Category Archives: History

The Secessionists

Take my word for it, Secessionist Art is really cool. It was one of the Art Nouveau disciplines that was popular between 1890 and 1910 and slightly predates Art Deco and was huge in Budapest. This modernist artist group included the likes of Gustav Klimt and Karoly Lotz, They were renegades who separated from the support of official academic art and its administrations during this period.

The Kiss – Gustav Klimt

Woman Bathing – Karoly Lotz

Budapest, like both Berlin and Vienna, was a hot bed for this new and exciting art movement. Some of the country’s most famous architects designed buildings in this style. Some of them were inspired by traditional Hungarian decorative designs, Transylvanian traditions, or Far East (Indian or Syrian) styles.

One of our favorites is the Museum of Applied Arts, designed by Odon Lechner and Gyula Partos from 1893 – 1896. It is the third oldest applied arts museum in the world. It is currently showing a very exciting exhibit of Hungarian Posters from the 1920s called Bolder Than Painting.

More Art Nouveau Architecture

The Cold War

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25 years ago this poster would have landed you in prison.

For most Americans, unless of course you happened to work for the CIA or were unfortunate enough to have friends or relatives behind the Iron Curtain, the Cold War always remained a sort of conceptual notion, like the Boogie Man hiding in the closet that could burst forth at any moment and annihilate us all with hundreds of unseen thermonuclear devices, more of a threat then something real and tangible.

Not so for the Hungarians. After the Soviets drove the Nazis out at the end of WWII, the Communists held this place in a grip that was total and absolute and lasted over 40 years. In Hungary the Iron Curtain was not some scary ethereal miasma. Here it was very real, fashioned out of guns, spies, interrogation, propaganda and fear.

Iron Curtain Sculpture

Capitalism, with all it’s pluses and minuses, is now the system du jour and virtually all signs of Soviet domination have been eradicated with a few notable exceptions. Flea markets, where the sale of Soviet era paraphernalia, i.e. coats, hats, pins, etc., is an ongoing enterprise, and two museums, the House of Terror Museum and Momento Park, stand as constant reminders of life under the Communist boot.

The House of Terror, located at Andrássy útca 60, is a memorial to the victims of the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes who were detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in this building.

The House of Terror

Pictures of victims stretch the length of the building.

The Nazi’s took possession of this very fashionable location during WWII. When the Soviets and Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross Party took over, they expanded it to include almost the entire block and converted the basement into a labyrinth of cells and interrogation rooms.

Iron Curtain Sculpture

Memento Park is an open air museum about 20 minutes southeast of Budapest. It is filled with monumental statues from Hungary’s Communist period (1949–1989).

Main Entrance

Cubist monument of Marx and Engels.

Onward Comrades

Hungarian-Soviet Friendship Memorial

Together we will dominate the world.

Monument to the Martyrs of the Counter-Revolution

Break Free of Imperialist Tyranny.

The Republic of Councils Monument

The Republic of Councils Monument

The Hungarian Fighters in the Spanish International Brigades Memorial.

Red Army Soldier

Lenin Relief

Soviet Heroic Memorial

Soviet Heroic Memorial

Most notably absent are any statues of Stalin. Apparently all of them were destroyed after the Soviets fled in 1989. All that remains are Papa Joe’s boots.

Stalin’s Boots

And finally, just for scale.

Wendi is unintimidated.

Morella Castle

Tossa de Mar

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My good friend and spiritual advisor Big Dog Beller has been telling me for years to go to the Costa Brava and stay in Tossa de Mar. We finally made it and he was right, of all the coastal resort towns we have seen, it is the most charming. A little remote, not too crowded, nice shopping district, some quaint family run restaurants, two small beaches and a terrific walled old town. The place has kind of an old South Beach feel, but with history. We even stayed at the Hotel Florida.

The road winds northeast up the coast for about 30 km, hugging the shore and offering fabulous views of coves and inlets with the clearest water you have ever seen.

Tossa de Mar’s additional claim to fame is as the location of the 1951 hit movie “Pandora & the Flying Dutchman” starring Ava Gardner and James Mason. There are pictures all over town of Ava cavorting with the locals while Frank Sinatra, her husband at the time, maintains a somewhat jealous vigil on the activities. They have even erected a statue of her on the ramparts overlooking the town.

Montserrat Monastery

Madrid

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Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain with a population of roughly 3.3 million. This makes it the third largest city in the European Union. Its influences in politics, education, media, arts, entertainment, environment, fashion, science and culture all contribute to its status as one of the world’s major global cities.

We were lucky enough to find a great little hotel called Lapepa in the middle of the Museum District that couldn’t possibly have been better. It was clean, quiet and walking distance from just about everything we wanted. Paula and and whole staff were friendly and amazingly helpful.

View from our window -The Westin Palace

View from our window -The Villa Real

There’s no doubt about it, it’s a big city and can be a little intimidating until you get your bearings. We have come to love the “Hop On Hop Off” City Bus Tours. They are a smokin’ deal. For only 8 euros you can ride all day and get on and off anywhere it stops. It gives you a great feel for the layout and stops at all the major attractions. The upper deck is open air so on a nice day they can’t be beat. After just one rotation you feel like you have a pretty good idea where everything is and where you’d like to return.

