostat until he finds a comfort zone, usually (according to a woman) a few degrees above absolute zero in the summer. A woman will turn on an air conditioner until she is cold, then turn it off (or not) and open the windows and doors, suffocating any nearby man.
We are seeking compromise so that we are both comfortable but what is that? Depends. What is a comfortable temperature for a woman? Depends. What is fresh air? Depends. Is it possible to settle on a temperature even if one goes naked and the other wears a parka, hood, gloves and mukluks? Depends.
Even when I offer "OK, turn off the AC but leave the doors closed until it gets warmer then turn on the AC" (because it's 100 outside and in five minutes will be 99 inside) that doesn't work because then there's no "fresh" air. We are living in a tall building very near the center of a very large European city, across a narrow walkway from another tall building. It has not rained here in the month we have been here. Did I mention it is over 100°F outside, with little breeze? "Fresh" air is somewhere way above the roof...it doesn't come wafting in from the great outdoors and the several restaurants below. To be fresh it would have to be piped in from above and filtered, which is exactly what the AC happens to do, when it is on.
How about if I try to use the thermostat concept and say "Let's leave the doors closed and the AC on, you put on a sweater and we will crank up the temperature one degree at a time until you take off the sweater and are comfortable". Nope, go back to the fresh air thing above.
It's only June 14th and this is going to get very interesting. July is coming and it's going to be even hotter.
Flag Day and Army Birthday
June 14th? It's Flag Day in the US and the 234th birthday of the US Army. Happy Flag Day and Happy Birthday my Band of Brothers and Sisters! On 14 June 1775 the Continental Congress passed a resolution establishing the Army. It is today our country's oldest service.Click here to read the resolution.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Mucho Calor
Much Heat
This is the symbol on the Accuweather web site today for Sevilla.
The headline item on the TV news this morning is "el calor", the heat. They are showing a digital therometer with 43°C!
That's 109°F according to my calculations. Here is a link to a National Weather Service web page with a handy Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa converter: Temperature converter
According to the Accuweather web site it will only be 41° today with a "real feel" of 43. I feel better knowing it will only be 106°F today and only "feel" like 109! Fortunately, my job dosen't require me to work outside.
Thinking of my sister Chris in Tucson, AZ I checked the Accuweather forecast for there and it's predicted to be 94°F today with a real feel of only 93. I suppose it is because of the low humidity there that they are spared that real feel increase today though I believe it actually gets much hotter in Tucson than it does here. July is coming everywhere.
Karen and I went to the bull fights yesterday evening at 7:30. That's another story. We were very happy that we had paid a considerable premium for the privilege of sitting in the "sombra" seats since even in the shade we were perspiring, OK I was sweating, Karen was perspiring, a little. It was still very hot even when we left a little before 10:00 PM and still light though the sun had set.
We also went to the hotel near the Plaza de Toros where the toreros stay and dress before being driven to the plaza. About 45 minutes before the event they come into the lobby in their elaborate uniforms and strut about, exuding confidence, almost arrogance. They are the rock stars of Spain. Ole!
Tight pants and pink socks wouldn't make it in a lot of places in the US but they are the rage here.
This is the symbol on the Accuweather web site today for Sevilla.
The headline item on the TV news this morning is "el calor", the heat. They are showing a digital therometer with 43°C!
That's 109°F according to my calculations. Here is a link to a National Weather Service web page with a handy Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa converter: Temperature converter
According to the Accuweather web site it will only be 41° today with a "real feel" of 43. I feel better knowing it will only be 106°F today and only "feel" like 109! Fortunately, my job dosen't require me to work outside.
Thinking of my sister Chris in Tucson, AZ I checked the Accuweather forecast for there and it's predicted to be 94°F today with a real feel of only 93. I suppose it is because of the low humidity there that they are spared that real feel increase today though I believe it actually gets much hotter in Tucson than it does here. July is coming everywhere.
Karen and I went to the bull fights yesterday evening at 7:30. That's another story. We were very happy that we had paid a considerable premium for the privilege of sitting in the "sombra" seats since even in the shade we were perspiring, OK I was sweating, Karen was perspiring, a little. It was still very hot even when we left a little before 10:00 PM and still light though the sun had set.
We also went to the hotel near the Plaza de Toros where the toreros stay and dress before being driven to the plaza. About 45 minutes before the event they come into the lobby in their elaborate uniforms and strut about, exuding confidence, almost arrogance. They are the rock stars of Spain. Ole!
Tight pants and pink socks wouldn't make it in a lot of places in the US but they are the rage here.
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