Day 24: Ancient Selfies

Selfies are the worst, and I say WORST side effect of mobile cameras. 

My hatred for selfies is so known that in order to piss me off, my lovely team decided to compile their selfies and give it to me as a farewell gift. They must've hated me so much. Perhaps they were so happy to get rid of their boss.

Hugs! In all seriousness, they are adorable!

Up until recently, I used to get so upset every time a friend  posted her selfies with her lips pouting and sh*t!  Jusko day! Tigulang ka na, abi pag patubo sang buot!

Then I blocked another girl for her highly edited selfies. I know for a fact that she has a mustache in real life. How come her skin is all glowing in her photos?

Then had a epiphany when I went to the Louvre.

YES!  Finally I managed to visit the Louvre! The line was unusually short. Actually Paris was strangely half empty during our visit. No queues outside LV, Chanel. Some restaurants were empty at 8:30 pm on a Friday night. It's either the economy is down or their food sucks.

Going back to my momentous awakening.

I realized that this  concept of  a"selfie" existed as early as the Ancient Egyptian period. Technically it's not a selfie because someone made it but in principle it was also rooted in self love or self admiration. 

Apparently back then it's a lot harder to share your "selfie". Either you chisel it on some wall or you put outside a big ass temple, which is hard to do if you are not the pharaoh.

This one was taken in NYC.

Infact, even in death Egyptian have selfies plastered on their tombs.

Eventually I found myself in the Greek and Roman halls.

I saw Selfies in form of frecoes..this is from Egypt during the roman period

Selfies in mosaic...

Photography: Coyau

Selfies in sculpture....

Then you get the gym buff pose starting to emerge during this period

And the Bieber Boobie Biting BBB pose

I even saw a statue taking it's own selfie!

Hands down, the weirdest selfie would have to be Mona Lisa if ever it was indeed a self portrait of Da Vinci. There were even more selfies during the renaissance as more people had money to support their vanity.

Seriously, I realized that selfies are not effect of modern technology. Modern technology just democratized it. 

Now rich or poor, pretty or swangit can have selfies and share it with the rest of the world. 

Whether the world wants to see it....hmmm.....is another story.

Still on Pause,

L

Note: I don't own the rights to some of photos. I ran out of battery :(

Day 23: Parisian Markets

Bonjour! Today is a market day! 

With the prices of dining out, most Parisians still cook and eat at home. I would eat at home too if we get such amazing produce.

Price of dining out in Paris is really expensive. Steaks and frites cost 12 euros on average. A glass of wine costs 3.50 cheapest. Coffee costs 1.20 when consumed standing in a bar and around 2.50 when consumed in the premises. 

When I was in New York we had lunch in a 3 michelin star restaurant and we spent around 120 usd for 2pax. In Paris, lunch in a 3 michelin star restaurant costs 198 euro/ head.

So I can imagine that people here have dine in home more frequently that people in the US. This is probably why they are slimmer despite eating a lot of butter and drinking lots of wine.

I hope in the future I get invited by a local to have dinner in his house. That'll be a nice experience.

Still on Pause,

L

Day 22: Paris Greeter

On my second day, we decided to go on a walking tour with a greeter. Greeters are volunteers. The walking tour that usually lasts 3-4 hours is free. The website encourages to donate but greeters can not receive these donations.

This is my 4th time in Paris and I have more time to try something new.

 I am particularly interested in learning more about the life of the locals, which is why I frequent markets and visit suburbs. I thought it'd be great if I can actually hang out with a local.

Meet, Jacques Gillon. A 60 year old, french journalist who volunteers as a greeter. I asked him why he decided to share his precious time and hr replied with something that moved me, "I love my city and I want to show people how beautiful it is".

How often can we hear Filipinos say that? Often we warn people about our city. Sure we say awesome things about our beaches but we rarely have good things to say about our big cities. I count myself as one of the guilty.

We saw a lot of beautiful buildings as we walked from Bastille to Marais and deep into the Jewish Quarters.

Place de Vosges is one of the most beautiful squares in all of Paris. Commissioned by Henry IV, this is one the oldest semblance of city planning. A bigger scale planning one came later during the time of Napoleon. Jacques said the beauty of this architecture is rooted in symmetry. He added an interesting bit that the king built the facade first.

Another thing we saw are the medieval buildings within the city. It's like a graceful architectural soirée. It's beautiful how they all go together.

We also had a glimpse of how the rich people then lived. Imagine the royals!

