to madrid

Today, Claire and I took the train north to Madrid. Our goal was to visit the Royal Palace and the Prado together before I head back to the states. The Royal Palace was spectacular. The Prado was a treat for Claire, who has been studying the Art History of Spain. I took photos in the palace, but because we couldn't use flash, they are too blurry to post. If you do a web search, you will find many beautiful photos of the palace on line.

My last night in Spain - after visiting the Prado, we went to dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. The waiter was very friendly and brought us after dinner liquer - anise flavored- with our desert.

Grafitti

I woke early today, and walked to Claire's to say hi, drop off books, etc., and to download photos. Unfortunately, lost many of my photos of the Alhambra in the process! On the way back to the hostel, stopped at one of the little bakeries and bought a pastry filled with chocolate, topped with poppy seeds and a sugar glaze. Delicious!

At 11:15, the Oasis sponsored a grafitti tour. There were 11 of us, plus our guide; ages 20 - 65. We saw some fantastic grafitti and I took many photos. The tour ended with churros and chocolate at a 'football' pub.

Next task, shopping for gifts. I wandered further afield in the Albaicin than I had before - it gets a little sketchy as you move away from the hostel and touristy areas.

One purchase was a CD of Musique Oriental from the shop where we met an oud player (Claire and I went to a concert at a tea shop called El Alchemista last night.)

More wandering brought me to the Royal Chapel. This left me rather awe struck - there, 5 or 6 feet from me, were the coffins of Ferdinand and Isabel. On display were some of my favorite religious paintings by Van Der Weyden. There were also many paintings by Memling and Bouts. The huge altar piece was striking, overwhelming - portraying the mutilations of various sainted in three-dimensional, gory detail!

Baraka

Today, the Alhambra.

Claire picked me up and we rode the Alhambra bus together - it is a tiny, micro-bus that takes you up the steep hill. It is the most beautiful, magical place I think I've ever been. The gardens, the architecture, the textures are so visually absorbing I can hardly think in words.

After spending about 4 hours here I took a leisurely walk down the hill, back to the Plaza Nueva.

Herta de San Vincente

In Federico Garcia Lorca park, in Granada, is the estate owned by the poet's family. He wrote many of his best poems here, and the house contains furniture, textiles, art and photographs that were used by the family when they lived here. When I visited, there was a beautiful exhibit of Lorca's manuscripts, letters and drawings. I was very fortunate to have a great guide whose spoke good English - plus the privledge of being the only person who showed up for the 11 am tour! Perhaps most touching, was seeing the balcony mentioned in the peom Leave Taking.


Leave Taking

If I die,
leave the balcony open.

The boy is eating oranges.

(From my balcony I can see him.)

The reaper is reaping the wheat.
(From my balcony I can hear him.)

If I die,

leave the balcony open.

- Federico Garcia Lorca

The Bus Tour

Today, Claire and I bought tickets for the double decker tour bus which takes you to all of the key sights in Granada - Nuestra Str. de Los Angustias, Palacio de Congresos, Museo Garcia Lorca, Plaza de Toros, etc. We got off the bus at Monasterio de la Cartuja and walked around.

This is a beautiful monastery where the monks used to makes rosaries out of rose petals (they have a cluttered gift shop there which sells these and others made of lavender.)

Later in the day, we walked to her school. On the way we say many beautiful grafitti wall paintings that are common in parts of Granada.

The school building was a typical Andalusian building with a simple facade, but a spacious inner courtyard.
After a delicious lunch at ICURI, she went to class. I took a walk up Carrera de Darro and back, then jumped onto the Micro version of the tour bus to ride past the Alhambra and through the Albacin.

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In Granada

After meeting on the platform at the train station, Claire and I walked to the hostel where I would be staying all week: the Oasis Backpackers Hostel, on Placeta Correo Viejo, reached by walking up Calederia Nueva. The traditional Albacyn quarter is very picturesque and exotic (by American standards!) and the building is a traditional Andalusian building. I was very pleased at the atmosphere and how clean the hostel was. After dropping off my bags, Claire and I headed out to look around a bit. We had cafe con leche in the square near the cathedral. A saxophone player was playing, and it was a beautiful sunny day. Then we walked to her house on Manuel de Falla, about a 15 minute walk away. We stopped in at an internet cafe / phone center so I could try to phone about changes in travel plans, then we went back to her house to hang out. She had to study for an Art History exam the next day. As it was getting late, Claire walked me back to my 'neighborhood', dropping me off at an Arabic tea house for a light supper. I had Monzanilla (Chamomile Tea) and Jambon y caesa (ham and cheese sandwich). Back at the hostel, it was very pleasant to hang out and read in the living room.

