Learning to Lisp

In some countries Lisping is considered a speech impediment. In Spain though, it is not. The Spanish language makes lisping an everyday normal habit. This is because of the way the Spanish pronounce letters. I find it quite odd and annoying to be honest... Let us take a look at some of the words I experience difficulty in pronouncing because I battle to lisp.

There are a few Spanish letters which do not sound the same as in English.

In English we would make a "s" sound for the letter c. In Spanish they make a "th" sound for the letter c!

In English we would make a b sound for the letter b. In Spanish they sometimes make a v sound for the letter b!

In English we would make a z sound for the letter z. In Spanish they make a th sound for the letter z!

In English we would make a d sound for the letter d. In Spanish they sometimes make a th sound for the letter d!

In English we would make a l sound for the double ll. In Spanish they make a y sound for the double ll!

The following words are hard to pronounce unless you can lisp:

Gracias (thank you) is grathias

Cerveza (beer) is therbetha

Madrid (a city) is Madrith

Valladolid (a town) is Bayadoleeth

Civilization (civilization) is thibilithathion

Manzana (apple) is manthana

These words can be tongue twisters to pronounce. I have taken to pronouncing words the way I like. The English way. Thank goodness there are so many Latinos here in Spain that speak American Spanish. The American Spanish way is to pronounce the letters they way they sound in English.

I think back to my Spanish course in July. When one other student in the class, named Monika used to pronounce something incorrectly (like a c as "s" or a z as "z") the teacher would correct her. I would look at her and she would roll her eyes at me. We would then both laugh. Learning to lisp just does not come naturally...

Old city New City

So what is Barcelona ? It is a combination of old and new. Some very old world buildings exist with typical Spanish styles. The buildings often have small narrow balconies with shutters to boot. The facades of the old buildings often boast intricate etching/stencilling in the plaster of the walls. Many of the buildings are back to back so they can be very dark and a feeling of claustrophobia does exist. What I dislike the most is the lack of light in so many buildings. I have often sat on the bus and passed buildings where old people are sitting at the windows of upstairs apartments to look outside. In broad daylight, it often appears as if it is night in the apartments, because it is so dark indoors. Windows are small and not plentiful in these older buildings.

Typical Spanish style with little balconies and stencilling in the plasterwork

High Density living

Not too appealing...

There is also another side to the city with a collection of ultra modern buildings. Glass, metal and luminosity are the order of the day. I like the new age minimalist look. There are also some buildings of very odd shapes and designs. In a city which is so crowded and old, a touch of light and minimalism is very welcome. It is quite a contrast finding the ultra new buildings amongst the old ones. Barcelona is so heavily touristed because of its old appeal I guess. So many people enjoy seeing the old quarters of the city such as The Born and Gottico. Those areas really have high density living in some of the oldest buildings I have seen. Some are real eye sores. Some of the people living in those areas are very bohemian of hippy types. Different strokes for different folks!

Ultra Modern buildings on the Northern shore

Very modern and neat

Different shapes and designs

As for old city, new city. I think it is somewhere between the two.

The Regatta comes to Barcelona

The boats are in the dock

Last week the Audi Med Cup Regatta Circuit race was in Barcelona. The Audi Med Cup Circuit Regatta (yacht race) was held in five different cities around Europe. Its final leg was Barcelona. There was a spectators village with activities and displays centred around boat racing, such a knot tying activities, the virtual skipper (where you have to captain your own boat and bring it back to shore) and racing simulators (simulating racing).

Spectators village

The boats are made of fibre glass and use their sails to race, so the wind and lots of expertise are needed to gain speed. There were two types of boats participating in the regatta, the 40 series and the 52 series yachts. The 40 series are smaller boats with crews of 8 or 9 sailors. The 52 series are bigger boats with crews of 12 or 13 sailors. The weight of the crew members is very important as it has an effect on the boat's speed. When the boat is sailing in the wind the sailors are strategically positioned around the boat, to make it sail faster and smoother.

