You can't pray for courage without embracing the situations that come along with it
Situations that require you to use courage, and most importantly learn it. The thing with courage is it is not a I-bestow-upon-thee-courage and tada! you are courageous in everything you do. How we wish it was that simple. Two years ago, I started a simple concept of having a word as my resolution every year. It started with the word empathy, and boy did I have to learn about empathy that entire year, and the years that come after. It becomes something you no longer ignore because you are now aware. And this year it was courage, oh my dear God Lord have my prayers been answered. Courage is bestowed upon us a choice in a situation. Will you be courageous in facing a situation that could use courage? If you chose it, you may learn something, if not, you just miss a lesson. But learning courage is a chicken-and-egg argument, does courage comes first before making a courageous decision or does a courageous decision lead to courage? Ultimately, courage asks you to seek your heart, it did originate from the Latin word "cor" which means heart.
Your values and beliefs will be challenged, constantly.
They say the hardest thing to do in the world is to be yourself when everyone wants you to be someone else. That is not far from true. You will be constantly tried for valuing what you value, and believing what you believe. It comes in the forms of social comparison, doubts, feeling like an idiot et cetera. It comes with possible need for overhaul. And you will realise that at the end of it, what matters much is not which values and beliefs you take, but that you actually take a stand and stand by it
You will realise you don't know much, or anything at all.
I like to be right. It has been my utmost defense for the years I've grown up. To admit I don't know is like bringing out my ego and chopping it for stew. To just shrug and say I've no idea really makes me feel the cheese-grating-nail-scratching-blackboard cringe. Yet, realising this makes one so humble, and if anything, makes me want to learn even more.
You will also realise you have something to give, if anything at all.
Humility has a flip side when one feels that you have no confidence at all that you know anything at all. Actually, I'm not even sure if that is considered humility. But anyway, you would realise that humility and confidence are no opponents. That you can put at the table something you might have to offer, regardless of whether the offer is taken. It's the part where you are considering that you may have something to offer, and testing to see whether the offer meets the demand which helps you learn what exactly you can, have and will contribute
People will make you feel like the worse lump in the world, and they will also make you feel like a diamond
We will all meet more people as we grow up, even by simple probability. Just try changing your daily routine a bit. Can't say the same if you lock yourself in the basement everyday though there's always social media. But anyway, people will test your faith in humanity. Some people will make you feel like you are the biggest loser whether because they explicitly tell you that, or implicitly show it through their behaviours or you are just perceiving it in your brain. The point is, being around people will create mirrors, and what you see in the mirror may be something you like, or not. You will want to compare, you will want to win, and you will learn that in more cases than not, there is really no win or lose. Everyone gets to keep some medal. The good side of this though, is that you come to learn who is key, or who you want as key in your life, and whose key will you be.
You will become very closely acquainted with this amazing thing in life called Choices.
It's no longer choosing between nap time or movie time. It's choosing between paths, paths that you have no goddamn idea where they will lead to. and you will still have to make a choice and live with it. Which brings me to my next point. You will make bad choices. and you will realise you can actually survive it, and may even come to embrace it. But at the end of the day, you won't be running long from this thing called Choice.
You will love, hurt, learn - repeat cycle
Friends, other halves, family, work, passion; anything you have actually decided put your heart into. You will stretch the capacity of your heart, you will feel the pain of the stretch like yoga after 10 years of break. It is not pleasant, but so necessary.
You will accept that "It didn't start out this way, why should it end this way?"
Change. In matter of 30 seconds, so quick that when you realised, it has already happened. In a matter of 30 weeks, so gradual that again when you realised, it has already happen. But you didn't start out this way, so why be so sure it will end this way? There are two sides of looking at this; that if you started out horrible, things may get better, but also if you started out great, things may become horrible. And it's not linear, it's cyclical. You can choose to fight it, with that you learn which battles are worth it. At the same time, you can choose to embrace it, and flow with it - the latter being a crazy challenge.
You will learn 50 shades of grey
And not in the sexual way. Not unless you prefer to, promise not to judge ;) But you will realise that not all bad is necessary bad, and not all good is necessary good and every new thing you learn might bust your mind, or grant you awe. You will learn to walk by the peripheries and balance the in-betweens and feel your core. Nuts, but it makes good stories, haha.
P.S:
I noticed I use the word 'will' a lot, and it's not intended to set up any expectations and make anyone go "oh shit oh shit oh shit, this is going to happen to me". But I kinda like the intense tone that comes with will, because I really believe that is what most of us will face, just in our own unique way. So don't fret yet, I promise life is still very worth it, cross my heart.
23 years of life, and more to come, =)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Shortum #3: Soft-shelled Crab
She walks by the beach,
Two steps forward one step back,
Three steps to the front,
Softness beneath the feet, softness of a soft-shell crab.
Knees to the ground,
Feeling the gritty wet sand
while the sea feels the hem of her long skirt,
Translucent, raw, real,
Of bits of shell left behind,
Of color spots of a new growing shell,
Exposing all the rawness of an in between
that is not here but getting there.
Touch and it was cold,
But inside glimmers of true hope,
A beating heart encased within what vulnerable skin,
One large whoosh and it rides the waves,
A place that feels like belonging.
She walked by the beach,
Two steps forward one step backwards.
Each step after, feels like hope.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Fellow Lions
"I don't care about what you think, mister!"
I read the above article 3 times. Simply because the first time I read it, I cringed. I've never been a big fan of articles that advocate this form of individualism. While I am a huge advocate of autonomy and independence, often people end up using their privilege of individualism to be, forgive my language, an ass. Why I've read this article 3 times was because I was trying to avoid my confirmation bias and prejudice towards such articles . And after reading it the third time, I think I have a more balance and mild impression towards the article.
First off, I must agree that approval-seeking is draining, waste time, someone will always hate you and you can't control what they think. If there's anything 23 years of life has taught me is that external voices will eat you up from the inside if you give them total control. So in that sense, approval-seeking is as the article say, unneccessary.
Then, there are those who equate approval-seeking with taking into consideration what people are saying, because in some way, if we ask someone else for their opinion, it means we are giving them a chance to have a say in what we do - similar to approval seeking. But it's not. and I assure you it is not.
"A truly strong person does not need the approval of others more than a lion needs approval of sheep" -Vernon Howard-
But what about fellow lions? I'm not sure why the author compared lions to sheep, because one eats the other, and even if they don't the whole sentence reeks of superiority. And that's why it's easy to become an ass. Because you think you are better than others thus you stand alone, and no one will ever understand you. Insert scene of man in cowboy hat sitting on a rock with gusts of wind blowing. all. alone.
More than that, there is a distinct mention of not to care what others think. Unless you are like Steve Jobs who managed to get away with being an ass and still be idolized, people will matter, one point or another. It's not a coincidence that the regrets of most people on their death bed revolve around relationships. I've wrote about something similar to this in a different blog, specifically in terms of leadership.
Yes, at one point or another, you will need to stand up for what you believe in. And yes, you might be standing all alone with eyes glaring at you for being a menace, eyes pleading you to sit down instead of bringing all this "shame" - eyes that judge. At that precise moment, just one pair of eyes that gleams at your courage to stand up could make it all worth it. Eyes that understand. Will it be a pair of eyes of a sheep? a fellow lion? or anyone like or unlike you? I don't know. What I know is, at that point, people will matter. You can go on your rocky road, and you should because you started it. But when it comes to some pothole quicksand, having a hand really makes it easier to get out.
So don't seek approval. Seek the words of those who have the interest of your heart. Got energy? Expend it to seek approval from yourself FIRST of all, but not only you, some might have interesting stuff to say as well ;)
I read the above article 3 times. Simply because the first time I read it, I cringed. I've never been a big fan of articles that advocate this form of individualism. While I am a huge advocate of autonomy and independence, often people end up using their privilege of individualism to be, forgive my language, an ass. Why I've read this article 3 times was because I was trying to avoid my confirmation bias and prejudice towards such articles . And after reading it the third time, I think I have a more balance and mild impression towards the article.
First off, I must agree that approval-seeking is draining, waste time, someone will always hate you and you can't control what they think. If there's anything 23 years of life has taught me is that external voices will eat you up from the inside if you give them total control. So in that sense, approval-seeking is as the article say, unneccessary.