I saw so many things and I think I'm better off creating a flicker account! Otherwise this blog is going to be so long and I still haven't figured out how to create a cut.

What impressed me though is the effort of the French government to preserve these architecture. This building was claimed by the government and restored to its original beauty.

After a couple of hours walking, we invited Jacques for coffee. Here I learned that the French have 5 weeks of government mandated holidays/leave. The best part is everyone gets this benefit! The French, afterall, is famous for Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

Jacques added that this part of the road is turned into a beach strip for those who can't go to the beach for holidays.

From this picture I took...

To this...(had to google this one)

AMAZEBALLS! 

In this regard, some of the restaurants and offices close for 3 weeks in august. Best to check before you make your travel arrangements.

It's almost bedtime so I'll sleep.  I strongly suggest you tour with  a local next time you visit paris.

For those interested visit www.parisgreeters.fr

Still on pause,

L

Day 21: Paris, We Meet Again!

If you think my arrival in Paris is like a scene from an Olsen Twins' Movie, YOU'RE WRONG.

I didn't take a cab and glance in amazement at all the famous landmarks. 

I took the RER and lugged my 18kg luggage in the metro.

A cab ride takes 50-60 euros approximately. A train ride costs 11 euros.

Yes, I'm cheap. That's a universal truth. I also distrust taxi drivers, except the ones in Singapore. 

The night before my flight, I had nightmares about this bit of my trip. I did this exact same commute 3x already but I still haven't given up on it even if I continue to dread the very thought of descending and climbing 20 flights of stairs (or more) with my luggage.

To give you a better picture...

(Transfer)

(exit)

Thank God, a beautiful hotel room was waiting for me. We always stay in this hotel in the heart of Montmartre. 

As always, the wonderful shopping experience and the magical sights of Paris, healed all the muscle aches and mental trauma from the commute.

Good Night

Still on Pause,

L

Day 20: The Empire of the Moors

It brings me great sadness that today is my last day in Spain. I don't want to leave this place. It's just so sunny, alive, accommodating, accessible and affordable. 

I'm just taking it all. I can't help up look up all the time because of the beautiful architecture that reminds me so much of old Manila and Iloilo. If only we took care of our buildings. If only.

There is one thing though that is unique to this place- the footprints left by the Moors. The biggest footprints are their palaces and fortresses.

I managed to visit 3 from the entirely ruined to the one still being used by the royal family of Spain. Each of them breathtaking. I visited the last one today. 

It's so hard to summarize everything I learned in 1 post. But here are the 10 things I will remember the rest of my life.

1. The moors being nomadic built their palaces in the same set up as they would build their tents in the dessert.  There is always a courtyard in the middle.

2. They built using clay only because they didn't intend for it to last for centuries. By nature they moved around a lot.

3.  Most palaces look plain and unassuming from the outside unlike the palaces built by Christian monarch.

4.  The waters are still because it is meant for reflection. No fish, no fountains. 

5. The great halls were built with 4 walls to represent the 4 aspect of the earth and the domed to represent the heavens.

(Ceilings）

6. The whole palace is a book with verses from the Quran written all over.

7. Muslim architects didn't do exact replicas of animals or people because they believe only Allah can create beings.

8. The houses in the villages were built first before the streets because this is how they would set up in the deserts. The Romans built streets first as much most roman cities are organized.

9. Andalusia was their Oasis. The palaces built in this region were meant to resemble their paradise.

Trees were planted a couple meters below ground level so that they can reach the fruits, water everywhere. Pretty much how they envisioned oasis.

10. Sadly, much of the architecture were bastardized because of the reconquest by the catholic king of Spain and eventually much of the structures were destroyed during the European wars. This is why the first picture had fountains. 

Such a beautiful region. I am in love and I can't make myself leave this place and our beautiful hotel.

Day 19: Flamenco as our wedding dance? Can?

Spain is famous all over the world for FLAMENCO and it all started in Andalusia.

Ofcourse we had to watch di ba!

It seems that in this region, the best flamenco dancers are the gypsies. I was really surprised when our guide said that  actually flamenco had its roots from the Moslems that conquered Spain.

We went to the Gypsy quarters and watched Flamenco performed with calo, a gypsy dialect. A typical performance has 3 parts: singing, dancing and guitar playing.

The performance was simply powerful. The beat of the drums and their tap dancing blended in perfect harmony. Their expressions were painful, strong and passionate.

I read somewhere that songs used in Flamenco are mostly inspired by tragedy, hardships and heart breaks. Its impossible to have that DUENDE if you are always happy.

