Fiesta! (by Michelle)

Alcalá just wrapped up its annual fiesta. (Imagine Art City Days or the Apple Blossom Festival on steroids.) It lasts a week and a half and boasts such fun events as a flan-eating contest, an olive pit-spitting contest and a "blind" soccer game. We were able to attend the soccer game which was held in the main plaza of town and involved blind-folding some of the local soccer hot-shots and watching them run into each other and kick at the air. Then they let some kids try it which was even more fun to watch.

Every morning there is a parade from the plaza to different neighborhoods called "Desfile de Gigantes y Cabezudos" (translated roughly as "Parade of Giants and Big Heads"). They are sort of creepy-looking walking puppets dressed up as such regal characters as the King and Queen, Don Quixote, Laurel and Hardy and, oops, Homer Simpson (who is everywhere right now because of the movie). Eva freaked out a little (can't say I blame her really) after this picture was taken because the "abuela" tried to shake her hand.






Almost every night there was a concert. Though we didn't "attend," we felt like we did because they were held outside and though about a mile from our house, it was loud enough to understand words and dance along right in the convenience of our own home.

There was also evening dances in the plaza. It was so charming. It´s very interesting to see lots of older ladies dancing together. (Mollie, remember your fun b-day party this summer?) We couldn't convince the kids to dance, even after a 1 Euro bribe!


For the kids, the highlight was a fireworks show which was phenomenal. We sat on our back patio to watch with lots of "ohhhh"s and "ahhhh"s. They were shot off so close to our apartment that in the morning we had to sweep-up lots of little flecks of ashes all over the patio.