FRIDAY'S A GEM

Knitting Misadventures Feb '10

2010-03-13T22:07:00.005Z

'I'm goin' home' - Old Maiden Aunt yarn 'Seen the Ocean', part of her Mixtape Series.

'You're the one that I want' with Grease Lightening complementary moves and buttons I love to death.

It's the Dali Man!

2010-02-25T09:38:00.011Z

On the train to Figueres with Marianna, she with good ink, my generous guide! And cheer up Miss Anh, Dali isn't that crazy is he?

Oh.

Strangely compelling.

Don't mess with the noses!

....or the toeses.

Square surrounding the museum:

Exterior on one side. I wonder if I can erect something similar outside the kitchen window.

I guess I missed the memo about the blue outfits. Still, I had a really nice time.

On my way to the Fundacio Joan Miro the next day, just before I was attacked by a bunch of vile 8 year olds (don't worry, I'm pretty good at kicking and yelling too)

Outside the museum...Cute fella, but a bit rude.

You have no idea how long I waited for that stupid bird to fly by.

They were very strict about taking photos within the gallery, so nothing there I'm afraid. Picked up a nice postcard though! It says ceci est la coleur de mes reves.

On the train home from Preswick Airport - can you believe that they have a Peckham's selling Bundaberg Root Beer? Tres gour-may!

I am leaving Glasgow in a few weeks and realised how little I've captured of it for my photo albums. It's been snowing again!

Knitting Misadventures Jan '10

2010-02-01T21:36:00.006Z

Alright, I admit I am bullcrap at sorting through travel photos - Dali is coming, I promise!

In the meantime, I need to update this bleergh, otherwise, it will rapidly descend into just that. I'm trying!

I named these mitten's 'Santa's Poinsettias', becos I am clearly such a green thumb. As it were, I forgot to make one thumb on the right mitten, and freaked out very badly - until I discovered the 'afterthought' thumb technique, which involves a lot of closing your eyes, screaming and a pair of scissors (in my case anyway). I also ran out of yarn, which was a minor disaster because it meant I had to raid Klaus' mum's yarn stash; this made me feel very guilty - who knows what kind of knitting karma is gonna hit me next.

Last week, I finished a Feather and Fan shawl, hereby named 'My girlfriend is a witch'. We heard this song playing at a shop and Klaus thought it would be hilarious to keep singing it to me, especially when I'm grumpy. He was thrilled to discover I was knitting a shawl of all things; my girlfriend is a witch my girlfriend is a witch! And so it goes.

I'm currently working on a long black cardigan that will hopefully swallow me up and protect me from this freezing cold flat. I'm ordering some polymer clay buttons from Folksy; something very utilitarian and hobbycraftish about them that I like.

The colour of Gaudi's shapes

2010-01-21T11:13:00.014Z

There's something totally OCD about wanting to memorise every single tile formation and design feature that Gaudi thought up, but I'm not the only one, surely. Enjoy!

The church that Rome certainly did not help build - it is definitely awe inspiring, regardless of how many photographs you see of it beforehand:

On the street - Casa Vicens:

On the street and rooftop - Casa Mila (La Pedrera)

Park Guell - wow! (can I eat that gingerbread house?)

Gaudi's house and garden within the park:

Happy mosaic dreams!

Fun in Finland

2010-01-03T12:53:00.007Z

So far, this image really captures for me what Finland feels like (taken from inside the car, as the sun sets at 2pm). There is that peculiar lilac shade in the sky, and some snow, but you're warm and maybe you can hear some music playing; it's really beautiful.

Of course, my title could have been 'Freezing in Finland', but I actually didn't feel that until about week into the trip, when I went for a walk in -20 and my hair turned grey from ice particles formed from my breath. It's not always -20, mostly it's about -10...Anh the Michelin Eskimo!

We stayed the first few days with Klaus' brother in Naantali, about 15 minutes from Turku.

Anh, enjoying the company of Elsa and Aino who look like her, and whom will lie down unexpectantly demanding a bellyrub (dogs, that is...)

Sweet Turku church with little windows:

Anh, momentarily distracted:

Yes, it really did say 'Supreme quality you-know-what on the mountain top'.

