Revisiting Spaiiiin!

I took this picture on my first day in Madrid. It was an hour after I had landed. Oliver, Adarana, and I were making cous cous in her kitchen. She had put on some filmi Indian music, and they started dancing while I fried the vegetables. It was great fun. Sidenote: I think watermelons can complete any meal ..

The famous Museo del Prado. This entrance is called Goya. Outside each entrance, names of famous artists clumped together by era are inscribed on long pillar-like panels. If I thought any of you would find that interesting (Carolina and Iffat, you guys don't count), I'd post pictures of each of the panels. I could have spent the entire day in this place. There was so much to see and those "audioguias" were so wondrously long and detailed. Then again, I think I could spend a day without realizing it just about anywhere in Madrid ..

El Muse de Reina Sofia. This was the museum I received free admission to (fluke!). It's the modern art hub of Madrid. Outside, you can see them starting to set up for Photo Espana 2010, a photography competition that they host every summer. I can't believe I stumbled into the opening ceremony for that business. What luck. The lecture that I sat on regarding modernism, urbanism, and art was in a conference room on the bottom left of the building. You can see one of the windows in the room peeking out from behind the yellow PhotoEspana2010 box.

This is very typical of Madrid (and just about anywhere in Spain that I visited as well as here in Tanzania). The street vendors sell great stuff at really cheap prices. If I was an ounce more shopping oriented, I'd have picked up at least a dozen earrings from this fellow. It was my first day, though, so I was being even cheaper than I usually am. Ha.

These are two examples of some of the advertisements that line the metro station outside El Estadio de Santiago Bernabeu (the stadium where Real Madrid plays). All the walls are lined with variations of these ads. The first (on the left) reads, "One lone shot can change the world." The second reads, "The moment lasts for a second. The legend lives on forever." I was reading these as I was walking towards the plaza outside and could feel my hair standing up. I don't know why these national-pride-inducing-futbol-related things do that to me.

This was another one in the metro station. "Conquer Madrid. Conquer the world." This is basically Real Madrid's motto, attitude, and everything else in the middle. They love themselves. I suppose that's a key to winning and maintaining a fan base, though?

This is the view of the stadium from the very top. I spent at least an hour here. Somewhere beneath all the silence, you can hear the fans cheering endlessly in the distance. And, no, I am not being poetic. It's true!

In the stadium, I found a museum on the third floor. In it, I found jerseys, trophies, profiles, history, videos, photographs, and just about any other possible means by which to record history chronicling the club's history (from its initiation). These are international trophies that Real Madrid has accumulated over time. The one in the center (yes, the one that looks like a shrine) is taller than I am! I know I'm no giant, but I think any trophy that is taller than five foot three is a bit on the excessive side. Nonetheless, the overbearing presence of large trophies with slow, flamenco music in the background was quite epic.

The current roster. Papa, the next statement is a joke. Lina, I am still planning on marrying Casillas, just fyi.

The unnecessarily extravagant shower .. .. ..

The second largest metro station in Madrid. It's called Principe Pio. The first largest is Atocha. It's where you can catch the line to the airport as well as all the buses and trains in and out of the city. Principe Pio is the station which takes you right to one of Madrid's largest malls / shopping districts. I love subway stations ..

I love this ad. It's advertising discounted prices for senior citizens and says, "If you are older than 60 years, the star is you!" So cute!

Walking down La Calle de Alcala from La Plaza de Cibeles (where I discovered that the protest for Gaza was coming from La Puerta de Alacala and ending at La Plaza de Cibeles) to La Puerta de Alcala (this monument marks one of the entrances to El Parque de Retiro, the largest park in Madrid). I loved everything about this day. The rain, the clouds, the "arquitectura antigua." So beautiful. Most of Madrid's major streets look like this, by the way.

This monument can be found in La Plaza de Espana and is dedicated to Cervantes's Don Quijote de La Mancha. You see Don Quijote atop a horse next to Sancho Panza who is riding a donkey.

