Malaga

I have decided to include a synopsis of some of my time in Spain on this blog...
As the staff team was packing early on the morning on which we had to leave, Abe found out that he could not find his passport. As this is important for flying, we had to come up with a plan. Fortunately, there is a Canadian consulate in Malaga, so he had to extend his flight, cancel his current passport, and stay in Malaga till he could get his emergency travel documents sorted out. We got his flight delayed by a few days, and so that he could get his passport. I decided to stay with him, check out Malaga, and chill, as I was kind of tired. The rest of us scattered, some to Canada, some to France, and some to the south of Spain. Abe and I grabbed a cab for the Canadian consulate, found it, and began the lengthy process of applying for an emergency passport. I tried to be somewhat helpful, making hotel arrangements while he processed his forms, getting something for us to drink, and then returning to the tiny consulate, eating paella out of a tupperware container with my hands, and falling asleep under the consulate's homey-feeling Canadian map, which apparently hadn't been updated since the 1960s or 70s. We got a girl at the travel agency to show us how to get to the hotel. She was from Romania, and talked about how much she hated living in Malaga. How charming. We walked past the bull ring, and continued on for about 20 minutes.The map I had of Malaga said that our hotel was right on the river flowing into the Mediterranean. We were excited. As it turns out, however, the "river" was actually not more than a sort of dried out bed of dust with absolutely no water in it, where some people played soccer.

We settled into the Hotel Tribune, left our stuff in the modest, but clean room, and decided to check out our surroundings.
Malaga was the first fairly large Spanish city I was in. It is on the Mediterranean, has a prominent port, and is built against the backdrop of some fairly big hills. Apparently it is the sixth largest city in Spain, with over half a million people. Lonely Planet (one of my favourite travel websites) describes the city as "very Spanish" and "exuberant", and I would tend to agree with their assessment. Several things stand out about Malaga. First, the streets are very cool. Lots of little alleyways, which feel very Spanish. That's the best way I can describe it. The broader avenues were sometimes covered over from on high with this somewhat translucent cloth which would cut down on the sun. Malaga is also known for its botanical gardens and plants, and this was quite cool, with lots of flowers growing in the downtown, beautiful trees, and gardens. This was the first place I was in that really felt like Old Europe. There were centuries old monastaries, cathedrals, churches, chapels, etc. everywhere, and you would find what in Canada would be considered a very important historical site by walking down what seemed to be a dead end street. Ronda was even more this way; it seemed to me that if you picked up a stone and were to throw it randomly, you would probably hit an old church.
Since Abe was disappointed that he had to stay an extra few days instead of going home to see his lady friend, I asked him what sites he would like to see. He wanted to see the Picasso Museum, as Pablo Picasso was born and raised in Malaga. Fair enough. We checked out the museum. I was surprised that Picasso had some earlier stuff that looked entirely different from his later, cubist stuff. There were some interesting pieces on bullfighting and on horses. But, for the most part, I need to be honest, Picasso doesn't really turn my crank. It was still cool to have gone, though. The coolest part of the museum was when we thought we were done, and we saw a very small sign saying simply "Ruins" or something like that, pointing toward a very nondescript staircase that looked like it could have been used to access a cleaning supply closet. We shrugged and decided to check it out. Turns out, the museum is built over a set of Phoenician ruins from when Malaga was a Phoenician colony exporting salt and stuff. Being a history geek, I really enjoyed checking out original Phoenician walls, guard towers, houses and stuff like that. I can't believe they didn't really advertise it. It was stuff that was around 2500 to 3000 years old.