Then, there are those who equate approval-seeking with taking into consideration what people are saying, because in some way, if we ask someone else for their opinion, it means we are giving them a chance to have a say in what we do - similar to approval seeking. But it's not. and I assure you it is not.
"A truly strong person does not need the approval of others more than a lion needs approval of sheep" -Vernon Howard-
But what about fellow lions? I'm not sure why the author compared lions to sheep, because one eats the other, and even if they don't the whole sentence reeks of superiority. And that's why it's easy to become an ass. Because you think you are better than others thus you stand alone, and no one will ever understand you. Insert scene of man in cowboy hat sitting on a rock with gusts of wind blowing. all. alone.
More than that, there is a distinct mention of not to care what others think. Unless you are like Steve Jobs who managed to get away with being an ass and still be idolized, people will matter, one point or another. It's not a coincidence that the regrets of most people on their death bed revolve around relationships. I've wrote about something similar to this in a different blog, specifically in terms of leadership.
Yes, at one point or another, you will need to stand up for what you believe in. And yes, you might be standing all alone with eyes glaring at you for being a menace, eyes pleading you to sit down instead of bringing all this "shame" - eyes that judge. At that precise moment, just one pair of eyes that gleams at your courage to stand up could make it all worth it. Eyes that understand. Will it be a pair of eyes of a sheep? a fellow lion? or anyone like or unlike you? I don't know. What I know is, at that point, people will matter. You can go on your rocky road, and you should because you started it. But when it comes to some pothole quicksand, having a hand really makes it easier to get out.
So don't seek approval. Seek the words of those who have the interest of your heart. Got energy? Expend it to seek approval from yourself FIRST of all, but not only you, some might have interesting stuff to say as well ;)
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Hence, Mojito
What makes you want to self-disclose to someone? Whether it is someone you just met, or someone you've known for eons? A healthy level of self-disclosure is usually necessary for growth of the individual and their relationships, at least as pointed by evidence in psychological research. Hence, you can understand why psychologists are so keen to find out what factors encourage a good level of self-disclosure, you know so we are all having good relationships and can be happy. Haha.
To be fair, self disclosure can be the most easy thing in the world, yet can also be the most challenging to others. I fall in the latter category. I share like mini-bite-size pieces over time, it tests the patience of a lot of those around me. Part of me use to do it as a testing strategy, to see if the effort is worth investing into a relationship. I will admit that that is a rather cynical way of seeing life, and that my concept of trust is that it has to be earned, not something given out freely, at least not all of it. Then I realised that self-disclosure is necessary on my part if I were to keep some vital relationships in my life, and thus I scooted over to the other end where I consciously reminded myself that I need to share more. That sharing more = better relationships. And yet, I still felt uncomfortable. I did consider for a while that it is the discomfort that comes with change, you know, trying new things, thus feeling a bit out of place. But it soon dawned upon me that the discomfort is simply because this is not how I really want to share parts of my life. This is not how I feel authentic. But like a friend said, in learning something new, we usually oscillate between two extremes before finding a point in the middle we can be comfortable with.
So anyway, the whole point of telling the above story is that over the years, people have come up with various methods of trying to get me to self-disclose more. Note, there was no aggression or forcing here, just wonky ideas my friends come up with. And quite a few of them suggest alcohol, because well, alcohol tends to reduce inhibition in our pre-frontal cortex which leads us to do stuff we usually wouldn't do, say hugging random cars HAHA (I did not do that). I have to admit it does work, drinking alcohol does lead one to reduce inhibition and do silly stuff and say silly stuff. The very act of being silly together leads to a certain level of closeness because you strip off some socially obligatory masks, you are real, or seem real.
But that's my point. Under the influence of an external substance often accompanied by bright lights, loud music, how real can real be? Is it really that our true self are only let loose with external help? Why is it that in sunshine, in light good enough to make out the details of the other person's face, do we choose to hide? The alcohol is not empowering, it's just enabling. And relying on alcohol to help take your mask off every time just won't cut it, not for me at least.
Get drunk on life instead. Lest you think I'm being disgustingly Pollyanna-ish, both drinking and having good conversations (especially those with tons of laughters) release the feel-good hormones known as endorphins (it's not a simple causal effect, but essentially endorphins exert a large influence to make us feel good). How many times have you caught yourself saying you feel high even though you are obviously not under the influence of any external substance that could have induced a large change in your biological system? Remember the great conversation over coffee? Or the late nights at mamak? So maybe teh tarik had a bit too much sugar, but ultimately, it's being with people you feel mutually comfortable with that leads you to want to take your mask off, without downing tons of teh tarik.
In the recent year, I have been blessed with such situations. Where I feel comfortable enough to share who I am, and they feel comfortable to let me glimpse into their lives.
I've drank tons of mojito in those kinda cases; life's mojito.
I've drank tons of mojito in those kinda cases; life's mojito.
System Restore - Real Life Version
Anyone who owns a Windows computer/laptop/techy-item-of-any sort would know the System Restore function. Basically it's a massive undo button to bring the OS back to a point when it was functioning optimally without actually changing any personal files. Don't ask me how it does that, it can do that. So I was wondering, wouldn't it be cool if we had that in our life? In times when you feel like an absolute bafoon, or when it's so dark you forgot how light feels like, or you just need the lil push before getting over whatever episode. And I think that it is possible
When is your restore point?
We all have a point in life that we feel most at ease with and usually in the past. Oh, and possibly when we're young (Freud will definitely argue that regression as a defense mechanism is not helping one's anxiety). But when was the time when you felt at peace with yourself? It could even be an episode in your life. I'm not suggesting we don't embrace now, but while the present is suppose to be clear, it is also often murky as it happens. Like a friend once told me as he was teaching me something new, that he told me he wants me to remember this lesson as a restore point as we continue with the learnings. That when there is too many complications, remember this point in time when the lessons are at its fundamentals. I guess that is what applies to life too, when is the phase of your life when you are at peace with your core?
Where is your restore point?
Like a physical place. A place where you can feel totally at peace with your thoughts, or at least, where you can attempt to recombine past, present and future. The beach, the swings at the playground, any quaint cafe with amazing roasted coffee bean smells - these are my top 3 favourite places to restore my thoughts. The beach can be a bit challenging though, a bit too much driving haha.
Who is your restore point?
No, it's not absurd. We grow up, people come, people go. Yet there are some who always stay, I don't know how true this will remain given I'm only 23 years old, but I want to believe this while I still can. These people may not be those who are keeping in touch all the time, but when they are, they are present, they make you feel respected, loved and supported. Different people have different ways of showing this; each relationship is unique. Personally, this is an essential system restore "button" for me. It never fails to make each moment more bearable just to have one person who truly listened, and truly believes that you can make it through (God aside, =D).
We all have times when things don't feel right, or nothing seems to go right. In times like that, I would say, keep prayers, keep faith and maybe, just maybe, consider one of these 'system restore buttons'.
When is your restore point?
We all have a point in life that we feel most at ease with and usually in the past. Oh, and possibly when we're young (Freud will definitely argue that regression as a defense mechanism is not helping one's anxiety). But when was the time when you felt at peace with yourself? It could even be an episode in your life. I'm not suggesting we don't embrace now, but while the present is suppose to be clear, it is also often murky as it happens. Like a friend once told me as he was teaching me something new, that he told me he wants me to remember this lesson as a restore point as we continue with the learnings. That when there is too many complications, remember this point in time when the lessons are at its fundamentals. I guess that is what applies to life too, when is the phase of your life when you are at peace with your core?
Where is your restore point?
Like a physical place. A place where you can feel totally at peace with your thoughts, or at least, where you can attempt to recombine past, present and future. The beach, the swings at the playground, any quaint cafe with amazing roasted coffee bean smells - these are my top 3 favourite places to restore my thoughts. The beach can be a bit challenging though, a bit too much driving haha.
Who is your restore point?
No, it's not absurd. We grow up, people come, people go. Yet there are some who always stay, I don't know how true this will remain given I'm only 23 years old, but I want to believe this while I still can. These people may not be those who are keeping in touch all the time, but when they are, they are present, they make you feel respected, loved and supported. Different people have different ways of showing this; each relationship is unique. Personally, this is an essential system restore "button" for me. It never fails to make each moment more bearable just to have one person who truly listened, and truly believes that you can make it through (God aside, =D).
