Tourists LOVE Seville

On December 13, 2021December 12, 2021 By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

I’d been to Seville, Spain once before in 2015. Was happy to return to catch the high speed train to Madrid. It’s the largest city in lovely Andalusia.

Metropol Parasol – world’s largest wooden structure

It’s a great walking city.

One highlight is bridges.

The Plaza de España is fantastic.

I was there during a dusk rain storm, watching busking Flamenco dancers.

But it’s the Royal Alcázars (Palace) that is the biggest draw for tourists.

Sprawling gardens, minor palaces, regal salons, and dead end walks. A hodge podge of styles. Great for wandering.

My favourite spot was the “Baths of Lady María de Padilla” — rainwater tanks underground. Maria was mistress of Peter the Cruel.

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Next door is Seville Cathedral. The largest Gothic cathedral in Christendom.

This is supposed to be the tomb of Christopher Columbus. There’s another in the Dominican Republic.

The Giralda tower was once highest in the world. You can still ride your horse to the top.

Personally, I quite like the riverside Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold).

Of course I stayed in the charming Barrio de Santa Cruz near the Cathedral. It was once the Jewish quarter. Now a labyrinth of cobblestone pedestrian lanes (too narrow for cars) where it’s easy to get lost.

I’d go back to Seville anytime.

I haven’t spent all that much time over the OTHER SIDE of the river.

Hacks – season 1

On December 12, 2021December 9, 2021 By Rick McIn humour, TVLeave a comment

Not the best TV comedy of the year. But it is original. Brave.

100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedy diva, needs to maintain relevance: the head of the casino where she performs wants to pare down her performance dates.
Ava is a Gen Z comedy writer who is unable to find work due to being “canceled” over an insensitive tweet. The two reluctantly team up …
Wikipedia

I really like Carl Clemons-Hopkins as the one smart get-it-done character.

Hannah Einbinder is intriguing. Here she plays an awkward loser.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Cycling Portugal

On December 11, 2021December 10, 2021 By Rick McIn cycling, travel1 Comment

I rode Portugal November 2021. November is considered off-season. There were very few tourists.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

Cycling Alentejo and the Algarve is very popular, especially with German tourists.

For me Alentejo was much better. Very undeveloped. Low population density.

The Algarve is overdeveloped. And not in any way more scenic.

Weather was good. But I did have one BIG rainstorm.

I mostly followed the EuroVelo 1 Atlantic Coast Route using an app called Mapy.cz recommended to me by two Polish cyclists. Other cyclists recommended RideWithGPS. I’ll try that on my next trip.

It’s not much signed. Not clear. The EV1 in France — by comparison — is well signed and much better maintained.

I was quick to go off route if something looked interesting either left or right. Ended up getting lost and having to backtrack quite often.

With a week long touring bike rental from BikeIberia here’s what I ended up doing:

Lisbon > train to Setubal > ferry to Costa de Gale
Night 1 – Small room beside a small town bar in Comporta
Night 2 – Great hostel in Porto Covo
Night 3 – Tenting near Odeceixe
Night 4 – Great hostel in Sagres (huge rain storm)
Night 5 – Sagres
Night 6 – Hostel Portimao
Night 7 – Great hostel in Faro

Cost was about 30 EUR (US$33.85) / day for 7 days. Cost / day is less if you book for longer.

That included a good bike, well maintained. Helmet, handlebar bag, 2 waterproof panniers, toolkit, spare tube, pump and lock.

BEST of all — you can drop the bike anywhere you want in Portugal and Spain at no cost. The company picks it up on your last day. Brilliant.

Click PLAY or watch an EV1 promo video on YouTube.

I’m already considering riding one of the Camino de Santiago routes in future. Perhaps Lisbon to Santiago along the coast.

I slept most nights in a hostel, the best of which was MUTE in Porto Covo, where I had started my Fisherman’s Trail hike the week prior.

I would have slept in the tent more often, BUT nights are long in November. And it was colder than I expected.

In general, I took the scenic route closest to the Atlantic.

Beaches in November are deserted.

I ate one restaurant meal a day.

Free coffee at the hostels. Or on the trail.

I’d detour to tourist attractions.

I easily finished at Faro within my 7-day rental. Probably the least charming town en route.

Small coastal villages are best for me.

I’ll be back to Portugal / Spain to rent AGAIN from the same Lisbon based company. This is the easiest way in the world to do cycle touring.

Toronto HOLIDAY in December

On December 10, 2021December 10, 2021 By Rick McIn Art and beauty, movies, sport - pro, travel, TVLeave a comment

Having traveled over 90 nations, IF you asked me where to go in December … near bottom of the list would be Toronto, OnTerrible. 😀

Yet for reasons I’m too embarrassed to relate, I ended up staying in a downtown hostel for 5 nights.

ON THE UPSIDE, the Planet Traveler Hostel in Kensington Market is excellent. I knew the eclectic Kensington neighbourhood from the Canadian television sitcom which aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1980.

