Frank's World

In speaking about Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin once said, "It's Frank's world, we just get to live in it." These street musicians in Seville must have taken that line to heart. They played a medley of old Sinatra tunes, including "My Way." It sounded silly because the violinist played the lead.  By the way, what's up with the five-string bass? When was that invented?

Sevilla, Andalucia, Espana

Seville is another beautiful Spanish city. Here are some photos of the courtyard of the apartment building where I am staying.

Gibraltar, U.K. - Part 3

There's a very old, rickety, gondola ride which takes you to the top of The Rock. There are spectacular views of the town below and you can see Morocco across the sea. Then there are the famous wild apes who inhabit The Rock. They can be very aggressive. I saw one approach an unsuspecting tourist lady from the Ukraine. The ape (monkey) snatched some junk food right out of the satchel she was carrying. She was horrified and screamed, but everyone else thought it was funny. The ape then went out on a scary ledge and ate the Ukrainian version of a Twinkie.

Gibraltar, U.K. - Part 2

Another strange thing about Gibraltar is the main street which is sort of a re-creation of a British towne, i.e. London. You can see the Union Jack flying everywhere. The locals are proud of their association with the U.K., however, much like the Scots and the Welsh, they don't consider themselves to be British. They call themselves "Gibraltanians." English is spoken in the schools, but many people here are bi-lingual in Spanish. Their speech is an odd mixture of British English with a Spanish accent, which is difficult to understand. Of course, like almost everywhere in the world, the American influence is felt on both sides of the border.

Gibraltar, U.K. - Part 1

Against the advice of the travel writers, I took a day trip to see The Rock of Gibraltar. Having been brainwashed by Prudential ads my whole life I had no choice in the matter. Although seemingly located in Spain, it is actually a tiny British Territory. So, you have to cross a border checkpoint to enter. It's a very strange, yet interesting place. You can tell something is off right away. At the point of entry you walk (or drive) across the active runway of the Gibraltar Airport.

"Un Chien Andalou" ("An Andalusian Dog")

Okay, so it's an obscure movie reference, i.e., a 1929 film by the surrealist director Luis Bunuel (he was a minor character in "Midnight In Paris"). I see both you and the dog are unimpressed with my knowledge of Spanish cinema.

Granada Cafe Scene - "It's The Real Thing" ™

Stuck In The 9th Grade

Those are some nice castanets you have there!

Tapas.Pray.Siesta.

As you know, the Spanish are heavily into "tapas," those small dishes which come in a million and one varieties of food, commonly fish, ham (pork), and fried items. I eavesdropped, err, overheard a conversation between some American girls in a tapas restaurant. One of them was complaining about the small portions. She told her friends, "One of these nights I'd like to have a full dinner!" Note: If you look up the word "tapas" it translates to "still hungry."

The weather here in Granada is both good and interesting. It's chilly at night and cool in the morning. At one o'clock in the afternoon, on the dot, it suddenly gets very warm (about 95 degrees, but low humidity). This is the part of the day when the locals close up shop and head home for "siesta." The Spaniards may have invented the siesta, but with the onset of retirement yours truly has perfected it. One can even say I have elevated it to an art form. (Okay, I admit it. I used to siesta when I was employed, but not in the literal sense. It was more like what psychologist John Bradshaw would call a "trance." This is something all office workers do in order to make it through the day, year after year).

Alhambra - The 99%

The groundskeepers who keep this place looking spectacular:

Alhambra (The 1%) - Part 3

Alhambra (The 1%) - Part 2

Alhambra (The 1%) - Part 1

Alhambra was built by the so called Nasrid Dynasty of Muslim kings from the 9th through the mid 15th century.  It is a huge complex of palaces/gardens and includes a military fort. The exterior walls look austere, but the interior is lavish, ornate, and filled with Muslim themes. The Catholic monarchs took over in the mid 1400's and it is the site of the big shindig they gave Christopher Columbus upon his return from America. Famous American author Washington Irving stayed in the main palace during the summer of 1829. The audio guide is narrated by a fictitious voice of Mr. Irving and is about as cornball as it gets.

Busking In The Sun

These two street performers play some rip roaring Flamenco music. The left handed guy can really "pick" on the guitar and they're pretty good singers too. They are well compensated for their talents and deservedly so. I listened to them play for an hour and a half and observed five separate tourists drop €20 notes into their "hat." Being on a fixed income, I left them a €1 coin. Now before you judge me for being cheap, please realize with the exchange rate that's $1.30!

Views Of Alhambra

The Alhambra Palace is one of the most visited sites in all of Spain. It was built by Muslim kings during the Moorish period and sits upon a hilltop in Granada. These photos were taken from a small square with spectacular views of the palace and the Sierra Nevada mountains. This square, called Mirador, is located across the river from the palace in a medieval neighborhood called the Albaicin, which is a world heritage site. I'm staying in the Albaicin  (Arab Quarter) in a house which was built circa 1450.

Granada, Andalucia, Espana

Although a large city, Granada seems quaint compared to bustling Barcelona. It reeks of "Old Spain" and is differentiated by its Moorish influences. It's a very beautiful town and quite warm during the afternoon. However, there's lots of trees and the stone buildings are cool inside. In the outdoor cafes there are cold water mists spraying down from underneath the umbrellas. Pictured is a downtown park and the Cathedral Square. Like most Catholic cathedrals in the area, it was converted from a mosque after the Moorish period ended circa 1500. For all those out there who fell asleep in their world history class, the Moors were Muslims from northern Africa and ruled a good portion of the Iberian Peninsular (Spain & Portugal) for several hundred years.

The Truth

In a prior post I said Gaudi was the "main man" in Barcelona. I lied. The biggest name here is that of an Argentinian football (soccer) player named "Messi." He plays forward for FC Barcelona which is widely considered to be the best team in the world right now. Although he is small in stature, Mr. Messi is a spectacular player. Seemingly every kid in this town wants to wear his jersey.

Look Both Ways

Antonio Gaudi was killed by a trolley while crossing the street in Barcelona. The following question entered my mind: Didn't his mother teach him to look both ways before crossing the street? I then realized trolleys probably weren't around when he was a kid. My apologies go out to Mrs. Gaudi for my snap judgment. If I get killed by a trolley on this trip it will be due to the fact Mama Gaudi is unforgiving. :-)

By the way, contrary to popular wisdom the word "gaudy" is not derived from Antoni's ostentatious style.

Catholic Sudoku

On a wall outside the Sagrada Familia Church is the so-called "Magic Square." If you add up the numbers in each row they total "33," which was the age of Jesus when he died. There's over 300 combinations, including sets of four squares. This group of Catholic American tourists were looking at it and one guy blurted out, "They're probably Gaudi's bingo numbers!"

Antoni Gaudi - Part 4

Gaudi was a devout Catholic and his crowning architectural achievement is The Sagrada Familia Church. He began the project in the late 1800's and worked on it until his death in 1926. It lay dormant until the 1950's when new architects took over and added their own touches. It is still a work in progress and is expected to be completed in 2026 on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death.

Antoni Gaudi - Part 3

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