A 52 series yacht

Several countries were represented by the teams and the boats in the regatta, including : Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Russian, Sweden, Britain and America. The cross section of sailors is remarkable. Olympic medalists, America's Cup sailors and Round the World sailors are amongst the crews.

The end of the day...

There was a vibrant atmosphere in the Race village at the end of the day - when the boats return from their races out on the open waters. The boats arrive, to be met by crowds of eager spectators - who had watched the races on the big screen in the village. When the boats arrive it is a colourful and interesting moment to see their sails and flags blowing in the wind.  What excitement. I wanted to take to the water...

The finale of La Merce Festival

Sunday was the final day of the La Merce festival. Great things were planned for the grand finale. At midday there were human tower building activities in Plaza Sant Jaume and then some traditional Sardana dancing. This type of dancing is unique to this area. These were in the day time.

Human Towers

Sardana Dancing

At 8.30 pm there is the Carrafoc. It is a fire run. People (the runners - dressed as devils) run from one end of a busy street to the other end, holding sparklers (fireworks) above them. The crowds wait in the street until the fire runners come closer, then the crowds dash onto the pavement - to avoid being burnt. There is a series of other bangs and firework noises to accompany the sparks flying from the fire runners. There were hordes of people there to watch this traditional Catalan celebration. It was a major thing trying to get onto the metro afterwards, to get to the next location for the fireworks show to close the La Merce - as the number of people leaving for the same place at the same time was incredible. Like ants crawling everywhere!!

The devils that run with the sparklers

The crowds watch the fire runners

On arrival at Plaza Espanya the fireworks show had just begun. It was totally amazing. Colourful and bright. I saw some types of fireworks I had never seen before. Fireworks which generate a spray of light and then slowly start to descend downwards. Then all of a sudden they begin to ascend and once higher up they disintegrate! Awesome... The fireworks show was accompanied by music and the magical fountains spraying at full intensity. They even played an African song. I knew the song the minute they started playing it! Pata Pata by Miriam Makeba - when the fireworks were blasting up into the night sky.

Crowds at Plaza Espanya for the final fireworks show

Another amazing day with lots of activities to attend. From the afternoon volleyball right into the late evening. I enjoyed the company of my brother, Zaida, Guille, Tea and Ludis. We had a great Middle Eastern dinner again! Falafel.

Delicious Falafel

Free entry to the museums

MACBA Museum

Yesterday I managed to go to three museums. Luckily, the crowds were not overwhelming for the museums so getting through museums was smooth and easy. The first museum I went to was the MACBA - Museum of Contemporary art of Barcelona. The art is quite "off the wall" and not really impressive to me personally. There was one part of the museum which had man-made flowers bearing information and facts on each petal. The information and facts were all to do with political, social, economic and environmental issues of the world today. It was the highlight of the museum... Thought provoking and engaging of critical thinking.

The next museum I went to was the CCCF. I haven't a clue what it stands for. All these Barcelona museums have acronyms to denote them. This museum was more interesting than the MACBA though. The CCCF had an exhibition on the remains and wreckage of buildings and other items in New York from the September 911 attacks. Thereafter there was a photographic exhibition showing Barcelona though the years. Right from before the World Wars. Interesting to see where this city came from and how small it was.

La Pedrera

Casa Batllo

The next two Museums I went to were not free and were very expensive. It costs 18 Euros to get into Casa Batllo (Gaudi Architecture) and 14 Euros to get into La Pedrera (Gaudi Architecture) so I gave both of those a miss. You can see the architecture from outside the building anyway... The next museum was the Antoni Taipes Museum. It is a collection of all archives and other historic matter through the city's development. Mildly interesting but a little "off the wall again. I came to the conclusion that art is so extraordinary in this city. At the MACBA there was a pile of rubbish in the centre of one room. That is what constitutes art... All the things that are thrown away. In another room there was a naked man having a weirdo moment in front of the mirror. Art yet again! Then in another room pieces of paper were stacked up and tied with a string. Art again!

