PEOPLE AND POLITICS
There is a tendency in traveling to take pictures of exotic-looking people. Since most of the folks we saw look very, well, European, we didn’t do much of that. But we do have some shots of the locals:
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Women drying and selling fish. Nazare, Portugal. This was the only place where we saw
people in “traditional clothing”. |
Nazare |
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“Rooms for rent” Nazare |
The townfolk in Ture, a village in Andalucia, put on
a passion play at Easter.
It certainly wasn’t Oberamergau, but getting good seats
wasn’t too hard. |
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In
Madrid, chess in the park is not just for old men |
Madrid. We never figured out the game these men were playing |
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Barcelona.
At a Catalan Pride music fest.
That’s the flag of Catalunya they’re wearing. |
Bullfight crowd in Seville. Actually, the building was more
interesting than the people (or the “fight”). |
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Barcelona.
Every Sunday afternoon the band plays in front of the city hall as
people dance the Sardana. |
Barcelona.
The Sardana, a stately circle dance known by Catalonians of all ages. |
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In Seville, they dance the ritualized but flashier
Sevillana. |
It seems every girl in Seville knows the
Sevillana. Never saw a teenage
boy doing it. |
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Once a year, Seville gathers in a fairgrounds of
over 1000 booths. They drink,
they visit and the dance the Sevillana |
But more than anything else, they gather to see and
be seen in their flamenco outfits. |
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Every woman in Seville owns at least one fancy
outfit for the Feria |
We weren’t the only folks in downtown Seville
walking over the bridges toward the Feria and marveling at the flamenco
outfits. |
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One tradition during the Feria de Abril in Seville is
to get yourself and your horses all dressed up and then to ride around the
city and the Feria |
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An ex-American, trying to earn $$ by selling
homemade chocolate chip cookies in Granada |
Many folks earned $$ as street mime performers. |
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Political issues always caught our attention. While we were in Spain, American rhetoric over Iraq moved to full war. The Spanish government (though few of its citizens) backed the war. This led to visible opposition. But there are always other local issues as well: |
A wall in Jerez |
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“No A La Guerra” (No To The War) signs
on the town hall, Ronda |
Make honey, not war |
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Mayday rally in Madrid |
Mayday in Madrid. (Mayday, by the way, is our anniversary. Seeking out Mayday rallies is our
traditional celebration) |
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A hunger strike protesting the sending of ceramics
work to cheaper Morocco.
Seville |
Seville.
Naturally, the strikers wanted us to sign petitions |
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Cordoba.
Demonstration outside the historical Mosque/Cathedral in protest
against the new Burger King’s location across the street. |
Cordoba |
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Basque rights demo. See Travelogue #10 for details. |
Elie and Avi entered France as a series of marches
and strikes began against a government pension erosion proposal. |
