Dressing Up For Me

It´s exactly nine days before Christmas as I post this! In here, I know that Christmas is just around the corner when: 1. You see caganers (caganets in Spanish) in all of the knick knack stores and Christmas street fairs in Catalonia. Yep, the Catalonians have a weird sense of humor  tradition and don´t ask me what a caganer means but you can read about it here . ;) 2. Aside from Christmas trees, you can also see the ¨belen¨ aka the Christmas Village (Spanish style) in most Spanish homes and in stores. The bigger and more elaborate( meaning the figurines move) the better it is and they are the biggest crowd drawer for children and oldies alike! Every figurine in this Nativity scene moves and they´re quite mesmerizing to watch. 3. The shopping bags. I think they're ubiquitous during this time of the year and you see them in almost every arm of every one you meet on the street! Here´s mine for a friend and I was juggling this while visiting the port of Vilanova ...

Hi, all! How are you enjoying the holiday? Still trick or treating? ;) Frankly, I don´t know what to post today but since almost every one is on the spooky bandwagon this week, I might as well join the fun! Today, I´m bringing you to Bragança´s Iberian Mask and Costume Museum. Bragança is a booming and culturally rich city in the north-easteren region of Portugal. If I was a kid, I wouldn´t dare go inside this museum because I´m sure it would give me nightmares later but now that I´m an adult, I´m really enjoying an appreciating the art of mask making. ;) Here´s a souvenir shot of my stay: The red mask below reminded me of the ¨bad spirit¨ in the film Insidious and I had to share this photo with my horror film loving sister in Facebook too, lol! This museum houses the masks and costumes collected over the years from the Portuguese carnival which is celebrated in the towns near Bragança. Do you know that the mask carnival dates back to the Celtic times? Anyway, there...

Happy Easter, everyone! Easter´s a simple celebration in my place so I´m  posting some photos instead on what I´ve seen in my Easter Sunday travels: Yup, in the church of St. Denise in France, they place colored eggs below the saint´s statue to celebrate Easter Sunday. Look at the eggs that they placed on the Virgin Mary´s statue below, so spring- y , no? ;) While on the Portuguese side, I can see that almost all of the bakeshops have these candy coated almonds on their window display. We´re also offered with these candies as a welcome gift when we stayed in one of the hotels in Coimbra last year during the Holy Week. I can´t get over this bread filled with boiled eggs. I had to buy a piece of this on our way home from Portugal last year! Curious, no? I wonder what you usually prepare during easter Sunday. Happy Easter! :) C he

After visiting MIL*, we usually drop by our favorite bar in the neighborhood  for some coffee  and tea or for a merienda ( afternoon snack). I love that the beverage also comes with mini-muffins for the sweet tooth although not all bars include this treat in their coffee or tea. I usually order an infusion called ¨poleo-menta or if not chamomile tea which is good for the tummy and drink it sans sugar. Why without sugar? Because together with my tea I also order my favorite carrot cake to share with the hub z: And when the tummy craves for more food, a  piece of this tapa/ pincho, a mini-sized burger stuffed with a tiny a burger patty, a slice of bacon and veggies would be part of the menu too. ;) That´s why, the merienda ( afternoon snack) will sometimes turn into merienda-cena ( early dinner snack) when we go drop by our favorite bar. Dinner time usually starts at 9 pm in Spain and so a 6 or 7 pm snack is normal around here and by the way, you don´t s...

Hola, hola! I´m back from a short trip to Zaragoza but before that, let me share with you what we ate in one of our date nights here in  our city. As you know, Spain is a country where bar hopping is customary. That´s how the Spanish people socialize, they meet friends in one bar, talk and drink a little and then go to another bar,they  talk and drink a little more . This ritual continues until they call it a night. ;) As for dinner, they usually order tapas, a salad or a bocata/bocadillo inside the bar. Dinner at home is usually served very late in Spain, around 8:30 or 9:00 pm and usually very light. Here´s what we had when the hub z and I decided to have dinner in one of the bars in the old quarters, a salad for two made with different kinds of greens, jamon de pato (duck), chopped walnuts and topped with slivers of fresh mango and mango chutney. Sumptuous! :) For the second dish, we just ordered a bocata/bocadillo( sandwich) made up of exotic pan grilled ciervo ...

Darlings! First of all, you´re not lost. This is still my blog, hahaha! ;) It´s just that once in a while I post things for some of my readers who are interested in the Spanish culture. After all, Spain is about sun, sea, fiesta and a little bit more.Talking about  fiesta, the capital cities of the Spanish Basque Country( Pamplona, Vitoria-Gasteiz ( my city) , Bilbao and San Sebastian) celebrate their fiestas in the month of July and August. Let´s start with the world famous bull runs (running   of *with*   the bulls) of Pamplona, the capital city of Navarre. This is a spectacular but VERY DANGEROUS activity is held from July 7( day after the chupinazo) up to July 14 every year. photo source Here´s a dry run of what´s happening these days in Pamplona. First, the bulls are placed here overnight until the following day for the ¨encierro¨ . Of course, the cars are not part of the scene. ;) At 8 o´clock am, the bulls are set free. They first pass on ...

Today is Good Friday. Let´s set aside fashion for now and talk about culture. As you know, Spain is a predominantly Catholic country, hence, this Lenten tradition which have been practiced for centuries. Every Holy Thurday and Good Friday night a select group of people aka    ¨ brotherhoods¨ put on a robe in different colors and on their heads, the capirote (cone hat). They wear this uniform as a sign of penance while pulling ornate and heavy carriages topped with beautifully sculpted religious images. In the city where I live, this ritual is a bit simple but in some regions of Spain especially in Andalusia, it is more spectacular and a  prime tourist atraction every Holy Week. A purple candle is usually a sign of mourning, of sadness. People like me who also line up the streets do not only want to watch this solemn ritual but also to contemplate about life and the world around us. Just like you, I also have my own problems to solve and devils to fight ...

Hola! :) Yesterday I got to escape from my city and went to Cantabría. At Santillana del Mar to be exact about 30 kilometers from Santander. First stop was to see the interesting polichrome paintings ( bisons, steppe horses, etc.) on the cave ceiling at the Museum of Altamira. Although the cave and it´s paintings were only a replica of the original cave of Altamira , it looked so real. Once inside, it feesl like you´ve stepped back to about 18,000 years ago to vicariously experience how life was back  then. The Altamira Cave is by the way a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. Anyway, since photography inside the museum was not allowed, I had my photos taken instead at the cloister of the Colegiata   at the town center. ;) The cloister. The sculptures are exquisite! The church and the cloister preserved it´s original Romanesque style. Santillana del Mar is a small town but very tourist y. What I like   about this place aside from the cave paintings and t...

Unlike the fiery hot carnivals of New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro or the grand carnival in the big  Spanish cities like Madrid or Barcelona or the elaborate and eye-catching carnival of the Canary Islands and Tenerife, the carnival  in the city where I´m living right now is more GP ( General Patronage). Why? Because it involves young children and parents. Nevertheless, it´s still fun and colorful! :) The parade usually starts with a colorful giant in stilts: Then the others follow depending on the organization´s theme. The 1st ones where the orange witches: then the clowns: I think these ones are little green and purple dwarfs and they dance too! a little bit of Arabic influence here in satin: Tinkerbell will orange wings! some Asian influence in hot pink and  sky blue kimonos, and the others in gold and printed kimonos: Flashback to the old age here with some Romans and draping for the girls: To end, some ¨Grease Lightning¨ ...