Aventuras en Sevilla

Last Meal With The Fam!

2009-04-27T15:52:00.005+02:00

Andy had to go to Casa Paco one last time for a pre-dinner snack. A plate of Camambert al Horno did the trick
The day before our parents left Spain we decided to have one last meal at Gato Azul. Britney and Corro came out to help give our parents a nice Spanish goodbye.

Andy's pizza called the Panco Gord0- with 4 cheeses, Serrano ham, and salami

Jennie's pizza-Zucchine e gamberetti

Jan's Pizza- the Parma

My mom's pasta-Spaghetti allo scoglio

Good times It's so hard to say goodbye!!! (yes, she was crying)

Finishing off dinner with a shot of limoncello

The JOURNEY to Gijon!!!

2009-04-24T18:15:00.005+02:00

Last weekend we traveled to the city of Gijon to play the Mariners with a playoff spot on the line. The bus ride was 12 hours and then some because the bus drivers got lost. We left at midnight on Friday night and we didn't get back into Sevilla until 9a.m. on Sunday. Weather in Gijon was cold and rainy and it definitely affected the outcome of the game. Gijon is pretty much the Seattle of Spain. We turned the ball over numerous times and that pretty much was the downfall of our team. We ended up losing the game 45-21 and with that lost our shot at the playoffs.

It was quite a journey!!!Pre-game meal with JennieCaptains for the game: Ricardo, Sergio, Me, Antonio Pitch Pass!!! Unfortunately it was intercepted and taken back for a touchdown. I'm obviously not a QB.

I also played cornerback and linebacker this game

Successful 2 point conversion

Far from home? The Mexican players David Lozano, Me, Marco Antonio Patraca and Sergio Gonzalez

It wouldn't be right without a Lars pic

Best Linces Fan!!! 36 hours with a bunch of smelly guys, what a trooper.

Flamenco! Ole!

2009-04-24T15:04:00.007+02:00

Flamenco Show at Casa de la Memoria in Barrio Santa Cruz. 15 Euro a person for some very serious flamenco. The dancers were flamenco students but still really talented - especially the male dancer.

The Giralda at night

Some amazing shoes on the walk home at a Bridal Boutique in the Center

Trip to Granada and Antequera

2009-04-24T13:07:00.013+02:00

Casa Aljarife in the Albayzin neighborhood in Granada where Jennie and her mom stayed - a super quaint little bed and breakfast run by a German named Christian with quite a sense of humor.

Street in the Albayzin in Granada

At the Alhambra in Granada

The cave dwellings where the gypsies live

Inside the Nasrid Palace at the Alhambra

The top of the fortress

Generalife

The Alhambra from the summer palace with the Albayzin (Moorish Quarter where Jennie and her mom were staying) in the background

The next day we went to one of the white villages, Antequera on the way home to Sevilla.

The dolmens in Antequera - just your average Bronze Age burial ground

The dolmens with La Peña de los Enamorados (Lovers' Leap rock) in the background

View of the Village of Antequera from the castle walls

Alcazaba gate

Nothing makes you want to nap like reading Merchant of Venice on the way home...

Aire de Sevilla and the Catedral/Giralda

2009-04-23T11:55:00.007+02:00

Look who showed up in Sevilla!!! Two of our friends from UCD, Rich and Joe who were traveling around Europe... Obviously the first thing we did when they arrived was take them to Casa Paco (the waitresses all recognize us now - embarrassing) for some tapas. Nothing says welcome to Sevilla like Camembert al horno.

Morning walk to Aire de Sevilla - Since it was Mamax2 vacation time we thought a trip to the baths might be nice... and managed to sneak Andy in.

Super relaxed after visiting the Arabic baths

You never know when you might need to take some jumping pics

Afterwards we met up with Rich and Joe and took a tour of the Catedral - the largest gothic cathedral in Europe and climbed to the top of its bell tower - the Giralda.

Christopher Columbus' tomb in the Catedral - he was either a very small man or they packed him in there tight.

View from the top of the Giralda

Gelato with the family after our 34 floor climb to the top of the Giralda.

Us with Rich and Joe! Yay for Davis buds.

The Newest Member of the Sevilla Linces

2009-04-21T16:15:00.005+02:00

As soon as my brother Andres arrived in Spain the members of the Junior team kept asking me if my brother could play in the game. My brother actually practiced with the team for 2 days and did very well on defense. Andres was going up against 20 and 30 year olds without ever taking a break. During a drill in practice my brother was actually the only person who ever tackled me!!!

Practicing his long snaps with the junior players.

I've always wanted to suit up and play with my brother. Remember Andy, i'm still one centimeter taller than you!!!

The future of the Linces?

Madrugada and Viernes Santo

2009-04-13T23:48:00.007+02:00

As soon as Maria, Andy and Mama Hiley were all landed in Sevilla we took them to Gato Azul (per always) for some pizza and then off to watch the culmination of Semana Santa. No better way to cure jet-lag than staying up til 5am watching thousands of Nazarenos parade by.... Maria, Alex and Xavi ready to head down for some Semana Santa viewing
Nazarenos from the Basilica de la Macarena making their way toward the cathedral early in the morning on Friday - we tried to go see more of the famous pasos of the "madrugada" but the streets were so packed that we couldn't even pass the center of town. Luckily we got stuck in the path of this one and had a front row view.

The Romans following the float of Christ

The Virgen de la Macarena coming down Calle Trajano about 4 in the morning

Luckily, unlike the Nazarenos we were able to go home and catch a few hours of sleep before watching the entrance at 1pm

Waiting for the "entrada" into the Basilica de la Macarena with my mother and several thousand of our closest friends .

The paso approaching the Puerta de la Macarena - one of the original doors to the city when it was still a Roman city (see the beginning of the Roman city wall to the left)

People watching from their balconies

Virgen de la Macarena - when she passed by someone in the crowd would yell "Macarrrreeeena!" and the crowd would respond "Guapa! Guapa! Guapa!" At the entrada of this paso there were 3 different singers so the ever so slow entrance was exceptionally slower than normal and the bearers of the floats necks were sooo swollen and chafed from the weight that it was almost painful to watch them come out. The crowd however was moved to tears with the passing of the float and there were men and women of all ages crying.

Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday) - Los Negritos

2009-04-09T20:22:00.007+02:00

On Thursday I went to the parade for the Hermandad de los Negritos which was founded in the 1300's to help Africans in Spain. Our friend Corro's grandfather is now the oldest brother of the brotherhood so it was a really big deal for his family and they walk alongside the floats for 10 1/2 hours. Juan's family also belongs to the same brotherhood so they were there as well.Some of the Nazarenos
Baby nazareno with caramelos to give to the crowd

The singer for the Salida who sang an a capella

El Cristo de la Fundacion, 1622

The book of rules for Los Negritos

Juan's dad preparing to throw rose petals onto the float of the Virgen de los Angeles

The petals being thrown as the Virgen emerges from Capilla de los Angeles

Virgen de los Angeles, 17th Century

Juan, Brittany and Corro

Brittany, Corro and me

Some local Sevillanas with their mantillas

Miercoles Santa at the Duke's Apartment

2009-04-09T16:11:00.008+02:00

On Wednesday we were invited over to the Duque Alfonso's (one of the guys that started the Linces in 1992) to watch one of the Semana Santa parades that was leaving on his street.... Toasting the salida from Iglesia San Bernardo - The Hermandad de San Bernardo was founded in 1763 and 1,900 Nazarenos march with the floats for 10 1/2 hours.
The Duke and his wife Alejandra had a very fancy spread of appetizers and wines so that we could watch the parade in style... everything from little cups of soup, tortillas (the Spanish kind), croquets, shrimp salad, red wines, different Spanish cheeses and coffee in super fancy china.

Me, Duke Alfonso, Corro and Brittany

El Cristo de la Salud (Christ of Health), 8th Century People throwing rose petals from the balconies and rooftops onto the Virgin's float

Virgen del Refugio (Virgin of Refuge) 1938

Facing off with my new 8-year old biffle Carlos

Jennie was really tired on the walk home

Later on we invited a bunch of our friends over to the apartment for pizza from Gato Azul...

Antonio eating an entire pizza in under 5 minutes

Corro, Brittany, Iris, Pablo and Raul - it was nice to sit down after being on our feet all day watching the parades.

We've got visitors! :)

2009-04-06T20:51:00.011+02:00

Waiting for dinner with Maria and Andy on Saturday night after the game in Madrid - we ended up at a Turkish/Hindu fusion restraunt that had both the best Doner Kebabs ever as well as a full Tandoori menu. We all had Doner Kebabs and split garlic naan and raita (a yogurt/cucumber sauce).

Assesing Alex's post-game bruises

We got super lucky and found a last minute deal at the 4-star Hotel Gran Atlanta for 60 euro- a double room with real carpet (that's a big deal in Spain) and a double mattress (not two twins pushed together) and a bathroom that was floored with blue tile and had blue tile walls - it felt like you were under water. Definitely reccomend the hotel, but not their 12 euro breakfast. You can get an amazing breakfast for around 3 euro per person at any local cafe.

The metro in Madrid

Plaza Mayor - sadly without flamenco dancers this time

Andy attack!

Palacio Real in Madrid

View from the terrace at the Palace - must be nice to be the queen... Andy was convinced that he must have been separated from the Spanish Royal family at birth...

The boys tiptoeing through the tulips

Spring in Madrid is beautiful - it was amazing to see how much had changed since we were there in February... Now everything is green and blooming and the weather is perfect.

I don't remember why but we thought this was a really funny idea at the time...

Fountain on the Paseo del Prado

Thyssen Museum where we got to see Dali, Georgia O'Keefe, Monet, lots of Picasso, more Jackson Pollock, Degas and Chagall.... and we seriously barely made a dent in the collection. Below are a few favorites....
"New York with Moon" by Georgia O'Keefe, 1925
"Dream caused by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate a second before waking up" by Salvador Dali, 1944

Lyre!! I miss my Alpha Chi Omegas!!

Our first Semana Santa parade in Spain! It was amazing - a huge crowd of people but almost complete silence as the Nazarenos/penitents (in the pointy hats) passed by with the candles and the float.

The float being carried threw the streets - I can't even imagine how much it weighs or how bruised up the penitents are after carrying it.

Game 7- Madrid Black Demons

2009-04-06T18:15:00.008+02:00

This week we traveled to Madrid to face the Black Demons. This was a must win for our team in order to earn a spot in the playoffs. In this game I played running back and free safety. I started off a little slow but thanks to the offensive line and the rest of the blocking I was able to find the endzone four times. There was a scary moment when I got called for clipping in the last minutes of the fourth quarter which nullified a touchdown run by our quarterback but as the Demons were driving down the field to score during their last posession I intercepted a pass to seal the victory. This was also the first game that my mom and little brother got to see (they arrived in Madrid on Friday morning!). It was nice to have them in the stands to cheer me on again.Captains for the game: Javi, Myself, Ricardo and AntonioThe cheerleaders in full force. Vanessa, Iris, Jennie and they even recruited my mom!!!

Celebrating the victory, Lince style by sending the team members to run around the circle while everyone cheered them on for their part in the victory (Ricardo the QB is running here)Javi, Josue, Myself and Orlando

Look who showed up!!! I almost recruited my brother to play with our junior team.
Pablo and me

Lars Werner and me celebrating. I was following him into the end zone all day!

Dedicated this win to the fam!!!!

Alex Garfio ganó en Las Rozas

article from PrimerDown.com by Markus, translation by Jennie

Este sabado, en el Catizal (Las Rozas), Black Demons, el equipo revelación de la temporada, fue derrotado a domicilio por Sulime Linces, por un ajustado resultado de 21 a 24. Alejandro Garfio volvió a cargarse al equipo a la espalda, dando una exhibición de calidad y consiguiendo los cuatro touchdowns de su equipo. (This Saturday, in El Catizal stadium (Las Rozas), Black Demons, the much improved team was defeated at home by the Sulime Linces with a final score of 21-24. Alejandro Garfio continued to carry the team on his back, giving a quality performance and scoring four touchdowns for his team.)

Desde el primer momento se vió la gran igualdad entre ambos equipos lo que dejaba el partido muy abierto. (From the first moment there seemed to be equality between the two teams which left the game wide open.)
Black Demons se adelanto en el marcador, aunque los sevillanos remontaron, con Touchdowns de Alex Garfio, en un buen segundo cuarto, dejando el marcador al descanso en 6 a 12. A la vuelta del descanso, Linces se alejó en el marcador gracias a otro Touchdown (6-18) del crack del equipo sevillano, Alex Garfio. (Black Demos scored first, but the Sevillanos made a comeback with touchdowns from Alex Garfio in a great second quarter leaving the scoreboard at half-time to read 6-12. After halftime the Linces increased their lead thanks to another touchdown (6-18) by the star of the Sevillan team, Alex Garfio.)
En el último cuarto, Black Demons demostró porque es el equipo revelación de la temporada que ha hecho temblar a los más grandes y estuvo cerca de dar la vuelta al marcador gracias a la combinación de pasas y carreras de su ataque. La defensa del Guadalquivir aguantó la embestida, y Alex Garfio permitió con otro Touchdown que los sevillanos sigan soñando con los Playoffs. (In the last quarter, Black Demons demonstrated why they are the most improved team that has shaken the biggest teams in the league and were on the verge of changing the scoreboard thanks to a combination of passes and runs by their offense. The Linces's defense was able to stop them and Alex Garfio went on to score another touchdown so the Sevillanos can keep dreaming about the playoffs.)

