Just a break from the Spain journal...
Today at lunch Tommy, Dan, Ed and I decided to have lunch at Ale House. Parking lot was relatively empty so I helped myself and parked the MDX in what I guess was once a space for a dumpster. No dividing lines, no handicap signs, no nothing. The guys gave me hell about parking the SUV in the middle of the huge space, but hey what can I say? I'm a selfish SOB. At least that's what someone else thought when we came back and found this on my truck...
Awesome!
Friday, October 07, 2005
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Each generation came out and did their thing and at the end they started to bring us up to dance. I felt compelled to show them new steps to "freshen up" their act, such as the Sprinkler, the Beavis and Butthead Booty Smack and a club favorite, the Pole Dancer. They all seemed into it - well at least I thought they were, but it could've been the Sangria talking! You know how we do! Yeah yayaaah!
Once the show started we were immersed in their music and dance style. Two guitars and a makeshift bass drum were all that were needed to perform. Twirling, brightly colored dresses intermingled with the stomping of their heels (the little girl even stomped on my foot!) made for quite a show. You could see the intensity they put into each performance.
"Spanish Gypsy—the words themselves conjure up the sound of castanets, heels tapping the floor, plaintive yet passionate singing and the unforgettable sight of a seductive figure, back arched, skirts swirling, dancing with fierce grace. This creature, this stereotype, has been all but synonymous with Spain since the 19th century, and there are no signs that her power as a national icon is on the wane."
-From The Spanish Gypsy, The History of a European Obsession By Lou Charnon-Deutsch
-From The Spanish Gypsy, The History of a European Obsession By Lou Charnon-Deutsch
Our guide explained that the walls were somewhat porous so it was always warm in the winter and cool in the summer (maybe 70 degrees year round). They allowed us to explore their home with no hesitation. it ended up being three floors with plumbing for the bathroom out back and electricity fed in thru a series of extension cords (internet access as well). The place was cozy enough - definitely not a "cave" in the typical sense. There was even another room in the process of being added on - a giant hole dug out.
What we saw were homes dug into the mountainside that people STILL lived in. Each room no wider than maybe 9 feet and each wall about 1.5 feet thick, these were home to about 7,000 of the maybe 27,000 inhabitants of Gaudix and gaining in popularity. I expected it to be a "model home", but was surprised to discover that a family actually lived here.
Once back at the hotel, I was struck by the dreaded 24 hour virus going around our tour group. I decided to bail out of the night's dinner excursion to have Paella. Seafood was the last thing on my mind once I was hugging the porcelain bowl in the bathroom (coincidentally "See Food" was exactly what I got to do throwing up all through the night). El took pity on me and brought me back crackers and Sprite to ease my stomach. I'm out for the rest of the night...
As soon as we got down to beach level we were pretty hungry and decided to locate a decent looking cafe for a quick bite. One thing that immediately evident to me was the beach was TOPLESS. Awesome - kinda. You usually have two varietals sprouting on a topless beach - hot European women or really out of shape old people in speedos. I think at this time it probably more of the older crowd with a small group or two of younger people. Eew.
With any group of people looking for some place to eat, there's always some disagreement about where to go. We had 45 minutes and I was all for ANY spot quick. Jen and El were of the mindset to find the "Perfect" spot which ended up eating more time. Once we found a really nice one we tried to order as quick as we could. Unfortunately, Spanish time is a little slower so it took quite awhile to get all of our food. We basically had 10 minutes to get our food, eat, pay and run back to the bus. Luckily Raul, Sr. and Silvia were eating with Lupe and Miguel next to us so we asked Raul to translate to the manager and waiter that we were running late. We ate as quick as we could, paid and ran off to catch Raul and crew already at the bus. 15 minutes late on any guided tour is VERY late. We got the stink eye from some of our traveling companions along with a tongue lashing from Marte. C'mon it was our first time to be late and we weren't even the absolute last ones on the bus!
With any group of people looking for some place to eat, there's always some disagreement about where to go. We had 45 minutes and I was all for ANY spot quick. Jen and El were of the mindset to find the "Perfect" spot which ended up eating more time. Once we found a really nice one we tried to order as quick as we could. Unfortunately, Spanish time is a little slower so it took quite awhile to get all of our food. We basically had 10 minutes to get our food, eat, pay and run back to the bus. Luckily Raul, Sr. and Silvia were eating with Lupe and Miguel next to us so we asked Raul to translate to the manager and waiter that we were running late. We ate as quick as we could, paid and ran off to catch Raul and crew already at the bus. 15 minutes late on any guided tour is VERY late. We got the stink eye from some of our traveling companions along with a tongue lashing from Marte. C'mon it was our first time to be late and we weren't even the absolute last ones on the bus!
Once we were in Peniscola we were greeted by sharp salty air. You could tell everyone was looking forward to spending sometime on the beach. Traveling and exploring cities are great, but usually El and I gravitate towards the more rural areas and this was just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately we barely had three hours to soak in the beach so we had two options presented us. We could make our way up the fortress looking buildings or hit the beach and relax.
