My day as a Shockey

A's face painting after
the big race

This morning we woke up early, jumped in the car and headed to Stone Mountain Park to participate in the Children's Miracle Network walk sponsored by K's work.  The kids had fun and ran a significant portion of the "walk" and were also excited to get their faces painted during the after-festivities.  We then jumped back in the car and returned to Fayetteville for soccer matches.  Both kids had games and it was really special to have the opportunity to see them play and cheer them on.  I even got to watch L score a goal.  A also played well, although he was obviously a wee bit tired from his exuberant running of the 5k :-).  In any case Unc Shawn was very proud and hopes to get to see the play again in the future.  Afterward, we met Cyndal and Josh (who I haven't seen for several years) for excellent tacos downtown and then retired to the house to catch up.  A great visit, but far too short as tomorrow I make the drive back to DE.  I'll have to do it again soon.

L dribbling on the sideline

The beach of my youth

Back from Spain Saturday pm and Sunday morning I made the drive from Delaware to Edisto Beach, SC (yes I'm crazy) to join Mom and Aunt Joyce and Uncle Bill for some beach time.  Edisto is the beach we would go to every year when I was a kid, but I haven't been back in probably 10 years (since I lived in Charleston).  Everything seems so familiar, some names have changed but its still the same quiet family beach.  I've always liked the fact that Edisto has resisted the commercialization and hotels that characterize so many other beaches.  Almost everyone on Edisto is staying in a house which keeps the beaches from ever getting too crowded.  This time of year, its even quieter, and easy to find a near-vacant stretch of sand to call your own any time of the day.  Its been a good stay catching up with family, grabbing a meal at the Old Post Office, doing some fishing, and even a little super-muddy shrimping.

Yes, the flash was that bright . . . Thanks Joyce.  ;-)

Earlier today, I made the drive to my home town, Aiken, to see the rest of the family.  It was good to see everyone if even for a brief time this evening.  I even got time to grab a few rounds at the Aiken Brewing Company with Pat, and take a nice walk around downtown.  Aiken is definitely evolving and changing, but it still manages to keep the same character that makes it a great place.  I hope it can continue to hold on to its identity.

Tomorrow I will drive to Fayetteville, GA to visit Jes and family.  I can't wait!

Finding the Bear

It seemed like everyone I told that I went to Madrid, asked me if I saw the Bear and Tree statue . . . so apparently I missed the essence of Madrid during my random one day tour.  Today I am catching a late afternoon train back to Madrid in prep for my flight tomorrow morning, I'll get in about an hour before dark, so I decide I must locate this most quintessential Madrid experience.  I quickly check into my hotel and start walking.  Its a long walk, mostly up hill, but not too strenuous.  Eventually I hone in on the plaza that hosts the statue, I turn a corner and it is . . . filled with more than a thousand people, many protesting various things including pro and con Catalan independence (which is garnering a lot of attention at the moment).  I walk the length of the plaza and nothing: Where's the Bear?  I look at google maps and it places it very near where I entered the plaza, so I turn around and start looking.  Finally I spot this diminutive statue (4 feet tall?) perched on a small pedestal behind some protesters.  Don't get me wrong, its a nice statue, but I was expecting something bigger.  I am reminded of a previous experience: looking for the Mannekin-Pis statue/fountain in Brussels.  Again the symbol of the city and in that case a near life size statue of 3 or 4 year old child relieving himself into a tiny pool and tucked away in a back alley.  Perhaps centering your city's identity around an under-sized statue is a source of eccentric pride among European cities.  Copenhagen did have that hard-to-find mermaid statue.  I'll followup on future trips . . .

In any case, that's all for my Spain checklist.  Adios España.

The plaza hosting to the Bear.

Found it.  It looks bigger than it was.

Flamenco!

The conference's social event tonight was a flamenco performance.  A four person group: guitarist, vocalist, female dancer, and male dancer.  It was a small venue, which made for a very intimate feel.  The energy was amazing, but what I really didn't expect was how loud the dancing would be, so much stomping.  They were all very good, but the visual flair of the female dancer stole the show.  I was very impressed and would definitely go again.

Seville Olympics?