After leaving, we decided to keep up with the historical bent and check out the local Roman ampitheatre. While there, we ran into Amy and her sister who were staying in Malaga! It was fun catching up, even though it had only been several hours. We exchanged information on what was hot and not in Malaga, took our picture together in the theatre, and continued on.
Both Abe and I are "economical" (or "cheap"), and we looked for the cheapest food we could find. We found a place that had tapas, 6 for 5 Euros. This became our dependable haunt, and it introduced me to an illustrious sandwhich made up of brie cheese and caramelized onions. Delicious. I saved money by getting my money at a local farmer's market, which was really neat. I would get chorizo (sausages) along with fresh fruit and manchego cheese (cheese from La Mancha). It was cheap but good.

I wanted to go on a day trip, but Abe needed to stick around town the next day, contact referees for his passport, and deal with the consulate, so we did our business there the next day, and after briefly checking out the bus and train station (where we saw Amy and her sister again), decided to spend the rest of the day in Malaga. It was a good call.

The next thing we checked out was the old fortess, called the Alcazaba, which the Moors left behind on the imposing hill of Malaga. Say what you want about the Moors, they built impressive castles and fortresses. It was super fun to check out their well-built system of defenses, utilizing the slope of the hill, tight gates, archer towers, imposing walls, and walkways bent back on themselves. They were also recyclers, using old Roman columns they found, which are still part of their gates. As you got higher up, it changed from a fortress to a palace, with nice gardens, these really lovely fountains and systems of channelled water gurgling pleasantly at your feet, and beautiful lookouts over the Mediterranean. The interior of the palace looked very Arabic, with the same sort of tilework, arches and pillars, and what must have been considered luxurious living in medieval Spain. Also, there were these Chinese tourists who seemed to be stalking us and giggling. We paid the extra money (about a euro) to see the part of the fortress further up the hill, which was quite a hike, but it was less impressive than the lower fortress, though it did have a cool little museum about Spanish colonialism. Apparently, the Catholic forces only managed to take the Alcazaba, and hence, Malaga, in 1487, just over 500 years ago.
We also checked out the Cathedral of Malaga, out of all the churches in the city. It was the first old Cathedral I have ever checked out. It is pretty impressive, although when a building takes 260 years to build, you expect it to meet certain standards. The architecture is not like the old Gothic cathedrals of France and England; it has a different style, a Renaissance style. There are almost no windows, and the interior is filled up with a lot of little chapels to various saints, with a lot of old religious artwork contained inside. I'm going to state the obvious and say it was huge.
The rest of the time, Abe and I did stuff like eat, drink zumo (juice), and watch world cup games in little cafes.

Uncle Steve!

On July 28th, I became an uncle! Kevin and Anna had a baby girl. Her name is Molly Margaret Ava Adam. I think she is very cute, and I can't wait to see her.

Back from Spain

Well, I got back not too long ago from Spain and Gibraltar. I'm going to keep this blog short, but I may write some more posts later on.

For right now, I'm just trying to get a bit healthier after a parasitical infection. They are surprisingly draining. I guess you could consider me the host with the most.

My time in Spain took me to Malaga, Ronda, Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, and Tarifa. Pretty much, if it ends with the letter "a", I was allowed to go there. This was all in the region of Andalucia, and the cool thing is, every city has a different flavour. More on these flavours later...

Sick

I'm sick... not badly, but for long enough to lower my morale. I love reading this poem when I'm sick, although when you have the flu, it's a tad dramatic. This gem was written by John Donne eight days before his death...

Hymn to God, My God, in my Sickness
by John Donne

Since I am coming to that holy room,
Where, with thy choir of saints for evermore,
I shall be made thy music; as I come
I tune the instrument here at the door,
And what I must do then, think here before.

Whilst my physicians by their love are grown
Cosmographers, and I their map, who lie
Flat on this bed, that by them may be shown
That this is my south-west discovery,
Per fretum febris, by these straits to die,

I joy, that in these straits I see my west;
For, though their currents yield return to none,
What shall my west hurt me? As west and east
In all flat maps (and I am one) are one,
So death doth touch the resurrection.

Is the Pacific Sea my home? Or are
The eastern riches? Is Jerusalem?
Anyan, and Magellan, and Gibraltar,
All straits, and none but straits, are ways to them,
Whether where Japhet dwelt, or Cham, or Shem.

