L'Oceanografic

L'Oceanografic

Fallas

Valencia - First night

After weeks of debating what city to travel to for Semana Santa I finally decided that the eastern sea town of Valencia would be the best choice. Valencia would be celebrating Fallas, a five-day annual celebration complete with fireworks and huge styrofoam artwork which at the end of the week, is burned down in the streets for all to see. It celebrates the spring and rebirth, a time to begin anew, to have a fresh start.
I chose to travel on my own with the hopes of meeting new people in a hostel, which I didn't expect to be so difficult being that I'm a gregarious, easy-going person. As I searched the internet for hostels, I was horrified to find that every hostel was booked, it was after all, just a month before the event. I found only one hostel that had available beds, with a disclaimer on the bottom stating that in order to reserve the bed you would have to pay the sum (which had been grossly inflated) in advance and reserve it for all 5 nights of fallas, this hostel which was normally 18euro a night, was going for 50 euro a night (the demand for a bed obviously being the cause of the surge in price). Flustered, and very eager to see the famous fiesta, I booked the bed, paying more than I had to spend, assuring myself that it would be worth it in the end.
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Downtown Valencia, where the train station meets the bull fighinting ring. The yellow farolas, streetlamps, make this city enchanting by night.


By far, one of the most elaborate fallas displayed at the festival. The photograph doesn't quite capture the immensity of this art piece, but as you can see, it surpasses the height of the surrounding apartment buildings. Every one was bright, big and incredibly detailed.


Petardos are firecrackers. They are used ad nauseum during the fallas celebration. Throughout the night you can see little kids, some no older than 5 years old, lighting firecrackers, that are dangerous not so much because of the sparks they produce, but rather for the deafening noise they let out.


Each fallas has a theme, like this one which has choosen to take an Under the Sea approach.


Valencia is the home of Paella, that very famous yellow rice dish complete with saffron and shellfish. In this photograph, two men are cooking Paella for a private party in giant pans on the street. This is essentially the Valencian outdoor bbq. While we in the US cook burgers and ribs on a charcoal grill, they simmer their paella in wide pans atop flaming logs.

My sister, the entrepreneur

Hey, so enough about Spain, you wanna know what´s going on in the states? My sister is what´s going on... she just opened a charming little shop in Portland, Oregon called Hermitage. It sells extraordinary wallpapers and unique home accessories. Check out her shops website at http://hermitagepdx.wordpress.com/. I think this place is gonna be big. She just launched it a couple months ago and things are moving pretty slow, but that´s to be expected. She´s got everything in place, the look, the publicity (Lucky magazine is doing a spread on the shop) and a good location. Check out the prints she has on her site, I´m telling you, wallpaper is the next big thing. If you know anyone in Portland, ask, no, tell them to check it out!

Old Spanish Ladies

You know how old ladies dress in the states, don't you? White sneakers, linen pants, and an oversized pastel shirt, maybe throw in a visor. You wouldn't catch a Spanish woman dead in that kind of outfit. Even though they have swollen cankles and a serious case of scoliosis, you'll still find them dressed a hell of a lot better than me wearing chanel-esque dress suits, high heels and tons of make-up and hairspray. It must take them hours to get ready in the morning. Oh ya, and each of them has a little fluffy white dog being dragged next to them.

Simple Pleasures

These two new purchases: a leafy house plant from the flower shop next door and a bright shower curtain from IKEA have increased my happy meter by 5 points. My apartment is looking more and more like a home and it's becoming really nice to walk in that front door and sit down and see that these two pretty new things are mine. (I don't have much money to spend on "stuff" so these little things, some would say insignificant things, tend to make my day).

Málaga-Day 2

Andalucia is very catholic and it's where the most extravagant celebrations take place during holy week (the week before Easter) which is called Semana Santa in Spanish. This is a photograph I took in one of Málaga's cathedrals of the iconic Andalucian image of Christ carrying the cross, it has a very baroque style with the Virgin looking down on him. I thought it was really tacky that this church used coin operated electric candles for prayer, they just seem so artificial and uninspiring.






I spotted this big dove-hand statue in the main pedestrian street of the city. I thought it was perdy. Just as a note, Málaga is the birthplace of Picasso (as well as the less respected Antonio Banderas) and so many public displays pay homage to him, his work and ideas. Visiting he Picasso Museum on my last day is one of the best memories I have of the trip.


Beautiful orange trees, like this one, were everywhere. This, plus the palm trees and ocean breeze, gave the city such a clean and fresh atmosphere. A real change from Madrid.






Exploring the pretty yellow side streets.

















Street musicians are all over the place in Spain. Everyday on my way to work, I hear trumpets and accordians play. I like it, it's a nice soundtrack to add to your daily commute when you don't have an ipod.

























The Alcazaba (which is Arabic for fortress) is the name of the great stone wall surrounding the historic district of the city. Located on the port, overlooking the ocean, it's over 1000 years old and is the best preserved arabic fortress in Spain. I got a girlfriend to snap a picture of me with the water to my back.




























