Tiles and Laundry

December 13, 2009

My trip in Portugal started in Lisbon, where I met up with Minju for 4 days. We had a great time in Lisbon getting lost in its maze of narrow winding streets, admiring its tiled building façades, and looking out over its sea of clay roofs. We felt very at home in Portugal. The people are friendly and accommodating and always quick to lend a hand. We couchsurfed with two different hosts: Machado and Ricardo. Both guys were great. With Machado, we had many interesting discussions and with Ricardo we shared a lot of laughs.

My favourite parts of Lisbon were the Alfama and Graca districts. These are the old parts of town and many of the buildings are more than a century old. Many of the buildings are decorated in colourful painted tiles, which were extremely popular in Lisbon in the late 19th and early 20th century. Even in the downtown, many of the buildings still have tiled façades. The tiles look nice and give the city a very unique feel. Lisbon is also said to be the laundry capital of the word. Everywhere you look, people are hanging laundry out their windows to dry. Based on our photo habits, we determined that Minju is addicted to the tiles, and I am addicted to the laundry.

In Lisbon, we visited the Castello de Sao Jorge. The castle is built up on a peak and looks out over the city. It closely resembles the type of castle that I used to draw as a kid. We also went to the Belem district, which is home to the spectacular Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, a large gothic monestary, and Lisbon’s Discovery Monument. We also ate the Pasteis de Belem, the original version of the custard pie that Portugal is famous for.

We visited the Lisbon aquarium, which was fun. They have a huge centerpiece tank, which houses sharks, sting rays, eels, eagle rays, zebra fish, tuna, and even the huge and grotesque sunfish. When I first saw the sunfish I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I had to check with Minju to make sure I was actually seeing what I thought I was seeing. It is one of the biggest and certainly the strangest looking fish I have ever seen (see below). The aquarium also had penguins, sea otters, and jellyfish. They also had a fish that is capable of producing its own light. Very cool.

From Lisbon we took a day trip to the magical town of Sintra. Surrounded by high mountains, it used to be the summer getaway for Portugeuse royalty. We explored the grandiose gothic palace of the Quinta de Regaleira and the towers and walls in the surrounding park. It is a spectacular combination of architectural and natural beauty.

After a great stay in Lisbon, I headed up the coast to the city of Porto. Porto’s old town has a very authentic feel and it feels largely untouched. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that it is a Unesco world heritage site. The old town is in a little bit rougher shape than Lisbon but that only adds to its charm. There is a beautiful stretch of the old town along the river that separates Porto from its neighbouring town Gaia. Both towns have houses built into the grassy riverbanks. The scenery is spectacular.

My last stop in Portugal was Geres, the huge national park in Northern Portugal. I absolutely loved Geres and all of its natural beauty. I spent two days hiking and mountain biking around its many trails. My hikes took me across rivers, past waterfalls and lakes, and up rock faces. At times, the trail itself was a small stream, and I would have to hop from rock to rock. I climbed a small mountain on the Calcedonia trail, which was challenging and extremely rewarding. At the start of my climb I was surrounded by lush, thick forest, but higher up there was less vegetation and it became extremely rocky. It was very barren up there, but it had a certain beauty to it. The hike took me uphill to one of the highest peaks in the area. It was one of the most peaceful and serene places I have ever experienced. In two days of hiking, I didn’t see one fellow hiker! For the first time on my trip, I actually felt genuinely alone. It was a cool experience.

On my second day I rented a mountain bike and set out for Spain. Actually. It is only about 12km to the Spanish border. The ride was absolutely beautiful. The leaves are changing to bright yellows and reds and the ground was coated in them. The rocks were covered in a thick layer of green moss. I biked past streams and waterfalls. It was awesome. The only downside was that the trail was muddy and wet so I got absolutely covered. It was a small price to pay. After crossing the border, the trail stopped and I found myself on a highway that went straight downhill. I couldn’t resist the temptation and took off down the road. It was an incredible rush.

Next stop, is another stint in Spain, this time stopping in Madrid and the Basque region. Thanks again to Machado and Ricardo for being such great hosts!

-MB

Avoiding the Barber of Seville

December 4, 2009

I decided to visit Spain in two parts, with a visit to Portugal in between. Spain part one was Barcelona, Granada, and Seville and I absolutely loved it. I was amazed by the warmth and friendliness of the Spanish people and the history, art, and architecture that the country has to offer.

I started off in Barcelona. It quickly became one of my favourite European cities. Barcelona is a lively and vibrant city and is essentially a living museum of the work of Antoine Gaudi. Gaudi’s art, architecture, and legacy pulse through the city, highlighted by his most ambitious and grandiose project: the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia blew my mind. It is a large church that was started by Gaudi in the late 1800’s and it still being worked on today. The scheduled completion date is 2020, but knowing the Spanish it will probably be more like 2050. Despite still being in progress, it is considered a masterpiece. Gaudi takes a completely new and refreshing take on religious art. Rather than doing things in the boring Italian way, he sculptures are modern, edgy, and unique.

