REU-LDN-MAD

Last night I arrived from my long week-end in Europe. It didn't feel like it was some countable days but some sort of imaginary time measure that stretched itself to create a new amount of time. This new X(for the quantity) X(for the name of the new time measure) lasted as long and as short as one could imagine, but it wasn't just over four days but, at least, what we, Earthlings (LG), call a month.

I am not going to go through all details, you know I don't like that, neither am going to recall on why everything happened how it happened. But there is some stuff I have to say. I need to say. Deserve to be said.

On some point of the beginning of this period of time, I flew to London from the beautiful city of Reus (I should have had a stop over in Paris and it would have done the long known sentence of "Reus, Paris, London"). Flying, since this Summer, is horrible for me. Thank god I met a lovely English girl who helped me over the trip. Thank you so much.
I arrived in London and what came to me, a part of the I-am-home feeling was the chaos that suddenly I found. Perhaps I felt it that way because I was a chaos, as well. But, anyway, my what-is-the-easiest-way-to-get-there chip, wasn't working. Also, there were some "planned" engineering works that I wasn't told of and a Chelsea match I wasn't aware of. So, finally, I arrived to my friend's house in Fulham Broadway just to get changed and get going to celebrate ThanksGiving in Brixton.
Very early on our arrival at the house I realised that was going to be the best party I had ever been to. And it certainly was. Delicious food (no turkey, all happened to be vegetarian, but it wasn't on purpouse, just happened). I can't recall all the great things of the party. The house, the menu cards and name tags, the music. And certainly the people. We were a bunch of people who didn't know each other. There was not one person who knew all of them. But we matched, at least that's what I think. Everybody was talking to someone, no little groups were formed. Just what I was needing for: good, intelligent, friendly talk.
I was supposed to prepare some "rom cremat" ("burnt rum", which is rum, the peel of a lemon, cinnamon stick, clove and sugar, a la flambé), but it didn't turn out, I just couldn't make it burn. That was my contribution to the party, bringing some of what those Catalans who went to the Americans brought back. Although different part of America the continent, the same America in the end. Hope, one day, you guys, come to celebrate Eleven September ("day" of Catalonia) with me, here, and I can do it right.
It wasn't a traditional ThanksGiving, it was just fabulous.

The next day was a relaxing calm day walking around and talking all what was left to talk about, which was a lot. Could meet just two of my friends there, and I couldn't meet someone very special. Hope next time will be better.
I know some people might be upset with me for not being able to meet, so I say sorry from here.

I felt great in London. More than great. I felt "me". Walking through the city, visiting shops, having tea and cake (Man, I love the cake!).
But we had to go.
We took a plane and then it was all Madrid around us.
There are many things that come up to my mind when I think of the city. Some are great, and some are not. There are that surprise me and there are that distract me.
I have to say that Madrid urgently needs a signalization freshen up. The metro is a mess, lines have numbers and colours but they are named by the start off and the end (whatever this means, because both are both) of the line. But that's not the worse thing: if you don't want to get lost, you have to be from there, or at least live in. When in London there would be a hundred signals, in Madrid there is one. I don't know if they are saving on metal/plastic, but what they are wasting is time. For instance, at Atocha train station, I wandered around for a good ten minutes before I arrived to the right place: there were signals saying just the opposite to one another. And the escalators; oh, my god, they drove me crazy: if you had to go on three escalators, you'd find the one going up in the right and the next two in the left (with corridors in between, of course, not just ahead one another). And all for stops that you could walk, really. [Once we were at Puerta de Alacalá, or something, and we asked for directions to get to Chueca (Soho, Village) and the girl told us: "That's so far, better take the metro": it was just about ten minutes walk.]
The city is very polluted. So much traffic. So many cars.
There are great shops and great trendy people. They look clean.
Many, many blind people.
I don't live there, but it didn't seem such a big deal the road works (my city is now wide open as well and it is a pain in the ass, really) but perhaps is because it is big enough to be able to get somewhere else.
People is kind (except some waiters and the woman at the fruit shop in Chueca Square).
Coffee tastes like coffee and is black black even if you wanted "cortado".
El Retiro is great. I don't know why is always so quiet: I'd be there all the time.
So many gay guys and so many handsome guys (not only in Chueca, but all around the city).
It is clean.
People does not know how to walk.
The metro is quiet: the actual train (both meaning silent and not moving much) and the people in it.

