Nobody asks '¿Por que llegas tarde?' (Why are you late?), because they already know the answer '¡Porqué esta lloviendo, claro!' (Because it's raining, of course!). Ah, if only we had this attitude in England.
Friday, 16 April 2010
When it rains, everything stops
April showers are dealt with a little differently here. It seems that everyone is allowed to be late on rainy days in Madrid. Traffic grinds to a halt as motorists struggle desperately to cope with this strange phenomenon- each and every one of them driving slower and more cautiously than the last. And pedestrians everywhere run for cover (thats if they ever braved leaving the house in the first place); heaven forbid they could actually get wet.
Nobody asks '¿Por que llegas tarde?' (Why are you late?), because they already know the answer '¡Porqué esta lloviendo, claro!' (Because it's raining, of course!). Ah, if only we had this attitude in England.
Nobody asks '¿Por que llegas tarde?' (Why are you late?), because they already know the answer '¡Porqué esta lloviendo, claro!' (Because it's raining, of course!). Ah, if only we had this attitude in England.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Valley of the Fallen
General Fransisco Franco did things a little differently. That wasn't always popular- but let's not go there. One thing I have learned though, is that he has certainly left an impression here:
Bienvenidos a El Valle De Los Caidos (Welcome to The Valley Of the Fallen). This place took 19 years to build and was designed on a scale equal to 'the grandeur of the monuments of old, which defy time and forgetfulness' according to Franco.
It is essentially a mountain with a grand entrance way on one side, a monastery on the other, a vast basilica bored through the middle that connects the two, and the most prominent feature of the monument; a towering 150-meters-high (500-feet) cross erected over a granite outcrop 150 meters over the basilica esplanade and visible from over 20 miles away. Basically the biggest cross in the world.
10% of the workforce for this place were convicts, and many people were worked to death building this. Now it serves as a memorial to all those 'fallen', including, somewhat controversially, Franco himself, whose tomb is now housed inside the basilica.
Bienvenidos a El Valle De Los Caidos (Welcome to The Valley Of the Fallen). This place took 19 years to build and was designed on a scale equal to 'the grandeur of the monuments of old, which defy time and forgetfulness' according to Franco.
It is essentially a mountain with a grand entrance way on one side, a monastery on the other, a vast basilica bored through the middle that connects the two, and the most prominent feature of the monument; a towering 150-meters-high (500-feet) cross erected over a granite outcrop 150 meters over the basilica esplanade and visible from over 20 miles away. Basically the biggest cross in the world.
10% of the workforce for this place were convicts, and many people were worked to death building this. Now it serves as a memorial to all those 'fallen', including, somewhat controversially, Franco himself, whose tomb is now housed inside the basilica.
Guitar shopping
So far I've been enjoying myself very much, and haven't really missed home at all. The one thing I did miss however, was my guitar. Don't get me wrong, I'm no professional, I'm not even a gifted amateur, but I do enjoy playing, or at least trying to.The Spanish invented the guitar. So finding one here should be easy right? Well, sort of. As obvious as it may sound, most of the guitars in Spain are Spanish guitars, and finding an acoustic was a little more difficult.
After a good couple of hours printing off Google maps of guitar shops, and a good couple of hours of marching around the city 'sin exito' (without success), I chanced upon a tiny little piano shop, fronted by a funny little señor, dressed as if he was on his way to the opera. This eccentric and friendly fella had just the guitar for me, with 'el mejor relación calidad/precio' (the best quality/price ratio).
After a good couple of hours printing off Google maps of guitar shops, and a good couple of hours of marching around the city 'sin exito' (without success), I chanced upon a tiny little piano shop, fronted by a funny little señor, dressed as if he was on his way to the opera. This eccentric and friendly fella had just the guitar for me, with 'el mejor relación calidad/precio' (the best quality/price ratio).
Now I have a guitar once more, and I truly feel at home. Maybe I'll actually come home when I can play like this:
Madird bakerys don't sell guns
On a trip to buy bread today I was offered deadly weapons buy the baker in broad daylight. I asked for 'dos barras de pan' (loaves of bread) and she replied '¿Quieres dos pistolas?' (do you want two pistols?). I don't no what was more shocking, her asking the question or the fact that I immediately responded 'Si.'
As It happens she wasn't about to sell me illegal arms over the counter, turns out that in Madrid, and Madrid only, baguette-like loaves of bread are referred to as 'pistolas'... What a shame.
As It happens she wasn't about to sell me illegal arms over the counter, turns out that in Madrid, and Madrid only, baguette-like loaves of bread are referred to as 'pistolas'... What a shame.
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