The Church has 12 large towers (8 complete) that stand out from the city skyline. The size of the Sagrada is incredible, and as you stare up you cannot help but be amazed by the amount of work that has gone into it. Inside, Gaudi built columns that were inspired by trees and the roof resembles a thick canopy of leaves. The light in the church is supposed to mimic the light one would experience in a forest. Gaudi’s work is an incredible fusion of geometry, nature, and art. I love the way that he manages to integrate these three components so seamlessly. His designs utilize paraboloids, caternary curves, and helicoids as well as many other geometric notions. For example, when you look down his staircase you see the spiral that occurs in a perfect snail shell, a pattern that inspired the development of the golden ratio.

I also visited Gaudi’s Park Guell, which is a park full of fantastical and slightly goofy, but certainly unique, Gaudi creations. The houses in the park look like they are straight out of Hansel and Gretel. When standing below one of his many bridges, I felt that I could have been in prehistoric times—or an episode of the Flintstones. I really enjoyed his tunnels and bridges in the park; they were built with shapes and structures that I had never seen used in architecture before. The park is strange, but it is also a lot of fun. While I didn’t love all of it, I certainly had a good time there. Half the time I was amazed by the work, and the other half I was amazed that he had the nerve to do the work.


I went to the Picasso museum, which was cool to see. The museum takes a chronological approach to Picasso’s work, starting with his work at the age of 14 and working up to Picasso’s later years. It was very interesting, and humbling, to see that even Picasso started out by doing very literal and simple paintings. His first works are something that any artist could do. Over time, you see his progression into more interpretive paintings, and eventually, the birth of cubism. My favourite works of Picasso are the paintings he did during his “blue period.” My art tour continued with the Joan Miro Museum, which was quirky and fun.

Some other highlights of Barcelona were napping and reading in the beautiful palm-lined Ciutadella Park, walking through saltwater at the Barcelona beach, eating many tapas meals, and hiking up to Tibidabo and enjoying the view over the city. Barcelona manages to be cultured without feeling pretentious. I love this city!

From Barcelona, I headed south to the historical city of Granada. Granada is famous for the Alhambra, a huge fortress and palace built in the 8th and 16th centuries by Spain’s muslim population. It did not disappoint. The Alhambra’s Palace of Nazareth is probably the most intricately detailed palace that I have ever seen. It is full of stone carvings, whose shapes and designs look very similar to the written Arabic language. The palace has many beautiful colonnades, reflection pools, courtyards, and gardens. It is a spectacular sight.


My favourite parts of Granada were the Albaicin and Sacremonte regions, located on the city’s highest peak. Albaicin is an incredibly beautiful area full of cobblestone streets and whitewashed houses. It feels authentically Spanish and has clearly been untouched by modern development. Walking through the Alcabain felt like going back in time. It has a lookout with a great view of the Alhambra. Sacremonte is the home of Granada’s gypsy population. Many of the gypsies still live in their traditional cave houses, while others live in houses that have literally been built into the side of the mountain. It is amazing that they have managed to preserve this way of life.


My last stop in Spain was the wonderful city of Seville, with its abundance of oranges and palm trees. In Seville, I took in the Spanish art form of Flamenco dancing. While I can’t say that I will ever become a fan, I certainly enjoyed the spectacle. Flamenco is kind of like graceful tap dancing, but rather than tapping the dancers are stomping. The show consists of a guitarist, a singer and the flamenco dancer. There is a slow buildup in intensity of the music and dance and the set culminates with about 5 minutes of flamenceo. All the performers were incredibly emotional and expressive during the performance. It was clear that they cared a lot about what they were doing. I also saw some Spanish guitar, which was excellent in the live setting.

In Seville I also visited the world’s third largest cathedral and the city’s famous bullfighting ring, where they hold bullfights from May to October. After learning about what actually happens in a bullfight I was thoroughly repulsed. The “sport” is disgusting and I find it very difficult to consider the matadors heroes. The matador is given every advantage possible in the fight, and only appears after the bull has been significantly injured. Moreover, the bulls that are chosen to fight have been separated from their mothers shortly after birth. Bulls are known to learn their fighting instincts from their mothers, thus, the matadors are essentially fighting the easiest fight possible. Like myself, many Spaniards have a serious problem with bullfighting and its abolishment is currently a hot topic of debate.


I loved Spain for the warmth of its people, its cozy restaurants, and spectacular art. Next, I am heading to Portugal and then back through Madrid and the northern part of Spain. Buenos Dias!

-M