Succulents grow well

The moment I was looking forward to all day was the last visit of the day. I went to the botanical gardens up on the hill on Montjuic. The botanical garden has only plants and shrubs which are endemic to Mediterranean biomes. There are Mediterranean biomes on the western side of most continents. The botanical garden was divided up into sections - which each had plants from respective continents where these biomes are found. Namely : California (USA), Chile (South America), Western Cape (South Africa), Western Australia (Australia) and the European basin (countries which surround the Mediterranean Sea). The garden had many interesting vegetation species from each continent but it was interesting to see how the same families / types of plants occur in these different places - even though the species are slightly different from place to place.

South African section of the garden

Then I had to rush home to think of what to take with to a pica pica dinner at a Mexican friend's place. She told everybody to bring something from their country. Well, being another public holiday in Spain, the shops were closed. I could not buy anything to take with and I did not have the time to make anything either. Olives, Popcorn, Spongecake were the things I brought from "my country". Thank goodness I had a couple of things in the cupboard that I could take... It was a good night with the company of people from Mexico, Argentina, Finland, France and South Africa!! Daniela (the French lady) told me my French is so good. Little did she know that I did not understand most of what she said! Tacos and guacamole and other Mexican dishes were the order of the day. The heavens opened up and there was a huge storm so we watched the lightning as it struck in the sky. At about 1.30 in the morning we left to go to the music concert at Plaza Real. By the time we got there it had finished but people were still gathered in their masses.Talking and drinking - without music. We never made it to the light show or the fireworks on the beach at 10pm. Given the rain those things would not have been a hit!

Tacos and guacamole

The festival continues

The giants dance

Last night I went to see the musical parade of the Giants and the Big heads at La Rambla. The crowds certainly turned up for that. There were many very different types of Giants there - not just the kings and queens types. Last night was more amusing and fun. The Giants were all sorts of things ranging from pirates, Can Can girls to fishermen.  The Giants paraded down the streets, to music. There were also concerts in all the squares and plazas in the area. The place was just teeming with people. Musical bands accompany the giants and play drums and other musical instruments through the streets. The muslim women in front of me were trying their luck - to get sweets from the people who walked down the streets handing out sweets to the kids in the crowds.

Musical groups march between the giants

Today all the museums in the city are free to enter. So I am heading out to see some of the museums I have not yet been into (for free). Many museums are free on the first Sunday of the month so I have been into many of them but today all are free for the full day. So I am going to see the few museums I have not yet seen. I hope to go to La Pedrera and Casa Mila (Gaudi Museums), MACBA (Contemporary Art Museum), the Museum of Rock and the Botanical Garden. Yes, in the rain.

The Giants

Last night there were fire works at the beach, a light show in Plaza Sant Jaume and then the Giant Parade down La Rambla plus all the concerts everywhere. Today it is raining so I do not know how the day's festivities are going to pan out. Tonight there are supposed to be a firework display on the beach, the light show and the grand concert for La Merce. I guess the human tower building this afternoon will be cancelled - not possible in the rain...

Spectators watch the parade

Festival La Merce

This evening the Festival of La Merce kicked off with its official festivities. This festival is to honour the Saint Merce who is the saint of Barcelona. This evening at 7.45pm I went to Plaza Sant Jaume where there was a huge a gathering of people, a stage and a big screen. After the babble from the Mayor or whoever he was, the band fired up and the festivities began. Police moved into the square and cleared people out of the way - for the gigantes and cabezudos (the giants and big heads).

The giants dance in the square

Once the people had been cleared and a pathway was made, the giants (3 to 4 meter tall, hollow papier mache figures) and the big heads (smaller papier mache figures which are worn on the heads of the performers) came out to parade in the square. The gigantes are very impressive. They are huge and tower over the crowds. You can see them wherever they are in the square as they are so tall. The cabezudos are not as visible once they pass by, as they are shorter and cannot be seen over the crowds. The procession makes its way through the square to the sounds of music. The giants dance and do twirls etc. It was most impressive. They appear to actually dance with each other. The big heads also did some dances. There were also some animal figures - amongst them, a dragon who blows smoke out of its nostrils! It was all very well organised and executed so professionally.