Some of my favorite people in Spain were the street musicians. This guy plays outside El Palacio Royal (the royal palace). His name is Diego and he is an accordion guru. You should have heard him go. Increible!

Not sure if you remember my post after visiting El Palacio Royal. I was upset by the horse with the brand. When I asked the guard why this particular horse was branded, he told me that all military horses were branded with a number on their hide. Here's an image to go with the story ..

This illustrates one of my favorite days in Madrid. I was standing in a throng of people watching the changing of the guards outside El Palacio Royal. Suddenly, the clouds were overhead, piercing rain was upon us, and we were soaked. I stood there and let the rain wash over me for at least half an hour before looking for a roof to stand under. It was so liberating. Magnificent.

Los Jardines de Sabitini. These lie next to El Palacio Royal. The city hosts free concerts here for the public to enjoy. When it rains, everything looks greener so I think I saw the garden on a better day than most :)

I have so many photographs from the protest but I will refrain from posting them all here. I'm sure you'll get tired of flags and people holding [really awesome] signs with Spanish slogans condemning Zionism. This was the start of the second piece of the group. The first piece (I'm sure I have a picture somewhere here) began with a line of ten people. Each of them was carrying a coffin over their shoulder. The coffin was covered in a Palestinian flag and also had a name inscribed on the side. Each individual who died on the flotilla was honored with a coffin. Behind this first group were demonstrators, chanting, walking, and doing anything else it is that protesters love to do. The second "tier" of protesters was marked by a large Palestinian flag at least fifteen feet long and a large banner that said "Por la Intifada" aka "For the Intifada." These were the most vocal of the bunch and had the catchiest sayings. I won't mention them again although I am tempted as they were in a previous post.

The third group began with a group of "musicians" set up in a drumline fashion. It was such a great protest. They covered every possible base. I was also really impressed by this third group because they didn't stop playing for even a second of the three hours that we spent walking from Alcala to Cibeles. I have a video of each tier. Again, don't want to over-bore you ;)

"Yo tambien soy de Gaza" - "I, too, am from Gaza." Shirts like these as well as name tags with "Soy Palestina" aka "I am Palestinian" were everywhere among the sea of green, red, white, and black.

La Puerta de Alcala. El Parque de Retiro is to the rear and to the right. When I first saw this, it reminded me of the Arc du Triumph in Paris.

This is the largest "fountain" / lake in El Parque de Retiro. It was to the left of this fountain that I met the homeless man who gave me the mythological breakdown of all God knows how many (40?) fountains in the park. Listening to him while it drizzled around us and darkness settled in was so surreal ..

McDonald's gave you a discount every time you ordered during a game, provided you stayed in house to watch the game. I loved the fish burger (yes, I had one while I was there. I know - very sad) boxes. "Filete de pescado: un mar de sabor" - "Fish filet: an ocean of flavor." I suppose that is sliiiightly exaggerated ..

And the best street guitarrist award goes to .. Alonso. I stayed to listen to him for almost half an hour. Maravilloso.

Lavapies, the immigrant barrio of Madrid. The whole district is basically an outdoor market full of gypsies, Africans, and Indians. Definitely a great place to hang out (or get mugged, depending on who you are) ..

Now, we move on from Madrid to Sevilla!

El Parque de Murillo marks the entrance into El Barrio de Santa Cruz, the oldest district in Sevilla. These oak trees were by far the biggest I've seen in my life. I couldn't fit my arms around any of the little "wrinkles" (not sure what they're called in the real world). The park closes at 2 AM as too many couples have been caught in the act there. There are so many little kittens running around once it hits midnight! Cute.

This is a "street" in El Barrio de Santa Cruz. They all look like this. Hence, cars are not allowed in 3/4 of the district. Funny how that works. Americans would not know what to do with themselves if they came across such a rule in the US. Ha. Anyway, I loved walking the alleyways. They have no order to them and all wind into one another. Not more than two and a half people can walk side by side down the alleyway at one time.

