La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
We’ve spent the last couple of days dealing with bureaucracies. Although, I have even less hair atop my head and San Geraldo finished off a liter of chocolate ice cream, we were successful. I managed to get an appointment for SG to renew his national identity card. My own appointment took me two online attempts. For SG’s, the 12th time (or it may have been the 13th) was the charm. Failed attempts come back with the message that no appointments are available, try later. I’ve been down this road before. Probably the most inefficient of all the bureaucracies we’ve experienced here. And we still have to meet in person.
We had a series of financial account issues to take care of. They started off as a mess and a headache. But we were able to do all we needed for five different things (not a lot of money, just a lot of accounts). SG emailed another company and figured he would never hear back. But, will wonders never cease, three hours later a wonderful woman named Maria phoned and took care of everything.
SG’s cousin Allison, from southern California, was here for the day Wednesday with her good friend Joanna. We had lunch together and then SG came home while the three of us went to Palacio de Viana. Allison is a botanist/horticulturalist. The palace has 12 private patios filled with lush plantings, so I knew it was something she’d like to see. She was in heaven. That morning they had taken a 4-hour guided tour of the mezquita/cathedral, with one half-hour break for a snack (I couldn’t have done it). They headed back to Málaga late in the day and we hated to part company.
April and May are busy months here in Córdoba, including Holy Week, the Festival of Flowers (a flower-festooned parade to welcome the spring festivities), and the annual fair. I was home in bed during the parade of flowers and for most of Semana Santa. The Patios of Córdoba run from the 4th to the 17th of May. I will not miss it and plan to visit some different ones this year. The Crosses of May began Wednesday and finish tomorrow. In a competition, large crosses are adorned with flowers and displayed surrounded by more flowers (or with a few pots at the base). Wherever a cross is displayed (there are 52 this year), there is also a bar and music. It’s an excuse to party. Within 850 meters of our building are three different crosses and bars in the parks. Two of those sites have live music (the other is canned). Some of it good but tending to change from Spanish folk style to loud rock as the night progresses. The music has been going until 1:30 and we can see the nearest bar and cross from our windows. I’m grateful for our double-glazed windows.
I have plenty to share of my recent days. Today’s photos are all about the Crosses of May, beginning with Wednesday evening at Plaza de Las Tendillas where a rock trio was blasting their music and ending as I passed Burger King at midnight. San Geraldo avoids it all. Does any of this look or sound appealing to you?
Hemos pasado los últimos días lidiando con trámites burocráticos. Aunque tengo aún menos pelo en la cabeza y San Geraldo se terminó un litro de helado de chocolate, lo conseguimos. Logré obtener una cita para que SG renovara su documento nacional de identidad. Mi propia cita me costó dos intentos en línea. Para SG, a la duodécima (o quizás a la decimotercera) fue la vencida. Los intentos fallidos devuelven el mensaje de que no hay citas disponibles, que lo intente más tarde. Ya he pasado por esto antes. Probablemente sea la burocracia más ineficiente que hemos experimentado aquí. Y aún tenemos que reunirnos en persona.
Tuvimos una serie de cosas con cuentas financieras que resolver. Empezaron siendo un desastre y un dolor de cabeza. Pero pudimos hacer todo lo necesario para cinco cosas diferentes (no mucho dinero, solo muchas cuentas). SG envió un correo electrónico a otra empresa y pensó que nunca recibiría respuesta. Pero, como por arte de magia, tres horas después una mujer maravillosa llamada María llamó y lo solucionó todo.
Una prima de SG, Allison, del sur de California, estuvo aquí el miércoles con su buena amiga Joanna. Almorzamos juntas y luego SG volvió a casa mientras las tres fuimos al Palacio de Viana. Allison es botánica y horticultora. El palacio tiene doce patios privados repletos de exuberante vegetación, así que sabía que le encantaría. Estaba fascinada. Esa mañana habían hecho una visita guiada de cuatro horas a la mezquita/catedral, con una pausa de media hora para merendar (yo no habría podido). Regresaron a Málaga al final del día y nos dio mucha pena separarnos.
Abril y mayo son meses muy ajetreados aquí en Córdoba, incluyendo la Semana Santa, la Fiesta de las Flores (un desfile floral para dar la bienvenida a las fiestas de primavera) y la feria anual. Estuve en casa, en la cama, durante el desfile de las flores y casi toda la Semana Santa. Los Patios de Córdoba se celebran del 4 al 17 de mayo. No me los perderé y planeo visitar algunos diferentes este año. Las Cruces de Mayo comenzaron el miércoles y terminan mañana. En un concurso, grandes cruces se adornan con flores y se exhiben rodeadas de más flores (o con algunas macetas en la base). Dondequiera que se exhiba una cruz (hay 52 este año), también hay un bar y música. Es una excusa para salir de fiesta. A menos de 850 metros de nuestro edificio hay tres cruces y bares diferentes en los parques. Dos de esos lugares tienen música en vivo (el otro tiene música enlatada). Parte de ella es buena, pero tiende a cambiar de estilo folclórico español a rock ruidoso a medida que avanza la noche. La música ha estado sonando hasta la 1:30 y podemos ver el bar y la cruz más cercanos desde nuestras ventanas. Agradezco nuestras ventanas de doble acristalamiento.