Giants tower above everyone in the square

There were fireworks and the firing of old musket guns as well. The crowds in the square seemed to be mainly tourists. I think this festival attracts many people from other places. As I watched, I could hear so many other  English speakers around me - Americans, British, Australians. I heard no South Africans... Not unusual though. I don't think South Africans can afford to travel much any more. The way our currency is devaluing, we will not be able to go anywhere soon ...

Giants and big heads with their wearers/carriers.

Ps. These pictures are not from this evening. My camera is not the best at night. And these pictures do not show the crowds of spectators that were present tonight.

10 km Road Race

Yesterday was Barcelona's Cursa de La Merce (10 kilometre road race in honour of the Saint Mercedes - the saint who presides of over Barcelona). I have not run in any road races since April. It is a total shame... I am used to marathons and ultra marathons - such a Comrades Marathon - and I love the frenzy and the atmosphere at road races.

I arrived at the start at 9am. There were thousands of people. For a 10km race!! In South Africa a 10km race might attract a field of 500 people. 10 kms is not worth evening taking on for seasoned runners - which most South African runners are. We are very much running junkies so the more we run, the longer we run, the harder we run, the happier we are. Most of us in SA run with the Comrades Marathon in mind so hard training and long distance is necessary. Back to yesterday. There were over 14 000 people!!! For  a 10 kilometre race... The runners were all placed into seeding groups according to previous times. I did not have a previous time to submit so I was right at the back - with all the novices.

The start time was 9.30am. Each seeding batch is let off at a time. The batch is moved forward to the start line, then it is set off in individual groups. Then the next batch moves forward and the line is dropped and the batch is set off. This continues for about 10 minutes. So in effect, the last seeding batch only starts about 10 minutes after the first seeding batch. Interesting.

Somewhere at the back is me!!!

Moving each seeding group forward to set them off.

Once on the road - the race is through the city - there were so many people that I battled to get ahead. It is difficult trying to make headway through masses of runners. I eventually took to running on the pavements for most of the race - having to hop over and avoid dog poo every here and there. The pavements here have the most dog poo I have ever seen. People have no gardens for their dogs so they bring them down to use the pavements!!!!

I reached the half way point at 30 minutes. Quite a surprise as I was running fast... Then I remembered that I was about 10 minutes beyond the start time. So it was probably about 20 minutes. There was only one waterpoint on the race!! At home in SA there are watertables every 2 or 3 kilometres at our races. The waterpoint here had bottles of water. At home there are always cups of coke but sometimes also fanta and even cream soda at times! At home there are also water sachets and cups or sachets of energade or powerade at each watertable. It really hit me how spoilt we are in SA - in so many ways.

After the watertable I was a little worried as my time was not great. So I pushed hard in the second half. Running on the pavement wherever I could to avoid the crowds on the road. I eventually reached the end at a time of 53 minutes from the time the first seeding batch was set off. That meant a probable 43 minutes for me then. So all in, not a bad race. I did miss the familiar friendly faces I usually find along the road as I run these things and the odd chat here or there with people I know.

The runners begin to run!!

 After all is said and done, a very different atmosphere and vibe but I was glad to have been in a race!

Fiesta de Mexico!!

Viva Mexico ! Today the 15th of September is Independence Day in Mexico. Mexico once used to be owned by Spain and it achieved independence on 15 September way back when... So tonight in Barcelona was a host of celebratory activities arranged by the Mexican Embassy. I was lucky enough to be invited by some of my new Mexican friends - Zaida and Guille. The festivities here in Barcelona were vibrant so I can just imagine how much bigger the celebrations in Mexico were - with every town and city countrywide getting all fired up to celebrate!