Paco's mother invited us over for a big Paella dinner. We started with a dish of unshelled shrimp... very typical in Spain. After shelling it, I dug out the poop lines with a knife, the mom probably though I was just another crazy American. They were quite tasty actually. There were 12 of us, so the paella dish was huge. It was the first time I'd had homemade paella. Clams, muscles, chicken and cod were all thrown into the mix... muscles are the only thing I still can't stomach.



The beach was pretty chilly and windy but we still chose to stroll along the shore and pick up sea glass and shells. Then we sat down at a cafe and sipped coffee and chatted about this and that. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Málaga-Day 1

Paco lives in Madrid but was born in Málaga, a beach town in the southern province of Andalucia. He planned a weekend trip with some friends, myself included, to celebrate his 25th birthday down in his home turf. I left Friday afternoon on the AV (alta-velocidad, high-speed) train and arrived in 2.5 hours. Some others took the bus which took a grueling 6.5 hours. Since I was the first to arrive at the hostel, I mingled with some other travelers and met a nice Argentine fellow, Nico, and an older Welsh man, Andrew. The hostel was one of the best I've stayed at, with good prices, comfortable beds and hot showers. It had a very Andaluz vibe, comfy ottomans and sofas and colorful walls and rich tapestries. A total of eight of us, including Paco, traveled down from Madrid. Four stayed at Paco's parents house and the rest of us in the city center at this hostel.

Upon exiting the train station, I was welcomed by a warm sun and fresh air. I could smell the ocean, such a joy that was. Lately I've become really sour about the pollution in Madrid. I feel like I'm constantly breathing in exhaust and cigarette smoke. It's so bad the city actually recommends people not exercising outside. So taking in a breath of clean air and feeling the breeze of the ocean was an absolute delight. I walked to the hostel and thoroughly enjoyed the sights on the way. Everything looked so clean and there were so many narrow, winding streets paved in marble, it had such a warm, small town feel. After putting my things down at the hostel, Paco, Sonya, Thomas and Katie picked me up... they chose to drive instead of take the bus from Madrid. We then headed towards Paco's parents place. They had a very nice apartment with a terrace overlooking the ocean. We hung out there for a few hours, drinking some beers, chatting and playing with his little dog Monk, named after the tv series detective whose show is apparently very popular in Spain.

After everyone took a shower and got a chance to rest after the long car ride, we headed back to the center for dinner and drinks. Since we were all on a budget, Paco took us to this cute little corner stand that could only be identified by a sign above the window "PATATAS ASADAS" (baked potatoes). For 4-5 euros, you get a giant baked potato filled with anything you want. I got the Patata Pollo which came with chicken, cheese, bechamel, and corn. Other toppings included olives, ham, curry, carrots, mayo, beets, tuna, etc. Even though the photo looks like cat vomit, it was totally yummy and filling.

After the meal, Kristen and Heather showed up fresh off the bus. One of Paco's old friends Antonio also came, having picked up the girls from the station. Together we headed to a famous old Andaluz bar called El Pimpi. It was packed. We finally found a table though and ordered a typical sweet wine from the region called Moscatel. It tasted what I imagine prune juice mixed with wine would taste like--pretty yummy actually. They serve it in a small glass which you're supposed to sip from, it's about 16% alcohol so you feel the effects pretty fast.

Thomas and Paco, the birthday boy. I actually met Paco through Thomas who went to CU-Boulder with me. We had a Spanish class together in Fall 2006 but didn't really get to know each other. We both applied for the Spain program (without knowing the other had) and six months later coincidently ran into each other at a cafe after orientation in Madrid. We became reaquainted, exchanged numbers and have been close friends ever since.

Me and Katie, one of Thomas and Paco's roommates. She's from Southern London, a very sweet girl.










Antonio, Heather and Sonya. Sonya is the final roommate, living with Katie, Thomas and Paco. Not long after moving in, she and Paco began dating and are now a couple. Sonya is also from San Diego, from Rancho Bernardo.






Drinking in a big outdoor square near El Pimpi. Beer in Madrid costs anywhere between 3-5 euros. In Málaga, it was only 1.20 euro. It was wonderful!

Going to see Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds!!!

I couldn't be more excited!! I fell in love with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds while in Buenos Aires and have always thought they would put on an excellent concert. For graduation, Chell gave me the new release from Grinderman, Cave's side band, which has a much grittier sound than his earlier stuff but is still top notch. Anything that man puts out is gold.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will release their 14th album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig! on March 3rd. The show is in Barcelona on April 25th! I've invited Laura, an old friend of my sister Jennifer who is living in Barcelona, teaching English like me. She's also a big fan. Check out their music video for one of my favorites, Stagger Lee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lneSAju-Xtc. I get the feeling that he and David Lynch would get along just fine... I think they could produce something incredible if they collaborated together on a music video or film.