Gary Kirkpatrick

Artist and travel blogger.

Music in Valencia (by Peg)

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For a long time I have been intending to write something about the symphonic bands of this region.  They are quite special and provide everyone here with an opportunity to hear wonderful music, excellently performed.  Almost every Sunday morning at the Symphony Hall you can hear a 90-minute concert by a regional symphonic band, playing the quality of music in the video links attached below.  These concerts are always free, unless they are a benefit for a local charitable organization, in which case you will pay 2 to 5 euros to attend.  Please cut and paste these three selections into your browser.  I can’t seem to get the links to work right.

This video was made at the Palau de la Musica during one of the regional competitions.  This small band is from Benimaclet, the part of town just north of Valencia’s historic center.  You’ll see what I mean about the mixed ages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urYkCuXBayk

This video is Dance #2 , a piece by Arturo Marquez, a Mexican composer born in 1950 whose music is popular here.  It is performed by the Federation Band of Musical Societies of the Province of Valencia.  It’s a fun video to watch, as you can see the faces of the young musicians and how they are concentrating and enjoying what they’re doing.  Lots of percussionists as well, always fun to watch.  The band is so large they barely fit on the stage, which is in Rafelbunyol, the northernmost stop on the subway.

¡Hola de Valencia!

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Unlike last October 1 when we arrived in Valencia by train late at night during a flood, this time we arrived again from Paris but on a plane earlier in the day and to the dry conditions you normally find in this area.  The sun was shining and the skies crystal clear blue.  We splurged on a taxi from the airport so we would not have to drag our heavy bags up and down stairs on the Metro, and soon found ourselves in our old apartment overlooking the Torres Serrano in the heart of historic Valencia, dating from Roman times.

 

 

view from our place pen ink
Here’s what we see from our balcony (pen and ink by Gary)

 

The cleaning lady was finishing, so we had lunch around the corner near the Torres.  It was a bit warm so we ate inside.  The ‘menu’ of the day was the usual 3 course affair.  I had the vegetarian paella and a tuna steak for the second course.  Not a bad lunch at all, and only $13 including a bottle of a decent rose wine.

Afterwards we threw our clothes into the closets and our other stuff here and there and did some grocery shopping to get us through dinner.  Then we took the rest of the day to recover.

Behind the Seams

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September 30th, 2013

 

Yesterday we visited the Musee des Arts Decoratifs at the Louvre.  There is a super exhibit on undergarments starting around 1660 through the present.  The commentary is excellent and Peg took photos of many of them as we went, until we found out that photos were not permitted.  There was an area where you could try on garments, I think only for women.  Several were doing just that while we watched.  I learned how women sat down wearing those huge hoops.  They sat on stools and the dress just fit over the whole stool.  Piece of cake!

 

https://plus.google.com/photos/111993279450383941292/albums/5929289867692302337?authkey=CIWQn7KH_qSqJg

A lovely evening on the Duoro in Porto (photos)

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After another rather warm afternoon and a walk down Rua Flores, now in the midst of major renovations and a street filled with neat buildings in need,  it was lovely to be on the breezy river.   The Duoro here runs through the cliffs, upon whose sides Porto was built.  It is just a short way to the Atlantic, which you will also see in the photos.

 

https://plus.google.com/photos/111993279450383941292/albums/5926051122146900209?authkey=CLjajLyHpa-_wQE

Our first day in Porto

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September 19, 2013

Went to the porto (which means ‘port’) of Porto today.  Nice views on the way-  we went to the church and cathedral. Had a nice lunch, a sort of tapa approach, with some crunch yet flacky crusts, some bacalau fritters or what have you, and too large an order of fries.  The white wine was rather frizzy but quite good.

A lot of decrepit buildings, which have not been cleaned up like in Valencia, so it gives a rather shabby appearance.  Nonetheless I liked the steep walks and great views.
Porto is a three hour train ride in a northerly direction from Lisbon.  We are in a small apartment until the 24th.
Porto is a World Heritage site.

A visit to the town of Sintra, a lovely World Heritage Site outside Lisbon

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September 15, 2013

Sintra has been a World Heritage Site since 1995 for its Moorish castle on top of the mountain, its Romantic era architechture, lovely hillside homes and the wonderful view.  The area nearby has buildings from the 8th-9th century, as well as many from between the 15th and 19th centuries.  It is less than an hour from Lisbon on a slow train.

The views are wonderful, as you will see in the photos at  https://plus.google.com/photos/111993279450383941292/albums/5923931808631808017?authkey=CIjhkvGOgue87AE

 

 

 

A few thoughts on the cuisine in Lisbon

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Our first night here we had dinner at a place nearby.  It took forever to get our meal and there were very few people there.  I ordered a grilled salmon and it was superb and worth the wait.  The lettuce and tomato salad, salada mista in Portuguese, was the standard effort with excellent ingredients; they even dressed it.  Peg’s grouper was poached and was totally tasteless.  Both fish portions were enormous.  With wine the bill came to about $40.

Last night we went to Moura Saluquia, which is ranked number 45 out of 1600 on tripadvisor.  Peg had a very good corvina (I do not know the English equivalent), which was grilled and served with a salad.  I ordered veal with mushrooms, also very good, the veal tender.  The bill with the house wine at $3.00 a 1/2 liter came to $23.  A much better meal overall, served in a very reasonable period of time, for half the price, very much as noted on trip advisor.

Nothing we have had so very we could not have had elsewhere.  The Portuguese are very fond of bacalau (salted cod) but neither of us are fond of it. Perhaps we could find a recipe we like here, as there are supposedly more than 300 ways to prepare it.  All involve a long period of soaking in water or milk to reduce the salt content.  In general fish and seafood in general is the big thing here.

September 13, walking around Castle St George

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September 13, 2013

Another sunny and warm day here in Lisbon.  I walked around Castle St George.  There are lots of tourists in this area, about 1 kilometer from our apartment.  To get here I have to climb up a few hundred feet approximately.   Along the way I share the road with the street car, cars, people from many areas but I see a lot of Indians or Pakistanis here.   The locals are short and mostly poor it seems.    It is rather unkempt until you get near the overlooks.

I had a beer near the castle and it was only $1.40.

Photos with comments:  https://plus.google.com/photos/111993279450383941292/albums/5923099020415976433?authkey=CKe4pLmdv-KmNw

 

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