Dinner with Elton John in Venice

We had about a week left before everyone had to fly back home. So we went on to ClickAir to see what cheap flights we could find. After checking out flights to Prague, Canary Islands, Milan, the winner for the cheapest fares was Venice. And what a winner it was.

Venice is everything you expect it to be. After a short bus ride from the Airport, we caught the water bus down the grand cannel to get to our hotel. Yeah that is right, instead of busses using roads, they really do use the cannels of Venice. You can buy a 3 day unlimited pass for 20 euro’s. Venice is such a small city that I recognized a lot of the grand palaces built right on the cannel from movies that have used this magical city for its setting. Really there is just one big cannel cutting through the center of Venice with a lot of side cannels feeding off of it. So it is pretty easy to not get too lost. We arrived at our hotel which was just steps from the Rialto Bridge one of only 2 over the main cannel. It proved to be an ideal location. We spent the day taking in the sites and exploring St Mark’s square. This is the big square that is framed by impressive government offices and a spectacular basilica at the far end. It is also the square that frequently floods when the sea is pushed up the gulf by strong winds and raging storms. Fortunately for us, this time of year it stays dry. Towards the far end of the square, they were setting up a huge stage and seating for about 2000 people. The rumors going around was that Elton John would be giving a concert there that evening. So around 7pm we headed back to the plaza and found a nice restaurant to have dinner out on the square. We took our time to eat and were treated to Elton John appearing at about 8:00 on stage at the other end of the plaza. We could hear perfectly and could even see him when we stood up. He sang through his signature songs for the next 2 hours. Wow what a treat and what a way to see this legend in concert. Much better than some stadium event with him just a dot on the stage from the nose bleed seats. No one hurries you through dinner in Europe and a 3-hour meal is the norm. So the waiters were very nice making sure we were taken care of the whole time the concert was going on. Thanks Elton for a wonderful magical evening under the stars of Venice.

And the magic did not end there. The next day we visited the Basilica and governors palace. Beautiful marble structures filled with all the bounty and treasures of a couple of centuries ago when Venice was the richest trading city in Europe.
We also did a “Secret walking tour of Venice”. It was fascinating to hear how this sleepy village was able to transform itself into a powerhouse of Europe. Starting with a simple market and expanding to include trade in spices, fabrics, and exotic handcrafted treasures from all over the western world.

That night we went to our second concert. Held in one of the large palaces we were treated to classical pieces that brought back the sophistication of Venice’s glory days of fine composers performing their works with all the brocade and silk fabrics of the day.

Romans in Spain

Mike Jose and David came to join me for a couple of weeks. Mike and Jose have been to Europe a lot and were well familiar with Barcelona. It was David’s first time. So we spent a couple of days showing him the highlights of this wonderful city. I never get tired of all the things this city has to offer. By now I can get anywhere I want by metro. I love public transportation over here. It works so efficiently and is really so cheap. We decided to take a little sailing trip down south. So off we go to Sitges, a wonderful resort town just south of Barcelona. We spent the day anchored right off of shore enjoying the sun and the warm Mediterranean Sea. It is a fun way to spend the day at the beach without getting sand all over. In the evening we sailed to the port in Sitges and spent the night exploring the cute shops, hanging out and having a wonderful dinner together. It was so much fun, we decided to spend a couple of days there. After soaking in the sun and the local flavor of this quaint village, we headed further south to the town of Tarragona. It is an old town established by the Romans to guard their foothold in this part of Spain. There are still remnants of this foothold the most impressive being a nice sized coliseum. Scattered around are crumbled walls and watchtowers. A lot of the ruins were destroyed during that most uncivil civil war in Spain. It is still worth a visit, which should include a visit to a 14th century church and monastery, the old governing palaces and a gothic area of town.

We spend the night there and sailed back to Sitges the next day. Just a brief overnight stop in Sitges and we were off to Barcelona. But we didn’t stay long.

We Need San Juan’s Day

As you probably have figured out, Spain has more holidays than a dog has fleas. Sometimes I wonder how they get anything done at all over here. The latest is San Juan’s Day. Who would have thought that Saint John the Baptist would have his own holiday? And if you are going to have a holiday named after you, why not make it an all night party on the beach.

