On Living

An assortment of thoughts, pictures and thoughtful pictures.

[melinacita]

 IAACC Pablo Serrano, Zaragoza

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Pablo Gargallo Museum, Zaragoza 

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As I was wandering the main plaza of Zaragoza, I saw these two boys start to open a box.

And then I see them pull this fella out.

I don’t really understand what was going on there, but they seemed willing to pose with the critter when I asked them. 

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Another incredible view from Pilar

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After walking through the huge church Basílica del Pilar in Zaragoza, I realized that there was more to see.

It contains an elevator that transports visitors all the way to the top, allowing for a 360 degree view of the city.

Here, the characteristic green, white and blue mosaic domes of the church can be seen. 

[melinacita]

Apparently, Zaragoza is getting a taste of America.

This sign only mentions muffins, pancakes, apple pies and bagels as American delicacies. And is that a red velvet brownie I see?

I can’t deny that the United States has become nation of excess and that excess is easy to sell, but I really hope this “original American supermarket” carries sweet potatoes or pickles or something. 

[melinacita]

Frutos Secos are extremely popular in Spain. The closest equivalent that comes to mind is trail mix, but I wouldn’t say that’s a perfect translation.

Some versions come premixed, usually containing different kinds of nuts, dried corn and raisins. But often, especially in Pais Vasco, you might encounter a whole store full of nuts, fruits and seeds, and the assortment is yours to make.

My favorite combination consists of salted peanuts, light and dark raisins, figs and hazelnut.

At Zaragoza 

[melinacita]

Shapolsky et al. Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, A Real Time Social System, as of May 1, 1971

By Hans Haacke

Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)

This description is part of a larger collection of information that corresponds to photographs of real estate properties in NYC.

This conceptual art project involved investigation to explore the transactions of the Harry Shapolsky real-estate business. Shapolsky was a landowner who owned a very large amount of slum properties in the second half of the 20th century.

You always hear that works of art offer different people different insights. Some people look at the same work and hate it, and others leave with an incredibly positive impression. Individual viewers find distinct ways to relate to the same piece.

This was made clear to me as I walked around and saw all of the

The experience of reading names of neighborhoods in which I had lived and addresses I could locate, allowed me to explore a previously unknown sociopolitical past of the city I call home. 

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This photograph captures the frenzy of the market and the amazing variety that the food stands can have. 

To give you an idea, there was a whole other side to this one Latin American food station which is not shown in the picture.

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The main entrance into Barcelona’s enormous outdoor market, Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria

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Based on this family, dreads are a dominant allele. Move over Mendel. There's a new geneticist in town. 

@Piknic Electronik, Barcelona 

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Julie, a roommate of mine in my Barcelona hostel, and I in Parc de Montjuïc. We were on our way to the Piknic Electronik music festival. 

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Every time I arrive in a new city, I spend the first day or two wandering through it and its surrounding barrios, with no exact destination. Possibly on foot, with public transit or some combination.

Staying in the city center for the entire stay doesn't quite do it. 

Gracia, a district of Barcelona a bit north of the center, seemed very Catalunyan to me. It was much less commercial than the Barcelona I had known previously, and it felt more residential. 

I walked into this bakery only to find this adorable older lady who was eager to make sure she made me the exact café con leche that I wanted (there are several versions that might have something to do with the temperature of the milk...but I have yet to fully understand the difference). 

Everything was awesome. 

But. such. a. good. truffle. 

[melinacita]

  Parc Güell is an environmental/architectural/artistic masterpiece. 

The structures blend in with the natural setting, while also completely recreating it. 

It never became the urban housing site it was planned out to be, but the product is incredible nonetheless. 

[melinacita]

So happy I got to see Maria in Catalunya. She has been working crazy hours at a camp-resort on the Costa Brava this summer, but she met me in Barcelona, gave me a tour of her campus, took me to a great pintxos place and then spent some time at the hostel bar. 

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Spotted in Barcelona. 

I have two comments:

1) If a plate is covering this, how much English can be learned while eating?

2) Something's up with the word "transports" 

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Just a few weeks ago, I finally had a rough sketch of my last two weeks of travel in Spain. 

About five weeks ago I decided to extend my stay, allowing me a full month to intern in the art gallery and a little over two weeks travel through other parts of the country before my return to New York/a new semester/CUE/university job. 

My logic was as follows: I am unsure of the next time I'll be able to leave New York City/be spontaneous to this extent. And getting to travel to other faraway parts of the world is both costly in terms of time and money.

Once I was in Spain, I figured it was in my best interest to make the most out of the experience. 

While I like the idea of a whole Eurotrip, there are so many places to see in this country alone. I figured staying in Spain would afford me the opportunity to continue practicing/reading/hearing the language (even though the primary hostel language seems to be English) and learning about the rich and distinct characters of the comunidades autónomas.  There is urban/cultural/linguistic/gastronomic variation between and within them. There are 17 + 2 autonomous cities. I am feeling pretty content with the fact that, by the time I arrive back home, I would have explored six of them to varying degrees :D 

I was planning to see more of Southern Spain, Andalusia especially, but I decided that the North seemed less touristy. Plus, even though I was much younger and much less appreciative and mature to really care about the cultural/historical sites I had seen, I had been to the south already. 

So I looked at some maps. I looked at train and bus lines. I looked at population sizes of cities and their respective lists of must-sees. 

In the end, I figured out my route. Alicante to Barcelona. Barcelona to Zaragoza. Zaragoza to Pamplona. Pamplona to Bilbao. And although now slightly out of geographic order, San Sebastian as the final destination. My last three days in Spain happened to coincide with beginning of San Sebastian's Semana Grande- a vibrant seven-day festival featuring, among other things, concerts, artisan markets and an amazing firework competition.  Spanish cities invest so much time, energy and enthusiasm into their festivals. So I did not want to miss another!