Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Sunday, July 02, 2017
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Grand Tour, Day 39: Madrid Thursday
On our last full day in Europe, Mari, Emi and I are up at 9 and take a bus to the Plaza de Neptuno to shop for gifts for the Texas Bentons. After some successes, Mari heads home in anticipation of a lunch meeting with a college friend, and Emilio and I head to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum of Art.
I take lots of pictures of Emilio interacting with the art.
Here he is with "Venus and Cupid" (1606-1611) by Peter Paul Rubens.
And here he is with "The Madonna of the Village" (1938-1942) by Marc Chagall.
At 2 pm, we take a bus back home.
I take lots of pictures of Emilio interacting with the art.
At 2 pm, we take a bus back home.
Lunch is potatoes, melon, gazpacho, and mascarpone.
Gimena comes and then Mari, and they go to Madrid Rio park with the kids and Maria Rosa, while I take a bus to Plaza Mayor to buy a high school graduation gift for Olivia.
After I drop off Olivia's gift at the apartment, I meet everyone at Madrid Rio, where we head to the Ruiz Blanco's favorite Madrid heladeria. I give highest marks to the nectarine gelato that Emilio orders, and the strawberry is the best we've had.
We stop for a photo mini-shoot on the way back to the apartment. Above: Maria Rosa, sus hijas, y sus nietos.
Mari and I make one last grocery run in search of a few favorite foods that we can pack home with us (including Almagro gazpacho and olives without pits for me), and then we eat our last Madrid supper: beans, melon, gazpacho, papas, salad with hard-boiled egg. Mari has a steak. We pack.
And then Maria Rosa wins the final Carioca.
And then Maria Rosa wins the final Carioca.
We get to bed after midnight.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Grand Tour, Day 38: Madrid Wednesday
Mari and I go shopping for gifts for the Texas Bentons, while the kids stay at home with los abuelos. On the Metro to Callao, an Ecuadorian combo plays an old favorite that Mercedes Sosa made famous--"Solo le pido a Dios." They earn a subsidy from Mari (translated lyric: "I only ask God/that the world not be indifferent;/It's a big monster and it stomps/on the poor innocence of the people").
We walk to la Puerta del Sol and then to La Plaza Mayor, to Lavapies, and finally to Embajadores, where Mari has a 2:30 lunch date with Gime. I walk home from there and have lunch with Jaime and Maria Rosa at 3:00--melon, gazpacho, and queso manchego.
At 5 pm, while Maria Rosa and Jaime nap, I take a bus to Atocha and explore the shops near la plaza de Neptuno. After confirmgin that this will be a good shopping spot, I take bus #34 back home, arrving at 6:15, and take a shower.
Maria Rosa's friend Emilia visits and brings a generous array of gifts for the kids--a notebook and charcoals, pastels, pencils, eraser and a manipulable wooden model for Emi; a portfolio for Pablo; and a bag and sunglasses for Nina.
Nina and I have plans for the evening that begin with a walk through my old neighborhood and the apartment at #8 on Carlos Arniches street where I lived from 1992 to 1993.
At 7:55, we get orange juice and a Coke Zero at the bar, which we take with us into the show space when the doors open at 8:05. Our seats are on the front row, which has three wooden folding chairs on each side of a single aisle.
The leader of the performing group is a tall, expressive, extremely skinny male singer with large hands (that's him on the left in the photo above--which I did not take). He is accompanied by a guitarist (Jorge) who has long curly black hair (not the guy above), and two dancers: Maria José (who wears a dress with geometric circles--I think that's her in a different dress in the photo above) and a diminutive Marta. They are talented. One of the things I love most about flamenco is how much the performers encourage each other, audibly cheering for one another and watching each other with intense focus.
