Muckenfuss

A few more pictures of Evora. Evora was originally Celtic and brutally conquered by the Romans, then the Moors. Évora was wrested from the Moors through a surprise attack by Gerald the Fearless(Geraldo Sem Pavor) in September 1165. The attractive town square was the site of some rather gruesome episodes thanks the the enthusiasm of the Inquisition. The weather turned cold, windy and somewhat wet, still the Cathedrals dripping in stolen gold did not hold a lot of pleasure. But there was an exhibition of thousands of nativity scenes from around the world that ranged from glorious to absurd. In a little workshop, hidden in a far corner, down a winding cobbled alley we found the workshop of a very talented clay sculpture Sericaia pudding is a baked custard with a crunchy top and smothered in ... read more

There are some rather nice photos of the Sierra Nevada, they may have made it onto a second page. Please look for them Salou on the Mediterranean Sea. The town thronged with happy holiday makers, mostly Brits. They walked around town in their swimsuits, smiling, contended and happy. It is easy for us to take our sun and sand for granted. It was good to see people so relaxed and happy. Catalan activists on Monday marked the first anniversary of their disputed independence referendum by blocking train tracks and roads across Spain’s restive northeastern region and trying to break into the Catalan Parliament, underlining how charged the conflict over separatism remains. We saw demonstrations and heavily armed police and military. There are yellow ribbons everywhere. I hope they work it out. Interestingly Catalan language is very ... read more

Even 'though it is off season San Sebastian is a party town. Imagine South Bank, New years eve, with a surf beach and thousands of merry tourists. It was good fun, the sun shone a warm welcome, the surf wasn't the best and it was crowded but Carl rented a wet suit and enjoyed himself. The food was the best part. All day and most of the night hundreds of bars and restaurants offered Pintxos or Tapas. Sea Urchin was delicious. I felt I left no more personal foot prints on the lives of the people of San Sebastian than I left on the sands of its beaches. But it was fun. We went to the Guggenheim. What a fantastic building, such imagination and creativity shame most of the exhibits inside were a bit disappointing. MONA ... read more

Guernica came into my life in Toronto, June 1973. It was in a large art book. I cried for the horrors of war, the brutality. Picasso showed me the degradation of the Spanish Civil War. But at the time I marched in the streets protesting the horrors of the Vietnam war. I shouted into a megaphone, "Hey! Hey! LBJ, how many kids have you killed today." Guernica the original is monumental in it size and power. Then came the first September 11th, 1973. Salvador Allende, recently elected president of Chile was assassinated, apparently by the CIA. A small print of Guernica was taped to my wall. Over the last few days we have spent about 30 hours in gallerias, Prado etc. We have feasted on the great works of art. Images we've seen in book and ... read more