European Flashback: Murcia, Spain!

I've been a bad blogger.

A really bad blogger.

Do any of you vaguely recall that I went to Spain in May? Were you expecting to see various photos of said trip and had your hopes dashed when they never appeared?

I only have on explanation for that: I've been a really bad blogger. I mean, come on, people, I went to SPAIN and I never blogged about it!

Fortunately, I happen to be a firm believer of PICS, OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. So, six months later, I have finally come to my senses and I will do a series of therapeutic posts to ease my crying after having left Europe bi-weekly posts regarding my previous trips around Spain, France and maybe even Italy in 2010 (Italy happened when this blog was a mere twinkling in the eye).

Without further ado...I present Murcia, Spain 2011!


I teamed up with two of my cousins and they set off to give me a tour of the city center.

This is a statue commemorating the sardine fishers of yore. Of course, my guy cousin, who has a warped blogger-esque sense of humor, claimed that it commerated the foundation of the first Ku Klux Klan chapter in Murcia...and my other cousin believed him.

I soon learned that sardines are a big deal in the south of Spain, so much that the river has a sardine water fountain swimming in it.




Vibrant colors marked what would otherwise been just another cloudy day.



Two things I love are fountains and the color red, so seeing this fountain surrounded by crimson flowers in the Downtown area made me go just a little bit giddy!



Even the public garbage cans demonstrate the sardine fishermen.

Water for all! As my cousin explained, the south of Spain is very arid and often lacks the necessary resource of water. My cousin commented that the poster in question took on a somewhat political air.




I look drunk here. Drunk from the happiness of red flowers and fountains!
I can't really recall seeing statues of cardinals displayed in France.





Based on his pose, maybe the Cardinal also studied martial arts?



And this I certainly would have never seen in France (way too secular to display mega-sized posters of religious personalities). It's interesting to travel to different countries and see how they vary from one another.


The cathedral sitting in the public square is one of the most impressive that I've seen in years! Let's take a look around...














This was the view right in front of the Cathedral.




Ceramic street signs? Yes, please.


Our afternoon stroll made a pit stop at an ice cream shop in the plaza.

I discovered so many yummy things in Spain, and helado de nata was one of them. "Nata," in Spanish, means "milk cream," a.k.a. "that filmy disgusting layer of milky fat that forms after you've boiled milk at a certain temperature." For the sake of vouching for how delicious this ice cream really is, let's all just think of milk cream ice cream. It's so good that I honestly wish it were sold in the United States.

So, if you ever go to Murcia, you absolutely must stop by this ice cream shop and at least have one scoop of nata ice cream. Or two. Two scoops of different flavors! Nata y chocolate!

...Can anybody tell that I'm currently in Ice Cream Nirvana just by thinking about this place?

Nata ice cream time eventually made way to a night time stroll in the city.







El Corte Inglés = The Macy's of Spain


And I want THIS giant ladybug to be in my local playground!

Here are pretty much the same pictures of the same things, except we now have the added benefit of seeing them in the sunshine! I find that natural sunlight does justice in bringing the colors to come to life.

This is Alphonse X, the Wise. You WILL respect this man.


You will also respect Chewbacca...


...And Darth Vader.




This poster announces a day of solidarity to honor the Lorca earthquake. It truly was a disaster.

And here are a few shots of things that didn't quite fit into place.

Ladies and Gents, take note: "Love is a strategic game..."

Who else thinks that we need this store in the U.S.?


The local Football (soccer for us Yanks) team has their own merchandise stand in the mall!



"I only went to get a belt!" Apparently, Spanish guys always get something more in the malls.

I think it's safe to say that blonde is not the look for me...

Barb the French Bean

The Things I SHOULD Say, But Never Do

I have a problem, I rarely say what I want to say. Instead of saying what I'm thinking or feeling, I say something completely different.

(Btw, some dialogues may be switched around )

I should really learn how to use my words and not just keep everything in thought...

Hanny the coffee bean

If You Do This to Me, I Will Hate You FOREVER

News Flash: If I don't respond the first time, chances are that I am.

Seriously, people. DON'T DO THIS.

Sincerely,

Barb the (Disgruntled) French Bean

Things You Can Learn from Our Blog

As I sat bored in my room one rainy day, I decided to go back on everything Barb and I have ever written and realized that we have written a few things worth learning.