We all have times when things don't feel right, or nothing seems to go right. In times like that, I would say, keep prayers, keep faith and maybe, just maybe, consider one of these 'system restore buttons'.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
"Oncoming death is terrible enough, but worse still is oncoming death with time to spare, time in which all the happiness that was yours and all the happiness that might have been yours become clear to you. You see with utter lucidity what you are losing. The sight brings on an oppressive sadness that no car about to hit you or about water to drown you can match. The feeling is truly unbearable."
Yes, this is a story of a castaway. Right, it is also a story about courage. And it is definitely a story about faith. But mostly, it is a story of questioning. That is exactly how I feel at the end of it. The ambivalence of huh plus woah left me with this comforting uncomfortable feeling inside that I can't exactly put my finger on. I reckon it is like attending a philosophy class.
As most of us would have known from the recent blockbuster that this is the story about Pi Patel, an Indian castaway on the Pacific Ocean, and his telling of his story (I have not watched the movie so please, no spoilers). I'll admit I don't know Yann Martel prior to Life of Pi. As a matter of fact, I still only know Life of Pi but I'll probably look out for more Yann Martel's writings now. It's cinematic. Rarely have I read a book and risk myself having wrinkles. It's one thing for me to cry when I read books, it's another thing for me to be so engaged and grimacing at all the details of Pi's life at sea as Martel writes it. Yet, I don't find myself getting annoyed as my previous record shows that I have really weak tolerance to too much details in stories. This book is a right balance, enough for you to engage and visualise Pi's life but not too much that it wants to make you skip till the end.
I initially expected the book to be about faith, particularly religious faith. Not sure where the vague idea came from haha. I must say though, the portions that describe his spiritual journey was lovely to read. Especially this quote which I felt close to heart; "They brought me comfort, that is certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love - but sometimes it was so hard to love". Profound.
Much of the beginning of the book was to set a context and give an idea who Pi Patel is. I think this was to preclude the differences that occur as he adventure in to the Pacific unwillingly. I'm not really sure if this is a memoir or a fiction, because it seems to be a combination of both. Either way, the second-half of the book definitely felt more fiction. I like how the book brings out the concept of necessity in human survival and even thriving. That sometimes humans would only do things when we need to as opposed to when we have to, want to or should do. It really begs the question of how many people would do anything in Life because they are motivated by an unconscious need. In Pi's case, the need was as obvious as the water of the Pacific Ocean.
The ending of the book has to be the best. Next to Teacher Man and If You Could See Me Now. I did not really fancy it at first because it was pretty abrupt? It seems like the flow came to a halt. Like there are all those chapters before and then *screeeeccchhhh!*, one last chapter for everything that happened in the chapters before. Though to be fair, the conclusion was still amazing because it wraps up the theme of the story, the theme of questioning. As I read it, I felt like the two Japanese interrogators, fumbling in believing, 'reality' and everything in between. I still don't know which story to believe in, read the book to find out which two stories. But I think that's the key of the book. That it is not about one, two, three or a hundred stories. It is that everything is a story, and everything is what you believe. Very phenomenological view of reality, something I tend to subscribe to.
All in all, I think this is a great read. It's easy to read, yet captivating. And the amount of profound quotes is just lovely. Another aspect of the book that I really like is how it has these paragraphs of wonderful details that really describe the context it intends to describe with such vividness and with great lessons; yet, it can't be paraphrased into a two-liner to be posted on FB. Haha. The continuity is amazing.
Oh, and it was just GBP2.99 on Amazon UK. *SCORE!*
(Image source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P2BPKGcQL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg Sorry couldn't find a better one)
"To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation"
Monday, December 17, 2012
To Be Continued...
Sometimes I'm so fixated on the now, how horrible it is now, how uncomfortable, how I don't want to be here. How now sucks (full stop).
And then I am reminded of the past, and the possible future. How I have thrived in the past, the good-bad-funny memories.
And also of the future. How it is so uncertain, but if anything that just means it can be bad...or good. And good is well, where I hope to be. Hope, that's the key.
There is beauty in continuity.
One of the themes that emerge from my dissertation research on high-quality relationships is that our strongest relatlationship have a past, and have an intention for a possible future. I think that is Life in general, to see it as progress, rather than being stumped like a full-stop cradled by the abyss.
This totally goes against the practice of mindfulness which focuses on the here and now; that only now exists. Jon Kabat-Zinn would totally flip at the statement I just made about the need for continuity, need for a past and future. Actually, he won't flip, he would probably just be aware of his intention to flip but hold it in awareness without judgment, haha. Jokes jokes. I'm still new to meditation but learning its principles and practice have made quite the difference in my life, so I don't mean to be offensive.
Back to my point. I think remembering life as 'flow' instead of stagnancy helps release us from the fixation of how uncanny life can be at this moment in life. And sometimes, we just need to travel through time (or possible time) to fuel that sliver of hope and faith.
That does not mean that now is not important, without a now, back then and after that would cease to exist. Even if they do exist, there cease to be meaning because you are always looking to get somewhere else other than the only place your are in, right now. Why 'time traveling' of this sort is risky is because of our expectation for now to to be back then, and to be repeated in after that. This will never happen. ever. It is when we attempt to replicate the exact situation of the past in the present or the future that time travel becomes suffering, now is seen as a holding place, a temporary prison, a bus stop where you are fidgeting looking at your watch waiting to be where after that is, hopefully an after that that resembles back then.
That moment back then when you followed your heart, turn around, did the stupidest thing of hugging someone tightly just to found it reciprocated with the best embrace ever? If right now, right. this. moment. you choose to do the same thing, it might happen again. or not. And to expect that doing it now will definitely meet your expectations as it once was will just make you not realise how amazing the current moment of courage is. The moment where you actually want to take another chance, the moment where it's about you having the courage again...not so much the you that is only looking forward to know the consequences of your actions.
Or the most relatable example; how people say no any other time of falling in love is like the first. and it shouldn't be. Don't think we can all go through the craziness 5 times, twice maybe, but more, well hmm. While it could be the most beautiful thing that ever happened to you (and it probably is), it's only the most beautiful compared to itself. Not to any of the love after that. And traveling through time, hoping the feelings or rather, letting the perceptions of the feelings back then colour your now and after that, no one is going to be happy. You. are not going to be happy.
But traveling back then can amount to goodness as well, even if it already happened. In my experience, such exploration can be equated to be flipping back to the dog-eared page of the book you've read, to find the sentence that gave it the dog-ear.....and another sentence that you never realised back then but now light has shine on it. Literally and metaphorically, =)
And perhaps, when it comes to traveling to after that, the little journey can help build "a little bit of hope - hard-earned, well deserved, reasonable" (Life of Pi, Martel, 2012)
So travel. We talk about travelling to all corners of the world, wanderlust for the most gorgeous sights in the world. But what about the prettiest places in our hearts, the corners of stories of our life? Maybe if you need a break from the uncanny now, a short travel to back then and after that might just be the getaway you need. I suggest solitude with coffee or tea.
And as always, it's important to return safely. Travel safe!
And then I am reminded of the past, and the possible future. How I have thrived in the past, the good-bad-funny memories.
And also of the future. How it is so uncertain, but if anything that just means it can be bad...or good. And good is well, where I hope to be. Hope, that's the key.
There is beauty in continuity.
One of the themes that emerge from my dissertation research on high-quality relationships is that our strongest relatlationship have a past, and have an intention for a possible future. I think that is Life in general, to see it as progress, rather than being stumped like a full-stop cradled by the abyss.
This totally goes against the practice of mindfulness which focuses on the here and now; that only now exists. Jon Kabat-Zinn would totally flip at the statement I just made about the need for continuity, need for a past and future. Actually, he won't flip, he would probably just be aware of his intention to flip but hold it in awareness without judgment, haha. Jokes jokes. I'm still new to meditation but learning its principles and practice have made quite the difference in my life, so I don't mean to be offensive.
Back to my point. I think remembering life as 'flow' instead of stagnancy helps release us from the fixation of how uncanny life can be at this moment in life. And sometimes, we just need to travel through time (or possible time) to fuel that sliver of hope and faith.
