Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
La mejor rua que he visto en mi vida
So I went again to Sitges for the best day of the carnaval, TUESDAY! who would think to put it on a tuesday but the Spanish. But anyways it was the best parade I have ever seen. The float isn't the most important part here. The dancers and the act before it is. They have very very elaborate costumes and they do a dance before moving on. The content was very different than in the states but also the face that the streets are so tiny made it feel different too, much more intimate. Here are some photos and I took several videos as well, some worked out better than others.
funny how her eyes match her head piece so well
Here's my video, I kind of messed up the timing and they don't start actually dancing until half way through
Carnaval in Sitges from Jack Randol on Vimeo.
funny how her eyes match her head piece so well
Here's my video, I kind of messed up the timing and they don't start actually dancing until half way through
Carnaval in Sitges from Jack Randol on Vimeo.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
los ladrones
This past week has been quite a wild ride with my friend Jenny coming to visit with her friend Ramzy from Brighton. We did a lot more sight seeing and we saw a flamenco show here in Barcelona. On saturday we all took a forty minute train ride to a little beach town to see the Carnaval of Sitges. Carnaval is kind of like halloween wear everyone dresses up except here in spain they like to dress up in groups. like a group of penguins or sheep or pirates or crayons.
here is an older photo from La Macarena in Sevilla. You can go up around the back and see the cape too.
here are the tapas I ate while filming the little video you may have seen! the left was the paella, in the middle is calamari fried, and patatas bravas on the right. Patatas bravas are some of the most amazing foods of spain. It's fried potato pieces with a hot sauce and mayonnaise or like at this place its a spicy aioli on top. These were by far the best ones i have had here in spain.
Another macarena figure I think, most of the time they are crying.
Here are some orange trees! these are all over the streets in Sevilla
Carnaval!
On the beach
In other news, I kind of am starting to miss the comforts of home. Jasmine Deli and vietnamese noodle soups, riding my bicycle, this is odd but I miss wearing big heavy coats, cooking giant meals for myself, hamburgers made of ground beef and not ham, thrift stores and being able to use my telephone without worrying about the bill. Until June I will wait.
Here's a little video of the flamenco show we saw in Barcelona, which turned out to be better than the one Sevilla, surprisingly. From what I've gathered Flamenco is all about the build up. It's like a lot of slow motions and then a big finale. Seeing it here in a video makes it seem not that cool but its very exciting in person. This time that we saw it the dancer only came out for the second half. So it was like music music waiting waiting and the dancer would come out and you'd be like oh my god for like 20 minutes and then it was over. And then they had an intermission and they would do it all again.
Flamenco in Barcelona! from Jack Randol on Vimeo.
here is an older photo from La Macarena in Sevilla. You can go up around the back and see the cape too.
here are the tapas I ate while filming the little video you may have seen! the left was the paella, in the middle is calamari fried, and patatas bravas on the right. Patatas bravas are some of the most amazing foods of spain. It's fried potato pieces with a hot sauce and mayonnaise or like at this place its a spicy aioli on top. These were by far the best ones i have had here in spain.
Another macarena figure I think, most of the time they are crying.
Here are some orange trees! these are all over the streets in Sevilla
Carnaval!
On the beach
In other news, I kind of am starting to miss the comforts of home. Jasmine Deli and vietnamese noodle soups, riding my bicycle, this is odd but I miss wearing big heavy coats, cooking giant meals for myself, hamburgers made of ground beef and not ham, thrift stores and being able to use my telephone without worrying about the bill. Until June I will wait.
Here's a little video of the flamenco show we saw in Barcelona, which turned out to be better than the one Sevilla, surprisingly. From what I've gathered Flamenco is all about the build up. It's like a lot of slow motions and then a big finale. Seeing it here in a video makes it seem not that cool but its very exciting in person. This time that we saw it the dancer only came out for the second half. So it was like music music waiting waiting and the dancer would come out and you'd be like oh my god for like 20 minutes and then it was over. And then they had an intermission and they would do it all again.
