When we found out that this week was the Feria de San Pedro de Alcantara, we were excited! Like Mexico, Spain’s little cities and villages each celebrate the Patron Saint of each city once a year…which leads to a LOT of fiestas (supposedly 2,000+ in the Andalusia area of Spain, alone)!
On Saturday morning we woke up bright and early, eager to make it to the first events on the Feria calendar: Activities for kids at 11am
When we arrived, we couldn’t find any people around, and wondered if our trip out to the fair this early was for naught. None of the vendors or rides were open, which we had expected. We decided to walk through the grounds anyway, and soon began hearing voices over an intercom near the back of the property. Low and behold–that’s where the kids games were!
Ella jumped right in, although Maiya was too shy to do any games. Ella participated (and did awesome, quite frankly) in a gunnysack race.
The kids also tried to eat apples hanging from strings without using their hands (pretty funny to see the different strategies they developed..such as pushing their apple against their neighbor’s back so they could get a bite)!
Lastly, the had a “pie contest”, which was really a plate full of cream with a ball in it that they had to find. An older boy found the ball within 5 seconds, and the rest of the kids seemed to search to no avail. Ella was not too into this…she definitely didn’t appreciate getting messy and sticky! Hahaa!
So…what kind of cream was it? It wasn’t whipped cream! It wasn’t shaving cream! I heard someone call it meringue but it wasn’t meringue like I know it. It was super thick, creamy, and REALLY yummy. Even I (who abhors whip cream) got several (okay, more than several) big finger-fulls in my mouth before overdosing on sugar and putting the rest in the trash.
When the events were completed, they gave the 1st place winners a fancy glass trophy, and every other participant got a medal (even Maiya and Ethan, who just watched)! They also gave the kids a free pass to a rollercoaster ride at the fair! Score!
On our way back to the car, we stopped and watched the very brief horse parade featuring the queens and princesses of the fair, dressed in their flamenco dresses.
Flamenco dresses were EVERYWHERE. Apparently, if you own one of these, Fair time is the right time to pull it out!
We went home and killed several hours (since everything opened a little later), and returned about an hour before sundown. When we left, we walked through the street with casetas, which are temporary restaurant-type bars/clubs. It was quiet in the morning and looked a family dining atmosphere but when we returned at night it was crazy busy, and a full-out club-atmosphere. Mostly young adults filled the area, and we passed through as quickly as we could.
Fair food was surprisingly inexpensive! Most prices were between 2 to 5 Euros!
There were a lot of random things…sliced coconuts, nuts, and some sweets…
First thing first–we found the churro stand! Without prices or a menu posted, we were a little unsure what to do.
I went up to the counter to order, and was shocked when I couldn’t understand a word the woman said. My Spanish isn’t perfect, but usually purchases are a fairly easy thing!
I wondered, “did she say ‘doe’?” That must mean “dos”. Okay..two…two what…? Two Euros or two churros?
“Do Euro” (except her first of Euro was very hard to understand…sounds almost like air-ooth).
Could she really mean “dos euros?”
Why, yes. We are in Spain, and they lisp all of their s’s and soft c’s…which makes it sound like they aren’t finishing any of their words.
I think she said it included 6 churros (or was it thix?), to which Jared asked me, “big, or small?” I looked at him like he was CRAZY, and said that I would not ask her. He was surprised, until I explained to him I couldn’t understand the woman, and I certainly wasn’t going to try to ask ANY more questions.
I waved for her to give me whatever 2 Euros got me, and we were delivered a tray of 6 long churros, after watching them make them fresh before our eyes. Gotta love all that oil…!
Okay, churros in hand…they were admittedly yummy…well…sort of…but they were MISSING something.
They were missing sugar! There was no trace of sweetness on it!
They had sugar packets, which we tried to shake onto them. But the sugar didn’t stick! So, we ripped the churros into pieces, and dipped them into the sugar, finally giving the churros a bigger flavor than before. Okay!
But wait a second…the signs say “Churros con chocolate”. Why didn’t we get chocolate? HOW do we get chocolate?
After all, it would be a shame to have churros in Spain without trying the CHOCOLATE with them, right? Maybe THAT is what makes them good?
I went back to the lady that doesn’t speak Spanish (okay, at least not Spanish that I could understand), and again ordered 2 Euros worth of churros, and when I requested chocolate, the bill went up to 4 Euros. It was a miracle I could get that much clear with her.