That does not mean that now is not important, without a now, back then and after that would cease to exist. Even if they do exist, there cease to be meaning because you are always looking to get somewhere else other than the only place your are in, right now. Why 'time traveling' of this sort is risky is because of our expectation for now to to be back then, and to be repeated in after that. This will never happen. ever. It is when we attempt to replicate the exact situation of the past in the present or the future that time travel becomes suffering, now is seen as a holding place, a temporary prison, a bus stop where you are fidgeting looking at your watch waiting to be where after that is, hopefully an after that that resembles back then.
That moment back then when you followed your heart, turn around, did the stupidest thing of hugging someone tightly just to found it reciprocated with the best embrace ever? If right now, right. this. moment. you choose to do the same thing, it might happen again. or not. And to expect that doing it now will definitely meet your expectations as it once was will just make you not realise how amazing the current moment of courage is. The moment where you actually want to take another chance, the moment where it's about you having the courage again...not so much the you that is only looking forward to know the consequences of your actions.
Or the most relatable example; how people say no any other time of falling in love is like the first. and it shouldn't be. Don't think we can all go through the craziness 5 times, twice maybe, but more, well hmm. While it could be the most beautiful thing that ever happened to you (and it probably is), it's only the most beautiful compared to itself. Not to any of the love after that. And traveling through time, hoping the feelings or rather, letting the perceptions of the feelings back then colour your now and after that, no one is going to be happy. You. are not going to be happy.
But traveling back then can amount to goodness as well, even if it already happened. In my experience, such exploration can be equated to be flipping back to the dog-eared page of the book you've read, to find the sentence that gave it the dog-ear.....and another sentence that you never realised back then but now light has shine on it. Literally and metaphorically, =)
And perhaps, when it comes to traveling to after that, the little journey can help build "a little bit of hope - hard-earned, well deserved, reasonable" (Life of Pi, Martel, 2012)
So travel. We talk about travelling to all corners of the world, wanderlust for the most gorgeous sights in the world. But what about the prettiest places in our hearts, the corners of stories of our life? Maybe if you need a break from the uncanny now, a short travel to back then and after that might just be the getaway you need. I suggest solitude with coffee or tea.
And as always, it's important to return safely. Travel safe!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Spanish Cuisine
I will attempt a summarised version of how good Spanish food can be with short reviews of places I visited throughout my week in Spain. I can't remember each dish's name, but I can describe some which are try-worthy. Haha. I try to take photos of the front of each restaurant so it helps with locating it, unfortunately some only have interiors since gluttony took over, hehe.
In general, food in Valencia is much more expensive in Sevilla but their portions are also bigger - very filling. And I refuse to try any 3 course dishes typical to how cuisine is served in Italy, so it was all ala carte dishes.
La Pepica (Las Arena Beach)
My first taste of Paella Valenciana - a traditional preparation of paella with chicken and rabbit. Some places also serve with snails. Side dishes of Galician Squid and Spanish Tortilla, heaven for my famished tummy. And down it with a cool jug of Sangria then end with cafe con leche (coffee with milk). That said, it's by the beach so it's more well-known for its seafood version of the paella. Another reason why it's famous is because it was touted to be writer Ernest Hemingway's favourite paella joint.
*Try the Galician Squid - grilled fresh squid with paprika, olive oil and boiled potatoes
Freiduria Boatella Tapas Cerveceria (Opposite Mercado Central, corner shop)
My first taste of tapas. Tapas servings in Valencia are larger and more expensive. We also had Agua de Sevilla which is a cocktail of Valencian orange juice with some alcohol. Since it's a Freiduria, it has a lot of fried dishes, but the menu was varied so there are other choices as well.
*Try the fried artichokes and fried calamari, not the healthiest but so yummy
Sant Miquel (Barrio el Carmen, near the el Carmen road)
Late lunch so it was almost closing. Limited menu though enough for a few tapas to fill us.
*Try their coffee, best I had in Spain! Ratatouile with chorizo is a good choice
Cafe in Plaza de La Reina
I can't remember the name and I didn't take a photo of the shop's exterior. But it is easily recognisable with bright yellow walls, it's counters full of ice cream, pastries and sandwiches. Anyway, try "horchata" here, which is basically a drink made from a type of nut known as tiger nuts, interesting taste, quite acquired.
*Try horchata
El Rall (right behind La Lonja de la Seda, go through the square)
Paella de Marisco, seafood paella. It was really good! This place was recommended by our receptionist, so it's as local as it gets? We didn't try much as we were filled from the tapas in the afternoon. But it was really nice as they serve a shot glass of chicken consomme as appetizer, haha. Asians.
*Try their Paella de Marisco, brimming full of seafood.
Valor Cafe (Plaza de La Reina)
It's a chocolate specialty shop so they sell truffles and other chocolate-based products. Their churros is better than most that I've tried and delicious when dipped into thick chocolate
*Try their Churros con Chocolate
Navarro Restaurant (near Plaza Ayuntamiento, behind Burger King)
We ordered grilled seasonal vegetables and fideua which is basically Spanish noodles cooked paella style. The place is only opened for lunch except on Saturdays when it's opened in the evening. Their 3 course meal actually look quite good, so that might be a choice for those who are sick of paella by now. Haha
*Try Grilled Seasonal Vegetables and Fideua
Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas (Rodrigo Caro)
One of the most popular tapas bars, recommended by a couple of locals we asked. Quite full, so we stood at the counter. Ordered boiled prawns, potato tortilla and spinach w/ cheese. They had two types of draft beer, one alcoholic, and the other non alcoholic. I was not really fond of the food as the prawns were fishy while the other two were quite salty. But I do have a low tolerance to salt anyway.
*Try spinach & chick peas, seems to be the in thing there
Belmonte (Mateos Gago)
Just located down the road from Las Columnas. We were still hungry from the salty food, so this was lunch number 2, haha. Tapas-hopping is popular in Sevilla. Funnily, the lady from Las Columnas was there to have her lunch, such irony haha. Ordered Iberico Ham, Grilled Mushrooms, Pork in Wine Reduction and had an alcoholic Cruzcampo, their common draft beer. It's more pricey here by 1 - 2 euros per tapas since it is more well-furnished and there are more seating areas. We came back here again before the Flamenco show for a pre-dinner, ordered Patatas Bravas (potatoes with paprika sauce) and Gambas al Aijilo (prawns in garlic oil) which was more expensive since it was only available as a main meal. Also tried Valencia's special Naranja Vino or Orange wine
*Try Grilled Mushrooms, Gambas al Aijilo, Naranja Vino
Taberna La Papillon (Constitution Avenue)
Seriously packed to brim and more of a bar than restaurant though they have sitting places upstairs. Their menu concentrates a lot of ham and cheese as well as bar snacks like chips. They seem to be famous for their foccacias though. We came here twice. First time there we had Spinach with chickpeas, pork meatballs in tomato sauce, pork cheeks in wine sauce. Not really fond of the meatballs. Second time it was to try the ham so we got a platter of Jamon Iberico which was much better. Perhaps this place is best for its cold cuts. We also tried manzanilla, a type of dry sherry. But it was not as cold, thus not as nice. We tried it again prior to the flamenco show, and it was much better icy cold.
*Try Jamon Iberico, Pork cheeks in wine sauce
Las Morales (Almitanzgo, off Constitution Avenue)
A traditional bar mostly serving cold and cured stuff so choices can be a bit limited. Had tuna belly with salmonrejo, tuna with red peppers, sausages and stewed pork cheeks. I was ambivalent about cold, cured stuff since I don't really fancy them as a meal, more as an appetizer than anything. The tuna belly was really fishy eaten on its own but surprisingly lovely when eaten together with salmonrejo (Spanish tomato vinaigrette) and bread. Note that most seafood especially boiled/cured ones tend to be fishy in Sevilla.
*Try tuna belly with salmonrejo
Coloniales (off Plaza Encarnacion)
This shop has two branches, one near Plaza Encarnacion, the other somewhere in Constitution Avenue. We tried finding the latter but without success, lucky we came across this on our walking tour. Ordered iberico pork with quail egg and salmonrejo, pickled red peppers, solomillo pork and Manjar Blanco - their speciality of cordon bleu in almond sauce. Also had a jug of one of the most amazing sangria!
*Try iberico pork with quail egg & salmon rejo, manjar blanco and sangria.
Casa Manolo (San Jorje street, Triana)
This is supposedly the most popular bar/restaurant on this side of town. And since Triana is famous for their fried fish, we ordered some fried shark/adobo, a type of fried hake and oxtail stew. While the oxtail is quite nice, I'm not sure if I really like it due to its somewhat gamey taste.
