Spanishness.

We've actually been to Spain twice in the few weeks since my last post!  When I wrote it, we were in Madrid with young S. who was taking some time off from his postgrad studies.   We'd all been to Madrid before, so we were skipping the big attractions like the Prado and royal palace, and walking round exploring instead. As usual, this threw up some rather unexpected things.      

On our first day,  after a home-style Peruvian breakfast in Mercado de Los Mostenses (a  non-touristy indoor market which turned out to be very near our apartment) we set off to find the main history museum of Madrid.   But long before we got there, we passed a large old  institutional building which seemed to be running an art show open to the public. 

The building was Madrid's School of Applied Arts, whose  name suggests it might teach students how to earn a practical living with art - (what perhaps used to be called "commercial art") by using craft skills.    I didn't discover if I was right, but we liked the place and were struck by some of the work which transformed well known pictures and sculptures in various ways. 

This, for instance, is Picasso's "Guernica" recreated in three dimensions, in wood.  I haven't a clue why it was done, but as soon as I saw it I was struck by the right hand half of the picture, which gave me more of a feeling of the horrible physical chaos and muddle of war than the original painting, which you can see here.   

There was some great student work on display, of which my favourite was a case containing portraits of ordinary people in the style of the Jim Henson's Muppets.  I loved the typically Muppety caricatures, kindly but lifelike, which ssomehow suggest how real people might move, behave and speak.  In fact, if I was to commission a portrait of myself, I might have it done in this style.

As it was the Christmas holidays, the college had classes for both adults and young kids, which I was also a bit baffled by.  Perhaps local people would have known immediately what this crowd was doing with their green faces and Santa hats (several had top hats, which I didn't manage to photograph) ...maybe they were being elves?  (But do elves wear black berets?)  If you are Spanish, maybe you could let me know what it could be all about. 

I was last in Madrid about twelve years ago, and one thing I noticed was how much more seafood is now offered by restaurants and shops.   That is because I am unfortunately allergic to seafood.  I found it a problem when I couldn't find a single ready meal in the supermarket that didn't contain seafood,  and when we went to the family run local restaurants across the road,  every single dish included seafood. T and S. both like seafood, and additionally S. is a big fan of meat which T and I are not, as we like healthy salads best but S. isn't very keen on those  ..... well, anyway the point of  this is that it was surprisingly difficult to find somewhere we ALL wanted to eat.  So one of my big discoveries in Madrid was a chain called Honest Greens, which is now to be found in several European cities.  It does modern healthy food in a stylish environment at reasonable prices and we ALL felt happy with the choices it offered!  

As Christmas was coming up, we really enjoyed the lights. The big department store, El Corte Inglés,  had a remarkable front facade of yellow and white light outlining the Three Kings, and, at the back, a construction which they bring out every Christmas called Cortylandia.      This is a giant automaton sporting rabbits and birds and elves, which changes colour and plays music.  My picture shows it "asleep" and bathed in blue light, but at specified hours it all comes to life, colours sweep over it and it plays loud carols and other music. It's not Disneyland, but it's apparently an institution in Madrid and so we rather liked joining the crowds of families with their churros and chocolate in the evening to watch it do its stuff.

We sought out a few of Madrid's quirkier attractions, such as the museum of metro trains which you can visit free of charge in a dedicated section of Chamartin underground station.    My favourite was a magnificently restored 1920s model, which ran on a narrow gauge line.  Some of these trains remained in service till the 1980s, and must have become rather shabby in the end,  so it was good to see  this perfectly restored example.   

Look at the ornate brass, the little lights, the glossiness and glassiness, the elegant fawn seats and the little oval signs intended for advertising, not to mention the  instruction "No se debe escupir" which means "Do not Spit" - a reminder to passengers to behave appropriately too!  

 Just before Christmas, S. headed home to England, and we continued to Fuengirola, a cheerful Andalucian seaside resort where family and friends often congregate. Fuengirola has lots and lots of very good restaurants and it's nice that the local council works hard to create a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere in the town.  So, for example, the park-like space in front of the town hall was decorated with big Christmas lights and constructions which earlier in the evening attracted lots of families with small children. 

The town museum hosted a stylish display of belenes, or Spanish Christmas crib scenes.   These belenes usually depict a whole village, with everyone going about their daily lives and being taken by surprise by the birth of Christ, and all the angels, camels, jewels, kings and associated miracles.  

Baby Jesus took centre place at the exhibition entrance, and you could visit several rooms filled with belenes in different styles. 

This model is very realistic, showing a Middle Eastern village where everyone is buying and selling and going about their daily lives - even the lottery vendor, who you see in the foreground with all his tickets, and the donkey taking a well earned rest by a palm tree.   Other parts of the model showed Roman soldiers, and all the remarkable visitors gathered at the tumbledown stable where Mary and Joseph sat with baby Jesus.  

That model could hardly be more different from the one shown below, which was made by local primary school children.  I was delighted with it; everyone looks so cheerful, and do you like the toilet roll pig in its sty at the back? 

Another of my favourite belens was crocheted, and represented modern Fuengirola, with pizza sellers, holidaymakers, angels and dancers in traditional costumes (below right of the picture.)

  We stayed in an apartment overlooking the main square, which always had something going on - carols, traditional singers or bands. And, with our friends, we attended Christmas Mass in a small tiled church,tucked away in a shopping centre. (It seems the centre was built by an Irish developer who always put churches in his shopping developments. )  The service was sincere and touching, attended both by English speaking Catholics and the congregation of a South American church. So it was a very happy and pleasant Christmas.  

When we got back to England after our trip, it was mid afternoon, but the sky was dark. Most of the landscape was shrouded by freezing grey fog and I swear the railway stop lights were the only bit of real colour to be seen amidst the ocean of chilly greyness - trees, grass, houses... even the train was decorated in shades of grey.  

As we trundled off slowly to London, T. looked out of the window at the uninspiring scene and said, "I wish we could go back to Spain."  And I agreed with him so much that when we got home I spent an evening researching the cheapest possible break to Malaga and booked it for the beginning of February.    

We are now back from that break, and it's still cold and pretty grey in England, but I feel sustained by that extra shot of Southern Spanishness.  Malaga is an ancient, historically fascinating and very cultured city, with dozens of museums.  We know it well, so spent a lot of time just strolling, or sitting in the sun.  These pictures show what it was like, and it honestly felt as if we'd taken a bit of time travel straight through to summer! 

Where would YOU choose to go to get away from a dismal winter?