Antonio Laguna, Head Coach de Linces opinó:”El partido ha sido muy igualado y ha podido caer del lado de cualquiera de los dos equipos. El gran trabajo de nuestra ofensiva, con una mencion especial al enorme esfuerzo realizado por nuestra linea de ataque, nos ha dado una importantísima victoria de cara a los Play Offs.” (Antonio Laguna, Head Coach of the Linces said: "The game was very equally matched and could have fallen to the favor of either team. The good work of our offense, with a special mention to the enourmous strength shown by our offensive line, gave us an extremely important victory in the face of the Playoffs.")

Poker Night and Salsa Night

2009-04-06T16:39:00.007+02:00

POKER!!!Last Tuesday Jennie and I hosted a friendly poker game at our apartment. A few guys from the team made it out and we had a great night with good food and lots of laughs. Unfortunately, I was knocked out of the poker tournament within 5 minutes :( Jennie on the other hand was a shark on the the table and lasted longer than most of the guys. I plan on taking lessons from her!Cameron, Xavi, Selu, Rafa, Jennie and Cesar showing their poker faces.
Cesar, Pablo, Cameron, Selu and I. Selu and I are doing the Capitan Garfio (Captain Hook) pose.

2009 Casa de Alex y Jennie Poker Champion....Cameron Martin!!!
Cesar finished second to Cameron. Look at that poker face!

SALSA!!! Last Thursday we decided to go have tapas and salsa dancing for our friend Brittany's birthday. Our friends Bella and Juan are basically professional salsa dancers and have been wanting to take us....

I thought that dressing nice might make up for my lack of salsa skills, not the case, haha!!!Brittany opening her birthday present! Corro is so stoked that it matches his shirt! Juan and Jennie salsa dancing (mid spin) While Brittany took lessons from Juan, Corro had to use Xavi as a partner.... Xavi, I'm pretty sure he has a girlfriend Juan and Bella. Hands down the best dancers I know.
I guess my lack of salsa skills isn't that important to Jennie

Feria de Javi Benavente

2009-04-05T14:51:00.007+02:00

In preparation for Feria de Abril and to celebrate his newly earned engineering degree, the fullback of the team, Javi had a "Feria" themed party last Sunday complete with flamenco dancing, baile sevillana and lots of Tortillas Espanola (eggs, potatoes and onions), barbacued pork, jamon serrano, olives and Manzanilla and Sprite (the preferred drink of Feria). Everyone either knows how to sing all the Sevillana songs, play guitar, drum or dance - quite a musical group for a bunch of football players... There wasn't a moment of the party where someone wasn't singing or dancing "Sevillana." Rafa and one of Javi's friend Macarena dancing "Sevillana" - Sevilla's version of flamenco

Rafa singing and playing the guitar - he is amazing!!

Rafa attempting to teach me how to play the traditional drum - it's not just a box!

Alex and I attempting to be Sevillano

Cesar teaching Alex to drum
Marta, Iris, me, Corro and Pablo

Iris, Mary, Kendall, Marta, Brittany, Mel and me (with Josue and Xavi in the background)
Selu, Mary, Javi, Juan and Josue

2009 Sevilla Linces vs. Baldalona Dracs

2009-03-30T16:35:00.008+02:00

Your 2009 Sevilla Linces!!!!2009 Sevilla Linces Junior Team2009 Sevilla Linces BEERleaders.

Since our team does not have the funding for official cheerleaders, the group of girlfriends of players took it upon themselves to support the team in their own special way. My #1 Fan

Lars Werner and I

This week we lost against the first place Baldalona Dracs 33-0. Baldalona is a suburb of Barcelona. This was without a doubt the toughest defense we have faced this season. The team was very well prepared and they knew exactly what we were doing offensively. Everytime we would line up for a play the defense would yell my number and where I was going before the play even started. Unfortunately, this is the first game all season that we have been shut out without scoring any points. We have 3 games remaining and we must win them all in order to earn a spot in the playoffs. The good thing is that we are playing 3 of the worse teams in the league, but we are playing all of them on the road. Post-game BBQ at Orlando's house

Jennie and Marta at Buddha

The boys and I at Buddha (Corro, Javi and Cameron)

Ciao Milan!!!

2009-03-30T13:06:00.005+02:00

The fabulous Hotel Mac Mahon

The Duomo is the largest gothic cathedral in the world

This is the entrance to the Galleria, an upscale shopping center with stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Armani and McDonalds?

Perfect timing? As we were leaving the Duomo, the rock group Metro Station performed a free concert in the plaza. Later while we were drinking coffee we saw ourselves on televeision on Italian MTV.

Enjoying the fashion on Via Spiga. A pair of socks on this street would leave me broke.

"Extreme Beauty in Vogue" Jennie and I went to an exhibit focusing on the most extreme photagraphy published in Vogue.

My kind of job! These models are getting paid big bucks just to sit.

The Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie. DaVinci's "Last Supper" was inside, although we didn't get to see it without a reservation. They only let 15 people in at a time and reservations are booked months in advance.

Our last supper in Milan. There was a McDonalds on every block. These Nugs are dedicated to Valerie.

Our trip to Rome

2009-03-25T16:06:00.011+01:00

Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain. Probably my favorite spot in all of Rome. It may be touristy but it's sooo gorgeous you don't care. We threw coins over our backs like tourists to make sure we return!

La Perla's window display on Via Condotti - which leads to the trend report for Rome: In - all shades of purple, trench coats, burberry scarves for men and women, spray tans, designer purses mostly Gucci and Louis, low heeled riding boots. I've seriously never seen so many girls wearing purple.

The Pantheon - rebuilt in 125 AD from whenever it was built before that. It's freakin' old. It also really got me to thinking - what do they do when it rains? As there is an open hole in the ceiling and apparently they have mass there, but the floor is marble. Hmmm. Note to self - don't wear heels there.