Yes, churros with chocolate IS better. But still interesting, as the chocolate wasn’t particularly sweet, and we found the churros overall lacking the sweetness of Mexican-style churros (which are half oil, half cinnamon sugar!).
Nevertheless, 12 churros for our family was very filling, and we were well-fed for the night. Nothing like a healthy dinner at the Fair!
Next, we took the girls to the rides. Jared went with the girls on the most expensive roller coaster (3.75 Euros each), which we fortunately had the free passes for.
Next, we found the craziest ride we have EVER seen. It was comical! Check out the video for this bull-ride attraction (3 Euros each)! This thing moves up and down, back and forth, and the seating area rotates back and forth. It’s a crazy ride!
Seriously, take 2 minutes and watch how funny this thing is! Sorry the audio is awful…the one thing I hate about fairs/carnivals is the noise level! It was painfully loud EVERYWHERE!
The kids were cracking up, and we were certain that clumsy (and delicate) Maiya would end up in tears, but she held her own, and had a great time getting thrown all over!
I am SURE this would not be legal in the US. After all, someone could get hurt, right?
With the kids satisfied in the ride-department, and it being 9pm, it was time to head home. On the way out I saw a tempting baked potato stand, and my mouth started salivating. I jumped in line behind the 3 people that seemed to be getting served. Jared wasn’t acting excited about my decision to stop and get food, and asked that I get it to go. But driving home with a hot potato on my lap for 25 minutes didn’t sound fun, and seeing how it was late, it would be great to scarf down some food before heading out! I waited….
Then, I became frustrated when Jared stepped up behind be, and told me that all of the seats were now full (they hadn’t been when we had arrived).
“Then go get a seat.”
“But there aren’t any available.”
“Well, go get the next one.”
“But there aren’t any.”
GRRRR. Before I knew it, my short bickering with him had cost me my spot in line, and when I flipped around, 4 other people had stepped in next to me to place their orders. I had been waiting! Hoping to grab the attendant’s attention, I waited a little bit longer, noticing out of the corner of my eye that the woman next to me planned to go next. Before I had a chance, she jumped forward and started to place her order. I was SO ticked that I threw a 5 year old tantrum right then and there.
Seriously.
A freaking 5-year old tantrum.
From a 30-year old woman.
I scream “ARGHHH!” out loud at the women, turned my back, jumped up and down and stomped my feet like an angry child, and then RAN about 10 yards away (with my family trailing behind me).
SERIOUSLY.
Me…an adult.
I really did that.
I was hungry.
I was angry.
And I hate to be ignored.
Ella caught up with me fast and asked, “Why did you do that?”
I had removed myself from the situation, and was immediately able to calm down. I was honest with her.
“They made me angry.”
“Mom, no one MAKES you angry.”
Dang, this girl is getting too smart. Don’t you hate it when your kids use your words against you? (Especially when they’re only 7 years old?)
“I was angry, and I just had to leave before I hit someone.”
Jared (smartly) kept his mouth shut about my meltdown, and 30 minutes later when we pulled into the parking garage, I admitted to him that I couldn’t believe I had done that.
But I had.
WOW.
When’s the last time YOU had a crazy meltdown that reminded you of one of your small children?
Or am I the only crazy one out there?!
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://livingoutsideofthebox.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/P5075177.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]My name is Alisa, and I am off traveling the world with my adventurous husband and rambunctious 3 small children. I take joy in the beauty of the world around me, I love making memories with my family, and I enjoy sharing our travels with others! [/author_info] [/author]
HA! It happens to the best of us. I remember breaking down and screaming at the poor United Airlines person one day. We had flown from Ethiopia to Chicago (20 hours) then waited 8 hours in the Chicago airport for our 4-hour flight to Boise. Then we found out they had cancelled our flight.
I was tired. I had been in the freaking airport with 2 toddlers for 8 hours, I was four hours from home, and now they cancelled my freaking flight and there was no way to get to Boise until tomorrow.
We went up to the desk to rebook our flight for the next day, then asked them to get our car seats out of luggage so that we could get a cab to a hotel. She told me they couldn’t get the carseats – that they were in the luggage hold and would go on the flight to Boise.
Take that and the fact that I only had two more diapers and we wouldn’t get to Boise for another 15 hours and I lost it. Seriously lost it. My husband just stared at me and thought, “What happened to her?”
Hahaha! That cracks me up! Yes, those poor employees surely get a lot of those breakdowns, especially with bad weather!
