Exploring Spain and Portugal

This past October my husband and I took a trip to explore parts of Spain and Portugal and learn more about their rich history and culture. We started in Southern Spain, in the region called Andalusia, which has a rich Moorish heritage and where one can find some of the most spectacular landmarks in Spain. We chose Córdoba and Sevilla, both for their history and their proximity to each other, and spend one day in Córdoba and two in Sevilla. To get there, we took the fast train (AVE) from Madrid to Córdoba (1 ½ hours), after spending a day in Spain’s capital city.

Andalusia

Arriving in Córdoba, we discovered that early October is high tourist season in that part of the country where summers are unbearably hot. Indeed, the weather was great and the place was packed with tourists, mostly from Europe and Scandinavia.

Old town Córdoba, where we stayed, has narrow cobblestone streets lined with bright-colored buildings with lovely façades. We enjoyed walking around them snapping pictures and looking at the local craft shops.

Córdoba’s main attraction is the Great Mosque of Córdoba, considered one of the most beautiful examples of Muslim art in Spain. It was built in 785 by the Muslim emir Abdurrahman I on the site of an ancient Visigoth church. After the Christian conquest in 1523, Christians built a cathedral inside the mosque, while preserving much of the original building. It’s a unique monument to both Muslim and Christian opulence!

In Seville we focused on its most important landmarks: the Seville Cathedral and the Royal Alcazar of Seville, both registered by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. They are absolutely stunning. The Alcazar is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and St. Mary Cathedral, where Christopher Columbus is buried, is among the largest of all medieval and Gothic cathedrals.

 

Since we had a little more time in Seville, we were able to visit the gorgeous Andalusian palace known as Casa de Pilatos, and enjoyed long walks around old town’s winding streets.On our last night, we saw a great traditional Flamenco show at Casa de La Memoria de Al-Andalus with terrific dancers and singers and had the best tapas at Taberna Poncio. Seville is definitely worth visiting.

Lisbon and Porto

We arrived in Lisbon on a rainy day and the weather remained cloudy and rainy during most of our stay there. We had to resort to riding tourist buses and trolleys to get a general sense of the place.

When the weather permitted, we spent an afternoon in Belém, where we saw the Belém Tower, the Discoveries Monument, the Jerónimos Monastery, and of course ate and bought some delicious pastéis de Belém. We also enjoyed walking around the hilly streets of the working-class barrio of Alfama and exploring the grounds of the São Jorge Castle.  A brief walk around the Chiado and Bairro Alto gave us a good sense of where Lisboetas go for good shopping and to enjoy a good cup of coffee.

Our second stop in Portugal was in the northern city of Porto. There, too, rain was an issue. On the rainy days we took long bus rides through the various parts of the city.

We spent an interesting afternoon on the riverside area, with the houses on the Porto side and the world-famous Port wine houses lining the Vila Nova de Gaia side. There we enjoyed a great Portuguese “bacalhau” meal and a visit and wine tasting at the Calém Port cellars. But we left Porto with a sense of unfinished business and will have to come back when the weather is better.

Barcelona

From Porto we flew to Barcelona, which was supposed to be the highlight of our trip. And indeed it was! I loved everything about Barcelona. It has so much character, incredible architectural gems, trendy shops, good restaurants, and a lively atmosphere. We spent only four nights there, which was not enough. You need at least a week to enjoy all Barcelona has to offer.

In spite of the short time and the rain, we got to see most of Barcelona’s main attractions, such as the beautiful Palau the La Música Catalana, the Juan Miró Foundation/museum, which I loved, the Picasso Museum, which I found disappointing, and the amazing architectural works of Antoni Gaudí that grace the city with their whimsical style. We had a great time walking around the Gothic Quarter and the famous Ramblas.

But the high point of the trip for me was the La Sagrada Familia cathedral, Gaudi’s masterpiece still under construction, where I had an unusual experience. I had spent some time outside taking pictures of the colossal towers and the amazing sculptures that form the gigantic exterior of the cathedral and was already completely in awe of it.

When I finally walked into the cathedral and looked up, I gasped and inexplicably burst into tears! I don’t understand what happened. I’m not religious, nor am I prone to publicly displaying my emotions. Yet, there I was, shedding tears at La Sagrada Familia, in the middle of the crowd! Maybe I was stressed from standing in line for almost an hour in the cold and rain? Well, all I know is that for whatever reason, I was overtaken with emotion by the organic beauty of Gaudi’s magnificent masterpiece. Wiping my tears, I took pictures that in no way do justice to that architectural and artistic gem. But I found this absolutely amazing HD video of the inauguration of La Sagrada Familia, which shows it in all its splendor, every detail, every angle, inside and out. The images and the music are fantastic. They’ll make you gasp for sure. Let me know if you cry. I, of course, cried again…

And then there was Sandy…

We ended our trip in Madrid, where we planned to spend a day and catch a plane back to New York the next. As it turned out, hurricane Sandy hit New York on the day of our trip and our flight was cancelled, forcing us to stay three more days in Madrid. As tired as I was after three weeks of travel, and as disappointed as I was by the unexpected delay, I thought spending some extra days in Madrid was nothing compared to what folks in New York and New Jersey were going through having to deal with that monster storm.

