Last weekend I went to Valencia (on the east coast of Spain) with my choir. Since January, I've been part of an international choir, where international means, "The director speaks English and a lot of the singers are from England." (Of course there are also people from Spain or countries like Russia and the Philippine Islands, etc.) The songs are a mix of classical music (I adore it!) and pop music (I hate it!). A Valencia choir visited us last summer and now it was our turn.
A choir member hosted me. We had never met before I showed up at her apartment, but we got along like a house on fire. She and her husband are from England and live in Valencia part time. They treated me like a member of the family - we ate together, took walks in the city, and drank dozens of cups of English tea. They even baked me a lemon drizzle cake, which is a dessert I have never encountered in the U.S. And apart from that, they were super interesting people. I hope I will see them again.
Valencia is a lovely city. It's smaller than Madrid, and somehow feels spacious. Of course, there are a ton of tourists, but the bike lanes, the lower buildings, and the beach all contribute to a sense of space. It's a city famous for its museums and delicious paella, neither of which I had time to try, so there is no option but to visit again!
(More below, with the pictures)
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Desde enero formo parte de un coro internacional, este fin de semana mi coro actuó en Valencia. Esto explica que el director hable inglés y que muchos de los cantantes sean de Inglaterra. También hay otros de España, Rusia y las Islas Filipinas, por ejemplo. Las canciones son una mezcla de música clásica (¡Me encanta!) y música pop de los años sesenta y ochenta (¡Lo odio!). Un coro de Valencia nos visitó el verano pasado y ahora era nuestro turno.
Un miembro del coro valenciano me hospedó. No nos conocíamos antes de que yo llegara a su piso. Ella y su pareja son de Inglaterra y viven en Valencia a tiempo parcial. Me trataron como a un miembro de la familia. Comimos juntos, nos dimos paseos en la ciudad vieja y bebimos decenas de tazas de té inglés. Incluso me hicieron un bizcocho de limón, que es un postre típico de Inglaterra. Aparte de eso, son personas que se implican. Espero que nos volvamos a ver.
Valencia es una ciudad encantadora. Es más pequeña que Madrid, y se sentía espacioso. Por supuesto, hay muchos turistas, pero los carriles bici, algunos edificios bajos y la playa contribuyen a la sensación de amplitud. Tiene fama de tener buenos museos y paella rica. No tuve tiempo para hacer o probar ninguna de esas cosas, y por eso necesito regresar.
It´s a city made for bikes. // Es una ciudad para bicis.
The part of my choir that could make it to Valencia. _//La parte de mi coro que pudo viajar a Valencia.
5 comments:
You made it to Valencia! We love Valencia. Went there twice when we were in Spain last year. Your second cousin 2.2.will be starting studies there this fall.
I love your definition of 'an international choir'!
Ditto what Michael said. It is a lovely town - and we hope to visit in the Fall.
I would love to see you both then!
I enjoyed the bike lanes so much that I would move there just for that reason, except that I don't like the weather in Valencia. I am the odd duck who requires a winter.
I was going to say RM, you'd have to definitely learn to deal with the weather. It gets very hot in the summer!
Being a member of a choir has many advantages - having to sing some songs you don't appreciate is a small price to pay.
Are any of the performances put on YouTube?
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