Alex inside the Pantheon

Michelangelo's Pieta which he carved at age 23. Made me feel slightly inadequate. I mean I haven't exactly carved any masterpieces yet.

Outside the Vatican in St. Peter's Square (more like a circle). We got really lucky and wandered into the Vatican right as a mass was starting and got to attend mass. There were nuns from all over the world visiting Vatican City and I don't think I have ever seen a happier nun than after that mass...

The best gnocchi - it just melted in your mouth - from a cafe on a side street of Via Nazionale. Look at that cheese dripping off. It just doesn't get any better than that.

Alex got a roasted vegetable pizza

After dinner we attended an Opera performance at a Episcopal Church near our Hostel. The opera singers were quite frisky and as the performance went on their personalities kept coming out more and more until the encore when one of the male singers grabbed a woman from the audience and started dancing with her while singing an aria from La Traviata.

Some REEEEAAALLLY old bibles at the Musei Vaticani

The Musei Vaticani gardens... I think my eyes are closed... oops. Oh well at least now we have proof that Alex and I were there at the same time... hahaha

Becoming coffee/espresso addicts - just as Melanie predicted.... but after looking through the Pope's collection of artwork for hours and feeling slightly depressed that 90% of it is still hidden, one needs a little pick-me-up.

The most amazing/expensive panninis - outside the Vatican and Cappuccino with chocolate sprinkled on top. Reaffirmation that you just can't get bad food in Rome.

The Forum. We discovered this amazing view of the ruins after accidentally climbing a hill behind the Bocca della Verita.... definitely worth the hike.

Jumping for joy at the Colosseum!

On our way to attend a dinner hosted by our hostel, everyone paused for night pics of the Colosseum. Dinner was all you could eat pasta and chicken and all you could drink red wine and was led by a crazy Brit named Jeff and a tiny life-loving Italian named Salvatore...

Salvatore (the Italian host) forces us to reinact "Lady and the Tramp" with bread since we were eating penne and not spagetti and perhaps out of a bit of consideration for my white top... He was quite the romantic and brought red roses for all the girls that attended the dinner and later made Alex propose to me with the most lengthy Italian proposal ever behind a parked car.

Our new friends from around the world - Tom (Austria), Natalie (Wales), me, Salvatore (Italy), Damir (Turkey/Germany), Alex and Gina (Wales) - the most fun-loving group ever. We frolicked through the streets of Rome drinking red wine and singing Back Street Boys and Spice Girls - it was quite a night.

Gina, me and Natalie on our last night in Rome.

Roman Holiday

2009-03-25T15:06:00.006+01:00

While in Rome we decided to visit some of the sights from one of my favorite movies Roman Holiday. Apparently the Italians are just as obsessed (or they just gave in to tourists) because signs and photos from the film are everywhere. Below are the highlights from the "movie tour."

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps Via Condotti

Ponte Sant' Angelo

Bocca della Verita

Alex cuts his hair!

2009-03-16T16:49:00.001+01:00

Alex gets a haircut (FINALLY) from Pelequeria Beth on Calle Feria and swears to only go to a barber from here on out.... Apparently there is something about a straight razor?

Bocadillo Serrano - ham, serrano chile, sauce and cheese... from a restaurant off Calle Sierpes.

This was what we got when we ordered Papas alioli - so much mayonaisse I will personally bet you can't find the potatoes...

We also attempted to order Churros but were told they are only available after 5pm. Very sad.

Taking a stroll through the park.

2009-03-15T23:33:00.013+01:00

After an early breakfast (2pm), Jennie and I decided to take a walk around Parque Maria Luisa. The park has beautifully layed out walkways with trees and plants from all over the world. In the middle of the park is the Plaza de Espana (below), which has become one of the most recognizable buildings in Sevilla.

My grandma would be so happy that I found her maiden name!

Jennie was soooo excited about this building.

The definition of beauty!

We stumbled across the replica of the ship that Ferdinand Magellan used to circumnavigate the world for the first time in history. He sailed from this spot at the Port of Sevilla on the Guadalquivir River. The replica ship actually sailed around the world in 1991.

Every Sunday night Jennie and I eat dinner at El Gato Azul, a pizzeria within a hundred meters of my apartment. Since living in Sevilla, we have become accustomed to the "free-style ordering" technique. FSO is a technique used when you have no clue what the items on the menu are or when you just want to be a little spontaneous. Today, we ordered a penne pasta with tomato sauce, basil and 2 "mystery ingredients".

For an appetizer we had Frommagio al Horno. Baked cheese, with caramelized red onions, ground nuts and bread.

Topping off our dinner con fresas y nata (strawberries and whipped cream). SLURP!!!

ITALY HERE WE COME!!!! Since my team does not play again until the 28th of this month, Jennie and I have decided to pack up our back packs and head off to Italy. We are flying to Rome this Tuesday morning and are planning on visiting all the places in one of Jennie's favorite movies, "Roman Holiday". From there we found tickets to Milan that cost 0 Euro on Ryan Airlines (too good to be true), however, we had to pay every kind of tax imaginable, we even have to pay to use the restroom!!! In Milan, we are very excited (and by we I mean Jennie) to see all the Italian Fashion houses. We just looked up the weather forecast in Milan and we are in store for snow. We will try to update the blog from Italy!

-Arrivederci

Eating our way through Sevilla

2009-03-14T23:44:00.010+01:00

Casa Paco for dinner on Thursday night - A shrimp salad, baked portabello mushrooms and our FAVORITE "Camembert al horno" - Camembert cheese baked onto french bread and topped with black currant jam and Rioja wine. AMAZING.
You have to wait forever for a table but it's totally worth it.
Cheese is amazing!!

So sad that I am too full to eat the last piece!

After dinner we wandered around the Alameda and got amazing fruit candies from a little stall. Everyone is out late at the cafes, eating, talking, drinking and laughing.

Friday

Zara (a clothing store in el Centro) is very dangerous for me and I bought a pair of shoes... Attempting to wear my new tacones on the cobblestone streets = not a good idea. I was later informed that the Spanish girls all wear flats walking around and then change into their heels when they get to whatever restauraunt/club they are going to. Oops.

Open Market in the Alameda de Hercules - where we have made very good friends with a man from Algeria who sells hot mint tea and lets you take home the tea glass afterward....

Xavi, Alex, Iris, me, Brittany and Pablo beginning our afternoon of Tapa-ing....

At this bar - close to Iris and Pablo's apartment - we had Foi Gras, Melted Goat Cheese on toast, lamb and potatoes in olive oil and herbs, Patatas Bravas, some sort of tomato soup thing and Tinto de Verano (red wine with Fanta in it... real good).