The Talgo Train to Granada

On Sunday morning, I headed to the train station about 7 a.m. (My train wasn't leaving until 8:25, but I had been unable to find out where I needed to catch it the night before - no one spoke English well enough to explain it to me!) The streets were full of young people who were still out from the night before. They were gathered in the street talking in groups, or heading into Bocadillaries to get something to eat
At the station I finally found someone who could help me - she wrote the word "Cercanias" on a slip of paper and told me to go left then right. Following her directions I finally found an area marked with the slanted C logo - Cercanias are regional trains connecting Madrid with suburban areas all the way south to Malaga. Told to "go to the middle" I joined a group of people assembled in front of a gate. As I was asking the man in front of me if he was catching the same train (he didn't understand a word I said), the man in front of him turned around and said, in English, that he was waiting for the same train. He was a Scottish tourist heading to Granada for a holiday. Twenty minutes before the train was to depart, they opened the gate and directed us to the correct platform.

The train was very comfortable - I had a single seat right by a large picture window - and the views as we traveled south were breathtaking. This ride on the train was one of the highlights of the trip.

We passed hundreds of acres of
olive trees. I also noticed clusters of 1,2 or more cars parked in the middle of no-where. A little further on, I saw a group of 3 men carrying rifles! A little further, yet, I saw a similar group who also had hunting dogs with them. That's when I realized it must be hunting season in Spain.

The terrain changed from fairly flat, around Madrid, to very hilly (see photo at olive tree link, above) and finally to mountainous - crossing the sierra morenas. As we approached Granada, we could see the Sierra Nevada rising in the distance, dusted with snow.

The six hour ride passed very quickly, but as we neared Granada, I began to get anxious to arrive. When we finally did get there, and I met Claire on the platform I would hardly speak I was so happy to see her! My eyes were full of tears.

Going to Spain

SPAIN!

Departed BWI at 8:30 on British Airways, flying to Heathrow and a connection on Iberia.
Arrived In Madrid at 2:10 pm on Saturday, 18 November. It was raining and gray, so I didn't take any photographs.

In Madrid, I stayed at Hotel Mora on Passeo del Prado. Attached to the hotel is a small restaurant where the food is very good, and the service is attentive.

A visit to the Museo del Prado was the very first thing on my agenda. There are so many incredible paintings here, it was overwhelming. I looked at many of them, but was most struck by the Velazquez and El Greco. Seeing Las Meninas in person was a stunning experience. El Greco surprised me - his work seems so abstract and ahead of his time.




After the Prado, I took a walk to the Atocha station to see where I'd catch my train the next morning. I'd forgotten it, but I had read in a guide book about the tropical gardens that fill the main station. There is even a pool filled with turtles!

From Atocha, the final destination for the evening was the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. My purpose was to see Picasso's Guernica in person. Seeing it was like being punched in the stomach, it is so powerful.

After 36 hours awake, it was time for dinner and sleep, so I wasn't able to give this museum the attention the collection deserves. After walking through a few galleries, I returned to my hotel.

the studio

I moved into the studio in December 2005. My friend Marcia had been looking for someone to share for a few months. These photos were taken in January 2006, shortly after I moved in. It looks different now, but these are the only photos I have available to postright now. The huge painting in the corner by the door is gone now, and my multi-panel USA Project covers most of that wall. There is more of my work on the wall on my side. It is very comfortable. The building was a mill where they wove sails for the skipjacks that were built in Baltimore. Now it houses artist studios, offices, a gallery and artist's press, etc.

on chestnut avenue

The School 33 Open Studio Tour turned out to be a fantastic professional experience. The body of work I have going is basically conceptual, map based and I really wasn't sure how it would be received. I got my answer when the first people entered my studio and began to look at and interact with the pieces on the wall. They had many questions, comments and thoughts to share, and we talked for quite a while. Overall, I had 50 or more visitors. About 30% spent a significant amount of time studying the pieces. Many engaged in long conversations about the work, giving me feedback and their personal reactions. All in all, I felt very grateful to get the enthusiastic response. The experience definately energized me - I've already been back in the studio and completed 4 more panels for the large wall piece!