We’ve been in Taiwan for 4 days. Here are some pics:
We were lucky to be within walking distance of Madrid’s biggest party last Saturday. The parade grooved up a crowd packed Paseo Prado. Paper fans for the 95 degree heat provided by McDonald’s.
Today is our last day in Seville and also marks exactly one month before our return to the US.
We saw a very good flamenco performance last night. Only one of two that was totally local and not aimed at tourists. Two guitars , cajon and a group of 6-10 family members who took turns singing songs with no micophones in a pretty large space (a bodega= bar). Enthusiastic local crowd.
We haven’t written for almost a month – sorry about that. It is mostly laziness and a little bit of blame on our internet access. I’ll summarize the past month in this post and follow up with some more pictures later.
View of Alhambra from Albaicin
First we spent two week in Granada. We again took Spanish lessons with Don Quijote and stayed with a host family. “Aunty” Lina (Short for Catalina) took great care of us. Our classes were in the mornings, so we would have breakfast at 8: tostadas con tomate – Toast spread with freshly grated tomatoes with olive oil. Lina’s apartment was in a great location near river and only a 20 minute walk to the school which was in the center of town. After class we would come back for lunch (Spanish eat lunch around 2-2:30). We’d eat with Lina, Amanda (another Spanish home stay student) and other family members that would show up for lunch that day (her sons, granddaughter). Lina is from
Door in Granada
Argentina, but has lived in Granada for 40 years. We loved her gazpacho, lentil soup, fried calamari among other things she cooked.
After lunch we would usually nap and/or do some homework and at 7pm usually head back to the school for an optional culture class. These were exceptional; we had lectures on the Alhambra, the Spanish 2nd republic, cooking, the Spanish Press and a stroll through Granada.
After class we would go for walks around town and tapear (eat tapas). Granada is one of the few places in Spain that you still get a free tapa for every drink you order. Tapas were originally given as an extra (either to cover the drink and/or make sure you did not drink on an empty stomach). We liked walking through Albaicin – the old Muslim neighborhood.
capileira
capileira
The snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range hovers over Granada and was our first stop after renting a car for a week. We stayed in Capileira for a couple of days, one of the white villages, and did some hiking. After that we stopped for a day in Malaga and visited the Picasso Museum that celebrates Malaga’s most famous son. We then spent 3 days in Ronda which is very picturesque – sits on a tall cliff and is connected to the other side of the steep carved river by a 390ft tall bridge. In that area we also did a short hike, visited some more white villages and a winery and tapeared some more 😉
We are now in our second week in Seville – which is as wonderful as everyone says it is. Beautiful city, easy walking, good food…. Our apartment is the central district – easy walking everywhere. Only downside is internet in the apt is not good (we have been spoiled….). We are both taking private Spanish lessons and typically staying at home during the heat of the day. It has only reached 36 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) – and they say we are lucky it can be in the 40’s.
Ronda – Puente Neuve
We emerge from the house after 8pm to stroll/eat or see some music. We’ve been a couple of times at a summer music series in the gardens of the royal alcazar (palace) which have been great.
From our hike yesterday in Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park to the source of Rio Borosa, which originates out of a rock.
Here’s Ofer at the bubbling spring:
I have some more audio from our trip from way back that I have been meaning to share. This is some tarab music from Culture Musical Club. They are one of the two historically important tarab groups in Zanzibar. They still practice daily and this is a recording from the practice.
It’s a small town several hours north of Barcelona, but Figueres is birthplace to larger-than-life Salvador Dali. We were surprised to learn that Teatre-Museu Dali takes second place (after the Prado) for most visited museum in Spain. Not bad for a tiny town tucked away near the French border.
We were in Barcelona for a week. We both took classes to improve our Spanish during the afternoons and stayed with local families. We are touring now for a week and will continue classes in Granada.
On our first day we stumbled across Sardana Dancing at the Cathedral. Here is a snippet of the music:
We also ate very well at lunch – there are great lunch menus – 3 course meals including wine for 10-15 euro. Some pics:
Man in a beret. 1895
Still Life. 1901
If art were food and wine, we’d have gained 300 pounds this past week alone. In our short stint in Barcelona, we have quite stuffed ourselves on Gaudi, Picasso, and Miro.
So far, the most surprising visit has been the Museu Picasso, not your everyday Picasso museum. The collection here chronicles his early years and features sketches and paintings rarely seen in U.S. exhibits. In addition to the usual abstract and Cubist menu, the works highlight Picasso’s very traditional training and feature his drawings, Impressionist-inspired still-lifes and classical oil portraits. One museum monitor aggressively chased out a visitor attempting to steal a snap of L’espera. Photos were strictly prohibited but the museum provides samples from their catalog.
Pitcher. 1914
Portrait of a young girl. 1919
An extra special treat was the Miro Foundation. The curators didn’t do quite as good a job at showing the transformation from Miro’s early years to later ones, but the collection thoroughly displays the influence of Japanese portraiture and calligraphy. In addition to paintings and tapistries, the museum has countless sculptures. Like Picasso, Miro’s classical training is hard to miss in his earlier work in oil and pastel. Tons of other goodies and an excellent catalog found here: Miro Foundation Gallery
And then there’s Antoni Gaudi. I’m not big on churches in general, but in the name of architecture, La Sagrada Familia is worth wading through the throngs of tourists. A few photo ops to demonstrate the very labor intensive feat that is still underway. (Speaking of labor, signs everywhere implored people to keep silent and respect the spirituality of the space. Never mind all the stone grinders and jackhammers.) I’ll let their website handle all the pretty photos. Virtual tour here.
And the buffet continues tomorrow in Figueres, Dali’s hometown.
A few snaps here of Placa Cataluna, where a large group had organized to inform and protest against austerity measures.
