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asitrita · 3 years

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Personal rant

This is a personal rant about Spain’s history and some people’s interpertation of it, mostly regarding some of the “nations”, or “ethnic groups” that are sometimes considered Spain’s parents. If you think it can affect you personally, don’t continue reading.

I really do not understand people who consider Spain’s father figure anyone other than Rome. Like... literally, no one makes any sense other than Rome. I could buy Visigoth acting as Spain’s father figure, or as his “tutor”, and I could even understand (though in no way share) the idea of Castile and Aragon being Spain’s “parents”. Though, again, I would not share that hc either, because even if the current nation-estate of Spain is “younger” than the many different medieval kingdoms, the notion, the “idea”, the “identity” to some extent, of Spain is way older than any of those medieval kingdoms which, technically, were not nations nor modern estates either, so acting as if Spain came to be out of the blue in the 15th century, as if there had not been already a clear Spanish identity and notion of unity and nation prior the 15th/16th centuries is just... ignoring all the evidence. What I trully do not understand is when people have Al-Ándalus, Umayyad, or even Carthage, as Spain’s father figures. It is true that history can be interpreted in many different ways, more so when it comes to Hetalia, but there are some interpretations that... they just make no sense. Not from a historical point of view, at least. Guess you can have whatever headcanons you want, but historically speaking, they may make no sense whatsoever. And that is exactly the case with these interpretations. For Al-Ándalus and Umayyad the reason why it is utter nonsense for any of them to be Spain’s father figure is that they are literally everything Spain is not (and did not want to be). In the first years of our lives, until we become adults, we all build our identity against the others. Something similar happens with the different nations. They build their identity partially based on not being like the neighbour next door. We could say that Spain built itself against precisely these two guys up there, Al-Ándalus and Umayyad. One could think, “okay, but as we all know, in many cases, the first ones we try to build our identity against is our parents, so that could further emphasise the role of those two as Spain’s paternal figures”. Well, no, and here’s why. Maybe it all comes to what I understand as a father figure, but to me, in the case of nations, the father figure, or the “father” or “mother” of a nation should be the one the nation receives more influences from. It should be to some extent the “origin” of most, or a big significant part of the nation’s culture, identity, and overall, idiosyncrasy. Either that, or it should have left a very deep impact and long lasting effect in the character and identity of that nation. And what I mean is that the nation must have adopted transcedental aspects from that “father nation” that are now rooted deep in its character. Otherwise, a deep impact could be a traumatic event like a war that people from the nation have built their national pride upon, but that’s not what I mean. I mean that the nation has actively acquired, integrated, and assimilated, deep and transcendental elements and aspects of its “father nation” culture and identity, so the “father nation” identity has, to some extent, become the identity of the “new nation”. Examples of some of these transcedental elements could be religion (and overall, spirituality), sense of justice, moral values, or even lexicon related to abstract concepts and emotions such as love, passion, fear, desire, hate, regret, etc. So here’s the thing. Neither Al-Ándalus nor Umayyad did, in any way, affect Spain in this respect. Mind, I am not saying they didn’t leave any influence in Spain at all, what I am saying is that they did not have a transcedental influence in Spain’s identity. Or they did, but just in the opposite way. Spain takes its culture, society, values, and spirituality from Rome, and builds itself against Al-Ándalus and Umayyad (quite honestly, Spain’s relationship with these two is more similar to the “traumatic” event some nations have built their national pride upon I mentioned earlier than to any father-son type of relationship). If anything, they only helped to exacerbate Spain’s loyalty to its “indigenous hispanoroman” identity. Again, not saying they left no influence, for example, some architecture in southern Spain (though, tbh, it’s more like a couple buildings people visit while ignoring the hundreds of christians and roman buildings lol), some cities, some influences in the food and some traditional dishes, some new agricultural and destillation techniques, etc. And it is well known that up to 8% of the Spanish vocabulary is of Arab origin, even though, to be honest, much of that percentage are toponyms and half of the lexicon is no longer used in Spanish today (most people don’t even know half of these words, and some have their Latin counterpart). However, none of these influences affects Spain’s psique and identity to a transcendental level. Not only that, but the people who identified as Spaniards and all its old variants (derivatives of Latin’s hispanus/hispanicus) were the Northern Christian people, never the Muslims who lived in Al-Ándalus under Umayyad rule. It was northern Christians who talked about Spain, who considered Spain their “lost” nation, and who identified with a Spanish identity, not the people nor the rulers of Al-Ándalus (for a short time, Northern Christians would actually refer to Christians living under Muslim rule in Al-Andalus as Spaniards, to distinguish them from the Muslims). And in no way am I justifying the following, I’m just stating a fact, which is that Muslims were expelled. All of them. Which means that Spain, as a nation, as the people it represents, literally has almost no link whatsoever with the people of Al-Ándalus, Arabs, nor Muslims, other than its people, the “Spanish people” fought them for centuries. Obviously, they lived in the same piece of land, though borders were never an easy place to live in, they were not 24/7 killing each other (impossible to do that nonstop for almost 8 century), they often traded, and there were Christians living in Muslim territories who adopted some Arab or generally Middle Eastern/Oriental traditions and practices that they preserved even under Christian rule (they were called Moriscos), hence the influences. But these influences are so superficial and “materialistic”, they affected so little the Spanish way of understanding the world, that I trully think it is unrealistic to make any of these two Spain’s father figure. It is almost a bad joke when you get the Northern Kingdoms singing to Spain and identifying as Spanish, getting ripped of their representation and identity, and instead, associating this identity and representation (their identity and representation) to those who never identified as Spanish and fought those who did with the intention of conquering and subduing them. And I guess you could argue that most of “Spain” (the land) was under Muslim (Umayyad) control, but as I understand Hetalia, and modern states today, it is not about land, but about nations and ethnic groups, and the people they represent, and it just makes no sense to make Spain’s father figure neither Al-Ándalus nor Umayyad, because given history, they would have probably tried to kill Spain had they got the chance, and the same goes for Spain, as it certainly would try to kill them as well. Plus, friendly reminder that the muslim territory of Spain was, for the most part, independent from the Umayyad Empire, so even if members of the Umayyad dinasty ruled over Al-Ándalus, it was not part of its empire (again, for the most part, there was a short time it did belonged to the empire). Plus Al-Ándalus was cut into pieces during the 11th century and the Arab “Umayyad” elite expelled from the Peninsula. I mean, neither the Umayyad dinasty nor Al-Ándalus lasted for 7 centuries. The Arab rulling elite (Umayyad) were expelled, and Al-Ándalus destroyed, by the end of the 11th century. So it is not true Spain received direct influence from these particular people for almost 800 years, that’s an extreme oversimplification of Medieval Spain, as Arab rule in part of Spain, as well as the existance of Al-Ándals, in reality, lasted for around 350 years, as opposed to Roman presence in Spain, which lasted for over 600 years, plus, they were never expelled and their identity completely permeated the indegenous inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula.