Get on the bus Gus

Banca de Espana

Puerta del Sol

Congreso de los Diputados

Torres de Colon

Torres de Colon

Cervantes and Don Quixote

Queen Isabella

Santa María la Real de La Almudena

El Palacio Real de Madrid

El Palacio Real de Madrid

El Palacio Real de Madrid

The Metropolis Building

We saw so much great art in Madrid it was overwelming. The three big hitters are the Prado, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museo Reina Sofia. There’s a great discount pass online, The Paseo del Arte card, that includes all three and gives you a scheduled admission to the Prado, which means no waiting in line. There are also, at least, 50 smaller museums that are equally outstanding. You could spend a month here just looking at art.

Wendi was adament about going to the El Rastro street market, considered by many as the largest street market in Europe and it is huge. With an estimated 3500 market stalls it seems to stretch for miles down little streets and alleys. And it is packed tighter then a can of sardines. And hang onto your panties. I caught two different people trying to reach into my camera bag. I wasn’t particularly concerned as there wasn’t anything in it but an old map, still it’s a little disconcerting. That been said, we did have a great time. There is a lot of excitement and a million things to look at. I do have to offer one caveat though. Cheap t-shirts dominate. Like almost every street market we’ve been to, if China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Korea and Guatemala stop making cheap crap this place will be closed up tight in no time.

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

Making friends at El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

The frame street at El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

The Tabernas are pretty cool too. They’re a little like Spanish Sushi Bars in that the top of the bar is lined with all sorts of little dishes from olives to small open faced sandwiches that run from 1 to 5 euros each. The barman gives you a drink and you just point at what you want and they tally it up when you’re done. It’s affordable and great fun, very social with people coming and going and everyone talking at once.

The girls at Taberna Txakolina on Calle Cava Baja

The Saturday we were in Madrid was the annual Gay Pride Parade and it dominated the entire museum district of the city. There were thousands of partiers in the streets from all over Europe. By 10am police were rerouting traffic, closing down major intersections and roundabouts for a 6pm parade. All the major fountains were turned off to keep overheated partiers out of them. The parade consisted of hundreds of LGBT groups and organizations from every city in Spain. Cross-dressers were turned into minor celebrities and graciously had their pictures taken with anyone who asked. The crowd had a ball.

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Wendi with Cher at the Gay pride parade in Madrid

The Troops Are Mobilizing Around Vilafames

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Vilafames

Vilafames is a picturesque town in the interior of the province of Castellón.

Vilafames

Vilafames – Beautiful Restored Homes

Vilafames With The Castle In The Distance

Vilafames – Beautiful Restored Homes

Vilafames

The town, which has been declared of Spanish Cultural Interest, is topped by the ruins of an old Moorish castle that was conquered in 1233 by James 1.

Castle

This small town has three large churches. The most impressive being the Iglesia Parroquial.

Iglesia Parroquial

The town’s real claim to fame is the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Vilafamés, a terrific little museum in a splendid XV century Gothic palace. Opened in 1972 by the renowned art critic D. Vicente Aguilera Cerni, it was the first museum dedicated to contemporary art in Spain. It is home to more than 500 artworks, spanning the various artistic currents from the Valencian artistic renewal of the twenties to the present. The artists exhibiting in the museum have been referred to as Spain’s artistic vanguard for the last 80 years, both nationally and internationally.

Museu d’Art Contemporani de Vilafamés

While I was editing these pictures it occurred to me that we are a little like the soldiers marching behind El Cid. Slowing moving over hardscrabble earth from one dusty narrow laned village to the next under the ever-present punishing glare of the Spanish sun. I also noticed that besides similarities there are some striking differences as well.

Like the 11^th century warriors of lore we have absolutely no idea where we are headed, but then they had El Capitan to point the way. We have Edith and you all know how well that’s working.

While the troops didn’t eat particularly well they did have a pretty good idea what it was. We too are foraging for food as we go, but haven’t found it necessary to slaughter any animals, just yet. On the other hand, we have had meals placed in front of us that have left us scratching our heads in bewilderment. I requested what I thought was a pork chop the other day and got a nicely garnished 2 pound lump of grilled fat. Can’t wait to have that again.

Unlike the defenseless peasants, we haven’t witnessed any decapitations or had to face any psychotic adversaries wielding swords. In the 21^st century the weapon of choice is the automobile. I have very nearly been run over twice now and been screamed and beeped at by half the population.

It isn’t just drivers though. Ticket sellers in train stations seem to find us extremely dim witted and annoying. By the time the train leaves the station we are so confused and anxiety ridden that we are certain we are on the wrong train, headed in the wrong direction and when the conductor checks our tickets he too will begin to yell at us and extricate us from the locomotive leaving us stranded at the next Podunk stop until we can find another ticket seller and begin the process anew.

But I exaggerate, this really hasn’t happened that many times.

Like soldiers trudging over the sun-baked plains of Aragon we have had to stop frequently to replenish our electrolytes. While the Knights of Vivar probably drank stale water from old goatskins we tend to consume copious quantities of cappuccino, cervasa and vino blanco. And, of course, there is the ever-present liter bottle of mineral water.

