Spain | renxkyoko's space

Posts Tagged ‘Spain’

20 Mar

My Euro Tour Part 20 Spain

Posted by renxkyoko in Barcelona, European travel, European trip, Flamenco, mangas/animes, my life, Random thoughts, Spain. Tagged: anime/mangas, European tour, European travel, Flamenco, my life, postaweek2011, random thoughts, Spain. 95 comments

Hello ! Renxkyoko Iglesias here !

I’ve been hella busy these past weeks……… exams, work, and stuff are getting in the way of blogging. As usual, there’s nothing on my mind at the moment, but then I’m always like this, right? I’m a slow starter. Funny thing is, when I get going, there’s nothing that can stop me from taking off. So, let’s see where this post goes.

My signature name here, Ren x Kyoko . It goes without saying that isn’t my real first name. The name comes from one of my most favorite mangas ( Japanese graphic novels) SKIP BEAT. Yep, I read mangas, and really, really enjoy reading them. They are drawings, cartoons, with very few words to read, and basically depend on facial expressions to convey what ‘s going on in the story. Did you get to read my Valentine’s post here ? It conveys a lot just looking at the drawings, doesn’t it, with minimum number of words, 13 short sentences, and really, the drawings say it all. Oh, I’m not rationalizing my fondness for stories with pictures. I read to entertain myself. That’s all there is to it. But, I have to admit some manga stories do lower the level of my IQ a few notches. Or, have irreversibly killed a few brain cells. ( Eh. I’m not worried about my IQ. I’ve been called a walking Encyclopedia once, and I believe I can give Jeopardy contestants a run for their money. )

The other stuff thar I read.

Quite a few mangas have scarred me for life, though. Like, what, you ask. Like Incest, that’s what. Like 2 siblings who are into forbidden love, and in the end, both comitted suicide. Or, twins who have fallen in love with each other, and have ran away to another country to be together. There are tons of forbidden love stories like these, though some are cute, especially those that involve love between two non-blood -related siblings. There are so many plotlines like these that it makes me think, is this actually a cultural thing in Japan?

Back to SKIP BEAT…… it’s a series that I’ve been reading for 6 years now, and still ongoing. It’s at Chapter 198 , to date, and the truth is, it’s been on going for 10 years already.. What’s amazing about this manga is that, the timeline of the story as of the last chapter is barely over a year . A chapter comes out every 5th of the month, and I tell you, I always get butterflies in my stomach everytime I turn on the computer to check if a new chapter has already been uploaded. That’s how addicted I am to this pure love story. It’s a comedy, too.

You know, I visualize myself already a grandma, sitting in a rocking chair, sipping hot cocoa, clucking my dentures, and still reading Skip Beat. ( *_*) For the love of God, hurry up and kiss already ! ! Gosh ! * like that’s gonna happen * (6_6 )

Oh, well. * turns off fangirl switch *

I did say I was going to post a few left-over photos of Spain. I hope a reader from Spain can recognize them. I don’t know where these pictures were taken, but I’m sure it was before our trip to Burgos, Spain. I was wearing the same dress.

.Above photo is a bullring.

Photos below are our Optional dinner at Barcelona, which cost each person $75, and includes Spanish Flamenco Dance entertainment. I think this was the best dinner in our 27 day tour……. a sumptous Spanish buffet ! The dishes were like the foods we cook at home…. estofado, paella, etc. There was even a squid soup dish that included the ink… the way we cook it at home.

Ooooh, there’s the black rice with squid ink. That’s how we cook it at home too. We saute garic, onions, lots of tomatoes, then the squid with the ink, then water…. then we eat it with rice, and the rice turns black in color because of the squid ink. Guys, it’s an acquired taste, but it really tastes good. Trust me.

There’s rabbit stew on the plate but I’m not sure which one. Rabbit estofado was delicious, it really was, but, it was difficult to swallow Roger Rabbit..

.Desserts !

I ‘m going to blog about the foods we had in Europe, something like a food critique. One thing, we had the best in Spain. And very generous portions, too. More to my taste, anyway.

After dinner, we watched a Flamenco dance group.

Oooooh, passionate dance, passionate people.

.That’s it for Spain…. the land of my ancestors. Beautiful country. Good-bye.