Iris, Brittany, Pablo, Xavi and me

Tapas on Alameda de Hercules with Xavi, Iris and Brittany.

Later in the evening we went over to Jose "Corro" and Brittany's new apartment for a housewarming party and even more amazing food - five kinds of pizza that rival El Gato Azul, even one with melted Brie on the top. The evening was spent with Antonio (the head coach) and Corro (another coach) re-enacting the best/funniest moments of the team over the last 15 years. The girlfriends of the other players/coaches (Brittany, Iris, Bella and Marta) are attempting to educate me on how to not look like a "giri" (foreigner) before Feria comes and are helping me to put together a flamenco outfit. I bought a skirt at an open market on Calle Feria but still need a blouse, shawl and apparently blue shoes to match the polka-dots "lunares" on the skirt...

Across the Bridge...

2009-03-11T21:00:00.005+01:00

Typical afternoon getting lost.

Linces v. Osos

2009-03-09T19:10:00.006+01:00

Official photo from the Linces website (added 3/25)

Team Captains... Antonio, Sergio, Ricardo (who you can't see) and Alex

Making a break for it

Breaking free for Touchdown number 1

Touchdown number 2! (the faded red line is the goal line)

Me and Brittany - the American girlfriend of one of the coaches

Every time Alex got the ball the other team would yell "Carrera de siempre!" - they really didn't know what to do when he threw a touchdown pass... and sacked their quarterback.

Some video highlights:

Sunday Night Supper

2009-03-02T21:45:00.004+01:00

Last night Alex, Xavi and I went to a little place around the corner from our apartment called El Gato Azul on Plaza de los Maldonados. Everytime you walk by you can see the cooks in the side window making these amazing looking pizzas from scratch. Alex and I split a Caprese salad (huge slabs of fresh mozzarella and tomato drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh basil) and a pizza Isla d'Elva (tomatos, mozarella, spinach, shrimp and oregano). Afterwards the three of us shared Panna Cotta con chocolate and the owner gave us free copitas of his homemade Limoncello.

Also -for those of you that I have been telling about my birthday - I found some pictures!! Alex surprised me by taking me to Aire de Sevilla Arabic Baths in Barrio Santa Cruz on my birthday for a session in the baths and a massage. The baths are underground and absolutely beautiful. There are 3 different rooms with baths varying from ice cold to hot as well as a room with heated marble benches and little tables with iced herbal tea and water to rehydrate and an aromatherapy sauna room. They make you make reservations in advance so that there are only a handful of people in the baths at one time so the whole thing feels very private and everyone speaks in a whisper, even the masseuses. The whole thing is ancient and lit only with candles. A definite must-do if you come to Sevilla. It was probably the most relaxing thing I have ever done in my life.

photos from: http://www.airedesevilla.com/

Things I have learned so far in Sevilla:

1. Things like red lights, crosswalks, one-way streets and police are merely a suggestion for how to drive. Proceed as you please.

2. Flamenco dresses are the couture of Sevilla. We looked at the HUGE section of flamenco dresses that were set up in Corte Ingles in preparation for Feria de Abril (I was told all the girls wear them) only to find they average 500 Euro. They also weigh about 50 lbs and appear to be completely hand-detailed. Um, is there a Forever 21 equivalent?

3. People here will take any excuse to close their store - siesta, obscure national holidays, a good futbol game, Sundays... You basically have to plan really far in advance for groceries etc for the off-chance that one of the aforementioned will come up.

4. It is perfectly acceptable for animals to take a dump in the streets or the middle of the sidewalk. About once a week a street cleaner comes around with a high power hose to wash it off.

5. As it is pouring rain and Alex is at practice I am trying to watch TV in Spanish.... about half our channels show Psychics - in a few hours they will all be showing free porn.

London Day 2

2009-02-28T18:40:00.009+01:00

Big Ben

Some Turkish Diplomats arriving for tea with the Queen

Buckingham Palace!

The Ritz Carlton - before we got kicked out because Alex was wearing jeans

Harrods on Kensington High (Oscar de la Renta)

Karl Lagerfield for Chanel at Victoria and Albert Museum

Christian LaCroix

Vintage day dress

The Underground

Just touched down in London town...

2009-02-25T20:57:00.006+01:00

Alex and I just got back from our first day out in London! Last night Don and Sandra took us with their neighbors Nicki and Andy (a totally delightful stereotypically British couple) to a South Indian restaurant called Ganapati in Peckham Rye for my birthday and then we went home for Don's homemade apple pie with a candle in it for desert. The dinner was amazing - they go there weekly and have quite a rapport with the waitstaff. I had a lamb curry and Alex a spicy chicken curry with coconut rice and a naan-like fry bread and different salsas and an Indian beer called Cobra.
Today Alex and I took the overground to the Southbank and went to St. Paul's Cathedral which was having Ash Wednesday Services and the Tate Modern (lots of Jackson Pollock!) which was 2£ for the audio tour and free admission so we spent HOURS there and when we came out it was dark and everything was closed! Every piece in the museum makes you think... There are Picassos, Matisse, Riveras, Ballas and more! We took pictures in front of the Globe (closed) and got hot chocolate (it's freezing here and the wind by the Thames is extra icy) and came home. Don is at his pilates class right now but is going to pick up fish and chips for all of us on the way home. Tomorrow we are waking up early to try and go see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and then we are going to take a tour bus around and go to Harrods and eat lunch and hopefully Trafalgar Square and Westminster if there is time. Needless to say our feet are killing us!!

St. Paul's Cathedral

Jackson Pollock at the Tate Modern (oops no pictures!)

Shakespeare's (rebuilt) Globe

Victoria en Coslada - 22's back!!

2009-02-24T18:13:00.000+01:00

Alex returns a punt for a touchdown (85 yards)
Following his blocker

Los Sulime Linces consiguieron la primera victoria de la temporada al derrotar a los Coslada Camioneros por 12-30 en un partido en el que la defensa madrileña no pudo parar al corredor Alex Garfio, que se convertía en la estrella del partido al lograr cuatro touchdowns.
A pesar de que Camioneros rompía la igualdad del encuentro en su primer drive ofensivo los sevillanos no se descompusieron y poco a poco se hicieron con el control del encuentro gracias a la fortaleza de su defensa y al magnifico partido ofensivo que realizo el corredor Alejandro Garfio. El control de Linces iba materializándose en el marcado llegándose al descanso del partido con una ventaja de 6-20.
Tras la reanudación Camioneros recorto distancias gracias a su juego de carrera pero esto no fue suficiente y de nuevo Alejandro Garfio tomaba las riendas del ataque sevillano para aumentar la diferencia en el marcador (12-27).
Poco antes de la finalización Javier del Pozo sentenciaba el encuentro con un Field Goal que situaba el marcador en el 12-30 definitivo y redondeaba una tarde en la que el pateador sevillano conseguía tres extra points y un field goal.
Para Antonio Laguna, entrenador jefe de los Sulime Linces: “hemos recogido el fruto del tremendo trabajo que venimos realizando desde el inicio de la temporada. Los jugadores se merecían este premio y han peleado por conseguirlo. Ahora tenemos que centrarnos en lo que queda de temporada y no fallar si queremos obtener una de las plazas para los playoffs”.