A final thought

I was very impressed with the spirit and resilience of the Spanish people. In spite of their country’s economic crisis, Spaniards were still upbeat and cities everywhere were lively as ever. Olé, Spain!

9/11/2012

It’s 9/11 again. Eleven years ago today, also on a sunny Tuesday morning, America lived its worst nightmare.

New York, the city the world loves to love, became the stage of unforgettable, unforgivable acts of aggression against America and its people. Not too far away, the Pentagon, in Northern Virginia, and a rural field in Western Pennsylvania also became part of the 9/11 tragedy. Thousands of innocent Americans died that day. Many more were either physically or emotionally wounded.

Every year on this date, I remember how I felt watching the images of the attacks as they unfolded and the chaos that followed. Watching today’s commemoration of the 11th anniversary of 9/11 and retrospectives of the events on TV, I was, as always, overcome with emotion.

The horror of those scenes will remain forever in my mind. I vividly remember how I felt fearing the entire country might be under attack, and wondering if the US was prepared to be on the receiving end of such brutal and coward acts.

But New Yorkers rose to the occasion. Americans rose to the occasion. Heroes came from everywhere to courageously confront chaos. Like angels, they rescued and treated victims, recovered the dead and comforted families. And they cleared and cleaned and worked relentlessly until normalcy was restored.

Bravery and resilience prevailed. But life as we knew it, was no more.

From Night Owl to Early Bird

A WordPress Weekly Writing Challenge

For the past five days, I’ve been going to bed between 10:30pm and 11:00pm and waking up between 6:30am and 7:00am.

One might ask, what’s so special about that? Don’t most people go to bed by 11:00pm and wake up around 7:00am?  Maybe… But not me!

I’ve been a night owl all my life. As a kid, getting up early to go to school was a hassle — fortunately, growing up in Brazil I had the option of going to school in the afternoon. As an adult, I struggled to get to work by 9:00am like everybody else, often failing miserably. Luckily, bosses and colleagues eventually adjusted to my schedule, mostly because I worked long hours and always managed to be in the office earlier when needed.

Thanks to these enabling factors, I became one of those people who can function perfectly well with just a few hours of sleep per night. Like most nocturnals, I was my most productive in the late afternoons and evenings. I dreaded 9:00am meetings and rarely agreed to any, except those called by my bosses. Sometimes I’d work at home until late at night and send e-mails to people I knew would not read them until early in the morning.

This crazy lifestyle worked well for me for many years. I may have looked tired, but I felt fine and enjoyed my life.

Last fall I moved from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, and while my life changed quite a bit, I kept the same sleeping habits because, well, I didn’t know how to do otherwise!

This summer, I went on my first trip to Brazil since moving to the West Coast. I was used to the insignificant one-hour time difference between D.C. and Brazil and didn’t think much about the fact that I’d be dealing with a four-hour time difference now. I had handled bigger time differences successfully, so no big deal!

While in Brazil, the time difference played to my advantage. I felt rested and was able to keep my late hours, going to bed around 2:00am almost every night for three weeks. But back in L.A., after a 24-hour trip –that involved three flights and a sleepless night– and a poorly slept first night at home, I developed a serious case of jet lag that changed my sleeping habits and led this night owl to this current stint as an early bird.

And much to my surprise, I love being an early bird!

I had forgotten –or never knew– the joys of being up early. For starters, the day feels so much longer. I used to have just a couple of productive hours before noon so my mornings were basically useless. Getting up at 7:00 I can do a million things and there’s still time to spare!

I’ve also been able to sleep faster. While before I’d be tossing and turning –fighting sleep– for at least an hour, it takes me less than fifteen minutes to doze off now. And the quality of my sleep has also improved significantly.

Surprisingly, I don’t miss my lonely late night activities, as I interact more often with “regular” people. And I can finally agree to 9:00am meetings and appointments without feeling aggravated.

The big question is, how long will this last? Will I be able to keep this up, or will I eventually revert to my nocturnal self?  Any tips on how to avoid that are very welcome!

More Gun Control Now!

Enough is enough!

How many more innocent people must die before the leadership of these United States of America has the courage to tackle the issue of gun control once and for all?

And how many more massacres will it take to stop the hideous gun lobby and the National Riffle Association (NRA) from saying that guns can actually help curb violence and stricter gun control laws wouldn’t make any difference?

The recent Aurora massacre, where 12 people died and 59 were injured, should give every American pause. The young man who perpetrated this crime bought an AR-15 rifle and two Glock automatic pistols and a Remington shotgun at two local gun stores. He also purchased some 6,000 rounds of ammunition and full body armor including leggings, neck and groin protectors!  Should this be allowed to happen?