About Carthage... what can I say? This just makes no sense. It may not be as ironic (and almost offensive) as the other two choices, but in some way, it makes even less sense, if that’s even possible. Not much to say about this one, I just can’t even think of one thing Spain has inherited from this guy, can’t think of any influence from Carthaginean culture or whatever in Spain. The little I can think of slightly related to Carthage is actually Phoenitian so... I mean, Cartagena, in Murcia, is a great city, but... can anyone think of any significant influence, any significant link Spain as a nation, or Spaniards as an ethnic group, have with Carthage? I’m sure people from Murcia may come up with something but... in general, I really don’t think we have anything to do with Carthagineans, as much as I like Carthage. I’m sorry, but I trully can’t think of anything Spaniards, Hispanics, even Portuguese if you want (though I’m no expert on Portuguese history so I may be wrong on this one) have “inherited” from Carthage (guess you could link the Portuguese Empire based on trade with Carthage, but realistically speaking, there’s no historical corelation there either). I guess they may have introduced some new techniques and whatnot, but, really, that happens all the time, that does not affect the identity of a group nor their way of looking at the world greatly, unless it supposes a radical change in their way of life, which did not happen, since Carthage barelly controled some strategic cities. Yes, it got to the northern part of Spain, but did not have actual control over all that territory, and there was no cohesive rule nor anything I can think of... In any case, I’m no expert on Carthage either, but I trully cannot think of any Carthaginean influence in Spain at all. In conclusion, a nation’s “father figure” is the one that has, to some extent, “built the nation”, or “mould it”. Just like if we were talking about a human being, we should ask “how does it behave? how does it think? how does it see the world? how does it communicate? what are its values? what are its traditions?” Then ask about the origin of all those answers. And there you get the “father figure”. Spaniards speak a Latin-based language/s (but the Basques and some people from Navarra who speak a pre-Roman language), they are Christians, Roman Cahotlics to be more precise, and Spanish justice is based on Visigothic and Roman laws. Spanish culture is overwhelmingly based on Roman culture, as is its society, values, etc. The way Spanish interact with the world and others is based on a Roman perception of the world. They may be others who have influenced Spain, I’m not denying that, but none of them has, not by a long shot, defined Spanish identity as much as Rome has. The only event in history that had a significant importance in defining Spain’s identity other than Rome and getting to America, is the war against the Muslims, which includes the two listed above. But they never “added” to the Spanish identity on significant levels, for the most part they just reinforced it by acting as its antagonists, which is not exactly what I would represent as “parenthood”. Carthage... I don’t even know how that happened. And that’s it. This is not a personal attack to anyone who has any of these headcanons, it may seem like it is, but it is not. If anything, it is an “attack” to these ideas, simply because I don’t think they accurately portray Spain’s history at all, on the contrary, they distort Spanish history based on 18th and 19th century foreigner’s ignorant and orientalist crazy theories and assumption (and anti-Catholic propaganda, tbh), and Hetalia, at the end of the day, is about history. If any one has these headcanons,you do you, go with it, but please be aware that they are not historically accurate, that’s it.