There are many things but I can't recall all of them right now. Over all I liked the city a lot, after twelve years. I wouldn't live there (need water) but I'd like to go visit once in a while.

One of the last nights of that-amount-of-time-we-got-created, we went to Sala Clamores to the concert of Anna Maria Jopek. There we were Gatchan, Mal (plus two) and me (plus one). I was called the "fan". I have never liked that terminology for myself. I am not a fan of anyone. I like some artists' music but that's all. In fact, this was one of the few "real" concerts I've been to. By real I mean someone I own an album of before the day. Actually, it might actually be just the one. I have most of AMJ's discography and I have to say I like her a lot. And now, that I have seen her live, I am willing to make other efforts to see her again.The venue was a nice small intimate place. There were Poles but less than I'd expected.
She sung songs from her album "Secret", which is the English one of which I had expected the whole concert, and for my great surprise, from "Niebo" and my favourite "Farat" along with a new song of, once again, a version of an Sting's song.
I'm no expert in music, I just know what I like, that's why I am going to let the review for others (Gatchan, I thought you would have commented the concert by now). I must say that she was very nice: she spoke little in Polish, quite in English, and quite a lot in Spanish. She even sung in the city's language. Her accent in Spanish was great. She pronounced the s's as the Polish ś (like an English 'sh') and a couple of c's as in her language (like the 'ts' in cats), but what she said was perfectly well structured with a pure Castilian grammar. She was even funny and she made us sing (men, and blonds against brunettes). Her Spanish was actually great with perfect plurals (Polish plural isn't ending in -s like in Spanish or English: jeden kawanos, dwa kawanosy).

I had recently obtained a camera so I made some photos. I am no photographer and I am just learning how to use it. Also, the light was down but I got a couple I am actually proud of. Also, I got many that are blurred but which I like a lot.
Also, I recorded a video (below) of her version of "Don't Speak", for me the best cover ever. Again, you'll understand that I used a photo camera and that this was the first time I ever recorded anything. Though, it is a hint of what you can get if you get hold with her albums or you get to see her live (she plays tonight in Gijón, and on the following time in Estonia, Poland and Germany); you can find all the info at her site, there is a mistake on the English version so I would trust more the Polish one (koncerty).
Oh, I have to say that Marek Napiórkowski, wow, that's a heaven of a guitarist.

The next morning was a relaxing shopping and walking at the Retiro day, were we run into one of the friends of Mal and we were delighted with lovely "Over the Rainbow" on the acordion.
In the afternoon I took a train to Tarragona. It was only 4 hours and I was expecting a very long very pleasant trip. It was pleasant and calm, indeed, but it was short. I love trains.

Many more things happened, many emotions, laughter, many smiles. New, hopefully, friendships: Gatchan and Mal (plus his plus two's).
I can't find the words... but, all what happened this weekend made me so happy. The way everybody has treated me. The fact that, for firs time, I puzzled something from scraps, i.e. the concert with people who weren't that in touch of her music, everything...
There are no words...
So I'll leave it at here.

Anna Maria Jopek - Don't Speak
Sala Clamores, Madrid, Spain - 21 Nov 06

Photos: 1 Bishops Park, Fulham, London, UK;
2. Image of a screan of my new camera that appeard
on the train to the airport. Taken by L(isf)G.
3 Chueca metro station, Plaza de Chueca, Madrid, Spain;
4. Anna Maria Jopek, Sala Clamores, Madrid, Spain.