Incidentally, this DUENDE word is the most difficult word to translate. Literally it means the same thing in Filipino, which is elf. But this word is also defined as the fiery spirit that stirs the emotions leading to great performances. 

Hay jusko,  pag-ibig nga naman. I can almost hear my mom singing "the voice of love bugtot kag bulag saka sa lubi bugtot nadagdag." LSS!!!

As I watched them perform, I kept glancing back and forth between the dancer and S. 

Can S make this expression too? Or will he just look constipated? Or Confused? 

S' eyes that are too small to express any emotions .

Can he dance with power and with an air of arrogance?

I've only seen him bob his head. 

Ang pinaka importanteng tanong....Can he dance at all?

On our way home, he said its easy and kept tapping in the elevator until the elevator stopped for a few seconds! No kidding!

Maybe we will check out that Flamenco school in Makati afterall.

Still on Pause,

L

Day 18: Life, Marriage and Tapas

After I retired from my job, I planned to do nothing.

 However, it seems that I am doing so much these past few weeks. So much walking that is. My toes are getting blisters that it's already painful to walk.

I'm resting for a moment, while S is working infront of me. I'm proud in as much as I am annoyed, of him. He wakes up earlier and sleeps later than me so that he can reply to emails and talk to his secretary.

I used to be like that too...Now I know what I did back then was annoying.

I've been in Spain for almost a week now. I am losing track of the days and the time. I love it here and it's a pity that I am leaving soon for Paris. Had I known that it's this beautiful, I would have skipped Paris altogether. Afterall, I've been to Paris a couple of times in the past, the last one was last 2012.

This afternoon, we met a couple who are both on sabbatical. Jane is a professor in Biology and Steve is VP of the university. They said that their kids are all grown up now and each with their own families. They finally found the time to take a much deserved break.

That's exactly what I was thinking when I planned on quitting my job. If I don't quit, I will be taking this break when I'm in my 60s and by that time I may not be as fit as a I am now.

I told S, "I'm glad we started traveling early. I'm glad our knees are still strong and our blood pressure and sugar levels normal."

S agreed.

Then I said..."Can you imagine traveling with restless kids?"

He said he can.

Sometimes I worry that I am not ready for motherhood or married life. 

I feel I have never lived yet.  Sure I have traveled a lot. Infact in this trip, I'm going back to the same countries.

Traveling is different from living and immersing.

When one travels on a short trip, he needs to see the famous landmarks, shop at the famous retail chains and eat at popular restaurants. 

Living, in my mind, is different.  It's making friends with the locals. It's being integrated to a society.

It seems that I lived most of my life studying and working that I never really just stopped...made friends...lay on the beach...stared into nothingness...watch people...

I've always been too busy and I'm always thinking.

S is getting nervous because the more time we spent on the road, the more I seem to desire living in Andalusia. 

What struck me the most is, when people go out for tapas...they don't have iPhones and iPads. They actually talk to the person seating beside them.  We actually managed to talk to people and learn new things.

I want to have time to stay in a place and have the time to enjoy and make friends. When I was in Singapore, I only made friends with people I work with and when we are together we talked about work.

This trip is like TAPAS. Sampling the different places in small portions and if I like something, I will get the RACION or the bigger portion.

The question is if I still can order my RACION.

My food is getting cold and S is almost done. Here's sharing my food with you!

Still on Pause,

L

Day 17: From a Modern to an Art Inspired Hotel

I've already mentioned in my past post that I have a penchant for unique "habitation".

For our first stop in Andalucia, we stayed in a red and black, art inspired hotel. I can tell that this city takes their artist and their art seriously! 

Right smack in the middle of the historic center, this amazing hotel was included in the michelin guide for 3 consecutive years. The price is not the bad too.

All the receptionists were extremely friendly and helpful. They have this nice accent when they say "welcome!"

The rooms were simple and comfortable. Much bigger than the one in amsterdam. Even the toilet has art. It was one big art attack!

We were so lucky when we arrived, there was a carnival. The streets were beautifully lighted. There were kids in costumes, locals singing, cotton candies. It reminded me if the fiestas in my hometown.

I knew the moment I arrived that this is my city that this is it. Like love you just know. I can live here!

Over tapas (I will do a post on all the food I stuffed my face with), I started dreaming and talking about coming back to study Spanish and flamenco. S didn't like the conversation very much. 

Sigh...

I wish I discovered this place earlier. 

Is it too late for me?

Still on Pause,

L

... It's hard to write because of all the tapas and wine. Hahaha