#aph spain #aph #hetalia #historical hetalia #hws spain #jesus #needed to get it out of my chest #like seriously #it dosen't make any sense #and i've been seing fanart about this for years and years #and carthage #like how???#and god knows i love carthage #but... no #just don't #If you want a pre-roman character to be Spain's and Portugal's father or mother figure #please do Iberia or Celt or whatever #I would even accept Lusitania for Portugal even though as someone from Extremadura lusitania = portugal is a glowing big ass red cross #but at least it makes some sense #even though we don't have much of pre-roman culture left we still have a tiny bit #and biologically speaking both portuguese and spaniards #and particularly spaniards #are overwhelmingly pre-roman 'people'#genetics don't lie and spanish genetic genepool is overwhelmingly native hispanic #and numancia cantabrian and sertorian wars are important in the imaginary of the spanish nation #as well as the wars led by viriatus #i went out of topic already #this is all for now

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masterpieceavenue94 · 5 years

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Fadderuka

Omg this week has been so exhausting!!!

My friends and I decided to be "fadder" thid year which is like being a mentor(?) to the new students of the career you're doing sort of. You explained to the new students how the career is, about the subjects, about you know the campus, places, etc. Plus you go out with them and party and well it's a way the university makes sure the new students feel comfortable around the first days of uni and I mean I guess here in Norway everyone is always trying to not leave alone anyone(?) So...by that way you foe sure have someone at uni you can be friends with(?) Idk sounds childlish, like you're an adult I don't need to tell you "go make friends" but it's actually really useful and no one is against that, somehow it helps to socialize between each others so yeah...

Well I don't regret to have had this exhausting week but omg I just really need to sleep like for 10 years.

So I know I jave to talk about what happened this summer and stuff but now tht this is more recent and I remember everything perfectly I'm going to talk about it. (And someday I'll talk about the last months)

So we started with Monday.

Monday was exhausting since the beginning, we had to wake up really early because we had to be at uni at 9 because we hade a breakfast of all the "fadder" group. In the group there was Lucas, Luisa, Alejandra, Elena (which is more friend of Lucas than mine), Thomas an Birk (also friends of Lucas, both of them are Norwegians but they speak really nice Spanish a d they're really friendly) and also Herman (a Norwegian boy which has a raspy voice that you can't understand what he's saying neither in Norwegian nor Spanish, but anyway...)

So we went to this breakfast, and there I met a boy who was my age and he's from Spain, his name is Alvaro and I found out he's going to be a teacher this year, I mean he will help the real teachers and stuff bt yeah...like he was doing some practices. He's actually fun and really open.