We think that Paradise and Calvary,
Christ's cross, and Adam's tree, stood in one place;
Look, Lord, and find both Adams met in me;
As the first Adam's sweat surrounds my face,
May the last Adam's blood my soul embrace.

So, in his purple wrapp'd, receive me, Lord;
By these his thorns, give me his other crown;
And as to others' souls I preach'd thy word,
Be this my text, my sermon to mine own:
"Therefore that he may raise, the Lord throws down."

The Concert of a Lifetime -- Part 3

"Uno! Dos! Tres! Catorce!" (One, Two, Three, Fourteen!)

So screamed Bono with a rollick, in terrible Spanish, and "Vertigo" began. "Vertigo" isn't my favourite U2 song in particular, but I hate to admit that I was taken with Bono's swaggering intro. Next on the setlist was "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight", another song I'm not yet fully enamoured with, but it was still enjoyable.

Really, I was hoping for as many oldie-goldies as possible, and the next song didn't disappoint. With a somewhat unclear introductory video referencing the Iranian elections, Larry's militant drumbeats and Edge's insistent repetitions of one of the most iconic guitar riffs in rock history ushered in the oldest song of the night: "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" from 1983's War album. You just can't go wrong with it. Edge's guitar instrumental in the middle was slashing and jarring, just as it should be.

Afterwards, U2 was generous enough to include a rare treat, which I quite enjoyed: "MLK" from 1984's "Unforgettable Fire" album. An underspoken, hymn-like tribute to the great Dr. King. It was so stirring, I was wrapped up in the moment of appreciating the song. I was grateful, too, that they included the following song on their setlist. Devoting it (and the rest of the concert) to Burmese civil rights leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi, they played song which pleases my sentimental side: "Walk On". It was everything that I hoped for it to be. U2 then left the stage, and some suckers in the crowd, thought that the concert was over, and left. In disbelief, I repeatedly pointed out that they still hadn't played "Streets".

Of course, they came back. They played "One", their painfully beautiful song about love and isolation in a fallen world. I pulled out the lighters I had brought for this song and distributed them accordingly. Next, they lead the oblivious crowd in a stirring rendition of "Amazing Grace". It was wonderful to sing the song along with the band. And then... the stained-glass strains of Edge's guitar filled the Roger's Centre with the chiming notes of what is arguably their greatest masterpiece: "Where the Streets Have No Name". It was simply perfect; there is no more that they can say. The three songs together held a sort of redemptive trajectory: from the ironic (in the Fryean sense) separation of fallen love in the first, to the comedic path of redemption in the second, to the enjoyment of the Romantic world of Heaven in the third.

U2 then went back under the stage, and more suckers left the building.

Their second encore was tremendous. Bono was wearing -- I kid you not -- a jacket with lasers coming out of it, and was holding onto and swinging from what I can only describe as a flourescent steering wheel of a microphone suspended from above. The opening chords of their next song took me aback, initially, because I didn't at first know what they were, but I quickly realized that they were playing "Ultraviolet" from "Achtung Baby". I really loved it, a fantastic song. To hear Bono wail "Baby, baby, baby, light my way" as lasers shot out of his chest was truly magical.

Next was, I have to say, was the song I had been waiting for. As soon as I heard Adam's insistent bass line and the unearthly and pure sustain of Edge's guitar on "With or Without You" I felt deeply affected. Words fail for how magical this song was. Bono's vocal performance was perfect as the disco ball illuminated a crowd of tens of thousands, while one felt a strange intimacy with the band, even in the nosebleed section. This was the most magical song of the night. I wish I was still listening there listening to that song.

The final song of the night is the second best song on the new album: "Moment of Surrender" -- another Augustinian spiritual song. As Bono sang such naked lyrics as "My body is a begging bowl, and I'm begging to get back to the rhythm of my soul, to the rhythm of my unconsciousness", my friend pointed out that the lights of the CN tower were pulsing in many colours along with the music. It was gorgeous. The band left, and I was silent. I could barely say anything for the rest of the night.