Let’s face it, you had a MUCH better excuse than me to just lose it! How DID you get home?!!
I have only yelled at people I don’t know 2 other times in my adult life, I believe. Those other 2 times were in our former store in Alaska. I don’t handle snobby tourists very well 🙂
Nice post!
I just wonder if you found spanish “fiestas” similar to Mexican “fiestas”. I guess they should be different but similar at the same time since mexican fiestas have many times influence of spanish and indigenous cultures, what do you think about it?
Hmmm…good question. Yes, and no. I guess a Spanish fair is most comparable to a Mexican Carnival. There are some similarities. The rides were blaring music SOOO loud in Spain, and in Mexico they would instead all be blaring terrible Mexican music (sung off-key, etc). In Mexico you’d have Mexican-specific hertigage, like mariachis walking around singing for money, etc. The casetas in Spain are unlike anything I’ve seen in a Mexican carnival–more of a upscale way for kids to party and (sadly) get drunk. There’s definitely more overall activity and food vendors, etc, at a Mexican carnival. In Mexico you also wouldn’t see women walking around dressed in traditional outfits (like the Spanish women dress in flamenco dresses). I guess I favor the Spanish Feria for its cleanliness and orderliness, but I still miss Mexico’s carnival for its uncleanliness and disorder!! Hahaha!
I had a meltdown once over the phone with someone, but I can’t remember what it was over. Now your whole family knows that when Momma is hungry, she needs to eat! LOL!
You had the opposite experience with churros that I had coming to Mexico. Too much sugar and I am not a fan of the cinnamon. But the price was decent…for fair food!
The kids all got a good laugh from the bull riding video.
Hahahaa! I’d love the phone meltdown to have been recorded 🙂
These churros are a much higher quality than the flaky substance-less Mexican ones I’ve had. They were thicker and doughy–I liked them! But they did need a little extra kick! Oh, and the chocolate wasn’t all that sweet, either. It was kind of like a thicker (maybe made with cream?) version of hot chocolate that hasn’t been sweetened very much.
You guys must find a bull ride 🙂
You actually threw me for a loop with the tantrum. LOL..
I loved your photo essay. It’s something you need to see with your own eyes to believe.
I could totally relate to the difference in language. When we go to Scotland, my husband had a hard time understanding the Scot accent. Me, not so much thanks to an ex boyfriend who was Scottish. SHhh. I used to have trouble with French from France. I speak Quebecois French and some of the way they pronounce words in France is so off base for me it makes me scratch my head. But after a year here now my family in quebec says i speak less like a quebecois now. Boo Hoo.
I imagine you will pick up on Spain Spanish in no time.
Finally, Churros. Here in France they have the sugary churros with cinnamon on them. They are a staple at all the fairs, at the beach and even in major cities like Paris, Toulon, Marseille.
ps.
that video of the ride is hilarious. I want to ride it..
Hahaa…you liked that, huh? 😉
That’s funny about the Quebocois French and France French…who knew?!!
Sugary churros in France…good to know!! Now you’ll need to come here to ride that bull ride! I was tempted to do it, too 😉
Oh I hear you! I have done that (and will probably do it again!). We are short, we are women, and we are easily ignored! I HATE being ignored! It’s so unfair that my tall husband NEVER gets ignored! I have developped the stare of death (learnt from my dad!) that I often use in such situations, but it seems like most other cultures are oblivious to it! Add to the pack that you are overaroused by all the noise and excitement from the day, hypoglycemic from the churros and you have a very bad combo that I know very well!!
Hahaa!! YES–I do HATE to be ignored! (short, women, and a minority when we are traveling and have the language barrier, etc)!! I just couldn’t handle the un-supportive hubby and the line-cutters at one time. 😉
How funny- I prefer my churros plain with no sugar at all because I grew up eating them that way. Spaniards do use sugar sometimes but I just love them plain. Also, the chocolate is supposed to be bittersweet- I bet some would use those sugar packets to sweeten it if needed. It’s a chocolate mixture thickened with cornstarch or rice flour. Have you seen Cola Cao there? It’s like a hot cocoa drink but usually Spaniards will sweeten that too, even though it does contain some sugar. They usually use sunflower oil to fry them the churros too, which isn’t the worst oil to use, although nothing fried is healthy, lol.
They don’t really “do” lines in Spain; one must use one’s elbows or you’ll be at the back of the line forever! I don’t miss that; it can be really awkward. Love seeing the pics of all the lights at night though at the Feria.