*Try fried stuff especially the shark which has a nice sour sauce.
Casa Roman (Plaza Venerables)
As the gluttons we were, we headed for some supper after the Flamenco show and this place was near our hostel. Ordered some chorizo, ham and sheep's cheese. Also had some roasted courgettes and beetroot in vinagrette. Had a larger dish of iberico pork in wine sauce, but it was way more expensive. Then had two glasses of Tinto de Verano which is a cocktail of red wine and lemon soda, super refreshing.
*Try sheep's cheese, iberico pork in wine sauce, tinto de verano
Casablanca (off Constitution Avenue)
This place was constantly packed especially during lunch time. The waiters were also less friendly, guessing cause they were busy. Seats are reserved for those who are ordering bigger plates, tapas eaters have to stand at the bar. Ordered meatballs in squid ink and cod gratin. I cannot decide if I like the former because it can taste a bit fishy like how squid ink tastes like but it is unique.
*Try cod gratin & their olives (SUPER NICE)
Casa Carmelo (Gloria, near Hosteria de Dona Lina)
Our last stop for gluttony. Pretty nice sit down place. Ordered gazpacho (cold tomato soup), fried chicken skewer, marinated anchovies and potato tortilla. I personally love potatoes, so potato tortilla is always a safe favourite, except too salty ones. The anchovies are not too fishy, but they are rather sour as it is really pickled. We also had Agua de Sevilla sorbet which is a white wine with melon sorbet, super yummy!
*Try Agua de Sevilla, potato tortilla
That's the end of the glutton gastronomy tour. I really enjoy eating so it is always an important agenda on my travels. My buddy was going to burst as I drag her along my gastronomy tour, just as how I drank at least a glass of alcohol everyday in Spain thanks to her. Most I've ever done in 23 years of my life, but thank God, no withdrawal symptoms, mwahahaha.
In summary:
Tips:
- Authentic paella comes in a portion for at least two pax. While it means it's more expensive and makes you a glutton, those that come in one pax tend to be reheated or is microwaved. You decide. We didn't risk inauthentic paella so I won't know how it compares
- Down your food with some sort of alcohol, my choice is between draft beer and Tinto de Verano. One glass everyday won't kill. It's massive cheap to drink in Spain (1.5 euro to 3 euro per glass). Agnes will be proud to read this
- If you want to buy sweets, you can do so at the many confectioneries around town. A traditional way is to buy it from a convent from nuns who make these sweets. But I couldn't find the elusive convent way of buying where you look at the sweets you want and tell the nun through a window in the wall then put money on the turntable. The nun will then put the sweets on the turntable and change if required. This is because nuns were not allowed to be seen by outsiders back then. I saw this on Jamie Oliver's adventure in Spain, so I really wanted to try it, but well. We did buy pastries, but they were omaigawd so sweet! Yemas are interesting though, salted egg yolks pastry with sugar, haha.
- Most places have English menu (just say "menu ingles") and they will understand. Otherwise, point and use sign language, fun when you're not sure what food you get. Waiters are usually friendly especially in more modern places. Just smile and ask for recommendation. For this, I am glad Agnes was with me, since she's way friendlier. Haha.
- Get used to being stared at by locals. We went to traditional joints and it can get uncomfortable with the old men staring us down. Don't think they meant to be impolite, they probably are just fascinated with us different looking creatures, haha.
In general, food in Valencia is much more expensive in Sevilla but their portions are also bigger - very filling. And I refuse to try any 3 course dishes typical to how cuisine is served in Italy, so it was all ala carte dishes.
Valencia
La Pepica (Las Arena Beach)
My first taste of Paella Valenciana - a traditional preparation of paella with chicken and rabbit. Some places also serve with snails. Side dishes of Galician Squid and Spanish Tortilla, heaven for my famished tummy. And down it with a cool jug of Sangria then end with cafe con leche (coffee with milk). That said, it's by the beach so it's more well-known for its seafood version of the paella. Another reason why it's famous is because it was touted to be writer Ernest Hemingway's favourite paella joint.
*Try the Galician Squid - grilled fresh squid with paprika, olive oil and boiled potatoes
Freiduria Boatella Tapas Cerveceria (Opposite Mercado Central, corner shop)
My first taste of tapas. Tapas servings in Valencia are larger and more expensive. We also had Agua de Sevilla which is a cocktail of Valencian orange juice with some alcohol. Since it's a Freiduria, it has a lot of fried dishes, but the menu was varied so there are other choices as well.
*Try the fried artichokes and fried calamari, not the healthiest but so yummy
Sant Miquel (Barrio el Carmen, near the el Carmen road)
Late lunch so it was almost closing. Limited menu though enough for a few tapas to fill us.
*Try their coffee, best I had in Spain! Ratatouile with chorizo is a good choice
Cafe in Plaza de La Reina
I can't remember the name and I didn't take a photo of the shop's exterior. But it is easily recognisable with bright yellow walls, it's counters full of ice cream, pastries and sandwiches. Anyway, try "horchata" here, which is basically a drink made from a type of nut known as tiger nuts, interesting taste, quite acquired.
*Try horchata
El Rall (right behind La Lonja de la Seda, go through the square)
Paella de Marisco, seafood paella. It was really good! This place was recommended by our receptionist, so it's as local as it gets? We didn't try much as we were filled from the tapas in the afternoon. But it was really nice as they serve a shot glass of chicken consomme as appetizer, haha. Asians.
*Try their Paella de Marisco, brimming full of seafood.
Valor Cafe (Plaza de La Reina)
It's a chocolate specialty shop so they sell truffles and other chocolate-based products. Their churros is better than most that I've tried and delicious when dipped into thick chocolate
*Try their Churros con Chocolate
Navarro Restaurant (near Plaza Ayuntamiento, behind Burger King)
We ordered grilled seasonal vegetables and fideua which is basically Spanish noodles cooked paella style. The place is only opened for lunch except on Saturdays when it's opened in the evening. Their 3 course meal actually look quite good, so that might be a choice for those who are sick of paella by now. Haha
*Try Grilled Seasonal Vegetables and Fideua
Sevilla
Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas (Rodrigo Caro)
One of the most popular tapas bars, recommended by a couple of locals we asked. Quite full, so we stood at the counter. Ordered boiled prawns, potato tortilla and spinach w/ cheese. They had two types of draft beer, one alcoholic, and the other non alcoholic. I was not really fond of the food as the prawns were fishy while the other two were quite salty. But I do have a low tolerance to salt anyway.
*Try spinach & chick peas, seems to be the in thing there
Belmonte (Mateos Gago)
Just located down the road from Las Columnas. We were still hungry from the salty food, so this was lunch number 2, haha. Tapas-hopping is popular in Sevilla. Funnily, the lady from Las Columnas was there to have her lunch, such irony haha. Ordered Iberico Ham, Grilled Mushrooms, Pork in Wine Reduction and had an alcoholic Cruzcampo, their common draft beer. It's more pricey here by 1 - 2 euros per tapas since it is more well-furnished and there are more seating areas. We came back here again before the Flamenco show for a pre-dinner, ordered Patatas Bravas (potatoes with paprika sauce) and Gambas al Aijilo (prawns in garlic oil) which was more expensive since it was only available as a main meal. Also tried Valencia's special Naranja Vino or Orange wine
*Try Grilled Mushrooms, Gambas al Aijilo, Naranja Vino
Taberna La Papillon (Constitution Avenue)
Seriously packed to brim and more of a bar than restaurant though they have sitting places upstairs. Their menu concentrates a lot of ham and cheese as well as bar snacks like chips. They seem to be famous for their foccacias though. We came here twice. First time there we had Spinach with chickpeas, pork meatballs in tomato sauce, pork cheeks in wine sauce. Not really fond of the meatballs. Second time it was to try the ham so we got a platter of Jamon Iberico which was much better. Perhaps this place is best for its cold cuts. We also tried manzanilla, a type of dry sherry. But it was not as cold, thus not as nice. We tried it again prior to the flamenco show, and it was much better icy cold.