1. Everything you need to know about Cuban and French Coffee.

2. Things don't turn out the way we hope...They turn out to be better than we hoped for.

3. Some retail jobs judge you by appearance.

4. We sometimes can't control our urges (wants).

5. The French are not arrogant, rude people and do not eat snails everyday.

6. Some people are known for musturbating.

7. Blogging is a great outlet for people.

8. Sometimes we have to stop worrying in life.

9. Some snails are hermaphrodites.

10. Sometimes the heart and brain do not agree.

11. You can get over an ex-boyfriend using the five stages.

12. Google gives out the best ideas ever.

13. Some video games take control of your life.

14. No matter how hard some things may seem, friendship makes things better.

15. How to meet people.

16. How to cure insomnia.

17. No matter what we do, we always must look our best.

18. People are similar to animals.

19. Facebook has taken over the world.

20. Places in France you can find a bathroom.

21. Sometimes love/like does come your way (even if you thought it never would)

22. Dating sites are sometimes not the answer.

23. Life has its ups and downs, but things will always look up (what comes down has to come up eventually...)

24. You experience a lot within a year (and some manage to survive them).

25. Ex-boyfriends (sooner or later) come back.

26. Writing posts about boyfriends is not such a good idea (especially if you two break up).

27. Life is an adventure.

28. Never waste beer.

29. Some men are men-children.

30. There is always some regret in life.

31. Tutorials are a waste of time sometimes.

32. Behind every asshole is a bitch that made him that way and behind every bitch is an asshole that made her that way. vicious cycle.

33. Making money is not easy.

34. Halloween can be dangerous if you don't give out the good candy.

35. Urban legends sometimes have a true back story to them.

36. Dr. Pepper brownies exist!

I know it is a long list, but trust me it is worth taking a look at it. I know I learned a few things from some of the posts I read (even if i did write some of them...and that is saying something.)

Hanny the coffee bean

How I Had Three Different Costumes

I was excited to celebrate Halloween this year because after having spent the past two October 31sts in Croissant-and-Baguetteland, I felt that I was overdue for an American Ghoulfest 2011. All month long, I somehow willed myself to not rush to the nearest supermarket and start hoarding piles of luscious Candy Corn and miniature bars of Kit-Kats; I promised myself that I would gorge on these sugary treats once it was *officially* acceptable.

And yesterday, I looked forward to spending my day at a Halloween party in the company of a good friend. Before heading out, I prepared myself for the event.

Costume #1: Sophisti-Cat

I admit to having spent almost forty-five minutes trying to get my make-up just right for the day, and I would have finished earlier had I not washed off my handiwork from dissatisfaction of how things looked. I had first experimented with a dark orange powder and decided that I looked like a member of the Jersey Shore who had painted their face with cat whiskers (it simply would not do!).



Once ready, I headed out to the party and my friend informed me that I looked as if I were going to sing and dance on a Broadway stage. Très chic.

Costume #2: Clown Cat

Unfortunately, within ten minutes of being outside, Sophisti-Cat never stood a chance against the heat and humidity of the wonderful Miami climate. It was even a bit cooler than usual for "three-oh-five" standards, too. My white make-up disappeared and all that was left were streaks and blotches (and the odd whisker or two).

My friend and I made plans to purchase candy, eat at a restaurant and then share a quiet moment over of Pumpkin Spice Latté from Starbucks. She emboldened herself to dress up in costume and offered to let me use her own face-paint set so I could go back to looking like a cat. I accepted it.

Oh, and by "face paint," I mean the chalky, oily kind that cakes up on your face if applied improperly.

And it was applied improperly.

In fact, it looked SO BAD that I couldn't bear to take a photo of myself wearing my Clown Cat costume. Instead, I drew a cartoon of what I only wished I had looked like.

Costume #3: Crazy Old Lady Cat

With our evening out pending, I began to panic about how horrible I looked with my Clown Cat face paint. It didn't matter that it were Halloween. I simply could not be seen in public like that!

The solution was thankfully easy and I washed off my temporary appearance. Yet some of the paint had seeped unto the roots of my hair and I could not remove it. With the white blending in to give me gray streaks, I suddenly looked thirty years older. Hence, I was overjoyed by my third costume:

Crazy Old Cat Lady still looked better than Clown Cat. Oh, well. At least I consoled myself with Candy Corn and Kit-Kats.

UPDATE:

In the aftermath of Clown Cat's greasy, pore-clogging consistency, my face has been napalmed by teenaged postules. I also suspect that the Kit-Kats aren't helping fend off the zits, either.

So, Ladies, next Halloween, get the good make-up. You'll thank yourselves in the morning.

Barb the French Bean