The gun lobby and the NRA probably think so. And, sadly, there are millions of Americans who strongly believe that the right to bear arms is more important than saving lives. They actually think these massacres wouldn’t happen if everyone carried a gun. A return of the Wild West, I guess?

All this excess is supposedly protected under the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. I think it’s appalling that something written at a completely different time in history, serves to justify letting Americans build private arsenals if they so wish, and to do it legally!

Gun control laws in the US are not strict enough and this needs to change. But nothing seems to scare politicians –on both sides of the isle—as much as the issue of gun control. Very few politicians dare touch it. It’s considered political suicide. And the few who do, such as Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), face an uphill battle.

That’s why it’s up to the American people, with support of the media and gun control groups such as the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, to force this debate and put pressure on politicians to act.

In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt much if our friends in Hollywood and the makers of video games did something to cut down on the violence in movies and games. We all know that violent movies and video games often serve as inspiration to the looneys out there and are a negative influence on youngsters.

Parents, the government, the entertainment industry, all have equal responsibility in this. It will take a village to change it.  An unarmed village!

Happy Birthday, America!

I was watching the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks and thought I’d drop a few words to wish America a Happy Birthday.

The fireworks in New York were simply spectacular. The best I’ve ever seen. As usual, I got a bit teary-eyed when they played America the Beautiful. There’s something about it that touches me. And I’m not even American!

Anyway, here’s to America’s 232 years of independence!

Santa Monica: More Than a Pretty Beach

It’s hard to believe I’ve been in California for three months and never once posted about it!  In my defense, moving from one coast to another, house hunting for weeks, dealing with difficult sellers and agents (that deserves a post of its own) and doing everything else needed to settle in a new state, has been a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, while doing all this, we’ve been living in Santa Monica, on a rental apartment just a stone’s throw of great shopping and restaurants and half a block from the ocean front. This has been a great experience and I’ve become a huge fan of the city.

Santa Monica is special, not only because it has super friendly people, a great beach and breathtaking sunsets, but also because it is a very progressive community with admirable standards of social inclusion.  Its reputation as a liberal, caring and well-organized city, with good schools and good public services is one of the reasons Santa Monica is one of the most sought after places to live in Los Angeles County.

One of the things that struck me the most about Santa Monica was the city’s policy on homelessness.  Unlike other communities, Santa Monica is known for treating its homeless with great compassion and for being dedicated to preventing and addressing homelessness through outreach, permanent and temporary housing and shelter, and supportive services.

To be sure, there are those who see the homeless presence as a danger to the community. They forget that many of the people roaming the streets today are war veterans, former successful professionals, moms and dads, who fell victim to addiction, financial misfortune or mental illness.

While the city has had problems in the past with the way the police treated the homeless, it is certainly much more proactive in addressing homelessness than the city of Los Angeles –named the “meanest” city in the United States by national homeless advocacy group in 2009, according to the LA Times– and other cities in neighboring counties.  Just this past week, in three Orange County cities, three homeless men were killed by what is believed to be a serial killer, someone who does not embrace the notion of compassion and tolerance towards those who live on the streets.

On January 25, over 200 community volunteers will take to the streets in Santa Monica to visually count homeless people in the community, as part of the city’s Annual Homeless Count.  I am seriously thinking about joining their effort.

“Here’s To The Crazy Ones”

I’ve been reading Walter Isaacson’s excellent biography of Steve Jobs for the past few weeks. It’s a long book (over 600 pages), but a very interesting one. It gives us precious insights into the mind of a very complex man, his passion for the company he created, and his obsession with beauty and simplicity, which became the essence of Apple products.

One of the most interesting chapters in the book deals with Jobs’ return to Apple in 1997 and his efforts to save the brand.  Among other things, Jobs decided to launch a PR campaign to rebrand Apple. For that, he called on Lee Clow, the creative director of the brilliant “1984″ TV advert used on the successful launch of the Macintosh in 1984.  Jobs wanted the 1997 campaign to focus on the brand, not on the products, and to celebrate the people of Apple (those who made it and those who used it).  They were to feel special because they were “different”.  The Think Different campaign included the iconic TV ad “Here’s to the Crazy Ones,” whose beautiful text is dedicated to those whose creativity and willingness to take risks helped change the world. It was the beginning of Apple’s come back and of the beautiful products it was to make.

There are two versions of the ad: one narrated by Richard Dreyfuss and one narrated by Jobs.  Jobs decided to go with Dreyfuss’s because he didn’t want people to think this was about Steve Jobs. It wasn’t. It was all about Apple.

Dreyfuss’s narration may have all the right voice inflections but I prefer Jobs’s because he owned the message. It came straight from his heart. I also think his voice is much more pleasant than Dreyfuss’s. Either way it’s a beautiful ad, with a beautiful and timeless message.  Here is Jobs’s rendition.