Then we went to welcomed the new students, we were in this big room and people started to come, at one moment I decided to be social and sat in a table with some new students and introduced myself. I started talking in Norwegian but then a girl said "sorry you have to talk in Spanish or English because there's this boy who can't Norwegian" and I was like "nice..." But yeah at the beginning was hard, they were quiet, shy, no one wanted to talk amd I was like "come on, this is harder for me than for you..." But anyway, I somehow made them talk and socialize a little bit, the sad and funny thing is that I don't remember the names of most of the people (specially girls). There we had also a little breakfast too with them, the professors and the consultant of the Spanish studies gave their speeches and we also introduced to them as the fadder group with who they will be hanging out these days.

After that we made a few questions about what they expect of this course, what are they afraid of and stuff like that. Then, we went around the campus and showed them the common places and after that we decided to do a game to know each other better.

Omg and there was this guy, his name is Kjetil, his my age, he's GORGEOUS. Like I don't know how but since the first minute I just fell for him, everyone fell okay? Like HOW WOULDN'T YOU? What a boy. But on this game of knowing each other where you asked "who is from Norway? Who is not? Who has traveled to Spain or Latin America? Blablabla on the question of "who has gf/bf?" Kjetil stood up and all of us where "shit." DAMN YOU. I mean I understand a boy like this if he's not in a relationship he would be totally gay. For sure.

Anyways, back to the game, we were surprised because there were only 4 persons who were from Latin America and Spain, in fact there was only one boy who was from Spain, and I think just 3 girls from Latin America. So it was kinda of shocking. There were Norwegians but also a lot of people from other countries (Persia, Somali, Finland, Poland) When I started I think there were more Spanish people and only two-three persons who were not Norwegian nor Spanish so it was shocking for us.

After that we talkt and had lunch together and there I met Arian who was one of the boys from Persia, he actually speaks really good Spanish. He is 21 I think and yeah we talk during lunchtime. Actually all these days I talked to everyone but I talkt more with the boys lmao.

Anyway, around 3pm we went to a ceremony of students in the center of Oslo. And after that we decided to go home and meet later to have "vors" (pronounced "fors") which is like a pre-party where you meet at a house and drink.

We decided to divide us so 4 fadders went to Elena's house and the other 4 went tl Herman's. Luisa, Alejandra and me went to Herman's. It was nice, I've never been in a vors before so I didn't know what to expect. At the beginning we didn't know what to do lmao so we just sat there listening to people tall, sometimes we made a comment about a topic but omg the first hour we were like.....(I'm tall about Luisa, Alejandra and me) The good thing is that Kjetil, the pretty guy, came so I could talk with him more HAHAHAHAHAH. I talked with all of them, I just remember a few names like Håvard who was this Norwegian guy and he was nice to talk to, I remember this blonde girl who was 19-20 and her middle name was Indianne (pretty name), I know Per (also Norwegian too) and there were more people but I don't remember. We played a game, no idea of what was its name but it was fun, by that way we all were somehow focused on the same thing, the vors started around 6pm, but I and my friends came at 7pm, we all left to Chateau Neuf which is a party-place which organized parties all this week. While we were cleaning the house we talked to more people, I talked with Kjetil and he speaks good Spanish too, he's so cuuuuteeee, and I don't know I just see good in him you know? Humble, friendly, caring, what a nice guy seriously.

We went to Chateau Neuf and I met Lucas there, and then I saw Arian and I mean we hugged, I hugged everyone that night, I wasnt drunt but I felt so happy. I know that on this party I saw most of the fadders except Birk and Luisa, but Luisa went to the airport around 10pm because her husband (yeah, husband and she's 26) came back from Bodø. Anyways, I talked with Simen, a new Spanish student, he's 19 and soooo cute like a baby we talked and he was so fun, I also talked with this guy from Finland. In fact he's half Finnish and half Nicaraguan, and yeah he's the one who can't Norwegian. He's handsome, and you know he goes to the gym because he has a strong back but he's short lol. Anyway, he's 21 and he was so funny, I mean yeah he was drunk but still...I remember he told me "you habe a nice tongue or mouth" but I didn't know if he meant that the way I speak was nice or that was a total indirect, now at this point (Sunday afternoon) I know it was an indirect.

Arian was also right next to me almost the whole time, I kind of feel like he liked me(?) He's nice but I don't see myself with him anyways... Actually that day was pretty good I really enjoyed, the only one who didn't hsve that much fun was Alejandra...