I was having dinner with my friend Kevin. We were well aware of this holiday. It comes with an endless supply of fireworks making the 4th of July look like an amateur celebration. Every kid in Barcelona has his own stash of bottle rockets, pinwheels, firecrackers guided missiles and anything else they can get their hands on. So all day long we were treated to a constant attack of loud bangs and shooting rockets. At dinner things started to build. So after a nice plate of local cuisine, we decided to wander down to the beach. You see, this holiday involves an all night party on the beach. And the beaches were packed. What started out as a quilt-work of blankets and candles turned in to shoulder-to-shoulder dancing and partying. It was truly amazing. DJ’s blasting out music and people clustered in groups that fluidly welcomed everyone on the beach for a fun time. And this party doesn’t end until the sun rises over the horizon. With the first rays of day, everyone jumps into the ocean fully clothed. Their sins are washed away and they can start a new year sparkling clean. Thanks John the B. Nice night by a guy that really knows how to throw a party.

I Knew I Was Gay When…

I have a friend visiting me from the Netherlands. It has been fun having him aboard and learning more about his country. We were talking about Christmas traditions and he told me that in the Netherlands, Santa Claus comes in November. He arrives by ship from Spain with Black Pete (a throwback from when the Moors controlled Spain) riding a spotted horse. The Netherlands was once part of Spain. Santa Claus is dressed in the red robes of a bishop complete with the mitered hat. Both Santa Claus and Black Pete go to the schools. Each child’s name is called, and the student stands in front of the class while Santa Claus tells all of the bad things the child has done all year (provided by the teacher of course). If they are really bad, Black Pete who is holding a whip made from tree branches threatens to stuff the child into the bag and take him back to Spain. (And I thought the children of America were terrorized by lumps of coal in their stockings.) On December 6th, Santa Claus leaves presents for all the good children and heads back to Spain.

My friend told me that when he was four years old, Santa Claus gave him an electric train set. He was totally uninterested in it, but took the wrapping paper and proceeded to tape together a paper dress with a very long train. He paraded around the house showing off his wonderful creation. Of course his father was devastated that the only train his little son was interested in was the one following his flowing paper dress. The funny thing is, when he grew up, he developed a strong fetish for black men. He attributes that to his early exposure growing with Black Pete and his whip. He might have been the only child in the class hoping to be thrown in the bag and carried back to Spain by big black muscular Pete.

The Hills Are Alive

The next day we took a 3-hour train ride to Vienna. This beautiful capital ranks as one of the best in Europe. Strewn with castles and palaces, impressive museums, gold leafed monuments and spotless streets make it inviting to anyone who loves history and great architecture. It is a city that reminds me of a chocolate box, filled with both surprises and treasures to be savored. Shops filled with the most delightful gifts. It is clear that this was once a very wealthy and prosperous city. It still very prosperous bustling with lots of shopping at upscale stores.

The Habsburgs have ruled over the Austrian empire since the early 1300’s. And for the most part, they were loved and supported by their subjects. Their palaces rival Versailles in Paris with its damask walls, inlaid lacquered walls, gilded rococo designs and masterly painted ceilings. An endless line of rooms for every conceivable use follow one right after the other each one more opulent than the last. After a while you run out of new ideas on how to decorate these big palaces. We toured the collection of royal place settings stacks of both silver and gold plates. The royalty never ate on anything but silver and gold for centuries. Eventually they introduced fine bone porcelain and of course there is an endless collection of royal patterned porcelain. Much of it was given to the royal family by other royal monarchs as wedding gifts, good will gifts or just for the heck of it gifts. They had more gold candelabras and mirrored centerpieces than they knew what to do with. Just storing all this loot was a major task. We also checked out the furniture museum. It housed all the back up finely crafted royal pieces that was enough to supply the “Antique Road Show” into the next century. I have no idea how one family could possibly use so many inlaid desks and gilded chairs.

Buda and the Pest

The Buda and the Pest
My friend Jun is visiting me for 3 weeks. He sailed with me last fall from Marseille to Barcelona. Since he will be here for 3 weeks, we decided to do a ClickAir trip to Budapest and Vienna. So with the click of a mouse as magical as any ruby slippers, we were off to check out the capital of Hungry.

