Written by Kelsey
When our days in Cadiz were spent, we moved on to Sierra Nevada (means Snowy Mountains), which is nestled in the hills above Granada where the famous Alhambra resides. We were all very excited to ski and get a taste of New Hampshire with the snow.
Photos: Kelsey on the slopes with the town of the background
Three days were full of scenic skiing and Cola Cao (that's the Spanish hot chocolate). In Spain, you can't say "Chocolate Caliente" (Choco LAte Cal e n te) which is the literal translation for hot chocolate, otherwise they would give you a cup of warm, melted chocolate!
Photo: An olive vending machine in a local Sierra Nevada restaurant. Only in Spain!
On the 4th day in Sierra Nevada, we skated; yet, instead of ice, it was, strangely enough, cold, hard plastic, which made skating challenging. Kelsey and Colin played Broom-Stick Tape-Puck hockey. It was a 8-7 game (8 "Kelsey Killers"-7 "Sierra Nevada Skiers Colin" who lost to the KKs).
Photo: Colin and Kelsey skating and playing broom hockey which helped give Colin a 'hockey fix.' Parker and Celia were pretty hopeless trying to skate on the plastic but they gave it a go.
On the night of January 5, we participated in the celebration of the Three Kings (the actual day is January 6).
Photos: The Three Kings in the plaza at Sierra Nevada. They skied down the mountain with torches (flashlights) and then they threw HOARDS of candy into the crowd. After the mass candy distribution, they dispersed presents to children in the crowd (which the parents had planted on stage for giving). Before we figured out the drill, Colin and Kelsey thought they might get some extra "Christmas" presents.
The best-loved tradition among kids during Spanish Christmas is Los Tres Reyes Magos (the Three Wise Men). Santa Claus is getting more well-known in Spain, but the real stars are los Reyes. These Three Kings are the ones who followed a star to meet the new King of Kings (Baby Jesus) and offered him three presents: gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn child in Belén (Bethelem).
When December comes, all the boys and girls in Spain and Latin America start to write their letters to the Three Kings or to their favorite King: Melchor, Gaspar or Baltasar. They write about the things they'd like to receive on the morning of the 6th of January, (which is the day the presents get delivered) and also about their behavior during the year. If they’ve been good, they get presents; if they’ve been bad, they get a piece of coal. Sound familiar?
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