Flamenco's home is in Andalucia, and its aesthetic is haunted by ancient connections to the Arabic culture that reigned in southern Spain from the 8th to the 15th centuries. But as some say is the case with American jazz music, its market has uprooted it from the culture that gave it life. Most flamenco performances in Madrid are produced for tourists. The performance Nina and I see is not independent of that market. But as far as flamenco for tourists go, it is a good one, enhanced by the small venue, the glitz-free off-the-beaten-path show space, and the fact that the performers we see are not performing together in the same space twice a day six days a week. With audiences this small, they are not in this for the money.
Sharing this outing with Nina is one of my favorite experiences of the summer.
The 8-minute video above was filmed in the winter/spring of 2017, and it was released just a few days before Nina and I saw the flamenco performance at Sala Juglar. I am confident that the dancer identified as "Susi" is the dancer I identified as "Maria Jose." I guess I got the name wrong.
The performance ends around 9:05. Nina and I take the long way back via la Puerta del Sol, where we buy a - formaggio pizza slice for Nina. World Gay Pride day has taken over Sol. It is so packed with people that the police disallow further entry just after we make our way into the mess. The music is loud, crowds are thick, and we barely make it through.
We have dinner at home, and Rita and Uxue join us for a sleepover.
We walk to la Puerta del Sol and then to La Plaza Mayor, to Lavapies, and finally to Embajadores, where Mari has a 2:30 lunch date with Gime. I walk home from there and have lunch with Jaime and Maria Rosa at 3:00--melon, gazpacho, and queso manchego.
At 5 pm, while Maria Rosa and Jaime nap, I take a bus to Atocha and explore the shops near la plaza de Neptuno. After confirmgin that this will be a good shopping spot, I take bus #34 back home, arrving at 6:15, and take a shower.
Maria Rosa's friend Emilia visits and brings a generous array of gifts for the kids--a notebook and charcoals, pastels, pencils, eraser and a manipulable wooden model for Emi; a portfolio for Pablo; and a bag and sunglasses for Nina.
Flamenco's home is in Andalucia, and its aesthetic is haunted by ancient connections to the Arabic culture that reigned in southern Spain from the 8th to the 15th centuries. But as some say is the case with American jazz music, its market has uprooted it from the culture that gave it life. Most flamenco performances in Madrid are produced for tourists. The performance Nina and I see is not independent of that market. But as far as flamenco for tourists go, it is a good one, enhanced by the small venue, the glitz-free off-the-beaten-path show space, and the fact that the performers we see are not performing together in the same space twice a day six days a week. With audiences this small, they are not in this for the money.
Sharing this outing with Nina is one of my favorite experiences of the summer.
The 8-minute video above was filmed in the winter/spring of 2017, and it was released just a few days before Nina and I saw the flamenco performance at Sala Juglar. I am confident that the dancer identified as "Susi" is the dancer I identified as "Maria Jose." I guess I got the name wrong.
The performance ends around 9:05. Nina and I take the long way back via la Puerta del Sol, where we buy a - formaggio pizza slice for Nina. World Gay Pride day has taken over Sol. It is so packed with people that the police disallow further entry just after we make our way into the mess. The music is loud, crowds are thick, and we barely make it through.
We have dinner at home, and Rita and Uxue join us for a sleepover.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Grand Tour, Day 37: From Malaga to Madrid
We pack in the morning, move our luggage out of the apartments by 10:30, and the Ruiz-Bentons walk to El Castillo de Gibralfarol, the last holdout in the siege of Malaga in 1487.
It's quite a climb to the top of the Gibralfaro, which is 130 meters tall (about 40 stories). According to my good friends at Wikipedia, there has been a fortress on top of this hill since the Phoenicians first settled here in 770 BCE.
At the beginning of the 14th century, Yusuf the I built a castle here that was believed to be the most impregnable fortress on the peninsula. In 1487, soldiers under the command of Fernando of Aragon and Isabel of Castilla laid siege to the fortress. After a three-month siege, hunger forced the castle's defenders to surrender. In the photo above of the Ruiz-Bentons in the castle, you can see the Malaga Cathedral in the city below. Construction of the Cathedral began in 1528, when Felipe II was king of Spain.