My conference started today, so this morning after a massive hotel provided breakfast buffet, I set out on the half hour walk to the venue.  The conference is located on the Isla de Cartuja.  An interesting thing about Cartuja: its the site of an Olympic Stadium for the Seville Olympic Games . . . which you've never heard of because they never occurred.  I guess building a stadium seemed like a good way to attract the Olympics, but then their Olympic bids failed in 2004 and 2008 and apparently the stadium has gotten hardly any use:  A UEFA Cup Final, four international friendlies, and a handful of big concerts.  Just below the stadium is the proposed site of the Olympic village which has since been converted into a science and technology park.  It also had hosted a world's fair in 1992.  This makes for a weird mix of science-themed street names, Expo-style art exhibitions, and custom manhole covers.  In any case one of the science park buildings was hosting the conference, so these elements all add up to an interesting morning walk . .  . feels kinda like a science theme-park.

Spanish EPCOT?

Shade art of some sort?

And the manhole covers . . . they were
everywhere. (not always upside down).

Yes, they have their own rocket.

Siesta

At this point I'm very hungry, and I make my way back to a sidewalk table near the Cathedral and order some tapas.  My food is very quickly prepared.  A squid dish that seems to be three whole and fairly large squid with an inked aioli and Seville's signature potato dish which is a bit like home fries with a spicy ketchup sauce.  Very good, but almost immediately as I start eating I notice the place starting to close around me.  It is almost 4pm, and apparently I am witnessing the beginning of Siesta.  As I learn, Siesta here is ~4-8pm and seems to apply to pretty much any business, but especially restaurants.  In fact the locals often eat dinner at 10 or 11pm and seemingly enforce this practice by closing their restaurants to prevent tourists from eating earlier.

Food is not the only area where Spain's clock seems to tick to its own beat.  Spain is due South of England, however has decided to use Central European time (like Germany), so the sun is still visible well after 9pm even now and there is light in the sky after 10pm.  Maybe somewhat explains the late meals . . . but not quite.  Even if the schedule is a bit unorthodox there's not much to complain about Spanish cuisine.  Varied and delicious.

Searching for the Barber

Checked into my new digs at the Hotel NH Plaza de Armas, I decide to head out and see Seville.  I walk south along the river.  Not far away I pass the Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (the Seville Bull Fighting Ring) and accompanying museum.  I'm a bit torn.  I'm not really on board with this particular form of entertainment, however as with most things, I feel the need to learn more so I can be more informed.  I enter and book a walking tour.  The building is very impressive, apparently it is the oldest active ring in Spain and the building took 132 years complete.  No fights are scheduled for the next couple of weeks.  The tour guide gives a very good background on the fight and traditions.  She is very careful to talk about how the best fighters are scored highly for finding the most humane methods to dispatch the bulls of the day.  She also talks about how the bull fighting corporation is well-known for its charitable causes.  All this seems to be a well-orchestrated attempt to place the sport in a good light.  She does gloss over the fact that by the time the matador quickly dispatches the animal, it has already been weakened by lancing and pinning by a series of banderilleros and picadores.  I kept an open-mind and I appreciate the tradition and pageantry, but its hard to not view this as a legitimized form of animal mistreatment.

The royal box at the Seville Bull Ring.

Seville Cathedral entryway detail

I walk onward to the south-ish.  Seville is hot, thermometers are reading 36C (~97F) today, but no humidity.  Its perfectly comfortable in the shade, but in the sun you are sweating profusely before you realize you are hot.  I find myself choosing my route based more on the amount of shade a street can afford rather than any set destination. Regardless I quickly find myself at the Cathedral, which after the Moorish occupation, was built over the mosque as the "largest church in Christendom".  It has an interesting gothic architecture, with unusually large flying buttresses, which I suspect are awkwardly dimensioned due to the desire to obscure the Moorish elements of the underlying building.  This part of the city is busy with street restaurants, but I decide to pass on eating to explore further.  I wander through the gardens surrounding the Alcazar, the former home of the Moorish Kings.  The Moorish influences are everywhere in Seville, but mainly as accents.  In this area it really has the feel of what I think Morocco may be like (which is after all less than 100 miles away).  Orange trees line the streets and I see homes that seem to have interior courtyards.

Orange trees line the plaza behind the Alcazar

No barbers witnessed, but all very cool (or hot rather).