Tuesday, March 23, 2010

andalucia


andalucia. a name as pretty as the stripes and arches of ancient stones born from al-andalus, when the moors reigned this region. in the south of this iberian peninsula that i absolutely adore.

cordoba was first, the mezquita and its stripes of red and white, too many for eyes to focus amongst such ornate design. so interesting, to see a cathedral sitting squat inside a mosque that way. but so beautiful.



sevilla, my favorite, open and wide. Plaza de Espana, where parts of Planet Nabu (star wars!) was filmed. world fair pavillions and gardens so green, but the children would only stare at the ducks swimming in the fountain water, when the photos i took were tinted so blue.
the cathedral was beautiful, the bell tower views spread so nice, but really, columbus' skeleton? i "saw" them in la republica dominicana too. a shame his brittle little discoverin' bones have been jumbled about across oceans so much.


my two favorite photos

granada, the alhambra. like walking on holy ground. generalife. hen-air-alh-lee-fay. swishing of red and the claps of fierce looking women and fabio men, spanish guitar to make us melt. the flamenco show was most enjoyable. i smoked sheesha for the first time, light and dizzy and apple flavored sweetness. pakistani tea with milk&honey, leaves slippin in my sips like the smoke was slipping into the silk. those cushions weren't as comfortable as they looked. the nightlife was best; too many tasty tapas and taps at the tables and we were all too cozy and drunk to find home again.




it was a lovely few days, however rushed we were.





Sunday, March 14, 2010

toledo


these views were worth the weekend.
wrapped.
hehe
not the largest, not the oldest; but the most important cathedral in spain.


toledo: forty minute train ride from madrid.
we almost missed the train, we even had to run: too obsessed with the fresh zumo de naranja, siempre sin azucar: no lo necesita. i loved the cypress trees, the agave plants (that weren't quite as rare as we thought) the sandy clustered rooftops, this gym of a city on a hill we climbed and clawed and clustered our way through. el greco and his ghostly faces, our sideways lunch; i can get the check right quick? gotta stop for souvs!



love is not a victory march

my first weekend trip was to madrid, in january.

mainly madrid was full of my melting memories and magnificent museums, nicecream, the best sangria i've still yet to taste, and for the first time knowing why anyone (l) loves cold, grey weather, and seeing that beauty in the swirling lyrics in my head. we made the most of those shin splints.

windmills from windows, beirut in my ears.

it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.


optical illusions

exhausted conclusions.
i cannot count our endless cafes con leches.
we loved el azul.

museo nacional del prado, la reina sofia, y museo thyssen-bornemisza were breathtaking and overwhelming in the best way possible. even better than anything paris has to offer.

the winged victory of samothrace


how hollow do our hearts become when afflicted with a loss? i have hurt so hard being across an ocean, separated from my family, when this is my first more intimate experience with death.
trying to find solace in the fact that my uncle left amidst his passions, understanding that God's timing is perfect, though i cannot comprehend it.

rest in peace, Uncle Tom. i'll look through my lens for you now.

i have never experienced such a vast realm of emotions as this past week has brought, either. (sadness, emptiness, worry, annoyance, anger, more hurt.) and i am homesick for the first time. still so in love with my city, but no longer trying my hardest to extend my stay. this won't be the last time this continent is at my fingertips, my eyes in the windows of its trains and my breath held up high in its planes. such a mix of feeling too young, but being hit with the fact that life is so so short.


norby families:)

grandma pauline wishes she could have been there, too.

last time he visited orlando, he said so many of the funniest things
that will stick out to us the most:)