Ada, the professional rice paper roll roller:

Speaking of food, I made an expensive phonecall to Australia on Christmas Eve and Linh picked up, the few precious moments we spent talking about...well, food of course. For you, sis:

Yep, I don't think we've been eating very typically on account of a vegan in the house, I mean, I guess we're lacking at least one pig and a reindeer.

Klaus taking the piss (yes, it's porridge, but the homemade apple jam is DELISH!! I had maybe a ratio of 3:1 jam:porridge...):

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas; Lordi certainly did at the Santa Village...

And a happy new year!

What Lord Byron said about Sintra

2009-12-27T11:03:00.013Z

He said 'I must just observe that the village of Cintra in Estremadura is the most beautiful in the world.' He called in Paradise on Earth.

Of course, it's hard to be convinced after a 45 minute train ride of surburban drabbery - but after you round the corner and start walking up hill, the scenery changes and you'll find yourself agreeing with Lord Byron. Apparently King Ferdinand brought back hundreds of exotic flora to populate his paradise with, even eucalyptus trees, whose nuts we saw on the way up to the Moorish castle.

A beautiful palace can be seen from the castle, simple and elegant:

The town:

Anh enjoying sweet treats from Piriquita, the famous pastry store:

We also went to Cascais that day, and never quite figured how to pronounce it correctly, so refered to it as 'couscous', like real plebs. 'We' is Christina from Eppso, and 3 young Americans on exchange in Granada, whose names I've forgotten but will always remember as how I normally think of young Americans – naïve and polite, and 'nice as pie' (except the ones who listen to heavy metal music, dress in black and carry guns, naturally).

Bye Portugal, like a Pacman with sharp teeth who releases a bird to say I hope to see you soon...

Running like a bull around Barcelona

2009-12-21T10:21:00.011Z

Yeah ok, I know they don't run bulls in Barcelona, but I liked the semi alliteration.
You could spend all day taking pictures of the buildings in this city, and Anh did!

Church wall with green tiles and best living statue I've seen:

Sunny days:

Enough said...

One of my favourite moments was discovering whimsy in an otherwise busy and nondescript Metro station.

In my first post, I said that Barcelona represented all my heroes (well, not all, but they do make up a large percentage) – Dali, Picasso, Miro, Gaudi.

People are really mad for Gaudi, including me. In his life, he died alone, which makes me sad. I will do a separate entry because of the volume of pictures I want to share...

Dali always appealed because his work is unapologetically crazy. When you leave the museum, you think again, 'Geez, Dali really was crazy'. He will also have a seperate entry, because this kind of craziness also inspires many photographs.

Miro's art (well, the happy art) is like a sweet calligraphic dream, where all the right things are in the right place – birds, stars, happy figures, shapes. Photos were not allowed within the gallery.

I was a bit disappointed at the lack of cubism at the Picasso musuem, but thought it was a really nice collection overall. There was also an exhibit on Japanese erotica (and very interesting to see its influence on Picasso's more rudey art), and well, some of it was a bit weird. A friend mentioned the other day in a completely different conversation that Japanese hentai was not (is not?) allowed to depict genitalia (that is, male) or actual sex, which is why you have various other phallic representation. Such as giant squids. Which is weird.

Sorry to end it on this note, but I'm going to see Santa Claus now. That's right! He does exist, mum! (If you're wondering, I'm now in Lappland.)

The girls of Navalcarnero

2009-12-09T23:11:00.013Z

The crazy weekend in Madrid also explained why I couldn't find any reasonably priced accommodation; I stayed in a little town called Navalcarnero, about 45 minutes away by bus. I had a fun time there actually - the first night I arrived, I got very lost and had to ask some teenage girls hanging out in the local square for directions. They walked me to the hostel and we had very limited but lively conversations, then they came back about 1 hour later and asked if they could take me out the next night (it took at least half an hour before I understood). 'Porqua?' I asked, and there was a pause until one of them said, 'Because...you are very nice!!' Awhh. So I went to pizza with them, enjoyed a stroll around the town, and took snaps in varying quality of light...