My analysis several days (weeks?) after the concert? It was surprising to see not a single song from "Pop" on the setlist, although I have read they have not played an entire song from the album on their whole tour. I was especially glad that they played "Until the End of the World" at this concert. I would have been happy if they had played "Gloria" or "40" or "New Year's Day", but I could not complain with the fantastic song line-up.

All in all, the concert renewed my love for U2 and was an entirely unforgettable night.

The Concert of a Lifetime -- Part 2

As day gave way to dusk, and dusk in turn yielded to darkness under the shadow of the CN tower, my pulse increased as it struck me that I really was about to see U2. And then, I saw the cars roll in.



They were in the stadium.



As I looked onto the green monster of a stage, the speakers blared "Space Oddity" by Dave Bowie, and one by one, the members took the stage. Larry went to the kit and immediately started pounding the skins. Ash-haired Adam took his lanky stance with the bass. The Edge slung his guitar over his shoulder. And then a rather short man in a leather jacket came out. But enough of that... on to the concert.



In standard form for the 360 tour to that point, U2 opened with "Breathe", a song from their new album which I am still warming up to. A good friend of mine drew attention to a different lyrical interpretation of the song, casting it in the light of establishing one's personal identity. I'm still considering this, although I can say that it's very much a beat-like poem set to music, like nothing else they've ever written. In my mind, it took them a few songs to really get reved up. Next on the setlist was "No Line on the Horizon", a somewhat more compelling song from the new album, performed in front of a stark screen of black and white. Instrumentally, this was a very tight performance of a song which harkens a bit more to the glory days of the Joshua Tree. Bono's introduction of the band was disarmingly humourous, with a low key charm which contrasted with the high, operatic drama of the Popmart tour or ZooTV. Bono called Adam a "sexual predator" and dropped references to the "space ship" they were performing in and claimed that they had "some new songs, some old songs, and some songs they could barely play". It was blatant false humility on the last claim.



Next up on the roster was "Get on Your Boots", which I frankly think is one of their most ridiculous songs to date. Time will not redeem this song. It is the "Some Days are better Than Others" of the new album, without the contrived seriousness. "Magnificent", on the other hand, is hands-down the best song of the new album, a glorious return to old form, and an Augustinian declaration of worship. Their performance was indeed flawlessly magnificent, and with Bono's arms outstretched and eyes closed, I felt he was leading the unknowing crowd in worship of the Magnificent. Next was a rendition of "Beautiful Day", a personal favourite.



However, the next song -- "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" -- is the point where I felt the band began to capture the crowd and show their true magic. Bono let the crowd sing the first verse, and his singing of the rest of song was sweetly soulful. It was undeniably magical. "Elevation" came next, and then the rare and strange song "My Blue Room", which I admit I was not familiar with. The video, though, was a strangely haunting one, linking the viewer to an astronaut on the International Space Station. If it were a lesser band, it may have been a momentum killer. "Unknown Caller" followed on its heels, with a karaoke like screen.



Next, they pulled out one of my all-time favourite songs: "Until the End of the World". A musically epic, and poetically brilliant song, it is an exploration of sin and redemption, ironically written to sound like the tale of the broken and remade hearts of lovers, but actually somewhat cryptically written (mostly) from the vantage point of Judas Iscariot during the events surrounding the crucifixion. The Edge's guitar work could not be better, and Bono delivered with passion and drama, running a lap around the massive stage before collapsing in a heap at the Edge's feet, with the spotlight on him. This was definitely one of the best performances of the night.

U2 followed it with a song which is best performed live - "Stay (Faraway, So Close)". It was simply electrifying in its soaring beauty. U2 also played a stirring, sing-a-long version of "Stand by Me". It was simply one of those perfect moments.

