Tasting the sea

He told me that his abuela always told him, you shouldn't play with your food but I couldn't help myself. I was mesmerized by the freakish shapes and textures - I envisioned alien crowns with black canvas tube gowns dancing on rocks somewhere deep in the sea.

He watched me with what I think was amusement as I arranged the crowns in patterns on my plate and took photos.

A popular delicacy in Spain and Portugal, Percebes (Goose Barnacles) are filter-feeding crustaceans that live attached to hard surfaces and depend on water motion for feeding - the harder the crashing waves, the better the quality. These strange looking creatures have a beak-shaped shell, a stalk-like body covered in what feels like canvas, and a peachy bulbous base. Served cold, once you peel away its skin, its tender flesh tastes like the sea. The mild, delicate flavour reminded me in passing of mussels though, mussels have a much stronger taste.

According to legend, Goose Barnacles got their name because medieval naturalists believed Barnacle Geese hatched from them. A 12th century monk, Giraldus Cambrensis, even claimed to have witness the transformation [source: wiki]. Now that must have been quite a miraculous sight! Perhaps he dined on magical mushrooms earlier that day.

All photographs by Shehani Kay

Capsule Reviews of 10 Captivating Places to Check Out in Madrid

I recently did some reviews for a city guide for very little pay (*sniff *sniff) so I thought it a good idea to also share the fruits of my labour with you, my dear readers. This list isn't my top 10 but these venues are some of my favorites in the city. As you can see by the addresses, I don't get out of the barrio nearly as much as I should...

#1

La Inquilina, Calle Ave Maria 39. - This hip bar has a featured wine of the month for 2 euros a glass and great bohemian decor with antique suitcases piled above the door, and a wall covered with retro posters in the back. This is my local and I bring all my visiting friends here.

#2

Bar FM, Calle Olmo 35. - An unusual old man bar that boasts some surprising and eclectic ornamentation, such as, a painted folk-art rendition of a beefcake Adonis, calabashes dangling from the rafters, a large b&w poster of a 1950s biker, African wire figurines and, featured with a spotlight is a framed poster of 1980s pop sex goddess, Samantha Fox, coyly beckoning us to touch her. The charming owner, Paco serves delicious jamon and cheese plates as tapas and his adorable dog, Luna is always nearby with her pleading eyes, begging for a little treat.

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#3

Cafe Barbieri, Calle Ave Maria 45 - Despite its notoriety for poor service and overpriced beverages, Cafe Barbieri's ambiance, flourishes of art nouveau, moldings, high ceilings and antique mirrored walls, makes this spot an inspiring place to write or read or hangout with friends. There's a haunted ghostly feel about the cafe at night. The stopped clock and abandoned piano remind me of Miss Havisham from Dicken's Great Expectations.

#4

El Juglar, Calle Lavapiés 37 - This is a sweet spot to shake it. It's super boho, chill and 'of the barrio' so it reflects the varied ethnic fusion of Lavapies locals. Djs spin a slick mix of retro funk and soul but Sunday nights belong to Flamenco.

#5

Retiro Park - This is the lungs of Madrid and one of Europe's loveliest city center parks. Here you can stroll, admire sculptures (there's even one of Satan), drink beer, picnic, paddle in a small lake, listen to drumming, lie on the grass, watch lovers make out, watch perverts watching the lovers make out and smell the rose garden but keep a fierce eye on your stuff because this park is a hotspot for pickpockets!

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#6

The rooftop of Círculo de Bellas Artes, Calle de Alcalá 42 - Without a doubt, this rooftop offers the most stunning, and breathtaking views of downtown Madrid, especially at sunset.

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#7

La Venencia, Calle de Echegaray 7 - A savoury taste of a bygone era. Amidst the dusty bottles, dark wooden barrels and yellowed tobacco stained antique posters and crumbly walls, you'll be able to savor the authentic flavor of 5 types of Jerez (sherry). As if time has stood still, your order will be marked on the ancient wooden counter with chalk just like the old days. This unique place is a must visit while in Madrid.

#8

Candela, Calle Olmo 2. - Famous for its spontaneous eruptions of pure flamenco, this spot is hot after 2 - 3 am. That's when you'll see hipsters queuing down the street as it's an awesome after-hours watering hole to dance in.

#9

Cine Doré, Calle de Santa Isabel 3 - One of Madrid's original cinemas, this Art Deco building was made in 1923, and shows films in original version - no dubbed films here! This art house cinema is under the control of Filmoteca Española (national film library), and screens films ranging from silent era to recent festival winners.

#10

Bar El Tres, Calle del Doctor Drumen 3 - Lots of places around Atocha station boast bocadillo de calamares (calamari sub), some even say theirs are the best in Madrid. Don't believe their hype. Bar El Tres, La Casa de los Bocadillos is the real deal! Their bocadillo de calamares brava (hot sauce) is the best I've had in Madrid. Sweet jesus it's tasty stuff!