I remember that when I left I said bye to everyone hugging them and I remember that I went to say bye to Lucas and then Arian came hugging me first and I was like "yeaaaaah"

On Tuesday we had this meeting at uni at 9am, we were all dead, Arian joined us for a coffee but at the beginning we didn't talk. In fact, I was so tired I didn't want to talk to anyone. In the meeting I saw the Finnish guy almost asleep. After the meeting, we decidet to go around Oslo a little bit, Luisa and I talled with this girl who was half Spanish half Romanian (whose name I don't remember) and Erik, Norwegian guy who is 23 and has been studying one year Spanish via Yotube. And I feel a disgrace, because here I am 5 years in Norway and still have problems with the languange, damn you Erik. But seriously we were so tired that at 1am we were all home. At 4pm we had this karaoke thing and I was impressed because they all sang and it was so fun! I talked there also with Kjetil and Emil, Emil is also Norwegian, I don't know his age but I bet his my age or a year younger and it's so funny because when he uses glasses he looks like a total hipster (cute too), but without them he looks like these boys who loves surfing hahahah he's cute though, but doesn't speak that much Spanish.

After that we went to this place called Uhørt, where they drank beers and stuff, I actually didn't drink that day. At that place I met Armin, the other boy from Persia, this guy is 25(?) I think. And he speaks perfectly Spanish because he has lived there for 11 years. He's nice and funny too.

But yeah I left around.....9pm(?) Because I was so tired and I went to sleep at 10:30pm.

On Wednesday we had this game where they had to go around the campus and write answers, after the game there was pizza and we said which group won the game, whcih was a group of girl whose names I obviously don't remember. Well in fsct I think I remember one, Sofie but that's it.

Later around 7pm we had a quiz in the bar Union857, it was a cool bar actually and the quiz went great, I didn't know thst Norwegian were so interested in these games, but yeah they're fine. We finished st 10pm and Luisa and Alejandra decided to stay at home but I went out with these people and the rest of thw fadders because theh decided to go to a bar which was close to my house so yeah.

I sat with Kjetil (obviously), with Nikita ( a Chilean girl who is 19), Arian sat also in the same table and Emilie (I think it was her name, Norwegian too) later Thomas came and we talked too it was weird we talked a lot but he was tickling me and we even held hand a little but I mean to me it's normal(?) Like I could give the hand to someone and rested it there for a while lmao. Okay it's not normal, but for me it is. Then Elena came also and we talked too and also Simen talked with me a lot, Kjetil and Arian were in the same table talking too. Birk later came and seriously he was so nice, like what a nice boy I really like him as a friend. I feel like Kjetil, Thomas and Birk have this friend potentiy thing hahahsha I mean most of the boys I met this weel has it hahaha.

And well around 12:40 or something like that I just decided to go home because I had to work the next day. I hugged everyone, Arian hugged me even longer and I left Kjetil to the last minute, I actually did it on purpose. When I hugged everyone I stood up amd decided to move towards the door but then I turned around and said bye to everyone with the hand, and Kjetil looked at me like a pupoy and I was like "aaawee wait I'm coming" and I went to hug him hahaha. I said bye to Thomas too because by that time he was standing in the middle of the bar snd we hugged and I remember he kissed me on the cheek and I was like "okay! I'm going now" yeah what a nice goodbye hahahaha.

On Thursday I went to work, I seriously didn't want to, but yeah...I worked until 9pm, the good thing is that the plans with the new students weren't until 9pm so I managei to joind them around 10pm. They played bowling, I told my cousin Cristofer to join us. I introduced him to almost everyone. A Norwegian girl, Weselmøy, had a crush on him and at the end of the night she told me that if my cousin wanted she could be her sugarbaby or something like that, I was like....okay? But you know, you go girl! Alvaro, the Spanish boy has always been this week with us, he's so funny seriously and he confessed he was gay and I was like "whaaaat?" I mean I wasn't attracted to her at all but he didn't look like you know...gay. After bowling we went to Azúcar, a pub-disco and I don't know I gave all of myself dancing it was so fun, I was having such a great time there, when we wenteres I sat in a sofa whcih was a little bit higher than the other places, and Kjetil sat next to me, we didn't talk that much but you know he was there hahahaha we all danced there and while I was dancing like a diva in that platform where I was I realized I couldn't look at anyone because I mean I looked to the right and I saw the Finnish boy there looking at me smiling, then I looked at the left and saw Armin and Arian smiling to me too, damm it was so awkward lmao.