I met the group of Mexicans at the Port - where a Mexican Naval ship - the ARM Cuauhtemoc - was docked. The evening began with singing and some honorable dignitaries making speeches on the boat. The boat's crew - all dressed in their naval whites complete with hats and skips - were on board and waving at the crowds of Mexicans who were singing on the dock below. A Mariachi band played typical Mexican music. The ship had lights strung up from the masts, so it was intimate and one could feel the Latino energy present there.

ARM Cuauhtemoc at the dock

After all the pomp and music, the crew disembarked and mingled with the spectators and offered to have their photos taken with anybody. I was impressed at how human and approachable the crew were. I honestly felt the Mexican emotions!!

She is lit up in the dark 

Then the crowds moved to Plaza La Merce - where the Mexican bands were on stage and entertained thousand of spectators. Mexican food and drinks were on sale. Some of the people in the group I was with had brought bottles of Tequila and other drinks. We all started getting stuck into the booze. Typical Mexican celebration with drinks flowing!! We sang and danced to all sorts of songs. After the band stopped we headed to a night club which was full of 20 something year olds. We had a free shot of Tequila before heading off to a restaurant for much needed food. My head was already dizzy!! We found a Middle Eastern place and had Schwarmas and Falafels whilst listening to an Australian busker outside in the street, singing the songs of Crowded House and Chris Isaak.

Sailors stand and watch the spectators below

After our stomachs were filled we made our way to back to the nightclub - but nobody went inside this time. We decided we were not 20 something any more... The free shot of Tequila was not reason enough to go in. So we headed to Plaza Real and found another bar to sit in and enjoy some Mexican music.

A fantastic time. Viva Mexico. I never expected to have so much fun. Gracias los Mexicanos, por toda!

Hop on the Bus Gus !

I stay in an area which is located just off the metro line so I always catch the bus to get a couple of blocks down the road from the last metro station. Since I use buses at least twice each day, I have been experienced a lot of bus rides...

A bus stop in a quiet street

The bus ride does not cost anything extra. It is built into the cost of your ticket - if you connect immediately with the metro - so there is no extra cost to ride the bus. The buses usually run on time and many bus stops have an electronic sign showing how long it will take for the next bus to arrive.

The bus arrives on time...

On every bus I have used, I was greeted or acknowledged as I boarded the bus. That is the most mind blowing thing for me. A bus driver greeting passengers as the passengers get on the bus ! There are many very friendly bus drivers here I guess. I have sometimes run up to a bus whose doors were already closed and the bus was about to leave. The driver has sometimes seen me (or other passengers), waited and reopened the door to passengers. That is amazing. I have taken to greeting and thanking bus drivers as they make the bus experience so pleasant. I guess being a bus driver in Barcelona is a respectable job. It is probably well paid too. I assume this because many of the drivers are well groomed, sport trendy sunglasses and are very personable.

Big buses on the main street

The more I use the bus network in this city, the more I like it.

An African moment

This afternoon I was doing some filming work in a park. My brother and I placed our bags on a bench slightly away from where we were filming. We were filming and getting along with our work when I noticed a guy who was walking around the benches near our bags. The guy did a second lap around the benches with our bags on. The African neurosis in me began to think "He is trying to get close to our bags - to take them or to see what is in them". I opened my mouth and told my brother (who was closer to the bench than I was) to keep an eye on the bags! I said it out loud, in English.

As he walked past us (and the bags) the guy sighed and shook his head! I do not know whether he understood what I had said in English or whether he was just expressing frustration or disagreement with something else. My brother laughed, thinking that if the guy had understood what I said, that he may have disliked what I had said. Europeans are not used to crime I guess. They do not have to worry about leaving their possessions somewhere and those same possessions being stolen. I felt a little guilty but in Africa we are trained to keep our ears and eyes open all the time as things happen if you are not "wakker". Only in Africa I guess. I am still very much an African. Is it so unkind to be weary of suspicious people hanging around near your possessions ??? I think not...