Flamenco in Barcelona! from Jack Randol on Vimeo.
Friday, February 20, 2009
buen tiempo en Sevilla
Last weekend we went on a little excursion to Sevilla, or seville. Sevilla is in the South of spain. It's very traditionally Spanish and we ate lots of amazing little tapas and saw a palace and a church. More photos.
Plaza del toros. We didn't see a bullfight nor do I think I would want to but the arena is strangely beautiful and peaceful while empty.
This is my friend Julia right before we took off for a bicycle tour of Sevilla. I forgot how much I love riding my bike until then. I really miss being able to just hop on my bike and go places. I love the metro and all but nothing really beats biking. BMX is very popular in Barcelona, one of my friends here brought his bike in his suitcase and he rides around and meets other people traveling to barcelona to ride bikes.
Alcazar is a palace in sevilla. It was originally a Moorish fort. It's a good example of the Moorish influence in Spain.The Royal Family can still come to Alcazar and stay in it! They would live in the upper levels.
Another labyrinth in the Alcazar! this one was pretty low though, not as difficult.
An open air space within the royal palace called the Courtyard of the Maidens.
Plaza Espana in Sevilla! There is a placa Espana in barcelona too that is pretty epic. Its right next to another plaza del toros that is going to be converted into a shopping center.....I'll let you think about that one.....
TAPAS !!! I got my video to work here it is! Bienvenidos a Sevilla
Tapas bar in Sevilla from Jack Randol on Vimeo.
Plaza del toros. We didn't see a bullfight nor do I think I would want to but the arena is strangely beautiful and peaceful while empty.
This is my friend Julia right before we took off for a bicycle tour of Sevilla. I forgot how much I love riding my bike until then. I really miss being able to just hop on my bike and go places. I love the metro and all but nothing really beats biking. BMX is very popular in Barcelona, one of my friends here brought his bike in his suitcase and he rides around and meets other people traveling to barcelona to ride bikes.
Alcazar is a palace in sevilla. It was originally a Moorish fort. It's a good example of the Moorish influence in Spain.The Royal Family can still come to Alcazar and stay in it! They would live in the upper levels.
Another labyrinth in the Alcazar! this one was pretty low though, not as difficult.
An open air space within the royal palace called the Courtyard of the Maidens.
Plaza Espana in Sevilla! There is a placa Espana in barcelona too that is pretty epic. Its right next to another plaza del toros that is going to be converted into a shopping center.....I'll let you think about that one.....
TAPAS !!! I got my video to work here it is! Bienvenidos a Sevilla
Tapas bar in Sevilla from Jack Randol on Vimeo.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Laberint d'Horta y Sevilla
I've encountered two labyrinths here in Spain so far! They really like labrynths.
this is the laberint d'horta located in the Gardens of Maria Cristina. There are a bunch of gardens here that are still kept up. Lots of fountains and pools and buildings, its very magical and also very close to the metro!
You can see all the way to the sea from here!
Here is the entrance!
In other news I just got back on Sunday from a weekend trip to Sevilla, It was very fun and Sevilla is much more traditional Spanish than here in Barcelona. I have a little video of inside a tapas restaurant that we visited twice. There is also this place called Plaza Salvador that fills with like a 1,000 people every day during siesta and they all just drink beer and wine. We went one day after eating tapas, there is only one place to buy beer it felt kind of like the state fair with just one vendor and a ton of people though. But everyone is there, kids, adults babies all sorts! Anyways, more photos of Sevilla a bit later. Jenny Tondera, another student from MCAD, is coming to visit me today she is probably on the metro as we speak, I will some photos of our adventures later!
this is the laberint d'horta located in the Gardens of Maria Cristina. There are a bunch of gardens here that are still kept up. Lots of fountains and pools and buildings, its very magical and also very close to the metro!
