Balmaseda and the medival market

Final Copa del Rey: Bilbao vs. Barcelona

So...Bilbao lost 4-1 but what an experience!! Eva, Leire and I arrived in Bilbao at about 6pm, and the streets were packed with people covered in red and white! It reminded me a lot of Whyte Ave in Edmonton when the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup final (not the red and white part, but the atmosphere and lots of fanatic people part). Except here, there were several streets jam packed with people, and it's legal to drink on the street, so the crowd was a bit wilder. I've never witnessed so many flares set off. By the end of the night, the entire city was COVERED in garbage. Bottles, wine boxes (wine comes in 1L tetra packs for less than 1€. This is what you mix with coke to make Kalimotxo. This is what thousands of people were doing on the streets), plastic bags, foam fingers, and many other things covered the entire city.

After making it to San Mames, we saw a couple of concerts by Basque bands, some men that could do amazing things with a soccer ball, and the release of many red and white balloons. Then, the game which started at 10pm. The first half was amazing! Bilbao scored the first goal and the stadium went insane! The Spanish have perfected the art of 'GGGGOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL'. Then, Barça scored one and the first half ended at a 1-1 tie. In the second half, Barça scored again, and again, and again... but every time Bilbao even touched the ball, the crowd insisted on going crazy. My favorite part of the second half, was that everytime Barça scored, more and more police enforcement filled the stadium for riot control. Oh, futbol fans - they're just a bit crazy and I would venture to say, even more so in the Basque Country.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Final Copa Del Rey Madness

Athletic Club Bilbao

Tonight is the final game in the King's Cup (La Copa del Rey - Spain's most prestigious soccer tournament). Bilbao has made it to the final for the first time in 25 years and will be playing Barcelona (Barça). The entire city has become coated in red and white, and everyone is exited about tonights game (even including me). Eva, Leire and I have tickets to see the game from San Mames (Bilbao's stadium) even though the game will be played in Valencia. They have an incredibly large screen set up, and the tickets have been sold out for over a month. So I will be painted with red and white, wearing my 'Bilbao Athletic' scarf singing the Athletic's anthem in basque drinking kalimotxo this evening!!

Bilbao Athletic Anthem:

Original version

My attempt at an english translation

Athletic, Athletic, Athletic eup!  Athletic, gorri ta zuria  danontzat zara zu geuria  Erritik sortu ziñalako  maite zaitu erriak  Gaztedi gorri-zuria zelai orlegian Euskalerriaren erakusgarria. Zabaldu daigun guztiok Irrintzi alaia: Athletic, Athletic zu zara nagusia Altza Gaztiak Athletic, Athletic, gogoaren Indarra. Aritz zarraren enborrak loratu dau orbel barria.  Aupa mutilak! aurrera gure gaztiak! Bilbo ta Bizkai guztia goratu bedi munduan Aupa mutilak! gora beti Euskalerria! Athletic gorri-zuria geuria. Bilbo ta Bizkai guztiak gora!  Euskaldun zintzoak aurrera!

Athletic, Athletic, Athletic eup!  Athletic Red and White  for all, you are ours  because you were born for the people the people you love.  Youth red and white  green field  example of Basque Country  We propagate  the exultant cry  Athletic, Athletic  you're the best,  Top young!  Athletic, Athletic  strength of spirit  The trunk of the old Oak  has sprouted new leaves  Top boys!  Forward our youth!  And Bilbao Bizkaia  Exalted throughout the world.  Top boys!  Top Basque Country always!  Athletic red and white  ours.  Top young and Bilbao Bizkaia!  Nobles Basques ahead!

An interesting fact about Athletic Bilbao: They are the only team in the Europe that only contracts players from the region they represent: The Basque country. Only players from the seven official Basque provinces can be contracted to play for Bilbao. So, with Bilbao in such a prestigious final it evokes much pride in the people of the Basque Country.

Stay tuned!

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Hair, Birthdays, Capoeira, and a night after a burnt kitchen

So, I didn't end up going to Madrid. Eli's father got ill and she went home to Rome, and the trip got postponed. I hope he gets well soon. However, the week was very interesting nonetheless. After school one day, I went to get my first Basque haircut with Eva in Getxo. I was very excited to get a haircut because I wanted to see again, but when I left I was not the least bit excited. The hairdresser had a completely different idea of "the same but just a bit shorter" than I did. Apparently to her, the "same but just a bit shorter" meant completely different and a lot shorter. I was none too impressed. But, after some moping and vodka, it's growing on me. But, I am extremely hesitant to get my hair cut here again.

On Thursday, I went with everyone from my lab for lunch in a cute restaurant not too far from the uni.  It was both Koke and Vea's birthday this week, so we all went to celebrate. The food was absolutely delicious, as always. There was spaghetti with shrimp in oil olive, eggplant stuffed with meat and cheese, fish, and steak. SO good, and not that expensive. Then, Friday was a holiday (their labour day, I believe) and I went to a capoeira performance with Diana as well as her boyfriend and parents.  Capoeira is an Afro-Brazlian art form that incorporates movements from both martial arts and dance. It was created in Brazil by the slaves brought from Africa. Diana's brother was one of the performers. It was really interesting and impressive. There are pictures below which are a little dark, and also a short video from the performance.

Then on Saturday, my apartment almost burned down. After making a grilled cheese sandwich to cure my homesickness, a piece of plastic from the exhaust fan above the stove fell on the hot burner after I had turned it off and left it. As I was eating my GC I smelled smoke, and went to the kitchen to find it filled with black smoke. I had no idea what to do! I got the plastic into a frying pan, and got it onto the balcony, and then opened all the doors and windows and waited for the smoke to clear. I contemplated calling the fire department, but realized I didn't know the number. 911 doesn't apply here and I now know that it's 112 for all emergencies in Spain (good to know). However, the kitchen was covered in black. I called Eva since the roomies were in Budapest, and her and Leire showed up shortly ready to clean. They managed to calm me down and together we cleaned all the soot off the cupboards, the walls, the table, inside the cupboards, the fridge, the windows, etc. Then...we went out. After chilling with the girls, I started feeling better and learned how to tell people "today, I burned my kitchen" in spanish. We went to Leire's in Algorta (which is absolutely gorgeous) for supper and then met up with Naiara and her friend Ana (the only blonde Basque girl I've met) and we went back to Bilbao to go to The LOFT and then meet up with Eva's friends from Urduliz at The Galeon. 

All I have to say is I have no idea how I would survive here without my awesome new friends. When I told my friends this, they responded, "I don't know, your going to need us around for when the living room turns black".  That better not EVER happen.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Capoeira

Hair, Capoeira, and a night after a burnt kitchen