La Casa de Pilatos. Love the courtyards both across from this place and inside it. Very typical Andalucia, from my understanding.

La Catedral! I could look at this building for hours. I spent three days here and, every time I looked at this place, I noticed something new. Super intricate architecture. The courtyard is lined with benches and the weather in the evenings is pleasant. It's a great place to snag a little repose after a long day. Also, the horses are beautiful. They are always lined up in front of the entrance (visitors do not enter through the entrance).

La Plaza de Espana was my late evening / early night spot. This place is so beautiful and large enough for even "too many" people to be in it, unlike the courtyard surrounding La Catedral which can get crowded. I love how the sunlight hits the bricks in this edifice. Wow. There are little cubicles lining the ground around the circumference of the building. Each cubicle is dedicated to a different part / culture in Spain. I've got pictures but I'm not sure you'd be interested in seeing them all.

"La Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria, toooo ooo ooo. They all sailed, all sailed over the ocean blue!" Columbus's tomb.

One of the many domes in La Catedral. This was outside "El Tesoro" aka The Treasury (where they store all the fancy schmancy goods from the past).

Climbing up the 50 ish flights of stairs in La Giralda (the tower) outside La Catedral. This is the view of La Catedral (and Sevilla) from about 30 flights up. The view here was better than at the top, in my opinion.

On to Cordoba! The pictures start getting less and less because my memory was filling up and I couldn't be bothered to buy a new memory card (I was spending my time more wisely, in my opinion). Anyway, I suppose you'll get a taste of Cordoba and a very tiny pinch of Granada!

More old school alleyways! Andalucia is full of these. Here, you see left (black shirt and shorts on the right), Amelie (gypsy pants on the left), her boyfriend Ananda (red shirt and shorts on the left), and Jacqueline (all you can see is her hair, really). These were my traveling companions in Cordoba. Well, Chris and I spent the entirety of my trip in Granada together but we parted with the other three. In this photograph, we are walking in La Juderia, the oldest Jewish neighborhood in Spain. It's amazing how much the Arabs affected the architecture here in Spain, especially in Andalucia. The alleyways in Cordoba felt bigger than Sevilla but not by much.

We were sitting on a ledge outside La Mezquite overlooking the Guadalquivir River and could see El Torre de la Calahorra across the water. The sun was setting. Such a beautiful setting. We walked across the bridge to the torre. It was quiet and the breeze was light.

There is a man who lives in La Juderia who just writes poetry and sayings. He does not pay rent. He home-hops for meals. He just writes his heart out. Only in Spain can you find people like this who actually live to tell about it. He came out of his house when he saw me and told me, "Mira. Mira esta sangre. En los Arabes, la sangre corre mas rapido que en los demas." "Look. Look at this blood. In us Arabs, blood runs faster than in others." What a character. He told me that he would buy me a house in Cordoba if I would consider settling there because it is imperative (in his opinion) for the Arabs to reclaim that land, those people, and the culture. I should have just told him I was khoja. It would have saved us all twenty minutes of his ranting ;) .. I'm kidding. It was entertaining.

The view from Jacqueline's balcony. We went to this park twice while I was in Cordoba. The third time, we jumped the gate at 2 AM to lie down in the grass. Such peace. And who knew I was such a solid gate-jumper?

On our way to the zoo in Cordoba (don't ask why we went to the zoo there; I'm still not sure why we did it), we came across an old bell tower that was used to alert the town of invasion. We climbed up to the top and sat there. I was small enough to shimmy through the middle set of rungs (it was a set of two rectangles side by side without a rod in the middle so it was a square shaped opening) and climb up to the top. We figured out a way to get the other four in, as well, and then sat up there. Chris and Ananda smoked cigarettes and no one spoke. I love traveling with people who are totally comfortable with silence.