But yeah I had a really good time and actually my cousin got a long really good with Birk and Alvaro. And well we went home at...2-3(?)

The next day I had to open at work and I was dying but anyways! On Friday people had vors at 5pm but I decided to just come later to the party that it was at uni, it was... interesting. I don't know Arian and I didn't talk that much, I feel like he liked me but hest just giving up hahahaha I mean I like him as a person and as a friend but obviously I just don't see me with him, so the thing is that we don't talk that much anymore. Anyway, I saw Armin there but I didn't say hi at the beginning it wasn't until I went to another room wjere Alvaro and othe people were where I started to talk with him. It was, I mean, I was going down the stairs and he was behind me and I mean he hugged me but he also tried to kiss me but I kind of avoid him laughing looking to another place, but yeah, then when we were dancing he was all the time tickling me and hugging me, I mean he's nice but he's not my type I guess.

I got mad that night at Alejandra, don't know why but sje decided to hit me all the time (not hard but still) and even though I was like "the fuck is wrong with you" *joking tone* sje kept.doing it and I hit her back too she kept doing it until sje hit more my nose than my forehead and that's when I decided to be serious to her. Like I don't understand what happened to her honestly but I wasn't in the mood to forgive her at all, I even stopped talking to her for 30 min. Later we talked with Kjetil and Emil and omg they were so happy and sweaty hahahaha, after a while we all decided to go to a place called Mastermind, Alejandra at that time went home because she had to work, but I was fine with her leaving. Sje was being so annoying the whole night, even Albaro realized and told her. I remember she told me to not made up with Emil because it was hers but I was like "dude, you have a boyfriend so shut up" and then she said she wanted also to have boys hitting on her, but I was like YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND WHY WOULD YOU WANT THAT. And yeah it's true that almoy every time that we went out there were peopt hittit on me, but here I am. Single. The end.

Anyway, we went to Masteind, we went Kjetil, Emil, Elena, Birk, Thomas, Armin, Álvaro, a girl who was from Latin America (Gabriella), a friend of Álvaro (Ennis), Simen, and some Norwegian girls.

I remember on the way to this place I talled with Simen a lot. Then at the place I sat on this big sofa, to my left there was this Norwegian girl whose name is Linn and to my right Birk, then next to Birk Gabriella sat and the rest of the people sat around the sofa in chairs. Emil sat next to Linn and Kjetil next to Emil. Then there was Elena and Thomas maybe(?) A Norwegian girl, Simen, someone more, the Finnish guy, Armin, norwegian girls, and then Alvaro, Ennis and we ended the circle on Gabriella again. So it was actually pretty fine, we all talked, and had fun. It was also weird because I mean Birk jas a girlfriend and it looked like he was flirting with me but at the same time I guess he wasn't (?) Like before we went there he made a massage on my neck and I was like THE HELL IS GOING ON and the he also took my hand when we were sitting I don't know why, BUT THEN he started to tickle my neck and Somen and a Norwegian girl were looking at us and I was like "or Birk is too drunk or I don't know what's going on". Then Birk asked me about Thomas, if I liked him and I was like "what do you mean?" I like him yeah, but I don't know how much I like him, I just, I just feel like if he were taller I would be all around him , that's something I have to confess hahahaha. But yeah I asked Birk that and he was like "I saw you holding hands on Wednesday while talking to other people" and I was like "so? And you're taking my hand right now and like you literally kissed my hand a minute ago" like I was laughing at the situation so much, and I told him that I'm used to make some contact with people like holding hand but that doesn't mean anything. But anyway, I remember Simen went home first and when we were going to say goodbye, we hugged but he kissed me on the nexk and it was like a looooong kiss, like I mean for sure everyone saw that because we were standing there in the middle, lol. Armin after all he was the one who said goodbye the fastest, like I think he gave me a handshake(?). Funny. Elena, Birk, Kjetil, Emil and a few others went later and I remember Kjetil came to me to say goodbye and gave me also a kiss on the cheek and I was like OMG. And then, I don't know we went Alvaro, Thomas and the rest, at first Thomas said to me to wait for me, and I thought we were going in the same direction but obviously we weren't and also he met a few friends out of this place and started talking with them so I just say bye to everyone and headed home because I was freezing.

