Pintxos and the Beautiful Basque Region of Spain

 

 

These are the famous Pintxos of the Basque region. And here were are the at the beautiful seaside resort town of San Sebastian, a prime holiday destination of Northern Spain. And what better way of immersing yourself into the culture than having the best PINTXOS in town. Nope, these are tapas and please don’t refer to them as such. It would be a great insult to the rich Basque culture by referring to Pintxos as Tapas. The best way to identify Pintxos is by the use of small stick or most of then than not, a toothpick that holds together say a local produce mostly seafood, vegetable and beef. Through these years, Pintxos could very much refer to anything served in small serving mostly accompanied by wine, sangria and any local beverages.

 

 

 

 

 

Alhambra and Allah: Divine Masterpiece

 

 

There are places that propel our faith further to a point of breaking up or simply acknowledging that divine providence. Other places could make us fall in love and believe on that one elusive someone that will change our lives. And few places would leave a rather disappointing impression that sometimes irk us when uttered by someone. And most often than not we judge the place so much based on our own particular biases, attitudes and dispositions that we failed to see its distinct appeal.

 

 

Going to Alhambra was not part of the plan. We were having the best time of our Spanish sojourn in Malaga and Cadiz, two beautiful cities of the Andalusian region. In fact the whole region boasted so many attractive and historical towns that most visitors go down south whenever they come to Spain. It has been recorded even that the Andalusian region ranked 1 in widely visited regions of Spain. Aside from Malaga and Cadiz, we have the elusive and capital city of the region, Seville; Cordoba with its unique Moorish mosque, Jaen and Jerez de la Frontera, Ronda and the famous Costa del Sol. So many to mention yet all of them have a charm of its own. And another jewel of the Andalusian region is the famous Granada which is home to the jaw-dropping Alhambra Palace.

 

 

 

Granada is famous for its superb Moorish influence. As we travel around the town en route to the Alhambra Palace, I noticed already how quaint it was and just livable where one sees the Sierra Nevada mountains with its snow-capped peaks in the horizon. We’ve left Malaga around 6am for a two-hour drive to Granada and to be the first to enter Alhambra. We were told to reserve our tickets earlier as it tends to be crowded towards the middle of the day. Not so much in a hurry, we had ample time to walk around town and to sit down for a Spanish-style breakfast full of chorizos, coffee and bread.

 

 

Indeed we couldn’t hide our excitement. Just as we saw the Welcome sign to Granada and had our first peak of the Alhambra Palace on top of the hill al-Sabika, we could already hear our hearts beating. The morning sun was just starting to show and the mountainous peaks glistened on the distant horizon. I had to agree that the Moors couldn’t have chosen a perfect place to build a stronghold on this part of the town. Just as we started climbing the hills we noticed how strategically built Alhambra was where one could see the beautiful town below.

 

 

The complete name of Alhambra is ‘Qal’at al-Hambra”, which means The Red Fortress. It was initially built as a fortress and was only later transformed as residential palace. The first impression of course from the moment you entered the complex was the  complexity of its decorations and design. You’ll see the leaves being carved on walls and the so many arabesque letters forming an ornate visual feast. I guess that is the magic  of Alhambra -sheer visual imagery brought about by seemingly perfect carvings on walls and columns that overwhelms the rational part of our brain. It was just awesome and beyond belief that letters and words could capture the Unesco World Heritage List.

 

 

As we kept on walking and digesting all these visual feasts around us, I was hit by a sudden desire to know what kind of words or phrases were injected on the walls, columns and arches. I know for one it was Arabic but what do they signify and how? Being so perfectly restored is one thing but Alhambra’s uniqueness and power lie so much on the faith behind its construction. And when my guide told me what these words signify, I stood there speechless. The words were all veneration to Allah. It was their way of praising God and making sure that all credit went to Him. As the guide left to the next room, I stood in the middle of the Harem with such thirst to learn all these words writtten on the wall. And never did I realize how much beautiful it is to glorify God even more so on a palace like Alhambra.

 

 

 

Amidst the many information I heard  that morning, only one thing remained in my memory until now. And even though this adventure happened more than a year already, I could feel it in my heart to remember God in everything we do. For the Moors exactly did that. Unknown to a lot of people, the sheer design of the Alhambra Palace were all manifestations of their unwavering faith to Allah. The ornate carvings and designs were all praises to God. Just as we thought that words and sentences can be so tacky in architecture, think again! It is with such pride that I was caressing the words with my fingers as I slowly moved from one room to another. If only the walls could talk, I will gladly listen to stories of divine perfection and patience in creating such an elegant masterpiece.

 

 

Alhambra can stir so many emotions to different people. Others may admire its sheer beauty while some could marvel at its architecture which by far showed  the most gentle elegance of the Moorish occupation. But I was moved by faith. I just realized how God made it possible for this superb architecture to survive all these years amidst threats of wars and invasion. For the very nature of protecting the kingdom was anchored on their deep faith to God.

 

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On a personal note, I just wanted to recommend as a relevant literary read before going to Alhambra the book written by Washington Irving “Tales of Alhambra”.  He himself couldn’t say goodbye to the one place that embraced his life fully. And his words he said of wrapping all the beauty in his thoughts as simply the most logical thing to do. For I do agree that beauty can only be restored fully in our memory and only then you could say how much it changed our perspectives since then. Alhambra is not only a living testimony on the grand culture the Moors had but also on the fact that no amount of riches could equal to the grace of God.

 

 

The Art of Pantomime at Las Ramblas

“They say pantomime’s a lost art. It’s never been a lost art and never will be, because it’s too natural to do” – Buster Keaton

Unknown to many, Barcelona is very famous for its pantomime artists.  No other city in the world could boast such a variety of living statues portraying different roles, historical figures, legends and myths and even famous personalities. The famed La Rambla or others may call it Las Ramblas is home to all these actions, fun and laughter. This prestigious and beautiful promenade is undeniably home to a wide array of mime talents, all for the beauty of pantomime and also for some love from all passersby and visitors alike.

This Sunday morning, when most people were still sleeping, I decided to make a stroll at Las Ramblas. There is one particular Starbucks café that I like so much, just in the vicinity of the Gothic Quarter. As I was wandering, thinking how much fun the folks had last night, as evident to a large pile of garbage on the streets, I saw some pantomime artists slowly applying their make up. What a professional!  I looked at my watch and it was only a quarter more to 7 o’clock.

I stopped at a distance. I watched him prepare his set. Oblivious to the crowd, he turned around, stepped into his pedestal and imbibed his character.  Wow! He really did his research!

 

 

Some early risers were already on La Rambla. Perhaps, just like me, they  were waiting for this particular pantomime artist. It’s one thing to see them in action and it’s a totally different thing watching one artist prepare and for you to guess what in the world will he be portraying at. I walked towards the artists and dropped a 2 euro coin. He moved and gathered his cigar, took a puff, smiled at me and froze. I wanted more action that just puffing some smoke in the air. But then again, that’s all what pantomime is. It’s that perfect execution in a matter of seconds, bringing your audience closer to your character.

Pantomime is truly a living art. Others could go for extravagant stage and production, but the one thing that really captures the audience is authenticity. That’s difficult to achieve. And no, it’s not as simple as being unique and having a different concept. It’s that genuine and reliable portrayal that sells. And that’s something that all these pantomime artists have perfected here at Las Ramblas.

And before I get my coffee,  I took a last look at Che Guevarra, puffing more smoke to the delight of his adoring fans, around 10 people in front him at this early Sunday morning in Barcelona.