April 26th
Hi everyone!
Do you remember one of your mates, Almu? You might not, as she's been away for a long while now. You see, she's living and working in Italy at present, in a town near Milan called Seregno. That's why, as a compensation for her lengthy absence, she's sent the following stuff with her best regards:
Milan is a big, industrial and commercial city, but there are also some touristic attractions.
The most famous is its cathedral, "Il Duomo", which has five naves and is made of pink marble; tourists can go up to its roof and walk over it. In my opinion it's a marvellous experience and the views are amazing.
On the left-hand side of the cathedral, you can see the shopping gallery called "Vittorio Emanuele II", where there are the most luxurious and expensive shops, such as Luis Vuitton, for example. This gallery is very well known thanks to its glazed roof, and the first thing that you find when you go in, as soon as you watch down on the floor, it's the tourist office, which seems hidden under the gallery! On the other side, Milan's Royal Palace was for some years the government building, but nowadays it takes in a great deal of exhibitions.
Opposite the "Il Duomo" there is a pedestrian street called "Via Dante", similar to Zamora Street in Salamanca. At the end of this street "Castelo Sforzesco", a medieval castle, is waiting for a visit. Apart from its beautiful gardens, inside the castle there is a wide range of exhibitions: the painting and sculpture gallery, the furniture and, above all, the Egyptian museum.
It's worth going to the "Scala" theatre, but if you're affected by the financial crisis, you can visit the "Scala" museum, where a short visit of the theatre’s inside is included.
There are other interesting places, but if you have ever seen the "Cenacolo Vinciano", you'll know why I include it in my list of must-see places. However, it's essential to book in advance if you want to see this magnificent masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci, which is inside the "Santa Maria delle Grazie" church. Unfortunately there aren't any vacancies until July, so if you are interested, you must hurry before the tickets are sold out for this year.
To sum up, Milan combines the bustling shopping streets, bars, cafés and a wealth of attractions with my pleasant presence until October, so you've got the perfect holiday destination!
Thanks so much Almu for the Milan virtual trip? (lovely photos by the way). Still, isn't it funny that some of you need to go abroad to write something on our blog, ha ha! Whatever. I take it from your last line that we are all invited to visit you in Milan, is that right? We look forward to seeing you soon again, in the flesh! In the meantime, good luck ragazza!
Hi there! At long last this is Concha's review of Waking Ned Devine:
This comedy was entirely shot on the beautiful Isle of Man, although it is set in Ireland, in a sleepy little village of 52 inhabitants, named Tullymore, on the west coast.
Something that happens weekly all over the world has happened in Tullymore too. The lottery’s jackpot has been won by a citizen from the village. This time the lotto prize is huge and the local who firstly hears the news and his best friend try to guess who the winner is, in order to befriend him and share the profit. Later on, the whole village gets involved in the ploy.
The whole plot twists and turns around this purpose. Human passions are shown through the life of the citizens. The main stars play fantastic roles using an ironic language. You are gripped from the beginning because nothing is predictable.
The movie shows a breathtaking landscape and a beautiful rugged coast. It is an excellent, absolutely hilarious film, despite the fact that the plot is quite simple.
I strongly recommend Waking Ned to anyone who wants to spend an enjoyable and relaxing time.
More Irish stuff: Ana (Garcia) sent me an interesting video a couple of days ago. She knows how much I love Ireland (so does she now!) and anyway she had come across this fantastic clip about the island's musical heritage, which seems to be part of a promotional campaign called "Donde Irlanda te lleve". Since the video is in English (subtitled in Spanish), I thought it should be on our blog. Boy, do I love those Irish accents! Besides, the clip accurately portrays the character of Ireland (and its people) north and south of the border. Watch:
Accidentally I also found this other piece on Irish food belonging to the same campaign. You know that none of the British Isles have never been renowned for their cuisine, but Ireland might be a pleasant surprise: there's a wide variety of cheese, the fish and seafood are pretty good (indeed oysters and Guiness are a famous Irish delicacy worldwide!) and well, when they mention the "new cuisine" you will find they talk about ... paella!? Whatever. This short clip surely will make you hungry ... not only for food, but specially for Ireland!
