Flamenco at the Tablao Albayzin in Granada

Granada (Andalusia, Spain) is an enchanting city. The Alhambra, the old streets, the Moorish quarter...  and the tablao's; stages for dancing flamenco.

The dancing is fast and intense. The dancers and singers are completely immersed in their performance and extremely concentrated.

I took some pictures at the Tablao Albayzin (in the Moorish quarter). Without flash, so they are a bit grainy.

 The rhythmic clapping of hands.....

 The clicking of the heels and toes, the movement of the feet......

(An example of flamenco on youtube:   Fiesta gitana 1    Fiesta gitana 2 )

The writer in the square ......

The Praça Benedito Callixto is a nice square in the neighbourhood of Pinheiros in the huge city of São Paulo. This square is well known for its market of antiques and handicrafts. It is a nice place to go on a Saturday.

Of course there is the man with a bird to tell you the future. 

Or weird things, like this clock from a barber shop.... 

On Saturday afternoons, in the center of the Praça, cultural activities are organized in a auditorium like space called "Plinio Marcus".  Every fortnight during the "O autor na praça" there is an author signing his or her books.

Last Saturday it was Audalio Dantas, a famous Brazilian journalist. He presented his new book about Vladimir Herzog. Vlado was murdered in 1975 by the dictatorship of Brazil although they tried to have it looked like suicide.

Audalio Dantas

Someone found (at the market) a copy of an old magazine "Realidade" (it doesn't exist anymore) with an article of the author Audalio Dantas about the "crab people"; digging in the mud of Paraiba for crabs. 

There was music and singing, there were writers reciting poems. A very nice place with very nice people. If you ever might be going to São Paulo one day.... spend the Saturday afternoon on the Praça Benedito Callixto!

 Luiz Bahia reciting a poem

.... and singing

Téo Azevedo - singing the texts of Guimarães Rosa

"Tableau de la troupe...."

We and a lot of other people had a wonderful afternoon......

Enjoy your flight.....

Flying to me is always interesting. It is good to be a bit apprehensive during take off and landing. This magnificent way of transport should be treated according to its status; with respect! 

But while in the air, it is a good thing to enjoy the ever changing clouds, the colors on the airplanes, the reflections of sunlight on the wings....  

Sometimes even there are beautiful ice crystals on the window as a reminder of the extreme cold outside.

The melting icecap of Greenland

 

 

Ice crystals... on the outside

Enjoy the flight, enjoy the light

Lisbon: Anything can happen....

When you are in a same place for a longer time, you start to look away 

from the touristic highlights. There are the unexpected small things

 in the streets. Unexpected things that happen

Surprising, funny, strange...... 

A lot of people try to earn money by doing "something" like playing music,
singing, dancing, pretending to be a statue......

But then there is this pair of "lazy beggars". They have their own webside. 

Take a picture for 278 euro... (sorry, I didn't see it....). 

They even tell you how they intend to spend the money. Obviously liquid assets.

"Pelo menos sincero"..... At least straight!

Except f course for the Lazy Beggars everyone has to work. This small dog carries the plastic container to put the money in for its master. 

A giant soap bell passes over the street.....

And here is a cow sticking her head through a window. How nice he has a scarf to keep warm.



Now don't get your head in this cloud. It might be a small thundercloud according to the colour. It is made of what I would call Brillo pads; these iron scrub sponges to clean dirty pans. Already getting a bit rusty.



This bronze man has his head literally in a book. OK, it is Fernando Pessoa, the great poet. He was born here in the house of this lovely orange cow (completely inside the window).

Waiting for you in front of A Brasileira, he invites you to take the seat next to him....

You are not his first companion. The chair is extremely polished.

After some interesting discussion and a few glasses of good Portuguese wine, anything can happen.

Did I see someone flying through the air near the statue of Dom Pedro IV.......???

Where angels fly....

These angels fly in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasilia. They are made (in 1970) by Alfredo Ceschiatti together with Dante Croce. The Cathedral is one of the many masterpieces of Oscar Niemeyer.

Looking down from the bus station to the parliament.... there behind the half globe of the National Museum you see the cathedral.

Niemeyer was not a church going person. Yet he did build churches. And this church is magnificent. The light coming through the glass patterns is full of joy. This is a church where the message of joy and light comes alive.

An exceptional building.

More blogs about the architecture of Niemeyer...
An igloo in the sunshine...
The airplane in the serrado

A washing day in Céfalu...

On the north coast of Sicily - more near to Palermo than to Messina - lays the town of Céfalu.

Like the island of Sicily Céfalu has seen many cultures come and go. It has a large beautiful cathedral from Norman times. But somehow Céfalu for me is connected to washing. In the main street there is flight of steps leading to a place where in Arab times a washing place was build. Here the women of the town could wash their clothes and probably keep each other informed about everything going on.

In the large niche with the "point" the wall protects the washing place from the sea.

Inside you see the basins with fresh water and the stones to "scrub".

Many things may have changed, but the washing still has to be done. Look at the many lines with sheets and clothes drying in the wind.

 Still some clothes left. Not yet completely dry....

Finally!! Done for today..... Let's not think about tomorrow.