Peace and stay cool.

21 Feb

My European tour, Part 18, Toledo, Spain

Posted by renxkyoko in European travel, European trip, Random thoughts, Spain. Tagged: European tour, European travel, my life, postaweek2011, random thoughts, Spain, Toledo. 63 comments

Hola ! Renxkyoko Iglesias aqui.

I’m almost done with my Euro travelogue. But I’m afraid after this, I won’t have anything to talk about anymore. In fact, even right now that I have a specific topic , my mind is still blank. I feel it’s travel overload. I’ve been staring at the monitor for 2 days now, y’know. Oh, but I think I had a lovely Valentine’s Day post, if I may say so myself. I ;ve been rereading it, and everytime I do, I laugh. Hahaha * cough *. It’s like I’m laughing at my own jokes. Oh, Newsflash, I actually had a date on Valentine’s Day. Heh. I wasn’t really complete zero, you know. =_= ”

Oh, and one blogger got interested in my old Valentine post, and her comment made me revisit that one. . Homigash ! It was a Valentine’s rant ! ! I’ll save you the time and just copy here a part of that stupid post. Ah. Sweet Ren ain’t so sweet , at all.

Here it is…..

I’m quite annoyed at the star rating feature here. Why do we need to be rated anyway? I don’t really want that thing on my space. On my previous blog, some reader rated my work as 1 star. I think that’s so rude. It’s like telling me my work is pure crap. Well, it is, but you , whoever you are, don’t have to rub it in. WTF ! This isn’t a grammar test, nor a writing one. These are my random thoughts , and crappy or not, this is my freakin’ blog and I can freakin’ write whatever I freakin’ feel like writing, so don’t freakin’ judge me. I’m sure you’re no freakin’ Pulitzer Prize winner either, whoever you are.

This is all for now. Not in the mood to write anything else. I have headache .

I was such a sensitive fool. I got a 1 star rating and went berserk. Anger issues much, methinks.

Oh, well. Anyway, here’s Toledo, Spain.

Toledo is located in central Spain, and is the capital of the province of Toledo and the autonomous region of Castille- La Mancha.

Ah, La Mancha ! I’d like to believe everyone reading this has at least heard of the play Man of La Mancha ? This play was originally a manuscript of author/soldier/actor/tax collector, named Miguel de Cervantes who had been imprisoned in Toledo for heresy, ( together with his manservant) , during the Spanish Inquisition . Well, no, not for heresy, but for foreclosing a monastery ! ! ! Ahahaha ! Anyway the play is about a man who has read so many books about chivalry and injustice that he loses his mind. Then, after renaming himself as Don Quixote de la Mancha, and together with his manservant, Sancho Panza, he embarks on a quest for his dream . He is the ultimate symbol of a knight in shining armor. One of the most memorable songs in the musical play, is the song The Impossible Dream. To dream, the impossible dream…..To fight, the unbeatable foe. To bear , with unbearable sorrow….. la la la. The lyrics are just so beautiful and meaningful. I watched the movie version of this ( starring Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren, in our collection of musical movies at home ) and I think , this is one of the most touching and heartfelt story that I’ve ever seen and read, a story that is simply magical and makes one believe again in the innate goodness of man and nobility of the human mind.

The man on the horse is Don Quixote with Sancho Panza, his manservant, the top middle statue is Miguel de Cervantes, the author, the two women statues on the left and right are just one character, as Dulcinea, his virgin dream maiden, the damsel in distress, and as Aldonza, actually a prostitute in a rundown inn which, he, in his addled mind, sees as a castle.

.Toledo was declared a World Heritage site. No new building can be constructed and all buildings are preserved.

The one on the right is the Alcazar ( Arabic for castle -palace ) and the one on the left is the Cathedral.

.The center of Toledo has several entrances. I don’t lknow what the name of this entrance is. Do you notice the Muslim influence on the design of the entrance? It’s kind of Arabesque, Moorish, or whatever they call that design.

Toledo was the capital of the Spanish Empire before Madrid. It was the place where Muslims, Jews and Catholics coexisted. during the Middle Ages., before the Jews and Muslims were expelled at the start of the 15th century. Below is the oldest synagogue still standing, built in 1180., called Santa Maria la Blanca, formerly Ibn Shushan Synagogue. This building is unique because it was constructed under the Catholic kingdom of Castille, by Islamic architects for Jewish use.