Water Stop

Very Limited Town Square Parking

Which brings me to my final observation. Prayer.

Saint Jude – The Patron Saint Of Lost Causes

People in the 11^th century prayed a lot. Besides issues involving the afterlife, they prayed for crops. They prayed that the marauding soldiers wouldn’t steal their crops and kill them all. They prayed for it to rain and they prayed for it to stop raining. They pretty much prayed for everything.

We pray too. We pray for bathrooms. Clean bathrooms. Oh yes, and parking, we pray for parking so we can get out of the car and go to the bathroom.

El Rullo – A nice little restaurant with a very clean bathroom.

Our prayers have been answered.

Peniscola

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We spent a toasty afternoon in Peniscola, a terrific little seaside city with a great beach and promenade. It was a hot day and the beach was covered with sunbathers and multicolored umbrellas for miles.

Peniscola Playa

Stock Image

The beach sits at the bottom of the old town which clings to a rocky promontory that is crowned with the city’s big attraction, the Castell del Papa Luna. The castle was built in the late 13th century by the infamous Knights of Templar, but really made it’s mark as the residence/hideout for Pope Benedict XIII, i.e. Papa Luna.

The Church of the Castle

Luna was named Pope during the Great Schism that split the Papacy in the 14th century, but was deposed in 1414. He lived here until he died in 1423 and complained about losing the job until the bitter end.

Papa Luna greets all visitors

Because of the Castle’s position, being surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, some have called Luna “Pope of the Sea”.

From the ramparts towards the beach

Lighthouse from the main entrance

Chapel Door

To the top lookout

From the ramparts out to sea

From the ramparts south to the harbor

Across the Old Town

Peniscola’s fame was reinvigorated in 1961 when Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren arrived to film the epic spectacular EL Cid.

El Cid 1961

A little footnote for you film buffs. Sophia sued because her name is below Charlie’s. The suit read, “It is impossible to determine or even to estimate the extent of the damages which the plaintiff will suffer.” Maybe a whisper touchy?

My trusty companion braves the afternoon heat

Size Matters In Bilbao

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The Guggenheim Bilbao

We are in Bilbao, a medium sized industrial shipping port in Northern Spain. It’s an interesting little city whose core retains some real character. The real attraction though is the Guggenheim Museum. How exactly the Frank Gehry designed building ended up in Bilbao still eludes me but that’s neither here nor there. Its beauty and grace are without question. Since it’s completion this building has become an instant icon and the city’s star cultural attraction.

Guggenheim Entrance

There are two major exhibits in place now, retrospectives of both George Braque and Yoko Ono.

Braque, the early 20^th century abstract painter, is credited, along with friend Pablo Picasso, with being one of the founders of the cubist movement. The paintings are interesting and thought provoking, but the retrospective is a little like an art history lesson. Are there really enough art historians out there to draw huge crowds to Northern Spain?

The Yoko Ono retrospective shows work from 1963 to 2010. The problem I have with Yoko’s work is her. Like so many people my age, that are a little “stuck in the sixties”, she will always be the person that committed two unforgivably heinous crimes. She popularized the primal scream and broke up the Beatles. Now even if you can get past all that and learn to somehow appreciate what she does as an artist, does she really have the capacity to attract people from around the globe to this somewhat remote Basque city? I don’t think so.

What makes this place work is the sheer scale of it all.

Guggenheim Interior

Puppy by Jeff Koons

Richard Serra

Giant Tulips

Titanium Facade

Guggenheim Interior

Size really does matter at the Guggenheim in Bilbao..

Alicante

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Alicante is our favorite coastal city, so far! This historic Mediterranean port has a population of about 400,000. Since the 3rd century BC it has been invaded and conquered by cocky Carthaginians, rapacious Romans, vicious Visigoths, moody Moors, clobbering Castilians, volatile Valencians, rascally Republicans, nasty Nationalists and finally an Armada of Cruise Liners.

Invading Foreigners

The bustling core of the old city sits right on the waterfront and is full of wide palm tree shaded walking arcades, great historic buildings and a labyrinth of narrow streets and open air markets.

Marina

Explanade De España

Meat Lovers

Pension

Setting Up The Street Fair

That’s A Lot of Cheese

Alicante has two, not to be missed, art museums. Both El Museo de Bellas Artes Gravina (MUBAG) and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante (MCAA) are terrific museums that are the perfect size, big enough to be really interesting and small enough to be experienced in a couple hours. And they’re free. They both house great Spanish collections and, like all great museums, the buildings themselves are terrific works of art.

El Museo de Bellas Artes Gravina

Necesita Usted Modelo by Fernando Canto

Museum of Comtempory Art Alicante

Assume The Position

Bye for now. We’re going to go drink a little.

BruceWPeterson Photography

Explore The World

Category Archives: History

The Secessionists

The Cold War

Morella Castle

Tossa de Mar

Montserrat Monastery

Madrid

The Troops Are Mobilizing Around Vilafames

Peniscola

Size Matters In Bilbao

Alicante