It was a great. I went to bed at 4am but I didn't worl until 12am so I had time to sleep enough.

Saturday I thought it was going to be like the best of the best but it was the most boring night of all. Kjetil didn't come, neither Emil. There were a lot of people who didn't come, Alvaro left also early, and I thought we were going to Chateau Neuf again but we didn't, and ended up in the same place we went on Thursday. But wven though I drank the same thing I did on Thursday and played the same songs, I wasn't in the mood at all. The oub was crowded and you couldn't even dance at all. I mean I talked to most of the people there but...yeah...I ended up going home at 1am.

But yeah the week in general was really good, and I'm glad I decided to be fadder. But anyway, no idea if I would be in a future fadder again, we'll see how is my energy hahahaha.

#diary #dear diary

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fadingfartconnoisseur · 7 years

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Miami Is Nice, So I’ll Say It Twice

One of my travel goals for 2017 was to visit more of my egregious oversights in the United States. Miami was definitely one of my top priorities. But I had no idea that I’d end up visiting the city twice within a three-week span!

First, Cailin and I finished our February Florida road trip with two nights and one full day in South Beach. In early March, Jeremy and I hung out in the artsy Wynwood neighborhood for one day and one night after our cruise.

Yes, I fell in love with Miami. Such an interesting cultural mix, a cool art scene, amazing music in every direction, and the best urban beaches that I’ve seen in the United States. (I would say in the world, but Sydney’s got you beat, Miami. Sorry about that.)

The first thing that struck me about Miami was how dominant the Spanish language was. Obviously, I knew that Miami has a huge Latin community, but I assumed it would have a similar feel to Latin neighborhoods like Washington Heights or Corona in New York — salsa music blasting from vegetable stands, tamale sellers on corners, quinceañera dresses in shop windows, loud games of dominoes on the sidewalk.

Miami had all of that — but it was even more Spanish. I was surprised how people frequently spoke to us in Spanish first, not English. (I’m ethnically ambiguous enough to maybe pass as Latina if I’m wearing sunglasses, but there’s no question that neither Cailin nor Jeremy are remotely Latin.) And it surprised me a bit how a few drivers, restaurant workers, and hotel workers I chatted with didn’t speak a word of English. In New York, most new arrivals speak a few English phrases; in Miami, I found some people to just stick to Spanish.

Is this a criticism of Miami or the immigrants who have made Miami their home? Not at all. It’s just something that I noticed. But I will say that knowing some Spanish will make your Miami experience more enjoyable.

The second thing I noticed was how ridiculously good-looking people are in Miami. People here are hot, dress well, and take care of their bodies. The level of grooming is right up there with Italy! So many women in crop tops with long hair flying, either perfectly curly or pin-straight. Men in tight t-shirts and perfectly cut jeans with haircuts that must have cost a fortune.

South Beach

I feel like everything I know about pop culture told me that South Beach was the place to be in Miami. It’s home to clubs, restaurants, shopping, pro athletes, and (sometimes) the Kardashians — that’s pretty much an indication that stuff happens here.

Miami Beach is actually a different city from Miami proper, and you have to travel over a bridge to get there. Miami proper doesn’t have much of a beach.

South Beach is home to numerous boutique hotels, many of them known for their unique design. I looked into up-and-coming boutiques and one that just opened and offered us a complimentary stay is the Meridian Hotel, an Urbanica property just south of 5th Street.

This is my favorite front desk I’ve ever seen — I love the vintage suitcases.

The rooms were very mid-century modern — since my home is practically a West Elm showroom, I felt very much at home here!

There’s a cafe across from the front desk with free coffee (always a huge plus with me), plus lattes and lots of food for purchase…

And I got a delicious açai bowl, minus the carbs, for a healthy breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed straight to the beach. The Meridian is only a five-minute walk from the beach and they give you free chairs at Esteban’s Place (though not an umbrella — those cost $12).

Just look at that sand and water! Miami Beach is incredible. I’ve never seen a beach this nice in an American city.

The water was a little too cold for me in February, but that didn’t stop a lot of people from swimming. Miami Beach is also the place to spot highly attractive people running along the beach, if you don’t mind being a bit of a voyeur.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to the W South Beach for some time by the pool. I have some contacts at the W and I asked if we could spend the afternoon at the pool, and they kindly offered us pool passes.

