Semana Santa Redux

04.15.11 - San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain - We were able to catch one of the first processions of Semana Santa (Holy Week) on Friday night. The ones early in the week are pretty low key, but I did get some shots of cute kids with trumpets.

If this is your first look at photos from Spain's celebration don't be alarmed at the "klansmen." They invented the outfits before the KKK, so to be fair, they don't think anything of it.

-Will

I call this "Attention Span" or perhaps "Attention Spa[i]n".
"This hood wouldn't be so bad, if they just made these darn holes bigger."
Jesus making rounds.
The monastery on a clear night.
Trumpeter.

Madrid

04.11.11 - Madrid, Spain - Eunice's parents came to visit and we spent Saturday and Sunday tooling around Madrid. We went to el Rastro (Madrid's flea market) Sunday morning and had tapas along the way. The weather was perfect and the crowds were out.

-Will

El Retiro in the spring.
Mr. and Mrs. Woods having some padrons (green peppers) and calamares in La Latina.
The view from Plaza Mayor early Saturday morning.
El Rastro.

Shoes for sale.
Eunice in the Retiro.
Tapas during El Rastro.
Photographer meets English teacher. See if you can spot the slight grammatical error.

A bar in La Latina. Snails for sale.

Sevilla

03.28.11 - Sevilla, Spain - Eunice and I went to Sevilla to visit Ella, Ali, Christina and the rest of the TECS crew. Can't beat it in the springtime. What else to say?

-Will

Album cover?
Eunice.
El Burladero plaza which was redone and should be finished now. Got a pretty great market below it and looks like yet another example of interesting architecture in Spain.
Full view. Kind of looks like a honeycomb to me.
Purple haze.
Plaza de la Alameda.
Giralda Tower.
Ella and Christina.

Cool bookstore near El Burladero.

Carnaval (Fat Tuesday)

03.08.11 - Robledo de Chavela, Spain - We celebrated Carnaval (Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras and Carnival) at school today. The theme was the Middle Ages, so everyone dressed up as knights, kings, queens, etc. I dressed up as the Burger King, fitting, I thought, given it was probably America's only contribution to that time period (hehe), not counting Robin Hood Men in Tights or the Kennedy's "Camelot."

We were forced into the town's sports center because of rainshowers. Alas, one day, the winter will end.

-Will

Snow in March

03.05.11 - San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain - It snowed again. In March. And it snowed so much this time it actually stuck around for more than 5 hours. Per usual it did make for some pretty pictures.

-Will

Ominous clouds behind the monastery.
Passing along the monastery square in the snow.
Smile!
This was the next morning (Saturday) where a poor groomsman had to make a dash through the snow to get to his car to pick up his waiting partner (girlfriend? bride?) outside the Miranda-Suizo Hotel.
Snowmen!

Peace Day

02.04.11 - Robledo de Chavela, Spain - We celebrated Peace Day at school today. Every class spent the week making posters and collecting money to donate to Save the Children in Haiti. On Friday we marched around the town square and officially gave the money to the officials at the town hall. It was a fun march and most all of the kids had a relative or two who came out to watch. Such is life in the pueblo.

-Will

Marching back to school.

The five year-olds doing their part.
Maria (girl with the hood) and Eva (teacher, pink) give the first grade donation to the town hall.
Rusland gets a participation sticker.

Pablo trying to dry the poster before we left.