Ana has written some comments on these two videos:
What more can I say? That’s Ireland: its people as sweet as its music and its landscape.
As it is said on the video, the Irish atmosphere is special, above all its people. You can’t feel like a stranger among them. For instance, would you change your kitchen into an improvised concert hall? Well, they do it! Can you sing a single note? You’ll be welcome. That is what I adore of Ireland: you won’t feel different any more.
Irelands means hospitality, music, pubs, beer (not only Guinness) and a mixture of modernity and tradition that envelops everywhere.
In one way for me it is like time stopped in the middle of nowhere and it makes me feel free. In fact, now I can understand why every single person who goes to Ireland returns in love with this country (so do I).
Actually Ireland in general –Dublin in particular- is the only place where I could live forever.
April 13th
Morning guys! Well, here I go again, fresh from my Easter hols in the awesome city of Paris. Because that is the only way to put it: A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Lavish buildings, a fantastic river, the Seine, abundantly crossed by now picturesque, then luxurious bridges, and well, you're spoiled for choice if you are a culture vulture as museums are plenty. But I don't want to bore you with my enthusiastic reflections. Let me just say that if I had to choose a couple of places in the French capital that really struck me, they would the magnificent, lavishly decorated Academie Nationale de Musique, the Paris Opera that is, and the imposing Eiffel Tower, no doubt one of the most recognizable icons of our planet. We had the chance to literally go top of the world on a glorious sunny day.
Awe-inspiring! Moreover, to see the whole structure illuminated at night from Trocadero is one of those breathtaking images that will stick in your mind for ever.
No video or photograph, however good the camera or skillful you may be, can do justice to the view. But still I've decided to embed a Youtube clip that will give you, yet roughly, a taste of what if feels like. I was absolutely speechless for the first five minutes, and I'm not exaggerating.
Then I have to admit that, contrary to my expectations (due, no doubt, to my self-confessed francophobia) the French - or the Parisians to be precise - are rather hospitable and more than willing to help you if you lose your bearings. Unfortunately my French is so poor, I wish I had learnt some as a young man, even if you can cope perfectly with English (and Spanish for that matter. But still I practiced the inevitable words, you know, merci, sil vous plait, au revoir and stuff a thousand times, so I feel I can pronounce them almost perfectly now, ha ha!
On the minus side, the chaotic traffic in the renowned avenue, Champs Elysees, and, above all, the huge roundabout in the impressive Arch de Triumph. Sheer madness how cars zigzag their way in and out of the place, I wonder how on earth Parisians manage to drive without crashing into one another! Then, the noble streets are dotted with the ugliest-looking litter bins, plain green plastic bags hanging on a rim. Practical maybe, but such a stark contrast!
Surely, after so the endless walking, sightseeing, photographing and video taping, my kids were
looking forward to a bit of fun in the magic Disneyland. Well, both the park and the studios are beautifully designed (specially the former, which looks like fairy land), but honestly both my kids (and even myself) were a bit disappointed by the lack of truly scary, so to speak, roller-coaster rides, you know, where you let off adrenaline, very much like what you can find in Port Aventura or Terra Mitica. I mean, Space Mountain and Aerosmith Roller Coaster are good fun but pretty mild. And to make matters worse, the whole place can be so crowded that some of these attractions await you with one-hour (or more) long queues.
For me the highlight of the two-day visit were two theatre shows, Animagique and, most of all, Cinemagique. The latter perfectly portraits, as its name indicates, the ever-lasting magic of movies in history by mixing reality and fiction through the splendid performances of actors Martin Short and Judie Delpy and synchronized classic, easily recognized film scenes on the big screen. It only lasted about half an hour but I could have stayed watching for the rest of the evening.
The quality is not very good (pity!), but I've embedded the final excerpt of the show on YouTube. Mind you, if you're thinking of going to Disneyland shortly, you shouldn't see this or else it will ruin the "magique", so just wait for the real thing!
Well, folks, this is getting way too long, isn't it, so I better close now. I just wanted to share with you some fond memories of an unforgettable trip to one of the cities of cities, the magnifique Paris. Au revoir!
