Las Meninas de Ferrol

I find myself in the Bla Bla Café, and can't decide if I'm in Spain, Paris, or London right now. Architecturally, the place is reminiscent of a Parisian café... with a fully stocked bar. The marble floors are alternately checkered black and white, and the molded ceiling dates back to the 1800s. (I know this because it's one of the Modernista buildings in the downtown of Ferrol, right next to one of the city center's three primary plazas.) The walls are red, with black wood paneling, and there's a sophisticated yet funky feeling to the place. The London vibe comes from all the Brits that are here. Apparently the food is good, because I can hear more British English being spoken right now than I have since living in London two years ago. But don't worry, the Spaniards here talk louder, so the English is easily drowned out.

This weekend was absolutely wonderful, but at the moment, my spirits are a little low. On my way here, I went to take out this month's rent from the ATM (cajero), but the machine decided it was hungry, and it ate my only debit card that has been functioning in this country... My other account won't let me withdraw cash, as the bank (despite my letting them know that I was abroad) put a security hold on my cards after I used them in Spain. Thank you faulty American banking systems!!! I can't be very upset, though, as I have accepted this as one of the joys of living abroad, and am somewhat entertained by my luck. At the moment that the ATM ate my card, a Gypsy woman was pinning a Spanish and Galician flag to my coat, telling me that it would bring me good fortune, luck, and love. Oh Irony!

ANYWAY, I have much more interesting things to recount. We've been blessed with a week of uncharacteristically beautiful weather, and I have made it a point to explore as much as possible in the fleeting sunny days here. Thursday and Friday I explored the Northwestern district of the city, the neighborhood known as Canido. For lack of a better word, it was so COOL!! The area is older, and slightly less restored, which, as an American whose not used to old derelict buildings, I love! I wandered the alleyways and found a series of graffiti art of "Meninas." Apparently, last year, a community group sponsored a project in which participants painted the walls with colorful versions of their own "meninas" based off of Velazquez's famous paintings from the 1600s. Last week in Arts and Crafts we studied the painting with the sixth grade class, and I was elated to see the painting reincarnated all over town.

Here's the original painting for reference:


...And one of Picasso's famous reinterpretation just for fun:



....and the Meninas de Ferrol! (I realize that I went a little crazy with the number of photos, but I love them!)

This one may be my favorite: iMenina anyone?

...Wall of Meninas!



Commentary on gender expectation Menina:


"Street Lamp" Menina:



This is my other favorite. It says "The Intruder Menina"I think it should be called GODZILLA MENINA, but whatever. The painting on the left side of the building is of Marie Antoinette from a previous year of mural painting in town.


Hope that was an enjoyable stroll through Ferrol's meninas. There were about thirty more, but I don't want to bore you all. As I was taking my first picture of the meninas a local woman saw me, and started telling me all about the project. Unfortunately, her accent was so thick that most of it was lost on me, but she did point me in the direction of more meninas. As you can see, I found quite a few. This is what I like about Ferrol. Around every corner there is something unexpected. This "sleepy and grey" port town as so many call it is proving itself to be anything but. It may be a little sleepy during the day, especially during siesta, but people here live in the streets. The city livens up in the evening, and on the weekends, people stay out until the sun rises at nine in the morning. The people, the bars, the food, and now even the walls are colorful, loud, lively and diverse.

Up next... the Castillo de San Felipe!