Photo credit: All photography by Shehani Kay, except for Venencia, which was taken by my brother on the sly with an iphone because they don't allow photos and I got scolded when I pulled out my camera.

Fearless Failing

Mash up (digital manipulation, text, and photography) by Shehani Kay, based on an original mural by Pajaro found on a wall on Calle Caramuel near metro Puerta de Angel, Madrid

It appears I have failed. I conjured no ghosts, invoked no spirits of any measure. I failed to achieve what I hoped I already had. He told me this, my critic, in a public forum* and so mortified, I dug into my repertoire of quotes and pulled out 3 nuggets from the late, Randy Pausch's last lecture: "your critics are the ones who still love you and care," " Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted," and "don't bail; the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap." I brewed a tea from these words and drank it slowly, letting the steam unfurl and dissipate into the air. Then I had a soothing second cup with a quote from Ken Robinson's lecture on creativity:

"...kids will take a chance. If they don't know, they'll have a go. Am I right? They're not frightened of being wrong. Now, I don't mean to say that being wrong is the same thing as being creative. What we do know is, if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original... And by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. And we run our companies like this, by the way. We stigmatize mistakes. And we're now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is that we are educating people out of their creative capacities."

Drinking in the words of others who have gone before me is a fortifying tonic, a tincture against the virus of defeat. This morning, I feel renewed. So, fearlessly fail, I say. Never lose that childlike wonder. Never give up. Creating is playing, playing with ideas, tools, mud and whatever happens to be handy. Sometimes, you hit upon something singular and it resonates, more often you don't. The important thing is to fearlessly CREATE regardless of the results and hope that there will indeed be gold at the bottom of these many barrels of crap. And to remember well that our greatest opus lies in how we choose to shape our lives.

peace

* I, of course, deleted his stronger comments because while 'nays' may be helpful for improving your art, bad reviews need not be pinned to your computer monitor as a mocking daily reminder of your failures.

Invoking the ghosts

Photography by Shehani Kay. Taken in Cafe Barbieri on Calle Ave Maria 45.

Despite its notoriety for poor service and overpriced beverages, Cafe Barbieri's ambience, flourishes of art nouveau, moldings, high ceilings and antique mirrored walls, makes this spot an inspiring place to write or read or hangout with friends.

There's a haunted ghostly feel about the cafe at night. The stopped clock and abandoned piano remind me of Miss Havisham from Dicken's Great Expectations.

I tried to invoke the ghosts in this photo, to capture its spirit and freeze the moment into timeless nostalgia. My hope is that I succeeded in some small measure.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Dance For Me - The Dancing's on the Wall.

Original photography, compilation, digital manipulation and narrative by Shehani Kay. Mashup inspired by original street art by ADW in Vera Playa, Almería, Spain. You can see the original wall here. And for those of you paying attention, I did similar narrative mashups here and here.

Sights that caught my eye along the playas

From Mojacar Pueblo we walked down the hill to Mojacar playa, which has a pretty promenade on the beach near the Indalo Hotel. There are loads of bars and restaurants in this area but nothing particularly memorable except for...

The cats of Mojacar Playa! There sure were a lot of them.

From Mojacar Playa we took a short bus ride to Vera Playa

Here are 2 views of the white apartments that face the beach.

There isn't a lot of quality street art in this area so it was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon this excellent piece.

I was smitten with this street-cleaner because, for some reason, it reminded me of Wall-E.

From Vera Playa we walked to Garrucha, a biggish small town with a lovely promenade and according to the lady in the cafe who served us, not much else. The town is safe and bikes aren't locked up. I couldn't decide which bike photo I like more so I posted both.

Fishing is popular on this rocky pier.

All photos by Shehani Kay

We sat here watching the sea and soaking up the rays for a while. This was the only full day of sun we had all week. So much for Almeria being the driest region in Spain... No place was immune to the bad weather that beat down on Europe. This was the wettest December in Andalucía for 50 years!

As I write this, it's snowing in Madrid. How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

photoessay: a day strolling around enchanting Mojacar Pueblo

Mojacar pueblo is a white village perched on a mountainside, overlooking the Mediterranean in Almeria province, Spain.

My brother and I stayed in this enchanting village for a week over Christmas. Our apartment was on the top floor of a high-rise at the top of the village so we had spectacular views.

After long delays due to the snowstorm, we arrived in the dark. In the morning, we woke up to these views:



We strolled along the narrow streets still lush with flowers and greenery.










We stopped to sit in a plaza after a heavy rain.


I caught a reflection of the giant tree and me in a shop window.


We sauntered down narrow staircases.


We admired the architecture.






We wandered down a verdant jungly path that smelt of coconuts.




We feasted our eyes on many pretty vistas near sunset.




We watched the sunset.


We roamed the quiet streets at night.

All photos by me

Sleepy Mojacar is full of snowbirds from Britain and Ireland so there isn't much action in the pueblo in the winter although it's plenty quaint and magical. I imagine this village comes alive in the summer.

Next post we head down the hill to the playas so stay tuned.