.Interior of the synagogue.

.The Cathedral.

Cathedral’s interior

You know what, the real thing is more jaw-dropping.

.The city of Toledo is surrounded by walls.

The photo above…. this kind of building with painted on faux windows, and doors are very common in Europe. I’ve seen this in Florence, too.

.Not sure, but I think above photo is the oldest police station in Europe.

.Random me.

.The photo above….. just showing you how narrow the streets are. It’s actually charming.

.One of the more notable citizens of Toledo who lived or were born here was EL GRECO. He was a Byzantine painter whose paintings had a modernistic feel to them .

.We went to see his paintings and there’s an interesting story behind the above photo. Our tour guide was particularly effusive in his story telling. It’s a pity I’ve forgotten what it’s all about , ha ha.

* ponders*

You know, the difference between a Protestant cross and a Catholic Cross is that the latter has an image in it and Catholics call it Crucifix. Speaking of which , I have a funny picture of a speeding Catholic driver.

.Ha ha ha… I , myself, have a Rosary hanging in my car.

It may seem boring, but , believe it or not, Toledo is one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited in Europe. Oh, by the way, Toledo used to be the the top sword maker in the whole of Europe since Roman times. They still make the stuff, but only ceremonial ones.. They now make handcrafted gold jewelries. We visited one such craft shop and bought several pairs of handmade gold earings and necklaces….they’re beautiful with such intricate and delicate designs.

This is all for now.

Burgos and Bilbao, Spain are next.

.With song in my heart, I say, hasta la vista… chau and Paz. La di da…..

22 Jan

My European Travel Pt. 16, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Posted by renxkyoko in Barcelona, European travel, European trip, my life, Random thoughts, Spain. Tagged: Barcelona, Catalonia, European tour, European travel, my life, postaweek2011, random thoughts, Spain. 81 comments

Renxkyoko Iglesias here, HI !

Someone commented here, ” Where are you? You’re MIA ! ” Don’t worry. I’m still here, lurking. Actually, I’m on semestral vacation, and I go back to school last week of January. So, what have you been doin’, Ren? Well, 1. I have 2 jobs, and I’ve been given more work hours. 2. Playing Resident Evil 5. My brother ‘s Christmas gift is Resident Evil 6. I want to finish RE 5 first before I start with the 6th. Problem is, I ‘m bad at aiming. I need a high powered assault weapon than can fire 100 rounds of ammunition without reloading. Freakin’ zombies. 7. And, instead of reading some blogs from my email folder, which has 6, 247 unread ones already, it makes me not do anything at all… a totally complete opposite effect on me. I mean, I’m…..completely overwhelmed. It’;s a daunting task, I know, but, * shows a determined look * I vow I won’t lose to it. I’ll read up , every last post of it, and I bet all my Pokemon card collection I SHALL OVERCOME AND I WILL WIN ! ! FTW ! !

Now, where was I? Oh , yeah, Part 16 0f my European tour….. Barcelona, Spain. Ah, Spain ! The land of my ancestors . My great grandfather came from Sta. Maria la Nueva , Segovia, Spain. He went to the Philippines to work in Spain’s so – called Tobacco Monopoly in the Philippines. I don’t know the economics of that, but , it ‘s not a nice heritage , in my book. I mean, tobacco ? And to this day, our family is still involved in this business. It is , in fact, a family corporation. Well, not directly my own family here in the US., but , kind of…. we still get our share from the produce. I think our folks there should stop producing that . Diversify . Plant garlic or something , or sell off the land and stop acting like some absentee fuedal landlords or whatever they call them. Anyway, I don’t know if our Spanish relatives are still living or have disappeared . My grandmother and some relatives from the Philippines did go to Spain in 1970 to attend a grand reunion given by great – grandpa’s folks in Segovia, one of whom was a mayor of their town, named Bruno ( funny name, that ). And Senor Bruno was honest enough to inform grandma , et al, that though most of great- grandpa’s properties were sequestered by Genaralissimo Franco millions of years ago, there were some real estate left for them to claim. Ha ! So now I can say, we have some real estate pr0perty in Spain. He he he… Maybe , after subdividing it among great grandpas descendants, we’d be left with one pot of soil each. Hopefully, one square foot planted with one olive tree. That would be nice, too.