And this, dear readers, is where I made the biggest mistake of my Florida trip. The W South Beach doesn’t offer pool passes to regular people; I only got one because I’m press. I make an effort to only write about activities that my readers can do themselves, so this wouldn’t fit the bill. I should have asked if pool passes were available for anyone to purchase; I am kicking myself for not thinking to do that. Where was my head?!

In short — if you want to use the pool at the W South Beach, you’ll need to stay at the hotel.

That said, this is an amazing pool, and one of the highlights of our time in South Beach. After so many days of driving, it was heavenly to kick back with a skinny margarita and veg out on a day bed, Kindle on my lap. If you’re going to South Beach, a fabulous pool makes the experience.

Cailin and I wanted to grab a Cuban sandwich while we were in Miami, so we asked some locals for suggestions. South Beach isn’t the ideal place — you should really go to Little Havana or Little Haiti — but we were urge to check out an adorable Cuban diner named Puerto Sagua.

That Cuban sandwich was the first time I had bread since going primarily paleo, and it was glorious.

When looking for restaurants that night, Cailin and I kept hearing the name CVI.CHE 105 pop up again and again. This Peruvian restaurant, located just across the bridge in downtown Miami, is famous for its varieties of ceviche. Jill from Jack and Jill Travel was also in Miami and joined us for dinner, the three of us splitting this platter of ceviches.

Worth it? Oh HELL yes. The ceviche is so delicate, it melts in your mouth. If I lived in Miami, I would eat there all the time — and I insisted on taking Jeremy a few weeks later.

Wynwood

Jeremy booked a place in Wynwood because it was supposed to be “the Brooklyn of Miami.” Brooklyn is a pretty diverse place, so I wondered which neighborhood it would resemble more. Once we got there, I realized it was undoubtedly the Bushwick of Miami! This is a neighborhood of artists, of brightly colored murals, of wacky shops and interesting nightlife.

The Wynwood Marketplace takes place Friday through Sunday — it’s a collection of local artists hawking their wares. If you’re looking for a unique piece of art of jewelry, this is a great place to visit.

Jeremy and I spent much of the day hanging out at Panther Coffee, one of the top-rated coffeeshops in Miami. We were there to work, but the people-watching was so damn good that we didn’t get much done!

I felt intoxicated by the atmosphere of Wynwood. So many cool people, good-looking people, artsy people, people of so many different ethnic backgrounds. It all fit together perfectly, and it was exciting, and I wanted to be part of it.

There are two other times that I felt like that. The first was the first time I went to Red Rooster and loved it so much that I decided to move to Harlem. The second was when I went to the Oakland Museum of California and watched families of all colors dance to hip hop with their kids.

While we were there on a Sunday night, it was hopping. There were lines around the block for clubs. One taco stand blasted 90s R&B jams, also known as my favorite music of all time, and I think I may have scared Jeremy with my enthusiasm for Jodeci and Ginuwine.

The Takeaway

I know this isn’t a remotely representative post about Miami — it’s just a brief look at two neighborhoods. I didn’t get to experience Little Haiti or Little Havana. I didn’t go on an art deco photography walk or take a day trip to the Everglades.

I will say, however, that these trips whet my appetite for the future. I am very interested in coming back to Miami for a longer duration to explore this fabulous city further.

Now — which major US travel oversight should I visit next? Nashville? Hawaii? Portland? Alaska? San Diego? Austin? The national parks of the southwest beyond the Grand Canyon? There are so many options!

Essential Info: Rates at the Meridian Hotel start at $133 per night, which I think is great value for the location and amenities. I loved it there. Check out more hotels in Miami Beach here.

In Wynwood I stayed at this Airbnb for $120 per night before Airbnb fees. This is a nice little studio in the heart of the action, but don’t plan on anyone sleeping on the futon — it’s horrible. So it says it can sleep four, but plan on no more than two. Personally, I wouldn’t have felt super comfortable in that neighborhood as a solo female traveler, but I felt okay staying with a male friend.

Miami has some public transit, but it’s very much a car city. My friends and I got around via Lyft, which is much cheaper than New York!

Don’t visit Miami without travel insurance. Even if you’re a conscientious traveler, you could still be robbed or injured and travel insurance will save you financially if you need it. I use World Nomads for travel insurance on every trip I take and I recommend them highly.

Have you been to Miami? What did you enjoy about it?

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