It is a beautiful city split down the middle by the aggressive flow of the Danube River. On one side is the ancient city of Buda and the other side the ancient city of Pest. The two combine together to make up modern day Budapest. Many call Budapest the Paris of the east, and for good reason. There is a similarity with strong stone buildings and magnificent bridges knitting the two sides of the city together much like the bridges of Paris crossing Sienna. There are no Eiffel towers but there are plenty of colossal monuments of military victories. Budapest seems to favor wild horses and heroic naked men over monumental arches however.

We spent a day exploring the extensive collection of art in the museums and the afternoon soaking in the big Turkish baths. The baths are a huge structure with multiple soaking areas. At the heart of the baths is one expansive soaking area covered by a dome ceiling with colored windows mimicking colored stars filtering rainbow streaks of light into the main soaking area. The baths give you a little loin cloth to wear that just covers your dick with string ties in the back. I guess it is to just give a little modesty. In reality, it just makes things a bit more erotic since it totally clings to your dick when you get out of the water and your ass is completely exposed. There is a heavy sexual tension and the most popular pastime is to watch the guys walking around from one pool to the other. The baths also have a couple of steam rooms at different temperatures and saunas with successively warmer rooms. The shower area seemed to be the place guys would work out some of the sexual tension. When I was showering a couple of guys across from me started jerkin off watching me shower. Everyone was quite friendly.

One of the most impressive structures in Budapest is the huge neogothic parliament building. The second largest parliament building in the world only surpassed by England’s is built right on the banks of the Danube River. This structure has more points and spires than a sea urchin.

The next morning we visited the huge synagogue in Budapest. With its large domed ceiling and onion-topped turrets, it is the second largest in the world. Beautifully restored after World War II devastating bombing and munitions attacks. The ceilings are designed with intricate gold leafing and bright colors. It seats 1500 men on the main floor and another 1500 women in the balconies. (Men and women are not allowed to sit together) We learned that it was part of the Jewish ghetto where Jews were rounded up and virtually starved to death. Of the 6 million Jews that were killed in the holocaust, 10% came from Hungary. Back behind the synagogue is a holocaust memorial in the form of a stainless steel willow tree donated by Tony Curtis. His family is from Budapest. The leaves list the names of all those from Hungary killed in the holocaust. There is also a holocaust museum on the church grounds. The docent made it quite clear that the Germans could not have been able to do what they did without the willing participation of the Hungarian military and government. It is a very heart-wrenching story that always brings me deep sorrow.

Palm Sunday and Easter

I haven’t written much on this blog because not much new is going on. I have settled into a routine of going to the gym, taking care of business, working on my consulting project, riding my bike, working on my Spanish and hanging out with friends. Last week however was Palm Sunday. I started seeing these palm fauns in the stores. At first I did not recognize what they were. They aren’t green, but rather an ivory color. I think they are put in some kind of preservative. They take the leaves and weave designs into them. Sometimes they weave flowers into them. So when the fauns are complete, they look more like a vertical flower arrangement. The people in Spain buy them and put them in their homes. I was talking to someone about their significants and he told me that often the family will keep the fauns up all year. It is a sign of devotion and you get blessings from it. I guess you better choose one you really like.

For Easter, a friend brought over to the boat a traditional Spanish dish to share with me. It was similar to french toast. The bread is soaked in an egg batter and then deep-fried. Then you are supposed to sprinkle brown sugar on it and dip it in a very creamy vanilla sauce. The bread was a little oily for me and very sweet, but I did like the sauce. I asked him to send the recipe. I have to learn a little Catalonian cooking while I am here.

The Friday before Easter was a holiday, of course Easter, and the Monday after. A lot of the people left the city and took the whole week off. When there is a holiday here, everything is closed. You would starve to death looking for even a grocery store to be open. It is so different from the states where most stores would use it as an opportunity for a big blowout sale. Since it is actually illegal to have a sale this time of year, nothing special takes place. Something about sales causing unfair competition between businesses. Sales are only allowed in January and July. I think more than any other difference I see over here in Spain and Europe in general is how the economy is run. The government also makes it extremely difficult to open your own business. There are huge licensing fees to pay before you can begin which are out of reach for most people in Spain. A lot of the fees have to do with prepaying for the national health insurance and just the government red tape. You also are required to take government sponsored courses related to the kind of business you want to establish which you are required to pay for. The courses are only offered during certain times of year. So in the end, most people just take the easy way out and end up working for some company.