Odds n' Sods

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Hola,

This final update is just a bunch of random thoughts, stuff I forgot to put in earlier and the much-awaited Top 10 List. Enjoy!

• The Rolling Stones kept following me around the Iberian Peninsula! I love the Stones, and I even briefly considered trying to attend a concert, but I didn't think that a 100€ ticket would be worth it. Maybe in hindsight, I should have made the effort. They played in Barcelona's Olympic Stadium (up on Montjuïc, not far from the Miró museum) on 21 June and then traveled up to San Sebastián on the northern coast for a show two days later, hit Lisbon, Portugal on the 25th and then the Madrid concert at El Estadio Vicente Calderón on the 28th. Their four shows in Spain on this tour are the most in any one European country besides England. Neat trivia...

• Another brush with greatness... my first full day back in Madrid, the 21st, it was about 5pm and I was walking through El Barrio de las Letras, where I came upon this mass of Spanish teenagers, crowded outside a hotel. I noticed a woman standing nearby, who seemed as if she might be waiting for one of the kids (it was about 95%!g(MISSING)irls) to return to her. I asked her what the fuss was about and she told me that Mexican pop group RBD (six young adults - 3 boys & 3 girls - who "act" and sing on their own TV show on Univisión called Rebelde) was in town for a concert that night (at the Calderón) and they were staying in that particular hotel; her daughter was in the crowd of screaming teenies. She said she'd/they'd been there outside the hotel since 6am. Remember... it was about 5pm at that time!! I told her that she could at least be glad that it wasn't too hot out and she was standing in the shade. She smiled a tired mother's smile as I walked away.

• I hate to admit it, but in general, I'm not a fan of street performers. I will give them credit because at least they're doing something to earn our Euro coins, as opposed to just directly asking us for money as we eat or walk down the sidewalk. In Barcelona, all along Las Ramblas, there was maybe a dozen of them, dressed up/painted up to look like all kinds of crazy beasts. We saw a gryphon, a fairy/angel (I couldn't tell, but she had wings), breakdancers, and a guy in a trashcan that was meowing like a cat, just to name three. There was a naked guy, too, but I'm not quite sure what his "act" was. However, in Madrid, I saw the street performer to beat all street performers! How can I be so sure? I actually gave him a couple Euros!! What was so great about him? Well, you know how you can wet your fingers and rub them along the rim of fine china and it makes a sound? This dude had a full compliment of glasses filled with different amounts of water and he was playing the hell out of them! He went Sinatra, then The Beatles, classical music... and he was totally on with the sound! You could absolutely tell what songs he was playing and he drew a crowd and raked in the cash. Just awesome. He'd be great for David Letterman's "Stupid Human Tricks."

• Catalán is a lot cooler than I previously thought it was. What do I mean? All over Barcelona, any signs were written in CATALÁN, with INGLÉS underneath it and then ESPAÑOL underneath that. They're in that order because all things being equal, the Catalans would really love to be independent of Spain. They'd love to be on their own and most Catalans consider themselves to be Catalan, NOT Spanish. I doubt they'll ever gain their independence, but what do I know? Anyways, regarding the languages, to the untrained eye, it's easy to note the similarities between Catalán and Español, but to the eye that has brains, some Catalán words can appear to be a bit like Francés. Examples:
ESP - Plaza Cataluña/España ~ CAT - Plaça Catalunya/Espanya
ESP - Cristobal Colón ~ CAT - Cristobal Colóm
ESP - parque ~ CAT - parc
ESP - pueblo ~ CAT - poble

FRA - Rennaissance ~ CAT - Renaxença
FRA - Museé ~ CAT - Museu
FRA - Les Quatre Chats ~ CAT - Els Quatre Gats ~ ESP - Los Cuatro Gatos
FRA - Palace ~ CAT - Palau


• An alarming fashion trend is the men's capri pant. When I first saw them in 2003, I couldn't stop chuckling to myself, especially when I'd see men wearing them with colored socks. They reminded me of my Dad when I was a kid. I completely passed them off as "Euro" and felt confident that they'd never make the leap across the Atlantic. But, I've gone back to Europe each of the last three summers (Spain, Germany, Spain), and I gotta' tell ya'... they're starting to grow on me. I ALMOST bought a pair while I was in Madrid, rationalizing it as "something I could buy just to wear when I go to Spain." They do look comfy... and when worn with "mandals," the man's sandal - yet another fashion trend I am decidedly against, they're really not that awful. Don't worry - I resisted the temptation, but... who knows what I'll do next time. It might be neat to start something new and be ahead of the curve...

• And now for the Top Ten List. These ten "things" would be what I'll most remember about this trip, for whatever reason.
10 — patatas bravas/tortilla española/paella negra - my favorite Spanish foods
9 — cheap food & drinks - cheap AND GOOD
8 — St. John's Eve on Montjuíc - seeing fireworks all over the city plus admiring the dancing waters of the fountain was well worth the 15€ tourist bus price
7 — Sevilla v. Villarreal - my first, but definitely not my last, La Liga match
6 — swimming in the cold, cold Mediterranean - on the plus side, no jellyfish stings
5 — La Alhambra in Granada - hilltop magic made of brick/stone/water/plants
4 — the AVE - so fast and smooth
3 — Barcelona - I'm glad I finally got there, now I really want to go back
2 — Fundació Joan Miró - my favorite artist's home museum
1 — my nightly walks with my former students - it was fun teaching them about places I'd already been and also exploring new places, plus, I don't get to be around those kids much anymore so it was neat to see how they've changed since they were in 7th grade


Honestly, that's it. I can't think of anything else that's blogworthy. If I do... I'll just tell it to you when I see you. Well, it's been fun. It was a helluva trip, that's for sure. I hope you all enjoyed the updates. I enjoyed writing them. Be on the lookout for the e-mail once I put up some photos. Probably by the end of the week. Okay, take care and keep in touch. If I don't talk to you, have a great rest of the summer!!

Again, and as always, MUCHAS GRACIAS POR HABER LEíDO MIS JORNADAS!!!
Love,
Kev

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Comments

[Annoying Polish Fan in Momtreal]

Kev's Capris
Rumor on the street is that Kevin already purchased a pair of "capris" upon his return to the USA.