The Last Week (or two)

During Patios, I picked up a bookmark that seemed so perfect for the moment: “When I can, I come to Cordoba in the month of May.”

We had already survived Cruces and Patios, and were embarking on the next and last adventure: FERIA. I was astonished at how fast the last month had flown by, and when Feria camearound the last week and a half, it was even harder to believe that the end was more than near – it WAS the end. Here is the briefest retelling of events of my last week in Cordoba.

Thursday, May 20 – Blues festival in the Corederra. It was kind of weird watching American blues bands perform in Cordoba. But the weather was perfect, and so was the backdrop.

Friday, May 21 – Delicious grilled dinner outside in a little hole-in-the-wall with Gabriela and Juan. Walked to a great spot just in time to see the official kick of to the Fair, including fireworks and the lighting of the portada (entrance – huge temporary entrance modeled off the Mezquita and Medina Azahara, complete with lights outlining every structural detail). After watching the lighting, we met up with Alex and Jen and Gabriela and Juan took us to one of their favorite tents where I made my first public attempt at Sevillanas – the traditional Andaluz dance usually seen at fairs and other cultural events. Needless to say, I’m glad my threshold for embarrassment is high.

Saturday, May 22 – took an evening stroll of the Feria, taking special care to sneak pictures of women and girls in their traje gitanas, and kind of wishing that I had a cool dress too. The night wouldn’t have been complete without a cheap caramel apple.

Never-ending Tuesday, May 25 – The wonderful Maria Jose who had already volunteered to teach me the Sevillanas had her daughter come to school where they both proceeded to dress me up in the traditional dress (after I protested to the tiny size of the dress, they managed to convince me – and themselves – that I could “fit” into the dress. I guess “fitting” didn’t necessarily mean being able to walk also.) I was excited to have the opportunity to be part of this segment of Cordobese culture, but was equally excited to take off the dress and gobs of blush on my cheeks after all the pictures-for-proof were taken. After school, I followed many of the teachers down to the fair to take part in the school lunch where we (endlessly) indulged in Galician food and drinks. It was exciting to see my teachers in such an informal setting (however unfortunate that it came at the very end of the school year). The women all gushed over my traje pictures and giggled at my poor attempts at trying to gracefully open up a Spanish fan. After we finished (and many pictures later), Andrew and I made the warm walk back (even indulging in a necessary ice cream cone) and I started on the evening’s activities: Isa’s pre-birthday Mexican food party (since I wouldn’t be around for her actual birthday). With Arizona-imported tortillas and sauce, we indulged in restaurant style green enchiladas. After digesting, we made our way to the river for a chilly botellón, and then into the fair where we stayed until the tents closed at 5am (my roommates being none-too-pleased that they closed the hour early given it was a Tuesday).

Thursday, May 27 – after a Wednesday of school and rest, it was time for a Thursday off (the school cancels classes for the Thursday and Friday of Feria for, well, Feria). Knowing that I had committed to another “night” of Feria with the roommates the next night, I took it easy and partook in delicious tapas at one of Córdoba’s famous restaurants (La Casa de Pepe de la Judería) and walked down for another stroll of the Feria while munching on the fresh coconut and candied almonds.

Friday, May 28 – that evening, the roommates surprised me with a going-away party (I was indeed very surprised). It included three of my American friends and homemade salmorejo, tortilla española, flamenquin and even a cake from the very nice pastry shop in Cordoba, Roldan. After the party, we once again made our way to the Edge of the river outsider the Feria for another botellón and then to enter the fair around 3am to stay again until the tents closed at 6. When we finally managed to get home and into bed (no earlier than about 930), it was high time for an actual day of rest, sleeping until almost 5 in the afternoon.

Saturday, May 29 – although I had already watched the sun come up at the Feria, being that it was the last day, me and my friend still made it back for one last (but ending MUCH earlier) hurrah.

Sunday, May 30 – drinks and tapas and more goodbyes to friends found. No fun.

Monday, May 31 – Last day at school. My youngest kids surprised me with a t-shirt and a fan. I felt very honored. My oldest kids gave me a standing ovation, which seemed only appropriate coming from them. That night the roommates took me out for a last meal together.

Tuesday, June 1 – Waking up early to finish up the last bits of parking, the roommates drove me to the train station to say our final goodbyes. Obviously, it was sad, but more than that, I was excited to get home and get rid of the bags I had now been staring at for weeks. I knew that my journey home was going to be long, and I was ready to get it started.

Wednesday, June 2 – After a great afternoon and evening in Madrid, sharing it with a friend that was all too kind in his assistance with my very heavy bags and finally having the opportunity to go to the Prado museum, I embarked on my trip home. It included a frantic layover in Zurich (a scheduled 55-minute layover and a delayed flight in! Thank you Swiss Air for holding the flight!!) and a night stay in New York, but I finally made it back to Tempe, Arizona 32 hours later.