Peniscola and Valencia
DAY 5
After a nice two-day stay in Barcelona, we were out of the hotel early once again to make our way south to Valencia. But before we were to reach Valencia we were planning on a pitstop in the beach resort of Peniscola (NOT PENIS Cola, but peh-niss-coh-lah). Since we left Madrid we've had very hot weather, rainy weather or slightly chilly weather, but since we were moving closer to the coast I was looking forward to some nice breezy weather with no humidity. It was a fairly long drive. I usually use this time to catch on some much needed sleep - usually my nights consist of repacking my suitcase, recharging the laptop and camera, uploading and editing photos. Kinda starting to feel like work!
After a nice two-day stay in Barcelona, we were out of the hotel early once again to make our way south to Valencia. But before we were to reach Valencia we were planning on a pitstop in the beach resort of Peniscola (NOT PENIS Cola, but peh-niss-coh-lah). Since we left Madrid we've had very hot weather, rainy weather or slightly chilly weather, but since we were moving closer to the coast I was looking forward to some nice breezy weather with no humidity. It was a fairly long drive. I usually use this time to catch on some much needed sleep - usually my nights consist of repacking my suitcase, recharging the laptop and camera, uploading and editing photos. Kinda starting to feel like work!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Only a couple of families bought into the community and built houses. Today the land is still privately owned by the same families and is considered a national treasure. Too late to build now if you wanted to! Our guide also told us that the family that did buy into the property years ago also introduced South American parrots to the community, which ended up blossoming into a flock. The only ones Ryan and I ever saw were the stone gray variety which we kept pointing out to everyone. Later they told me they were pigeons.
Antonio Gaudi's concepted residential area/marketplace
We ate lunch and shopped for trinkets at Montserrat and then made our journey back down the mountain to see another of Antonio Gaudi's amazing creations, a residential community planned by him. Once there it's immediately evident with his rock carved designs and bright color mosaics. He pitched this community with little success. It featured "gingerbread" looking houses and a column festooned market place (which was never used as such) that was designed to capture rainwater and thus supply the community's plumbing and excellent acoustics that it was to be used as a concert/dance hall in the evening. On top of the market place is a walking/sitting area spotlighting the world's largest mosaic covered benched which were designed to be very comfortable to lean back on.
The crowd patiently waiting for the choirboys to perform was enormous. In addition to that was the LONG line that wrapped around outside the Cathedral, up the stairs to the Black Madonna. People came from all over to touch the Madonna if they wished to improve their chances of having a baby. We would've liked to have done this, as well, but time was too short.
Our next stop was to the mountains to Montserrat, a monastery which featured an all boys' choir famous in Spain. People from all over travel thru the steep roads to see the boys. During, Napoleon's army destroyed the monastery and executing almost all the monks during the early 1800's. A few escaped and in the mid 1850's the monastery was rebuilt.
Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah Gaudi's Cathedral was cool. Planned about 200 years ago and carved by Gaudi it was never completed and to this day is still under construction. Originally designed to represent the 12 Apostles, the building is truly unique in its look. The explanation, not surprisingly, was that Gaudi was a bit of a heroin addict. Of course the materials to construct it have been replaced by a cheaper concrete and artists are contracted who can emulate his very cubist/organic look.
Here's a detail of the amount off work and detail Gaudi put into this monument.
Here's a detail of the amount off work and detail Gaudi put into this monument.
Barcelona and Montserrat
DAY 4
After only a couple hours of sleep and a good cry from El all night we got up to board the bus and check out the Gaudi Cathedral, the Sagrada Familia. Antonio Gaudi was one of the Spanish artists I got a minor in art history studying at SCAD so I was kind off stoked to check out his work, but that damn ring was on my mindd. During breakfast I got word that Pepe was already downstairs (7am!) and I left my food untouched to search on the bus once more. He had been unsuccessful in looking that morning and I was pretty much resigned that it was gone.
The trip led to a minor argument with El (somehow I was responsible for it happening) that kind took the wind out of our sails. I guess it showed on our faces. We got off once at our destination, but I was too upset to pay attention. After a brief restroom break Marte got the call from Pepe "He found it!" wedged between seats on a metal railing underneath. Yay! I RAN all the way back to the bus to retrieve it and give Pepe his reward of 100 Euros, which he refused. Everyone on the bus was also relieved to hear the good news.
After only a couple hours of sleep and a good cry from El all night we got up to board the bus and check out the Gaudi Cathedral, the Sagrada Familia. Antonio Gaudi was one of the Spanish artists I got a minor in art history studying at SCAD so I was kind off stoked to check out his work, but that damn ring was on my mindd. During breakfast I got word that Pepe was already downstairs (7am!) and I left my food untouched to search on the bus once more. He had been unsuccessful in looking that morning and I was pretty much resigned that it was gone.
The trip led to a minor argument with El (somehow I was responsible for it happening) that kind took the wind out of our sails. I guess it showed on our faces. We got off once at our destination, but I was too upset to pay attention. After a brief restroom break Marte got the call from Pepe "He found it!" wedged between seats on a metal railing underneath. Yay! I RAN all the way back to the bus to retrieve it and give Pepe his reward of 100 Euros, which he refused. Everyone on the bus was also relieved to hear the good news
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