Barzelette

There's something about the elderly that I have always been drawn to. Maybe its their cute little wrinkles, maybe its how jolly or spunky they are, or maybe its just the life and experience that is so evident with just one look.

When I was little, while all my friends used to run off and play with each other during family events, I used to sit and listen to my grandparents and there friends about their life stories, old folkish jokes and views of life. In park Guell, a little abuela from the Canary Islands shared her life with my friends and I over lunch and Gaudi.

Look Around

I am pretty sure I fell in love with the city of Barcelona at least 30 times over and over again within the span of three days. And each of those three times was like an epiphany. There is a sense of magic and nostalgia in this quaint beach-side city. Yes, there is a sea of tourists, probably more tourists than people who live there, but yes there is this communal excitement that has the city buzzing 24-7. Imagine NYC village just expanded and speaking in spanish really fast. Imagine NYC just a bit more laid back with the Mediterranean at its side. Imagine whimsical people, young artists, and well-dressed grannies all in one street. Imagine.

this pic was of a bachellorete party taking up some tasks for the bride in the middle of a medieval plaza right by las ramblas. imagine.

America's Cup 2010

So i don't really know why America's Cup isn't in America, but i will say that I truly enjoy it being in Spain anyway. For a week, we watched boat races and people from all over the world enjoy Valencia's coast and the games on it. the energy itself was great. Everyone for a week was a huge boat fan, even those people who didn't even know how to swim. There was people, music, free concerts, free acts everywhere.

Basically, I've come to a conclusion that Valencians try to find any reason to have a celebration. Ay que bueno!

Ramon the Real painter.

Fallas is taken very seriously here in Valencia. Ramon, a faller painter has been painting Fallas pieces, or ninots, for over fifteen years. Within a half hour, he will have painted an entire ninot with the utmost detail and layering in bright colors. The paints, made of a plastic medium are for the ninots that are displayed on the streets of Valencia during the two week festival.

When watching Ramon, he painted with such ease and relaxation. In one hand, he had his paint brush and in the other a cigarette, while he listened to the radio. For Ramon, and for many Fallero artists, this is a passion that gains lots of respect from the Valencian community.

She Sang it, He played it, she danced it..

We went to a Flamenco show where the passion of the artists spread to the audience and seeped through through their pores. The lights were dim, the audience was still, and the sound was just right.

The guitarist, he either looked high on drugs or high on the music. Whatever it was, he was still into it. Though he was performing in a little black box space, in front of no more than 60 people, he managed to bubble himself out of that the little space and export himself into a world where only he and his guitar existed. This sense of passion and isolation was all the singer needed to sing the romantic yet heartbroken notes that made the audience sense the same pain and passion with her. Her voice was raspy, strong and intimidating, but it was also addicting- you didn't want her to stop singing, not even to just take a drink of water.

The dancer was strong. In her dance, in her passion, in her art. She stomped hard on the floor, her steps sharp and extravagant.

Its no wonder that the people in the crowd sang a long, clapped with the singer and cheered for the dancer. And like the guitarist who managed to isolate himself from such an intimate setting, the people in the audience too were all transported to their own worlds with the sounds of Flamenco, at least for a little.

Canzion of the day: Pretty Lights : The time has come

Paco the Painter

For the past 2 weeks, my roommate and I visited a Fallas factory where artists work year round in creating the caracatures for the Fallas festival. These immensely large paper-mache statues of different sizes and colors are displayed in the streets of Valencia during the 2 weeks of festivity in March. At the end of the celebration, over thousands of these large monuments are burned to crisp. Crazy yes, but feo no. Valencians wait the year for these 2 weeks of an explosion of culture, fireworks, mazcletas, people dress in folk outfits and lots and lots of paella.

Paco is ones of the many hundred fallas creators and artists. They simply start with an idea and then turn it into a three- dimensional creation sometimes larger than buildings. A sketch turns into a paper mache model, coated with gesso, sanded down, and then painted with bright colors that leave your mouth open wide and your eyes left in amazement. Paco, however, is not the only man of the hour. Santa's little helpers have just as much importance of the process in creating a Fallas creation. With the help of Ramon, Miguel, Javi and many more, he manages to make over hundreds of littte ninots year round that are then all then worked into a cohesive whole installed into the main streets in and out of the city of Valencia.

Paco is most certainly a visual genius. His creations are a cross of live cartoons painted with finery. It boggles my r that on the 19th of March, every thing he worked on all year will be burned. Ay caray!

far from aburrida

Spain has been keeping me extremely busy. the days are becoming fuzzy though i dont want them to be.

ive already been here for 5 weeks! what? how in the world did that happen?

this week is the America's Cup in Valencia, the world's most prestigious boat race! que bueno. we've been taking advantage of the free concerts and events that this event brings.

have done some exploring of the city and out. went to Benifayo to a Fallas factory to paint some Fallas- id show you some pictures but they are top secret- so they will be released after march/

went to a flamenco show and a capoiera show- so much passion and grace in both exhibitions.

went to the sickest zoo ever- Bioparc- where rhinos were just feet away in an open space!!!! (stay tuned for sick pix)

and went to a legit Drum and Bass party where we danced till 7am. spain my darling, i am crushing on you.

canzion: Zenet: Un beso de esos