Tengo mucho que compartir de mis últimos días. Las fotos de hoy son todas sobre las Cruces de Mayo, comenzando con la noche del miércoles en la Plaza de Las Tendillas, donde un trío de rock estaba tocando a todo volumen, y terminando cuando pasé por Burger King a medianoche. San Geraldo se mantiene al margen de todo esto. ¿Te parece atractivo algo de esto?
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
I love looking at the photos, but being in crowds like that is not appealing to me in the least. I would be on sensory overload.
Michael:
The crowds don’t entice me, but in the three I visited they were all in their own little groups, mostly just visiting. Still, I didn’t see any of the bad behavior and there was apparently plenty. Glad I kept my distance.
I was thinking the same thing; the older I am getting the less I am inclined to want to be in throngs of people… especially at night.
Crowds always make me feel uneasy, I imagined myself in those photos posted and I thought, “no, not me.”
Michael:
That’s how SG reacts.
Partying like that is definitely for the young!
Debra:
Yeah, and the old who should know better.
What appeals to me, is your fun times with visiting friends!
I probably used to like festivals and gatherings, when I was younger, but they’re just loud and annoying to me, now 🙂
Judy C:
I always felt very alone at these festivals. Still did this time, but I was fine being a witness and not a participant.
The parties take me back to the days when I could do stuff like that. Now, just looking at them and, oy, I am tired.
Of course, dealing with bureaucracies is no party either!
Bob:
We made ourselves sick from the stress of worrying about the bureaucracies.
It’s a tossup which is more tiring, bureaucracy or partying! Both better at a distance. It’s odd that the cross is seen as a party feature! Boud
Boud:
Yes, both better at a distance. And, also yes, I find this “holiday” very odd. Let’s have a competition to see who can erect the most beautiful cross and THEN let’s get thousands of people drunk.
Any and every excuse for a party. Who erects these crosses and provides the music and bar. Individuals, organizations, other social groups?
Ellen:
The City supplies a lot of the funds for this event, but 52 church brotherhoods sponsor the crosses and a lot more.
It looks like the kind of thing that would be fun to do once or twice, but maybe not every year! I liked the music in the second video better than the first. Clearly a popular song, since several people knew all the words! I also noticed the boys sitting on the edge of the stage. In the states they’d never allow that, you know?
Steve:
I didn’t at all like the music in the first video, loved the music in the second and the energy from the crowd. And, yes, a lot of the rules we had to follow in the US don’t apply here.
Maybe back in the day I would have liked this but the ‘crosses’ put a damper on it all.
Happy your friends had a good time.
Jim:
I agree about the crosses. Such a strange event.
I’ve never liked crowds (even less so now) and my partying days are long past. I prefer to just enjoy the flowers through your photos.
Kelly:
SG stays away from these events.
I wish the Welsh celebrated as well as the Spanish
finlaygray:
Spain DOES know how to celebrate and will accept any excuse for doing so.
Are the parties private? I got kicked out of a June one in Alicante. They let me in, but took a while to realize I didn’t have an invitation, then apologetically asked me to leave. Was still fun. Olivia
Olivia:
These parties are not private. Everyone is welcome. For Semana Santa, some places have a lot of private casetas. In Sevilla, I think there were two (or maybe only one) caseta open to the public. The others charged a fortune for annual membership and it felt very exclusive (and unwelcoming, although I went as the guest of a friend). In Málaga, not so exclusive, and here in Córdoba I think they were all open to the public.
It looks all very appealing to me, at least for a little while.
Kirk:
The community is something I like, but by the weekend the crowds were drunker and I avoided it.
The flowers are beautiful. I don’t like parties or groups of people, but on occasion I’d be willing to put up a cross if it means I get to have a drink.
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
Any excuse for a drink here, it seems.
The bureaucracy would challenge me
David:
We have hit some pretty awful bureaucracies in our time here. The residency process in Sevilla and Fuengirola was embarrassing. Málaga did a great job, but we still had to finish up in Fuengirola and they didn’t follow the rules set down by the province. It was absurd. Unfortunately, bureaucracy in Córdoba for most things has been disappointingly bad.