You can see all the way to the sea from here!
Here is the entrance!
In other news I just got back on Sunday from a weekend trip to Sevilla, It was very fun and Sevilla is much more traditional Spanish than here in Barcelona. I have a little video of inside a tapas restaurant that we visited twice. There is also this place called Plaza Salvador that fills with like a 1,000 people every day during siesta and they all just drink beer and wine. We went one day after eating tapas, there is only one place to buy beer it felt kind of like the state fair with just one vendor and a ton of people though. But everyone is there, kids, adults babies all sorts! Anyways, more photos of Sevilla a bit later. Jenny Tondera, another student from MCAD, is coming to visit me today she is probably on the metro as we speak, I will some photos of our adventures later!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Es lo que hay
"Es lo que hay" is kind of like saying, it is what it is. Like say at a restaurant they run out of the food you ordered so they just give you something else, or a cafe is out of to-go cups for a week, or a store you want to visit isn't open at the time it says it is, or maybe even you're teacher doesn't show up to class but also doesn't try to inform you of it. It just is what it is and that's how the Spanish operate. It's kind of like a vacation lifestyle. I mean you've got the sea and mountains right next to you, everything else is just extra.
Also I visited La Catedral de Barcelona, It's huge and they have tons of niches for different saints that you can pray to and leave flowers for. They also have coin operated electric candles. I definitely lit one for ten cents.
From the outside it doesn't look as cool but it is just massive and incredible inside. Also the photos get kind of cut off by the blog formatting so I'll need to do something different, i don't know what yet though, you can always just click on them.
There are white geese that have lived here forever too! Our tour guide said they were big white birds and forgot the name for them in english so i thought that there would be swans inside but no they are just like big white geese.
there were crypts all over the place!
Yeah I was a bad tourist at this point.
Here was a soap store we found around the corner from the cathedral
In other words I am feeling much better and my sickness is all gone except I am a little coughy due to all the smoking that goes on everywhere here. Tomorrow I hope to go to the flea market and maybe I'll take some pictures to put on here.
Classes, My classes are going just fine. Some never have homework while others have really random papers and projects assigned. Teaching in Spain seems to be a bit different. NO ONE eats in class. Drinking water is fine and sometimes coffee, although I have a teacher who will tell you to leave if you have a coffee. My I'm taking a class called Spain in Europe which I thought would be from more of a cultural Heritage perspective but its all about the economic development and growth of cities and all that. I guess they are kind of related but right now we are just getting like background education on economic growth and cities which is kind of boring me a bit.
Also I visited La Catedral de Barcelona, It's huge and they have tons of niches for different saints that you can pray to and leave flowers for. They also have coin operated electric candles. I definitely lit one for ten cents.
From the outside it doesn't look as cool but it is just massive and incredible inside. Also the photos get kind of cut off by the blog formatting so I'll need to do something different, i don't know what yet though, you can always just click on them.
There are white geese that have lived here forever too! Our tour guide said they were big white birds and forgot the name for them in english so i thought that there would be swans inside but no they are just like big white geese.
there were crypts all over the place!
Yeah I was a bad tourist at this point.
Here was a soap store we found around the corner from the cathedral
In other words I am feeling much better and my sickness is all gone except I am a little coughy due to all the smoking that goes on everywhere here. Tomorrow I hope to go to the flea market and maybe I'll take some pictures to put on here.
Classes, My classes are going just fine. Some never have homework while others have really random papers and projects assigned. Teaching in Spain seems to be a bit different. NO ONE eats in class. Drinking water is fine and sometimes coffee, although I have a teacher who will tell you to leave if you have a coffee. My I'm taking a class called Spain in Europe which I thought would be from more of a cultural Heritage perspective but its all about the economic development and growth of cities and all that. I guess they are kind of related but right now we are just getting like background education on economic growth and cities which is kind of boring me a bit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