Sorry, I ‘m just musing.

Back to Barcelona.

The city of Barcelona is the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia. Spain has several autonomous communities, much like the US has 54 states, with its own state laws, and capitals. Catalonia though has 2 official languages, Spanish and Catalan.

.To be honest, I can’t distinguish anymore which photos are those of Barcelona’s and of Madrid’s. But the one above is definitely Barcelona. Our tour manager, Ruben, who was a Spaniard begged us to go shopping in Spain. That time, Spain had a 25% unemployment rate. So, we went shopping.

.That’s me in black tee , slippers and shorts, already carrying a shopping bag.

The place is a pedestrian mall at La Rambla. La Rambla is located in central Barcelona. It consists of a series of short streets, one of which is the pedestrian mall where the photo above was taken.

.Courtesy of Wikipedia below…… that tree- lined street is one kilometre long.

.I’m wondering how different Catalan language is from Castillian ( Spanish ) . In Catalan, it’s Placa?, in Spanish, it’s Plaza. Chair is cadira in Catalan and silla in Spanish. Clean is net in Catalan and limpio in Spanish. And do you know that Barcelonians are offended when they are referred to as Spaniards? I was told that when the 1992 Olympics was held in Barcelona, the Barcelonians wanted to let the world know the event was being held in Barcelona, not Spain. Hmmm, Spain has a political problem. And it isn’t just Barcelona. Spain is right now having a terrorist problem with the Basque region that wants to secede from Spain.

Above is the Barcelona cathedral. Gothic style.

.Architectural details.

Whoa ! I really did put on so much weight here. Chubby cheeks.

The photos below are of Sagrada Familia Church . This church has beenn under construstion since 1882, and still not done yet. It is funded by private donations, but they plan to finish it by 2026, the 100 year death anniversary of the Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi.

.The church has 3 facades: Nativity, Passion and Glory. The one above is Nativity.

.The Passion facade

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Above is supposed to be the miniature model of the church. To be honest, I don’t like it. To me, it’s just a massive oddity, or to be blunt, a massive monstrosity, and to think, it’s a house of God. Oh, well, there’s no accounting for taste. Each to his her own, y’know? No offence to those who like it.

There were other places we went to, like places where some 1992 Olympics events were held. They were on top of a hill and following photos were the views of the city of Barcelona from there. The Olympic structures were, uhm, just buildings.

.Oh, by the way, Barcelona faces the Mediterreanean Sea.

Photos below are some random places and buildings that I took.

.Walking tour of the city below.

.The guy looks a bit emaciated, doesn’t he? We thought the guy could use a few Euros for a dinner of tummy -filling paella. So, we dropped enough Euros into the hat.

Lovely wall !

.I don’t remember what we were gawking at, but I figure it would be interesting, too, to show our backs. To be honest, I feel I’ve become somewhat jaded at this point, about 20 days into the tour. Remember ABC ? lol! ( Another Bloody Church ) Well, there’s another one…. ROB ( Random Old Building) Don’t get me wrong. I loved Europe. It’s such a marvelous and magnificent place. And I hope I can go back , and see more of Europe, especially the ones less travelled. I want to see Pompeii. I want to go to Naples. I want to see Eastern European countries, like Hungary.

There we are, waiting for our motorcoach to take us back to our hotel.

.That’s it for Barcelona.

Oh, wait…. right now, I’m watching Pres. Obama’s Inaugural Ball. The First Couple are dancing right now. * Ah I’m ,so in love with you … la la la , I love this song. And It’s so cool to be First Lady. Can I dare dream about that? Be First Lady, I mean ?

Oh, another thing, I hope you can check out this blog. It’s about science-based life and I assure it’s so educational and interesting.

http://sciencebasedlife.wordpress.com

Next is Madrid. Good day to all , PEACE , and yes, Let’s Stay Together !

renxkyoko's space Just another WordPress.com site

Posts Tagged ‘Spain’

My Euro Tour Part 20 Spain

My European tour, Part 18, Toledo, Spain

My European Travel Pt. 16, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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