Me Fui Hasta Madrid...

2009-02-24T00:32:00.005+01:00

Immediately after landing in Sevilla, Alex and I hopped a bus (7 hours through the countryside and one Madrid rush hour) and arrived in downtown Madrid. From there we took the Metro to Gran Via which is the main street in Madrid and semi-successfully found Hostel Miralva after lugging all our bags and football gear for about ten minutes in the wrong direction. Madrid is bustling at night - people were all dressed in costume for Carnival (which continued for the whole weekend, but we didn't figure it out until late Saturday night..) and people heading out for dinner before getting their night started. We went to Don Jamon like a couple of tourists for a Tortilla Espanola (which is essesntially an omelette with potato in it that you cut up and put on bread with olive oil and tomato); and then to a Botellon with Xavi and his cousin (also named Alex) which is the "pre-party" of Spain where groups of young people gather on the side streets to chat and drink cervezas and decide what Discoteca they are going to go to for the night.

The next morning we ate Cafe and Pastries at Pan and then decided to get lost in the general direction of the Palacio Real. We first ended up in Plaza Mayor and got to see an impromptu flamenco performance which was amazing. Only in Spain can you find street performers who are talented flamenco artists or opera singers (as was the case on another street). After we kept walking we found the Italian Embassy which was having a free show on Missoni. After the embassy we wandered over to the Cathedral and Palacia Real which is ENOURMOUS. Across from the Palace we had $1 tapas and vino and talked to an American family who just moved to Spain and was totally at a loss for language.

Sunday was Alex's game against the Coslada Camionero's. Alex scored 4 touchdowns (WOOOHOO!!!!) and the Linces won their first game 30-12!!!!! Alex even had a punt return for a touchdown!

TO BE CONTINUED>>>> We have to go catch our flight to London!!

Linces-Bufals Recap

2009-02-17T13:38:00.006+01:00

Barcelona!!!

Last Saturday we played our third game in Barcelona against the Bufals. I've been to Barcelona once before and it is definitely one of my favorite places in Spain. The city is very different from Sevilla in many ways. In particular, people in Barcelona prefer to speak Catalan instead of traditional Castilian (Spanish). Also, the city is much more modern in terms of architecture. We didn't get to do much sight seeing while in Barcelona, however i spent a week there a few years ago so I felt like I knew the city pretty well.

Flight to Barcelona. The two largest men on the team sat next to each other, haha!

We played our game near the ocean which made me feel like i was playing in Ventura again. Once again we started off pretty slow and the opposing team capitalized on it with a long touchdown pass. We began to pick up momentum by sticking to the running game. This was definitely one of the most exhausting games I have ever played. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but i'm confident i ran the ball over 30 times this game. Additionaly, i played a few defensive series at the free safety position. Offensively, we got into the red zone (within the opposing teams 20yd line) 6 times and only came out with 10 points. We would run the ball all the way down the field and once we got into the red zone their defense would put 9 players in the defensive box to stop our run. We were winning the game 10-7 until the final minute when they drove down the field and scored on a run. We ended up losing a tough one 13-7.

Practicing my punt returns

On the bright side our team played with some great intensity that we had been lacking in the previous games. The addition of the new players gave our team much confidence, especially defensively. Next week we travel to Madrid to face the Camioneros. Yesterday, I introduced a new goal line offense to help us out when we get into scoring range. These plays worked perfectly in practice and everyone seems to be very excited about them. In addition, Jennie will be there to cheer us on so there's no way we can lose!!!

Post-game meal

Linces vs. Bufals... in Barcelona!

2009-02-17T05:17:00.004+01:00

Highlights from the Linces/Bufals game

Selección Jugadas XV LNFA: Bufals Linces from Primer Down on Vimeo.

El sábado por la mañana se jugaba el partido que enfrentaba a Barcelona Bufals y a Sevilla Linces en el Estadi Joan Serrahima de Barcelona. Fue un partido muy disputado, con giros en el marcador hasta los últimos minutos.
Linces empezó atacando, pero acabó chutando un punt que dejaba el balón para Bufals en la yarda 20. Fue entonces, en la primera jugada ofensiva de los barceloneses en el partido, cuando el QB Roger Navàs conectó un pase con el WR Tim Pape (Que debutaba como Senior) que acababa en Touchdown. Aleix Ruiz transformaba el Extrapoint que dejaba el marcador en 7-0. Ambos equipos consiguieron pararse mutuamente, llegando con el mismo marcador al segundo cuarto.

En un segundo cuarto en el que Linces movió casi ininterrumpidamente las cadenas gracias las carreras del RB Alex Garfio, el Qb del equipo sevillano empataba el partido gracias a una carrera. Javi del Pozo transformaba el Extrapoint que empataba el resultado.

Tras la media parte, Bufals movió el balón gracias a las carreras de Adrià Sastre, Linces recuperó un fumble y se siguió moviendo gracias a las carreras de Alex Garfio. Tras bastantes intentos en la Red Zone de Bufals, los sevillanos anotaron un Field Goal, chutado por el Javi del Pozo, que les adelantaba en el marcador (7-10).

En el último cuarto, un mal snap en un punt de Sevilla dejó una muy buena posición de campo a Bufals, que no pudo aprovechar, ya que Linces interceptó el balón en las jugadas siguientes. Los barceloneses dieron la vuelta al marcador gracias a una muy buena carrera de Adrià Sastre. El Extrapoint fue bloqueado por la defensa de Linces.

En los últimos instantes del partido, los sevillanos intentaron volver a darle la vuelta al marcador, pero Bufals intercepto el balón en una de sus jugadas de pase, buscando avanzar lo más rápido posible, agotando el tiempo con su posesión.

Ambos equipos estrenaban jugadores en el campo para este partido y ambos dieron una buena imagen.

