Christmas shopping? More finished...not all yet though.
Pizza in BCN, be careful, be very very careful. Some decidedly mediocre pizza...the kids were happy though.
Then we went off to see this exhibit at the always amazing, and frequently alarming and perennially mind bending CCCB...the Centrede Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (I think). Now I had read about this exhibit...and I had talked to people about this exhibit, and indeed it made it onto the local news. It was all about bringing statistics to an understandable level..using rice. Work with me here...they used 2000 kilos of rice to illustrate everything from how many people in BCN use solar power to how many Doctors and soldiers there are. I was entranced. I was also too late. One thing I did not find out was that it was only on for four days.
Poop.
Strangely when we were in the CCCB today trying to see it, and I asked them about the exhibit with all the rice, they had no idea what I was talking about. None. My Catalan is not that bad. But ladies and gentlemen, the exhibit took place in the foyer...you know, the entrance, right where the lovely ticket ladies sit EVERY SINGLE DAY. How could they have no idea what I was talking about??? Honestly.
ANYwhoooo,
We decided to skip the world press photos exhibit...way disturbing...especially with the kids,
Headed into another show...it was pretty disturbing too....though I want to go back to that one without the girls,
So instead we settled for the exhibit on Chinese cities, which frankly, I thought was going to be a bore...another of those semi-promotional, "isn't China great" things that have been everywhere leading up to the Olympics, put together by the Chinese ministry of who-knows-what.
BUT NO!!!
It was amazing, and we didn't have NEARLY enough time....here's the link...it was organised around several overlapping themes....the six cities they are focusing on, but also things like water, work, feng shui, strength...they also had six movies created by Chinese directors in each of these cities and the city was to be the main character....they were all estranged and unhappy people, what I saw of it...fruit for thought...I HAVE to go back. The movies were neat...and subtitled in Catalan which was great too.....
Now a strange collection of photos I have been too busy/disorganised/tired/lazy/forgetful to post.....
So...lets see what I found on the camera....
First up...this was a REALLY huge snail that must have come in on some produce and we found him/her - did you know that about snails? They lead most interesting lives. Anyway, he/she was in the sink with the clean dishes. I love it that my groceries actually have living animals with them. Seriously. He is a Spanish snail though...climbed right up the wine jug!
We got invited to a friend's for dinner yesterday, and she has an OVEN!! so guess what we made...pumpkin pie...Love it but we had to render the pumpkins....this is our homemade steamer basket...worked just fine too!
These mannequins are used in quite a bit of BCN...I find them, to say the least freaky! Weird weird weird...so I thought I'd share the weirdness with you...
Finally, a typical view down one of the streets near the Cathedral...so lovely.
I love the texture of the walls more than anything else, and the glimpses and rays of light. And that it doesn't stink the way it must have for centuries. Really, it must have been terrible.
7 comments:
I am not fond of mannequins at the best of times, nor clowns; I would not do well. I think that is a cool snail; love the colour. Weird they wouldn't know about the exhibit even though it was right near them. Some people are just strangely unaware of what happens around them.
Eastern Europe is way different as far as the women working in museums goes.
They are the ones doing the nitty gritty these days and are basically art historians whose pensions are so minute that they augment them by working.
Grateful to get something on their home turf - instead of being bus-conductors - they are an incredible source of information.
REMINDS ME:
On my first visit to the Hermitage in Petersburg - Leningrad at the time - my friend and I spent hours hunting for a Picasso we knew was there. Finally got smart and started talking to the old women sitting in the corners of the monsterously huge rooms. Bingo!!!
Led from one to the other, we finally found one who was brave enough to admit she not only spoke French (no one would admit to knowing English or any other western language) but was even willing to direct/escort us to the room in the 3rd sub-basement to the painting.
WE GOT TO SEE IT, but had to walk miles and miles throught the "twilight zone". As luck would have it foreign photographers were working like crazy to set up lighting around it.
We learnt they'd all got a one hour appointment for the same day, same hour.
BUT all had been under the assumption ONLY THEY WOULD BE THERE TO GET THE SCOOP.
Not pleased about the situation to put it mildly - they were reduced to/forced to work together like bees around a honey pot to get their electric extensions together etc etc to get the lighting right to take their photos. Got a chuckle out of that one.
Our refusal to give up made us the sensation of the day at the museum. First time the old women had ever seen women in jeans!!! Our knowledge of the painting's existence and determination to see it made us their favorites.
We were handed around in the most delightful way and the buzz was mind-boggling.
Our friends' comments back in Canada and USA?
"Lucky you didn't arouse suspicion and end up in a gulag! People have been sent there for less." GM
That mannequin could give me nightmares. mm
Dawn, some people are strangely unaware...weird.
GM...what adventures!!! Glad you got to see it anyway...
The mannequin is eerie..hate those...
2 tons of rice, I hope they'll donate it to some food banks after the exhibit...
Ms Mannequin is like The Joker in drag. LOVE the snail, but not in MY house! We have slugs here, outside. They can be large. Black or spotted. Gross but intriguing. They squish onto a big slimy mess on the roadway. Ew! Salt takes care of them. But I loved escargot in Paris.
You find the most interesting things downtown...
The mannequin looks indeed like Jack Nicholson!
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