*Try Jamon Iberico, Pork cheeks in wine sauce
Las Morales (Almitanzgo, off Constitution Avenue)
A traditional bar mostly serving cold and cured stuff so choices can be a bit limited. Had tuna belly with salmonrejo, tuna with red peppers, sausages and stewed pork cheeks. I was ambivalent about cold, cured stuff since I don't really fancy them as a meal, more as an appetizer than anything. The tuna belly was really fishy eaten on its own but surprisingly lovely when eaten together with salmonrejo (Spanish tomato vinaigrette) and bread. Note that most seafood especially boiled/cured ones tend to be fishy in Sevilla.
*Try tuna belly with salmonrejo
Coloniales (off Plaza Encarnacion)
This shop has two branches, one near Plaza Encarnacion, the other somewhere in Constitution Avenue. We tried finding the latter but without success, lucky we came across this on our walking tour. Ordered iberico pork with quail egg and salmonrejo, pickled red peppers, solomillo pork and Manjar Blanco - their speciality of cordon bleu in almond sauce. Also had a jug of one of the most amazing sangria!
*Try iberico pork with quail egg & salmon rejo, manjar blanco and sangria.
Casa Manolo (San Jorje street, Triana)
This is supposedly the most popular bar/restaurant on this side of town. And since Triana is famous for their fried fish, we ordered some fried shark/adobo, a type of fried hake and oxtail stew. While the oxtail is quite nice, I'm not sure if I really like it due to its somewhat gamey taste.
*Try fried stuff especially the shark which has a nice sour sauce.
Casa Roman (Plaza Venerables)
As the gluttons we were, we headed for some supper after the Flamenco show and this place was near our hostel. Ordered some chorizo, ham and sheep's cheese. Also had some roasted courgettes and beetroot in vinagrette. Had a larger dish of iberico pork in wine sauce, but it was way more expensive. Then had two glasses of Tinto de Verano which is a cocktail of red wine and lemon soda, super refreshing.
*Try sheep's cheese, iberico pork in wine sauce, tinto de verano
Casablanca (off Constitution Avenue)
This place was constantly packed especially during lunch time. The waiters were also less friendly, guessing cause they were busy. Seats are reserved for those who are ordering bigger plates, tapas eaters have to stand at the bar. Ordered meatballs in squid ink and cod gratin. I cannot decide if I like the former because it can taste a bit fishy like how squid ink tastes like but it is unique.
*Try cod gratin & their olives (SUPER NICE)
Casa Carmelo (Gloria, near Hosteria de Dona Lina)
Our last stop for gluttony. Pretty nice sit down place. Ordered gazpacho (cold tomato soup), fried chicken skewer, marinated anchovies and potato tortilla. I personally love potatoes, so potato tortilla is always a safe favourite, except too salty ones. The anchovies are not too fishy, but they are rather sour as it is really pickled. We also had Agua de Sevilla sorbet which is a white wine with melon sorbet, super yummy!
*Try Agua de Sevilla, potato tortilla
That's the end of the glutton gastronomy tour. I really enjoy eating so it is always an important agenda on my travels. My buddy was going to burst as I drag her along my gastronomy tour, just as how I drank at least a glass of alcohol everyday in Spain thanks to her. Most I've ever done in 23 years of my life, but thank God, no withdrawal symptoms, mwahahaha.
In summary:
Tips:
- Authentic paella comes in a portion for at least two pax. While it means it's more expensive and makes you a glutton, those that come in one pax tend to be reheated or is microwaved. You decide. We didn't risk inauthentic paella so I won't know how it compares
- Down your food with some sort of alcohol, my choice is between draft beer and Tinto de Verano. One glass everyday won't kill. It's massive cheap to drink in Spain (1.5 euro to 3 euro per glass). Agnes will be proud to read this
- If you want to buy sweets, you can do so at the many confectioneries around town. A traditional way is to buy it from a convent from nuns who make these sweets. But I couldn't find the elusive convent way of buying where you look at the sweets you want and tell the nun through a window in the wall then put money on the turntable. The nun will then put the sweets on the turntable and change if required. This is because nuns were not allowed to be seen by outsiders back then. I saw this on Jamie Oliver's adventure in Spain, so I really wanted to try it, but well. We did buy pastries, but they were omaigawd so sweet! Yemas are interesting though, salted egg yolks pastry with sugar, haha.
- Most places have English menu (just say "menu ingles") and they will understand. Otherwise, point and use sign language, fun when you're not sure what food you get. Waiters are usually friendly especially in more modern places. Just smile and ask for recommendation. For this, I am glad Agnes was with me, since she's way friendlier. Haha.
- Get used to being stared at by locals. We went to traditional joints and it can get uncomfortable with the old men staring us down. Don't think they meant to be impolite, they probably are just fascinated with us different looking creatures, haha.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
She was in Sevilla (Pt.2)
Day 3
Triana (Alfareria, Castil San Jorge, Santa Ana)
Plaza Espana
Sevilla LowCost - Flamenco Show
It's not smart to go holiday on a public holiday. Everything is not opened. A mistake I made because I knew it was a public holiday on the back of my mind but it just didn't occur to me the consequences. Thus, we didn't manage to go to the Triana market, where all the stalls were closed. So be smart people! The bridge to Triana is officially known as Puenta Isabell II or Isabel II's bridge but commonly known as Triana Bridge because it connects the Sevilla city centre with the town of Triana. The view of Guadalaquivir river/canal is gorgeous from the bridge especially in good weather. We wanted to go to the market, but as I've mentioned, it was not opened. Heck, the town had a lot of people walking around but shops were mostly closed save for the eateries. First we went to Alfareria street where it is famous for ceramic items. Note that Triana is part of Seville but they differentiate themselves, perhaps due to the differences in class last time where Triana is mostly made up of fishermen and dockmen plus gypsies thus coming from a lower economy class. Anyway, though most of the ceramic shops were closed, we did manage to buy some souvenirs.
Then, it was on to visit the Castil San Jorge or St George's Castle, most famous as the residence of the Inquisition Committee. This committee was formed to ensure that reformed or converted Catholics remained discipline to their faith and not practice anything outside of it. Anyone found doing otherwise was tortured when found guilty by this committee. It was also the main reason for the disappearance of Jews from the Santa Cruz quarters. It was quite cool to visit the ruins of the old castle found beneath a market, and to read some stories of the Inquisition and their disrespect of human rights. Next, we headed to Santa Ana convent hoping to buy some sweets, but it was closed. As our guide had mentioned a day earlier, it was probably only opened on Easter week.
Took a riverside walk back to the Sevilla side towards Plaza de Espana. It's a really gorgeous square which was intended to be an open air university by its designer but is now mostly offices of various political ministries and famous for tourists and wedding photos, haha. Very beautiful place and you can climb to the first floor for a nice view.
At night, we took a package with Sevilla LowCost again for a flamenco show that includes a history of flamenco and a "manzanilla" tasting session, a drink resembling sherry. Altogether 20 euros, which is quite typical of most flamenco shows. We took it because we prefer to know about the history of flamenco, plus our guide was really sweet to stay with us during the show and explained important parts of the show. No, it's definitely not because of the inclusive drink, haha. Thoroughly enjoyed the show despite not understanding its lyrics. Basically we had 3 different "stories" that was expressed, one with just a singer and the guitarist and the next two includes a flamenco dancer. The spirit of the show was amazing, and the guitar tunes were awesome!
Day 4
Casa de Pilatos
Museum of Fine Arts
On our last day, we had a whole day, again because our flight is late at night. So we started a very rainy morning by heading to Casa de Pilatos or Pilatos' castle. It belongs to one of the Spanish nobility family and is rarely used except for its private wing. There are different prices for visiting the ground floor and top floor with the latter being slightly higher (6 euros VS 8 euros) but you get a 20 minutes guided tour. And I would say it is quite worth it, especially when you finally get to see a place with furniture, haha.
Our last stop for the day was the Museum of Fine Arts which I absolutely love. Not so much the type of art since I'm not very good with appreciating art, more so Spanish artists which I'm unfamiliar with. But the building it was situated in was gorgeous, I could stay there! It was what I expected an art gallery to be with separate gallery rooms, large spaces, and proper garden patios inside. Especially the Murillo gallery, where it houses the paintings of Sevilla's most famous painter's works. The hall was huge and so peaceful! Probably my next favourite museum to the Borghese Gallery in Rome. Unfortunately we did not take photos because we were told that cameras are not allowed, so we left it at the locker. When we were at the entrance then we were told that taking photos are allowed, just without flash. pooh. We ended the day walking from the other end of the city to the city centre, long walk that one.