La plaza de toros de la Malagueta is visible from the path that leads to the top of the Gibralfaro. It was built in 1876.
Halfway down the hill, we took a lollipop breather and listened to a talented guitarist. It was an idyllic moment.
At 1:30, we meet los abuelos for lunch at el Asador Ovidio, where we order paella, ensalada de tomates, papas de bastón, and aceitunas.
At 2:30, we shop at Zara, buy two dresses for Nina, and then head for--what else?--the ice cream shop. Pablo promptly drops his scoop, but the ice cream server gives him a free replacement.
At 3:30, we meet up at the hotel and begin walking to the taxi stop. At 4, we park our bags in the station's waiting room and take a stroll in the station's shopping area.
At 4:35, we leave the waiting room, and at 5:00 we take train #29--our last--of the summer
The landscape between Malaga and Madrid is a impossibly colorful: brilliant blue skies surround low flying clouds, which cast dark shadows on dusty olive trees that cast their own shadows on the red earth of the hills and plains below. I spot a crumbling castle in the Guadalrezas valley, between Urda and los Yebenes which was built by Arabs during their conquest of the peninsula. After Alfonso VI conquered Toledo in the 11th century, this castle occupied a crucial position on the frontier between Christian and Muslim Iberia. Christians took control of it in the 12th century; Muslim reclaimed it in 1195, and Christians took it back for good in 1212.
Not much farther north, I spy the Castillo de Orgaz, which, according to Wikipedia, was built in the 14th century and became the home of the Ruiz family of Toledo. If Ruiz were not such a common name in Spanish, it would be easier for me to imagine Mari and our kids' ancestors living there.
At 7:45, we arrive in Madrid, and I'm surprised by how cool it is. Two taxis take us to la casa de los abuelos on la calle de Toledo.
Soon after we arrive, we are visited by Mari's cousin Gonzalo and his girlfriend, Karina, who are visiting from Argentina. We haven't seen Gonzalo in 19 years, which is when Mari and I last visited Buenos Aires.
Karina and Gonzalo join us on a walk through Madrid Rio park, which had not been developed when I lived in Madrid. In the photos above and below, we are on the footbridge la Pasarela de Arganzuela, which was built in 2011.
On our way back, we crossed the Toledo Bridge, which was built between 1718 and 1732. It is also a pedestrian bridge now.
The bridge features a monument to Santa Maria de la Cabeza, who was married to Isidro, the patron saint of Madrid. I'm not sure who the headless statue-boy between Santa Maria and Pablo is, but Maria's head was cut off and preserved as a relic in the San Isidro church in Madrid. Some people pray to her for help with headaches. Presumably, she can empathize with them.
For dinner, we enjoy gazpacho, queso manchego, aceitunas, Coca Zero,and a cool breeze.
Jaime plays disc jockey--a role he has mastered--and the night's soundtrack features Willie Nelson duets, highlights from 25 years of the Jazz Festival in Victoria, and Yo Yo Ma playing Ennio Moricone soundtrack compositions.
Mari, Karina, Emilio and Nina are vanquished by Gonzalo in a late-night game of Carioca, and we all head to bed at 1:30 a.m.
At 2:30, we shop at Zara, buy two dresses for Nina, and then head for--what else?--the ice cream shop. Pablo promptly drops his scoop, but the ice cream server gives him a free replacement.
At 3:30, we meet up at the hotel and begin walking to the taxi stop. At 4, we park our bags in the station's waiting room and take a stroll in the station's shopping area.
At 4:35, we leave the waiting room, and at 5:00 we take train #29--our last--of the summer
The landscape between Malaga and Madrid is a impossibly colorful: brilliant blue skies surround low flying clouds, which cast dark shadows on dusty olive trees that cast their own shadows on the red earth of the hills and plains below. I spot a crumbling castle in the Guadalrezas valley, between Urda and los Yebenes which was built by Arabs during their conquest of the peninsula. After Alfonso VI conquered Toledo in the 11th century, this castle occupied a crucial position on the frontier between Christian and Muslim Iberia. Christians took control of it in the 12th century; Muslim reclaimed it in 1195, and Christians took it back for good in 1212.