Walk Around the Neighborhood with Me (click to see google maps)

2009-02-11T09:31:00.006+01:00

Ancient Roman walls in La Macarena

Macarena Basilica

Gateway to my neighborhood

Alameda de Hercules. Myth has it that Hercules was the founder of Sevilla

Ancient Roman statues of Julius Ceasar and Hercules

Just walking

Close up of the Roman pillars

Colorful Churches in my hood

Iglesia de Omnium Sactorum. This is the oldest church in Sevilla as it dates back to the thirteenth century. I live right behind it.

This one is for my mom. Check out those bruises, and that's just from pracice:). Don't worry i'm giving them out too.

Sevilla FC v. Real Betis Soccer Madness!!!!

2009-02-10T20:38:00.009+01:00

Last Saturday Sevilla went wild with soccer madness as two cross-town rivals went head to head. Sevilla Futbol Club and Real Betis is one of the most bitter rivalries in all of Spain. The teams are separated by no more than 5 miles and have decades of built up tension. On the day of the game the city turned red and green, the respective colors of Sevilla and Betis. Sevilla Futbol Club played the game at home, where they had not lost to Betis in over 13 years and all over Sevilla you could hear the drunken chants coming from local pubs and bars. On the day of the game, my good Sevillian friend Xavi took me on a trip around the city to experience the madness. That day I decided to jokingly send my coach a text message saying, "VAMOS SEVILLA", knowing very well he was a die hard Betis fan. I didn't know how much this game meant to the Sevillians until he responded in Spanish, "I was going to invite you over for dinner but now you lost that privaledge as well as your ticket back to the United States!!!". Of course he was just kidding....I hope:). Xavi then took me to a local bar where we saw the Superbowl the previous weekend. As i entered all I could hear and see was a mass of drunk men wearing red and in unison chanting the team songs of Sevilla. I was surprised by all the songs that the men knew. I was in the bar for at least 45 minutes and the men never stopped chanting and they never repeated a song. Keep, in mind that many of these men did not even know each other. At the corner of the bar, there were a few faithful Betis fans holding there ground against Sevillas mob.

Our next stop was Sevilla's home, Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. I didn't get to go inside of the stadium, but from walking around the outside I could tell why they didn't sell alcohol inside. I thought a UCLA-USC footbal game was bad, but this was just insane. There were riot police all around the stadium making sure no fights broke out, which Xavi told me happened on the regular. I really felt bad for the Betis fans because they were constantly getting heckled by the mob of Sevilla Futbol Club fanatics. However, somehow Betis pulled off the upset victory and beat Sevilla in their own stadium for the first time in over a decade. Soon after the game you could see the Betis fans trickle out of the bars and their houses to celebrate their victory on the streets. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty happy when Betis won. Not only because i love it when an underdog wins, but I was pretty sure I won my ticket back home!

Last Game and Upcoming Schedule

2009-02-06T13:06:00.011+01:00

Our last game vs. the Valencia Firebats ended much like the first game, our inexperience really showed. We lost the game 33-7 but we improved in few key areas. Once again I scored our only touchdown on a 3 yard carry. The good thing is that these first 2 games where against the toughest teams in the Spain. We have 7 games left on the schedule and 5 of those are on the road. Also, Sorry about the constant change of jersey numbers, we are really in need of new jerseys. I wore #39 last week and i will probably wear a different number the next week. I've given up on my dreams of having #22 and have decided to bring honor to whatever number they give me:).

This week we have off but here is the schedule for the rest of the season:
Feb 14- @ Barcelona Bufals
Feb 22- @ Madrid Camioneros
Feb 24-27- Jennie and I are going to London!!!
Mar 8- Home v. Rivas Osos
Mar 28-Home v. Badalona Dracs
Apr 4- @ Madrid v. Black Demons
Apr 18- @ Gijon Mariners
Apr 25- @Granada Lions
*For playoffs we must win 4 of these games.

Our following game against the Barcelona Bufals should be a turning point in our season. Recently, a few new players have joined our team. By a stroke of luck we found an American Quarterback studying is Sevilla. Although he has not played in a few years, I'm sure he will help us out tremendously. Additionally, we picked up a linebacker/fullback from Mexico who is currently studying in Cordoba. He is a solid player with good size and a great nose for the football. Also, our head coach Antonio and our running back coach Lars have decided to suit up once more and join us for the remainder of the season. Antonio and Lars have both played for over 10 years and they will add much experience to this young team. Lastly, for the next game i have been told that i will also play Free Safety and i am really excited to play defense. So look for me on both sides of the ball wearing a new number.

Super Bowl Weekend

2009-02-02T16:14:00.005+01:00

Sevilla Linces watching the Super Bowl at 3am, that's commitment to the Game!!!

Post Game at Buddah

Linces vs. Firebats

2009-02-01T04:36:00.007+01:00

Week 2 - The Linces take on the Firebats from Valencia

This time Alex is number 39....

Game Two Highlights

Los Sulime Linces cayeron derrotados antes los ADT Firebats por 7-33 en un partido en el que los sevillanos mostraron mejor juego que la pasada semana ante los Hospitalet Pioners, actuales campeones de liga.

Linces sabia de antemano que lo tendría difícil ante el equipo valencia, actual subcampeón de la competición. A pesar de todo esperaban que el trabajo realizado durante la semana para pulir lo fallos mostrado ante Pioners en la primera jornada diera su fruto. Los resultados del trabajo llegaron pero no lo suficiente como para derrotar a los subcampeones.

El partido comenzó bastante igualado abriendo el marcador Firebats en el primer cuarto de la mano de Tacho Urue. Linces parecía mantener el tipo ante el ataque valenciano liderado por Fernando Altarriba pero su ofensiva no conseguía abrir brecha en la defensa de ADT Firebats.

Ya en el segundo cuarto los valencianos comenzaron a controlar el partido y con dos ensayos mas de Garbajosa y Altarriba ampliaban distancias. Linces no se amilano y gracias a una carrera de tres yardas de Alejandro Garfio acortaba distancias dejando el marcador en 7-19 para los visitantes.

Poco antes del descanso una interceptación al quarterback sevillano Hugo Fernández dejaba en una inmejorable situación de campo al ataque valenciano que sumaba un nuevo touchdown a tan solo un segundo de la finalización del descanso, al que se llego con el resultado de 7-25.

Tras la reanudación los sevillanos ajustaron su defensa y comenzaron a poner mas dificultades a los visitantes. El ataque de Linces comenzaba a mover mejor el balón aunque no conseguía materializar en el marcador. ADT Firebats en cambio conseguía una nueva anotación de la mano de Carlos Ibáñez, uno de los jugadores destacados del partido.