The STAR of King of Kensington was Al Waxman, a household name in those days.

Waxman died in 2001 — but there’s a statue of him in a neighbourhood park. Crowded by homeless tents.

I really did enjoy funky Kensington, however. Weird shops, cafes, and restaurants.

I went looking for the #GardenCar. And found it.

There’s a lot of bad graffiti. And some excellent art.

My best meal was slow cooked ribs and brisket from Hogtown Smoke. I brought it back to the hostel where the wine was cheap. 😀

What do you do in a big city during wet, dark winter?

MOVIES. MUSEUMS. STAGE PLAY. WALK. WALK. WALK.

First stop was an immersive van Gogh exhibit.

I attended my second NBA game ever. Toronto defeated the defending Champion Bucks — who were without their MVP Giannis that night.

My first visit to the Royal Ontario Museum was a surprise. Expensive. But excellent. The space compares well against the Prado in Madrid, for example.

My highlight? Light of the Desert, the world’s largest faceted cerussite gem, weighing 898 carats (179.6 g).

Next December? … Hawaii. 😀

The Disaster Artist – film

On December 9, 2021December 8, 2021 By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

I really enjoyed the book:

The Disaster Artist by Sestero & Bissell

Finally saw the 2017 American biographical comedy-drama movie. Also excellent.

The film chronicles an unlikely friendship between budding actors Tommy Wiseau and Sestero that results in the production of Wiseau’s 2003 film The Room, widely considered one of the worst films ever made.
The Disaster Artist stars brothers James and Dave Franco as Wiseau and Sestero, respectively …
Wikipedia

Casting couldn’t have been better.

State of Terror by Clinton and Louise Penny

On December 8, 2021 By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

I was surprised to enjoy the two books by Bill Clinton and James Patterson;

The President is Missing

The President’s Daughter

How does Hillary Clinton’s book compare?

State of Terror

No doubt Canadian mystery novelist Louise Penny did most of the writing.

But it must have been Hillary who included Putin (here called Ivanov) and a former President golfer (here called “Eric Dunn”). She and Bill are Washington super-insiders. They know how it works.

In my opinion, this book is not as good as either of the Bill Clinton collaboration. Those were more fun.

It was FUN to see Louise Penny’s character Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from Quebec make an appearance.

And it was important to hear a screed against Washington misogyny. Hillary knows better than anyone how much harder it is to be a woman in politics.

In any case, this book is getting great reviews. Selling by the truckload. But it didn’t really work for me.

MUSICAL – In the Heights

On December 7, 2021December 4, 2021 By Rick McIn movies, musicLeave a comment

Mike recommended a terrific film musical, produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame.

In The Heights

Based on the stage musical of the same name, the film tells the story of a corner in the predominantly Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, where every member of the community pursues their dreams of a better life.

Corey Hawkins is my favourite. I got to like him first in 24: Legacy.

All tracks are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Plenty of smart rap lyrics.

I love how it’s cut like a YouTube video.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Unfortunately, it was a box office bomb, grossing just $43 million against its $55 million budget and $200 million break-even point, though it was successful on HBO Max. Hopefully the success of the new West Side Story will motivate folks to check this out, as well.

It’s long at 143 minutes. Too long, I’d say.

YET I highly recommend you watch it. Fast forward through any slow sections. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, In the Heights holds an approval rating of 94% based on 351 reviews with an average rating of 8.3/10.

Agatha Christie’s 1st novel

On December 6, 2021December 3, 2021 By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie. It was written in the middle of the First World War, in 1916, and first published 1920. … (For £25. After all, she was only a woman 😀)
It introduced Hercule Poirot …
… was well received by reviewers in the UK and the US at initial publication. …

Agatha was influenced by the Sherlock Holmes books, for sure. Narrator Hastings – Poirot’s friend, really reminded me of Watson. Like Watson, he was injured in the war.

This book is skillfully written. I enjoyed it.

Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

In 1955, Christie was the first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America‘s Grand Master Award.

Visiting the Prado

On December 5, 2021November 30, 2021 By Rick McIn Art and beauty, travelLeave a comment

Mike Sisson’s favourite work in the Prado Museum, Madrid, is Las Meninas (‘The Ladies-in-waiting‘) by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age.

It’s one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting.

5-year-old Infanta Margaret Theresa is surrounded by her entourage. The artist is stage left. I like how the entire top half of the painting is wall and ceiling. 😀

Margaret Theresa died age-21.

For some reason, the painting below by Antonio Fabrés jumped out at me.
The Slave Girl. Of course it seems to more be his erotic fantasy — not anything to do with slavery.

“El Greco“ moved to Toledo, Spain in 1577. So different than anything that had come before that he’s considered unique. Imaginative, colourful and … weird. So different than the endless portraits and dark religious paintings of the day.

Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta caught my eye.

The model for nearly all of the female figures in his genre paintings was Aline Masson, the daughter of the doorman at the Paris residence of the Marqués de Casa Riera.