Not much farther north, I spy the Castillo de Orgaz, which, according to Wikipedia, was built in the 14th century and became the home of the Ruiz family of Toledo. If Ruiz were not such a common name in Spanish, it would be easier for me to imagine Mari and our kids' ancestors living there.
At 7:45, we arrive in Madrid, and I'm surprised by how cool it is. Two taxis take us to la casa de los abuelos on la calle de Toledo.
Karina and Gonzalo join us on a walk through Madrid Rio park, which had not been developed when I lived in Madrid. In the photos above and below, we are on the footbridge la Pasarela de Arganzuela, which was built in 2011.
On our way back, we crossed the Toledo Bridge, which was built between 1718 and 1732. It is also a pedestrian bridge now.
For dinner, we enjoy gazpacho, queso manchego, aceitunas, Coca Zero,and a cool breeze.
Jaime plays disc jockey--a role he has mastered--and the night's soundtrack features Willie Nelson duets, highlights from 25 years of the Jazz Festival in Victoria, and Yo Yo Ma playing Ennio Moricone soundtrack compositions.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Grand Tour, Day 36: Malaga Monday
We're up and headed to the beach at 11.
Today's beach play features paletas (paddle ball).
Pablo is all in.
I have a lot of fun taking photos of the kids jumping waves (as the record shows).
After a beach lunch featuring tortilla and tomatoes, we head back at 5:10.
The photo above shows Pablo just before he was attacked by an aggressive albatross.
Or it shows Pablo posing with a photo in an outdoor plaza exhibit featuring work by Sebastião Saugado, which Pablo and I explore while the rest of the gang hangs out in the apartment.
I call this photo: "Pablo considers a new haircut."
Pablo and a Funhouse mirror? One of these two figures is a sea lion from the South Georgia. You decide which one.
According to my good friends at Wikipedia, the Cathedral in Malaga was finished in 1782, when Carlos III was king of Spain.
After eating dinner en la habitacion de los abuelos, we go out for a late night ice cream dessert.
After everybody else checks in for the night, Emilio and I go on a very long, late-night walk to the port, the lighthouse, and the beach.
In December 1990, I left this port in a boat headed for Algeria on an adventure that included a very long bus ride from Oran to Ghardaia in the Sahara. I was reading Don Quixote at the time, and I have vivid memory of looking through the window of the bus at a pack of wild dogs trotting along together on a featureless plain.
Emi and I got back to the apartment at midnight.
Pablo is all in.
I have a lot of fun taking photos of the kids jumping waves (as the record shows).
After a beach lunch featuring tortilla and tomatoes, we head back at 5:10.
The photo above shows Pablo just before he was attacked by an aggressive albatross.
Or it shows Pablo posing with a photo in an outdoor plaza exhibit featuring work by Sebastião Saugado, which Pablo and I explore while the rest of the gang hangs out in the apartment.
I call this photo: "Pablo considers a new haircut."
Pablo and a Funhouse mirror? One of these two figures is a sea lion from the South Georgia. You decide which one.
According to my good friends at Wikipedia, the Cathedral in Malaga was finished in 1782, when Carlos III was king of Spain.
After eating dinner en la habitacion de los abuelos, we go out for a late night ice cream dessert.
After everybody else checks in for the night, Emilio and I go on a very long, late-night walk to the port, the lighthouse, and the beach.
In December 1990, I left this port in a boat headed for Algeria on an adventure that included a very long bus ride from Oran to Ghardaia in the Sahara. I was reading Don Quixote at the time, and I have vivid memory of looking through the window of the bus at a pack of wild dogs trotting along together on a featureless plain.
Emi and I got back to the apartment at midnight.
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