I love Spain. It's gorgeous with its architecture, and so alive with people! Plus the food is amazing, I haven't had a too bad meal, and I didn't get bored of the food despite a week of gluttony. Definitely recommended to visit!
Do try:
- Cathedral + Giralda; you have to climb up a tower that has ramps, it is just the coolest thing in the world
- Alcazar; best visited with a guide. I find the audio guide for most of Sevilla's monuments a bit long-winded so it loses my attention after a while. Anyhow, the palace is gorgeous, GO.
- Metropol Parosol; cheap lookout point, and still pretty. Plus its design is definitely worth a visit.
- Walking tours; with Sevilla LowCost. It's affordable and it gets you to the most important places with locals telling you its stories. Particularly the Legends tour because it's different from most other tours.
- Triana area; go in the morning or night, I think it's beautiful place to be. Slightly different from the city of Sevilla, and while we didn't go at night, I am guessing the riverside view would have been gorgeous
- Eat tapas. Lots of it. Again, Sevilla is big on siesta so the meals don't start till 1.30pm for lunch or 8.00pm for dinner. Eat a few times if you have too, and always wash it down with some good alcohol - Tinto de Verano, Orange Wine or draft beer, YUMS.
- Walk around, morning or night. There's much to shop in the morning with a mix of high street brands and independent shops. At night, it's just beautiful with all its lights - just be careful not to get lost in the alley ways, haha.
Tips:
- Always match your time to the siesta hours. Perhaps you can even take a siesta yourself. The good thing about this is that most attractions open till 7 - 8pm so even if you didn't make it in the evening, you can make it at night
- Wear proper shoes. I wore heeled boots, and it killed my sole especially when walking at the cobbled areas, not smart.
- Beware of gypsies at tourist areas. Their MO is to give you a rosemary stalk for luck, then try to read your palm and then ask you to pay them, not in coins but in bills.
- It's really affordable to visit Sevilla. We didn't spend much on transportation (though our taxi from the airport cost a bomb!), but mostly on attractions which mostly cost less than 5 euros (with student card) and food was cheap, especially if you hog on tapas (average 2.5 euros - 5 euros per plate). The Sevilla card was quite expensive in my opinion but it does cover all transportation and includes unlimited tourist bus hop-on-hop-off and a river cruise. Those weren't in my itinerary so we didn't do it.
- Sevilla is huge, and there are plenty of places to explore so a good 3, 4 days may be needed depending on your pace. We would have gone to the Bullring museum if not for realising it at the last minute.
Triana (Alfareria, Castil San Jorge, Santa Ana)
Plaza Espana
Sevilla LowCost - Flamenco Show
It's not smart to go holiday on a public holiday. Everything is not opened. A mistake I made because I knew it was a public holiday on the back of my mind but it just didn't occur to me the consequences. Thus, we didn't manage to go to the Triana market, where all the stalls were closed. So be smart people! The bridge to Triana is officially known as Puenta Isabell II or Isabel II's bridge but commonly known as Triana Bridge because it connects the Sevilla city centre with the town of Triana. The view of Guadalaquivir river/canal is gorgeous from the bridge especially in good weather. We wanted to go to the market, but as I've mentioned, it was not opened. Heck, the town had a lot of people walking around but shops were mostly closed save for the eateries. First we went to Alfareria street where it is famous for ceramic items. Note that Triana is part of Seville but they differentiate themselves, perhaps due to the differences in class last time where Triana is mostly made up of fishermen and dockmen plus gypsies thus coming from a lower economy class. Anyway, though most of the ceramic shops were closed, we did manage to buy some souvenirs.
The riverside walk
View of Guadalaquivir river from Triana Bridge
A street in Triana
Puenta Triana/ Isabell II
Then, it was on to visit the Castil San Jorge or St George's Castle, most famous as the residence of the Inquisition Committee. This committee was formed to ensure that reformed or converted Catholics remained discipline to their faith and not practice anything outside of it. Anyone found doing otherwise was tortured when found guilty by this committee. It was also the main reason for the disappearance of Jews from the Santa Cruz quarters. It was quite cool to visit the ruins of the old castle found beneath a market, and to read some stories of the Inquisition and their disrespect of human rights. Next, we headed to Santa Ana convent hoping to buy some sweets, but it was closed. As our guide had mentioned a day earlier, it was probably only opened on Easter week.
Part of the ruins
Took a riverside walk back to the Sevilla side towards Plaza de Espana. It's a really gorgeous square which was intended to be an open air university by its designer but is now mostly offices of various political ministries and famous for tourists and wedding photos, haha. Very beautiful place and you can climb to the first floor for a nice view.
Maritime university on the way to Plaza de Espana
Plaza de Espana from 1st floor
Front view of Plaza de Espana
Flamenco show
Day 4
Casa de Pilatos
Museum of Fine Arts
On our last day, we had a whole day, again because our flight is late at night. So we started a very rainy morning by heading to Casa de Pilatos or Pilatos' castle. It belongs to one of the Spanish nobility family and is rarely used except for its private wing. There are different prices for visiting the ground floor and top floor with the latter being slightly higher (6 euros VS 8 euros) but you get a 20 minutes guided tour. And I would say it is quite worth it, especially when you finally get to see a place with furniture, haha.
Our last stop for the day was the Museum of Fine Arts which I absolutely love. Not so much the type of art since I'm not very good with appreciating art, more so Spanish artists which I'm unfamiliar with. But the building it was situated in was gorgeous, I could stay there! It was what I expected an art gallery to be with separate gallery rooms, large spaces, and proper garden patios inside. Especially the Murillo gallery, where it houses the paintings of Sevilla's most famous painter's works. The hall was huge and so peaceful! Probably my next favourite museum to the Borghese Gallery in Rome. Unfortunately we did not take photos because we were told that cameras are not allowed, so we left it at the locker. When we were at the entrance then we were told that taking photos are allowed, just without flash. pooh. We ended the day walking from the other end of the city to the city centre, long walk that one.
Main patio of Casa de Pilatos - no photos allowed on 1st floor
I love Spain. It's gorgeous with its architecture, and so alive with people! Plus the food is amazing, I haven't had a too bad meal, and I didn't get bored of the food despite a week of gluttony. Definitely recommended to visit!
Do try:
- Cathedral + Giralda; you have to climb up a tower that has ramps, it is just the coolest thing in the world
- Alcazar; best visited with a guide. I find the audio guide for most of Sevilla's monuments a bit long-winded so it loses my attention after a while. Anyhow, the palace is gorgeous, GO.
- Metropol Parosol; cheap lookout point, and still pretty. Plus its design is definitely worth a visit.
- Walking tours; with Sevilla LowCost. It's affordable and it gets you to the most important places with locals telling you its stories. Particularly the Legends tour because it's different from most other tours.
- Triana area; go in the morning or night, I think it's beautiful place to be. Slightly different from the city of Sevilla, and while we didn't go at night, I am guessing the riverside view would have been gorgeous
- Eat tapas. Lots of it. Again, Sevilla is big on siesta so the meals don't start till 1.30pm for lunch or 8.00pm for dinner. Eat a few times if you have too, and always wash it down with some good alcohol - Tinto de Verano, Orange Wine or draft beer, YUMS.
- Walk around, morning or night. There's much to shop in the morning with a mix of high street brands and independent shops. At night, it's just beautiful with all its lights - just be careful not to get lost in the alley ways, haha.
Streets at night; lined with tapas bars
Tips:
- Always match your time to the siesta hours. Perhaps you can even take a siesta yourself. The good thing about this is that most attractions open till 7 - 8pm so even if you didn't make it in the evening, you can make it at night
- Wear proper shoes. I wore heeled boots, and it killed my sole especially when walking at the cobbled areas, not smart.
- Beware of gypsies at tourist areas. Their MO is to give you a rosemary stalk for luck, then try to read your palm and then ask you to pay them, not in coins but in bills.
- It's really affordable to visit Sevilla. We didn't spend much on transportation (though our taxi from the airport cost a bomb!), but mostly on attractions which mostly cost less than 5 euros (with student card) and food was cheap, especially if you hog on tapas (average 2.5 euros - 5 euros per plate). The Sevilla card was quite expensive in my opinion but it does cover all transportation and includes unlimited tourist bus hop-on-hop-off and a river cruise. Those weren't in my itinerary so we didn't do it.