La Mezquita! The famous archways. The lighting was shoddy and my time there was short as I was leaving for Granada in the afternoon, but the archways really are as magnificent as people say they are. I don't understand why every monument in Spain is a weird mesh of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Everyone wanted a piece of everything. Funny that every religious monument in Spain is somewhat reminiscent of other religions (aka once-upon-a-time enemies). The agreement between the government and Spanish Muslims is that the Islamic architecture and essence can be preserved provided no prayer occurs within the building. A man was arrested for saying salaat near the mihrab last month. They weren't kidding.

La Capilla Mayor - Christianity's portion of La Mezquita (also the central, most prominent part).

On to Granada! I have one picture so don't get excited. The other require too much explanation or didn't come out as clear as I would have liked. I'll edit them sometime once I'm home and post them if you're really that interested. This was my favorite city in Andalucia. It's too bad I have the least number of photographs of it!

Here's your view of the city at night. The large dome in the center is La Catedral. Chris and I visited La Catedral on my second day there. It was there that I received a free CD of flamenco guitar music (so moving) and met the most wonderful elderly gentlemen who gave me the entire history of the area. You could tell that culture was his oxygen. I think I blogged about him. He emailed me a poem a few days ago from a Moorish poet. I have yet to respond. I think I feel the need to respond with something substantial. I hope I come up with something soon!

Back to Madrid before heading off to the Motherland.

You must be sick of seeing photographs of Madrid, but this is the first thing I saw when I returned to the city. Of course I felt like I was home! "It is our year. It will be our era."

And that concludes the very, very brief summary of my trip to Spain. I hope that these few photographs satisfy the curiosities of those of you who had requested I post pictures up. I would put some up from Tanzania but just putting these up has taken five hours. The internet is slow and I've been popping in between assignments to upload more pictures to the blog. If I was to go through my Tanzanian folders and photographs, I'd be here until tomorrow evening! That being said, I will definitely give it a shot sooner than later :)

Sifting through these photographs rekindles my nostalgia. I really do hope that I return to Spain one day. There is so much to see in the north that I missed out on and I don't feel like I filled up my hispanohablante (spanish-speaking) gas tank enough, though that thing doesn't ever seem to be satisfied. Anyway, it's Maghrib time here so I will be taking your leave now. Until another day ..

PS. Two nights ago, Mohammed Abbas, Mohammed Rahim, and I were discussing different types of comedians. Mohammed Abbas's description of "black" comedy: "I'm black. This is what happened. Now, laugh." As much as I enjoy black comedy, I laughed. I found it a relatively accurate description.

PPS. Nana Bashir corrected Neelam's spelling of Mili Moja today. It is Maili Moja - pronounced Mile-ee Mo(h)-dya. He also doesn't believe me when I tell him that mosquitoes can fly up people's clothes. It's true! I feel them!! During lunch, he asked me who Ja'far was. I had no idea what he was talking about until I realized he was referring to my cricket (he had been reading my blog). Good company, Nana Bashir is.

PPPS. The askari today (Fatima) just walked in. She's been in and out all day and I get along with her. Her replacement (James) is sick tonight so they have told her that she is staying here through the night to guard the administration building. Fatima has been here since 6 this morning. Her shift was supposed to end at 6 this evening but she will take the night shift until 6 tomorrow morning as well as her usual day shift tomorrow until 6 in the evening. This girl is going to work a 36 hour shift to make her ends meet. The next time I think about complaining, I am going to remind myself of this little lady right here. How insane ..

PPPPS. We have all been singing "Wavin' Flag" and "Waka Waka" just about every night. It's unhealthy in the best way possible. Also, (Neener this is for you primarily) we watch the 2002 FIFA World Cup Commercial every night (the one on the ship where all the star players of the cup were competing against each other; it plays to Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation"). Good to know that the spirit can be kept alive.

Okay, now I really think this is all for now. Please accept my half-hearted apologies regarding how long this particular post is. Lots of love to you all.