Ya en el ultimo cuarto Linces controlo mejor el balón y únicamente una gran actuación de la defensa de ADT Firebats, que paro en cuatro ocasiones a los sevillanos a menos de tres yardas de la zona de anotación, impidió que Linces acortara distancias en el marcador finalizando el encuentro con 7-33 para el equipo valenciano.

Antonio Laguna, Entrenador Jefe de Linces, se mostraba esperanzado”: hemos mejorado respecto la pasada semana pero aun no es suficiente. Las dos primeras jornadas de liga ante Pioners (Campeones de Liga) y ADT Firebats (Subcampeones) nos han servido para ajustar nuestro juego y esperamos que esto de sus frutos en próximas jornadas.”

Game One

2009-01-28T15:04:00.005+01:00

Game 1 Highlight Clips

Linces vs. Pioners

2009-01-27T17:05:00.004+01:00

We played our first game this weekend against the defending national champions Los Hospitalet Pioners (not Pioneers). The Pioners are from a small suburb of Barcelona and they have been a national powerhouse for the last few years. On the Pioner squad where American players Cody Ellis, a Wide Receiver from The University of Washington and David Malino, a QB with NCAA experience. As a whole the Pioners where a much more experienced football team than ours. In Barcelona American football is much more popular because it was home to the former NFL Europe champions Barcelona Dragons.

The experience of the Pioners was evident throughout the game as they went on to win 47-6. Offensively we moved the ball pretty well, however we shot ourselves in the foot multiple times with penalties. We also missed a few field goal attempts. Running the ball was a little rough. but i did manage to break free a few times and once for a 50yd touchdown. Our offensive line is physically solid but very inexperienced. Defensively, I didn't play this game but I 'm hoping i can play a little D this next game. All in all we have a long way to go in terms of improvement but the team is confident and optimistic about the season.

Next week we play the second toughest team in the Nation the Valencia Firebats. I've been told that Valencia is sponsored by Ford Motor Company and that allows them to recruit many players from other countries. We have our work cut out for us but we have had a pretty solid week of practice and I think we will put up a good fight. Wish me Luck!!!!!

Getting started

2009-01-26T06:01:00.003+01:00

A bit of a rough game - but another newspaper mention (he scored a touchdown!) and a photo from the post-game BBQ. Can you see Alex?

"The Lynxes debut against the champions"

Tapas and Siestas

2009-01-23T13:55:00.001+01:00

Tapas
Last night I had my first tapas experience and the concept of it amazes me. Tapas is more of a social experience than it is a meal. At the basic level tapas are small plates of appetizers that you eat with a copita (small beer). The tapas I had last night included bacon wrapped chicken with a sweet mustard sauce and a plate of sweet sesame chicken and both came with patatas (potatoes). A tapa usually runs you around 1-2 Euros and one usually orders around 3-4 per site. How it usually works is a few friends get together and sit at a tapas bar and order a round of copitas and a few tapas. One person takes care of the bill, and then you’re off to the next tapas bar to talk, eat, drink and be merry. A night of tapas and beer will cost you no more than 15 Euros. Time flies when you tapaiando and before you know you’re at your fourth or fifth bar and stuffed from all the amazing variety of tapas. There is no lack of laughter and conversation in these bars and you can easily make friends with all those around you. Within 5 minutes of my apartment you can find more than 50 tapas bars. So for all of you that are coming to visit, prepare to gain 10 lb!!!

Siesta
Another Spanish concept that intrigues me is the siesta. The people in Sevilla are on a completely different time schedule than we are accustomed to. The day in Sevilla usually doesn’t start until 10 am and many shops and cafes open at their leisure thereafter. In Sevilla, waking up any earlier than 8 am is absurd. Around 3 pm the city becomes eerily desolate and quiet. This period is called siesta. People here usually take a 3 hour lunch break where most usually head home have a large meal and recharge their batteries. Most shops and cafes also close down during this period. The siesta is like being in the eye of a hurricane, everything appears calm but you sense that something big is coming. Between 5 and 6 the city explodes with action. Shops re-open as people head back to work with a new sense of energy. Sevilla peaks as the sun sets and the city lights come on. The typical work day usually doesn’t end here until closer to 9pm. After a late dinner the city usually sleeps closer to 1 am.
More to come….

He's kind of a big deal

2009-01-21T17:49:00.003+01:00

An article on the new American Football Player popped up in the local newspaper Sevilla Press on January 15th (for those of you who don't know Spanish it basically says that he is the primary reinforcement for the team with ten years of experience and all the schools he played at and some of the awards he won and height and weight in Euro-terms):

http://www.sevillapress.com/noticia/13898.html

Alex Garfio primer refuerzo de la temporada para los Sulime Linces
El jugador norteamericano Alex Garfio será el primer refuerzo en las filas de los Sulime Linces de cara al inminente inicio de la temporada frente a los Hospitelet Pioners el sábado 24 a las 12:00 AM en las Instalaciones Deportivas de La Cartuja. El jugador reforzara el backfield sevillano ocupando la posición de corredor, puesto en el que cuenta con 10 años de experiencia.

Garfio llega al equipo sevillano desde la liga universitaria americana donde jugo en Ventura Community College y en UC Davis (Div-1AA) siendo nombrado en la primera de ellas capitán y MVP del equipo y seleccionado para el All-Western State Conference squad. Su paso por el High School también dejo huella donde fue seleccionado para el Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame en el año 2003. Con sus 89 kg de peso y su 1,74 m de altura Garfio será una importante pieza dentro del juego ofensivo de los Sulime Linces

Photos from Alex's First week

2009-01-21T17:16:00.007+01:00

Wandering around the neighborhoods and getting a feel for the city

Guadalquivir River which runs through Sevilla

Old Church in La Macarena

Calle Pedro Miguel

Calle Pedro Miguel in La Macarena

The patio at Alex's apartment on Calle Pedro Miguel

First Week In Sevilla

2009-01-21T15:11:00.005+01:00

Hello Everybody!!!!

My apologies for the lack blogs this week. The Internet situation in Sevilla is a bit hectic. People here are just becoming aware of wireless internet and finding a internet cafe is a journey in itself. I should have a stable internet connection by next week (which in Sevilla time could mean a month).

Since arriving in Sevilla everything has gone pretty smoothly. The people here are vey nice and easy going. I'm currently living in the old part of town in an area called La Macarena. I'm within a 20 minute walk of all the major attractions.

More to come...

We're ready...

2009-01-13T07:57:00.000+01:00