"The Unforgettable Fire", a way-back-playback from its eponymous album, surprised me by how much I enjoyed it, as it usually is not a song I'm partial to. And in the first track from "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb", the pulled out "City of Blinding Lights", a song I was hoping they'd play. It was sweet to belt out the chorus to the band, "Oh, you look so beautiful tonight, in this city of blinding lights", underneath the lights of condos, Toronto's Bay Street Banking Core, and the CN tower. It seemed fitting.

Part 3 is yet to come...

The Concert Of a Lifetime -- Part 1

If you have been in any sort of contact with me in the past month, you will know that I had been looking forward with what could understatedly be called rabid enthusiasm to a concert on September 16. Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I am a massive fan of U2, and I secured tickets to their 360 tour on September 16, in the Skydome. I have been looking forward to blogging about this for some time, but I have been fairly busy. Prepare yourself to read about this concert in detail which will either be excruciatingly drawn out or deliciously detailed, depending on your point of view.



Simply put, seeing U2 live was something I wanted to do before I died. I'm almost ashamed to say how important this was for me... a dream for years.



I was delighted to hear that U2 was going to be playing in the Skydome (which sold out for a rock concert in only the second time in its history) and that, as the weather was good, they were going to be playing with the top open (also for only the second time in its history). After working at York that day (it was a delightful day) I scooted downtown on the reliable TTC, rendezvoused with my friend, and headed over to the 'Dome. My seats were not amazingly close, being seated in the 500 level, but they were directly across from the front of the stage, if you could call it that. True to its name, the 360 tour features a massive stage -- the biggest in rock history -- which features no bad views. The stage is quite literally monstrous, a colossal green and yellow set of tentacles which look like they were ripped out of a 1950s Japanese sci-fi.



Adding to the delight of the evening was the fact that so many of my friends were at the concert. After excitedly talking on the phone with as many of them as I could, we sat down and watched the opening band, Snow Patrol. I hadn't had a huge exposure to the band before the concert, although I tried to do my homework before the show, and my friend was fairly knowledgeable and had a good appreciation for them. The crowd was understandably smaller, but the boys from North Ireland (Dundee, Scotland? Glasgow?) did not disappoint. The band was tight, and the lead singer had a certain self-deprecating charm, tinged with awe-filled humility to be opening for the greatest rock act of our time. I can't quite find Snow Patrol's setlist, but they seemed to play a lot of stuff from their "Eyes Open" album. Their rendition of "Shut Your Eyes" in which they got the audience to sing along (I'm a sucker for band sing-a-longs) drew me in to the band's performance; it's just a hauntingly melodic, yet rocking song as it is. Not surprisingly, "Chasing Cars" was a run away success, performed flawlessly live, with the dramatic, throbbing crescendo of guitar and beautiful, passionate vocals which made it such a hit song. One of their last songs was "Open Your Eyes", a tune I was not that familiar with but which was my friend's favourite Snow Patrol song. It was a winner, combining rock-out rattle and hum with a flirtatious taste of what the 360 screen was capable of, flashing unrelentingly and rapidly between shots of the individual band members and a couple who made out for the camera with a love for exhibition. Snow Patrol gained my unqualified respect by the end of their set. Overall, the band was solid and Gary Lightbody was impressive as a humerous, Celtic frontman and as a passionate singer with a unique voice. As we went to get our Skydome burgers, I couldn't help but reflect, like a true English lit major, on the band's insistent imagery focused on eyes and hands, coupled with imperatives to the audience as the second person, combining for a sense of immediacy in the moment which lent themselves to a sort of intense, earnest passion.



And, as their set went on, the Toronto sky, framed behind the CN Tower and the newly mushrooming glass condos, shifted from daylight to a beautiful dusk. Night was approaching, and with it, U2. My excitement was rising, even as the temperature dropped to the point where it necessitated sweaters. I was stoked.



Part 2 is coming...