Representing Navalcarnero: Ainhoa, Jeni, Alice, Hanna, Helen, Marta

Thanks!

Madness in Madrid

2009-12-09T22:11:00.017Z

Madrid was, for me, definitely mad. Wikipedia says it's the 3rd largest city in the EU after London and Berlin, but it felt much much crazier. I didn't know upon arriving that it was a 4-day long weekend, which brought everyone else in Spain to Madrid, whilst everyone in Madrid apparently fled elsewhere (good idea).

I don't have many pictures of Madrid because I didn't feel very inspired. The buildings seemed to me excessively big but not necessarily that interesting. The whole city began to feel like a Christmas party that goes on too long with people you don't like that much - screaming children, screaming parents, stupid Christmas head adornments, even more stupid random shit things that make annoying noises and flash incessantly, can't leave but can't go anywhere else either etc.

However, the Reina Sofia did have a fab exhibit on Russian artists Rodchenko & Popova (and Guernica), and the Thyssen-Bornemisza had the 'Tears of Eros' exhibit (which I went to grudgingly since I'd wanted to see their permanent collection) which was also excellent. The English audio guide was good, and they even had a Rousseau as part of it!

And I liked this a lot, but lost my notes (detective work soon):

Between Sofia and Prado, there was the Caixa Forum with vertical garden by Patrick Blanc...

and inside, lovely edges...

Until next post!

P.S. There appeared to be a jungle within the main train station, with baby turtles hanging out with mum...

Lost in Lisbon

2009-12-03T21:21:00.028Z

Luckily, getting lost in Lisbon is wonderful.

I arrived yesterday, in a downpour, but the air was warm and the cobbled streets exciting.

After getting lost in the labyrinth of the Alfama district, I found my hostel, where the sun began to shine and the view from the balcony absolutely sweet.

The rest of the evening was spent wandering around the oldest section of Lisbon, the only district intact after the devastating earthquake of 1755, since it is built on solid rock (Anh is probably making all this up).

Today I went on a walking guide with Suzy, and it was just myself, so a private tour for e10! She was a bit of a history geek, and I actually listened for the full 3 hours. Afterwards, she gave me directions on where to buy Portuguese tea, as Portugal is the only country in Europe that actually produces the stuff. So a few packets of loose leaf for Christmas winter. (Note to self: must spend vast amounts of money on an Arabia teapot when in Finland...)

Above: representing waves, castle in the distance, men`s club, charred church innards - reminder of the great fire, art deco ***** stars, hip hop poet yo yo yo (kidding - that`s Chiado)

Then the afternoon in Belem, and was in total awe.

When it was time to get back to the hostel (for a homecooked meal, and then fado at 11pm) (fado, the melancholy soul tunes, Portuguese blues) I got terribly lost once again, and had to be led back, like the blind, by a young punk with neo curls and cherry docs.

I am gunna use the term "fishnipples" to insult drivers of all public transport with from now on. Lisboa said it was ok.

Until next time - adeus!

P.S I shall update with proper names and places some time in near future...but maybe not. Go check Wikipedia people!

Pah-ree, ah, wee

2009-12-02T18:40:00.006Z

So here, the Pompidou! Three cheers, and hurrah! We finally made it.

But wait....

....Oh bloody goddamn shitcakes! En greve!

I was so sad; luckily the cinema adjacent was showing 'Samson & Delilah'. That was also sad.

Well, of course one can't mention Paris without a shot of the Eiffel, glittering in the winter sun.

And here, the vantage point where tourists take the most pictures of the Eiffel than any other:

Salut!

Friday is indeed a gem

2009-11-27T17:43:00.008Z

I'll be seeing the Pompidou in Paris on Monday; a promising treat as the last time I was there it was closed. I would have liked to go to the St Ouen Flea Markets too- but well, what would there be to look forward to for next time? Then onto Lisbon (ceramics, Moorish architecture, seafood), Madrid (leather, dust, bulls, men with thin moustaches) and Barcelona (Gaudi, Dali, Picasso, Miro). The brackets are the first things I think of...

Will be updating blog. Bllooog. Ugly-sounding word, ey? Anyway, hi mum, hi dad.