Hola a Todos!!
I hate beginning every new blog post
with an apology, but here we go... I'm sorry I'm so late posting
AGAIN!!! This month has been absolutely hectic. In the best of ways, but
hectic nonetheless. It's left me with very little time to work on this
blog. Needless to say, the pace of life in Madrid is much, MUCH faster
than in Ferrol. My goal here has been to involve myself in as much
music and theatre as possible, and I'm getting closer every day. I've
gotten to know some great venues in this city, and will get some
features up about them soon, I promise.
A few weeks
ago, I discovered the Taberna Elisa, an Irish pub walking distance from
my house in the Barrio de las Letras, where there are folk jams almost
every night. Sundays are Bluegrass jams, Mondays are Irish, Tuesdays are
Galician/ Scottish themed, and Friday nights are open to everything. I
learned some fabulous Basque tunes last week. The "ambiente" is young,
alive, open, and very, VERY fun!
But, enough about
Madrid. Three weeks ago, I went to Barcelona, and lived out every
American's cliché of the town. I wandered around during the days drinking
in the history, street art, and liveliness in the gothic quarter, and spent the nights
playing music and eating tapas.
I'll begin with the classic touristy things. A friend of Vero's accompanied me through the city, and showed me the sights! First stop: The old Plaza de Toros that's been converted into a Mall. There is the most striking juxtaposition of old and new in this country, it's astounding.
From the roof of the Plaza de Toros mall is a breathtaking view of Montjuic, and the Palau Nacional, which is home to the National Art Museum of Catalonia. Hector decided to make the photo a little artsy.
Hector! I love this man!
Seagull eating something dead. reminded me too much of a Hitchcock film, so I had to photograph it.
Here's the view from Montjuic over the city. On the right you can see the Plaza de Toros mall. :-)
This was a performer. He was an incredible contortionist, but I unfortunately didn't get any good photos of him bending his body in half. But believe it, he did. Here he is doing a headstand on the pavement. And no, his hands are not touching the ground or supporting any of his weight.
Another seagull....
...And more amazing views...
La Sagrada Familia and it's ever present construction cranes.
This is the Olympic Stadium of Barcelona, built almost a century ago. It's been host to numerous Olympics, and yet retains the integrity of the old structure. It's located right behind the National Gallery building.
Olympic Torch!!!! What!?
Another view...
Every night at seven pm, the fountain at the Gallery turns into a light and music show. There must have been over a thousand people there. And yes, it was quite beautiful and impressive.
Daylight turned into evening, and that night, a close
friend of mine, and very talented musican, Veronica Valois held a
concert in the Parque Ciutadella in Barcelona. She performed in a gazebo
in the park after hours, and it was magical.
I was lucky enough to be
able to accompany her in a song on violin, and below is the link! I
also sang "Amazing Grace" in remembrance of Jon Brown, a friend who
passed away, and his late father as well. I dedicate this song to Jon's mother, Lois. I lit a candle, and sang this for her. The first link is "Amazing Grace," and the second is a song of Veronica's with my violin.
Laura Benson y Veronica Valois - actuación Barcelona
The next day, we took advantage of the beautiful weather in sunny Cataluña, and wandered around Las Ramblas. The photos can speak for themselves in this case I think!
And our Lunch!! One of the amazing tapas we devoured.
We then drove our butts back to Madrid in a seven hour car ride through the countryside. This is what Cataluña looks like outside of the city:
Here's a cemetery on the hill leaving Barcelona. Quite impressive.
That's all for now! I hope the plethora of photos makes up for the tardiness! A reveure! (That's "hasta luego"" in Catalán, promise it's not misspelled french!)