Action on the beach

This afternoon I sat on a beach and read my book whilst I waited to join my beach volleyball group. In front of me sat a white Spanish guy who does a bit of bootlegging. He sits under a cloth umbrella with a cooler box. He produces Mojitos for beach customers from this "work station". He clandestinely walks about and sells mojito cocktails to bathers on the beach. He just does it in such as subtle way that the police do not know he is a vendor. He charges 5 euros per mojito.

A Pakistani vendor came strolling down this same section of the beach, calling the usual "Cerveza, Beer, Agua, Water, Coke". The next thing, this Mojito man bolted up from under his umbrella and started to chase the Pakistani vendor, while kicking him and kicking sand up at him. It was an amusing moment for the people on the beach who watched this. Then from afar, the Paki vendor started yelling and arguing with this Spanish Mojito vendor.

The Mojito man came back to his umbrella and continued secretly pretending to be a sunbather whilst he prepared mojitos. The next thing, two Pakistani men arrived and grabbed the Spanish Mojito man. One, at the shoulders and the other, at the feet. They lifted him up and started to carry him away. The sunbathers on beach were so angered and many got up to rescue their Spanish countryman. A fight ensued. The Pakistanis were rolling with the punches of the Spanish men who came to intervene. The next thing, the police came running up and handcuffed the Pakistanis. They took the Pakistanis away and all the Spaniards seemed pleased with their defense of their countryman.

I paused to think about the situation. I sympathised with the Pakistanis ! They work that beach all day in the heat and have to pay bribes to the police to be there and they got into trouble because the illegal Spanish vendor did not like the one Paki vendor that walked through "his" space on the beach. Meanwhile, the Spaniard is doing the same thing illicitly anyway - without having to bribe the police for permission to sell Mojitos on the beach. I watched as the Spanish Mojito man gave his statement to the police and felt very sad for the poor Pakistanis who were handcuffed and taken away. They have to endure more than the Spanish vendor just to be able to sell their drinks on the beaches - with the implicit authority of the police (because of the bribes the police demand from them). The Spanish man got off Scot-free and had backing from the Spanish supporters.  Not fair play...

The Blue and Yellow store

Yesterday I had to make an emergency trip to the blue and yellow store - also known as Ikea. There is an Ikea situated about 20 minutes' walk from where I stay. Yesterday I took the bus there which was the wrong move!! The Friday afternoon traffic is the pits. It took more time to get there by bus than it would have taken to walk there...

Entrance to the Blue and Yellow store

As you approach the Ikea store you can't help but notice the blue and yellow of the building in front of you. An attractive welcoming glow! Many latino guys hang around the entrances soliciting their services to customers who have just bought big items that need transporting to homes - because not many everybody has cars here. Carrying big things on the metro is not fun...Or they offer to help assemble the items customers have just bought. All for a fee of course.

These guys are waiting to help customers!!

Once inside the shop there is a "Hotdogeria" and a standing eating area. They sell hotdogs at 50 cents each, ice creams at 50 cents each and a bottomless cup (coke, fanta, coffee, sprite, lingonberry - whichever you choose) at 50 cents each. The place is popular. I tend to go there just for dinner sometimes. My menu - 2 hotdogs, an ice cream, and a bottomless drink. Total = 2 euros. Not bad. Not healthy though....

Hotdogeria in the store

The bottomless drink station

Stand and eat your hotdog here...

You then proceed to the upper level where the shopping begins. Before shopping you have to grab a pencil and an order card to record the serial numbers of the items you want to buy. And that is where the fun starts. There are so many nice things - and some outrageously cheap prices too. I cannot buy much as I have no space to keep things nor will I know what I will do with them once I have them. But the temptation to buy is certainly there...

The rooms on display in the store

So what did I buy ? Two boxes of AA batteries. Each box has 10 batteries in it. Price : 2 Euros per box.  Priceless...