- Sevilla is huge, and there are plenty of places to explore so a good 3, 4 days may be needed depending on your pace. We would have gone to the Bullring museum if not for realising it at the last minute.
She was in Sevilla (Pt.1)
Okay, 4 days and 4 nights, this will probably be a pretty long post, haha. Reason being the plane tickets were cheaper on specific days thus the imbalance of number of days spent in both cities, though Sevilla definitely warrants a longer visit.
Sevilla. is. GORGEOUS.
The architecture is amazing given that it is influenced by everything, from Muslim to Christianity. As a matter of fact everything in this Andalusian region seems to mix everything; they all come together in peace. Wait till we talk about the food. Haha.
Transportation:
Feet. It's a huge place but other than getting to and fro the airport, we really just used our legs. Most common transportation is the trams in the city centre with buses being the most convenient. There's also a metro but I'm not too sure about the map. Or you could bust 50 euros per cart on the horse carriages. Crazy.
Base: La Hosteria de Dona Lina
Location: 3.5/5
Environment: 4/5
Room: 3.5/5
If there's one thing Sevilla can beat Venice in, is the massive alleyways for you to get lost in, especially in Santa Cruz which is the old Jewish quarters we stayed in. Had a stressful night trying to locate our hostel as we arrived close to 10pm and the taxi driver could not drop us at the door because the passages are mostly pedestrian only. Unless you use GPS, otherwise you could end up like us, calling the hostel reception to come get us. Although Sevilla is a more significant tourist attraction than Valencia, spoken English is still minimal so it's hard to understand people especially when they give directions. That said and done, most of them are more friendly and ready to help than not. The location though hard to find, can be easy to navigate once you get your bearings right, which is much easier in daylight. It's located in the old city centre, so it's really really pretty with cobbled roads and gorgeous tiled courtyards. There are also plenty of places to eat in the alleyways, let them surprise you. The room was spacious as it's meant for 3 people, the water pressure was much better here though using solar power so you might need to wait a while for hot water. Otherwise it's the usual tiled floors, and they even have air-conditioners! Haha.
Day 1
Alcazar
Giralda
Cathedral
Iglesia del Salvador
Plaza Encarnacion
Metropol Parasol
Centro
Started the day early and fresh, headed to the Cathedral but it was only open for mass thus decided to head to the Alcazar instead which was once a castle. It's still in used nowadays as a hotel for the King of Spain should he choose to stay there. The Alcazar is gorgeous, I LOVED IT. It's very different in terms of architecture from the castles I've seen, mostly utilizing Mudejar influences which is a marriage between Christian and Muslim influences - who would have thought? I rented an audio guide but the small notices in each main area provide good enough information. Took about two hours just to visit each room in the palace - would have took longer if we tried to finish the gardens and the readings. The gardens are gorgeous. You would notice that there are a lot of palm trees or large trees, simply because it was brought it from America. Another thing about the Spanish palaces is that they are usually just empty rooms without furniture, so it can be quite boring though the structure itself is worth a see - pay attention to ceilings and walls, pretty.
Then we headed back to the Cathedral and climb its tower, known as the Giralda. It was initially a tower with a flat roof, like a box but when the Catholic took over Spain, they added a bell tower. This was the best tower climb ever because it had no steps, just smooth slopes - to accommodate the person who has to go up the towers 5 times a day to announce the Muslim prayers - on a horse. View was amazing as usual, and Sevilla is huge. Came back down and explored the interior of the Cathedral, the largest of the Gothic cathedrals in the world and 3rd largest cathedral behind St.Peters in Rome and St.Paul's in London. I felt massively proud to have gone to the 3 largest cathedrals in the world, all three which are amazingly gorgeous, hehe. The altar in the Sevilla Cathedral was being refurnished thus we could not see it, but it is set to be the largest altar in the world depicting 42/46 sins from the bible. I can't remember the number so please correct me if I'm wrong. With Spanish cathedrals, particularly the ones in Sevilla, carvings and sculptures seem to dominate rather than mosaic, frescos or paintings as in other European cities. The intricate details of each carving was amazing, I particularly love the eerie paintings furnishing the massive organ
Buying tickets to the Cathedral permits free entry into the Del Salvador church located about 15 minutes away from the Cathedral. This was equally gorgeous albeit smaller. Again, really gorgeous sculptures & carvings that are furnished in gold colours. After that we walked to Plaza Encarnacion, one of the newest squares being in the city centre. The main attraction here is the Metropol Parasol, otherwise known to everyone as the mushroom/waffle due to its shape. It's basically a look out point in the middle of Sevilla and was designed by a Berlin artist. I loved its design and thought it's really different from other lookout points, plus it's 1.35 euros to go and you don't even need to climb up as there's a lift. After that, it was more of walking around to the La Magdalena church at the borders of the Centro (city centre) as siesta is taken a lot more seriously here than in Valencia, haha.
Day 2
Sevilla LowCost Walking Tours - Monument Tours
Sevilla LowCost Walking Tours - Legend Tours
Our second day was a day of tours. Thanks to the genius-ness of my travel buddy, we found a tour that is founded by students of the Sevilla University thus you can pay as much as you think its worth for them to continue the project. We really enjoyed it especially the Legend Tours which was held during the evening to night and tells you the stories of Sevilla's Santa Cruz alleyways, more on that later. It was easy to book the tour, either through email or telephone; here's a link to their FB page.
With the Monument Tours, we walked all around the city as our guide tells us the history behind each monument. For example, the University of Sevilla is once a tobacco factory, and boy was it a gorgeous one. It is supposed to take about 2 hours, but I think we took close to 3 hours simply because we were asking lots of questions, and it's just two of us for the English tour - private tour at a cheap price ;)
We both loved the Legend tours even more because it is much more interesting plus we had a really really nice guide. Since the guides are students, it's much easier to communicate and you learn stuff about each other's country such as the political systems, haha. An example of the story we heard was also with the University of Seville which had a Roman Goddess of Gossip sculpture on its rooftop. Back then, there was this dude who came to the tobacco factory it was and stared at the Goddess. When the man returned everyday and did the same thing, curious factory workers asked why he did so. His reply was that apparently the sculpture will blow its trumpet, but that does not make sense because it is a lifeless sculpture. So according to legend, the only time it will blow its trumpet is when a virgin walks through the archway beneath this roof. And it has not sounded for years, so go figure, haha. It's stories like these throughout the tour particularly in the Santa Cruz where it was the old Jewish quarters so we got to go through alleyways and listen to stories at the particular street or house.
A funny thing that happened though was at one of the tour stops when we were listening to our tour guide telling us the story. And these bunch of people came next to us, and this dude took something out of our guide's backpack. My instant reaction was to reach my hand out to stop the person, who ended up looking really shocked because...it was the guide for the Spanish version of the tour who was just taking a leaflet out of the backpack's side pocket and mistaken by me to be a pickpocket. HAHAHA. I was massively embarassed but it's funny, no?
Again as with Valencia, there was a lot more walking around than visiting places of attraction. So while agenda like the tours didn't take whole day per se, in the middle we had long lunches, siestas and more food.
On to part 2!
Sevilla. is. GORGEOUS.
The architecture is amazing given that it is influenced by everything, from Muslim to Christianity. As a matter of fact everything in this Andalusian region seems to mix everything; they all come together in peace. Wait till we talk about the food. Haha.
Transportation:
Feet. It's a huge place but other than getting to and fro the airport, we really just used our legs. Most common transportation is the trams in the city centre with buses being the most convenient. There's also a metro but I'm not too sure about the map. Or you could bust 50 euros per cart on the horse carriages. Crazy.
Base: La Hosteria de Dona Lina
Location: 3.5/5
Environment: 4/5
Room: 3.5/5
If there's one thing Sevilla can beat Venice in, is the massive alleyways for you to get lost in, especially in Santa Cruz which is the old Jewish quarters we stayed in. Had a stressful night trying to locate our hostel as we arrived close to 10pm and the taxi driver could not drop us at the door because the passages are mostly pedestrian only. Unless you use GPS, otherwise you could end up like us, calling the hostel reception to come get us. Although Sevilla is a more significant tourist attraction than Valencia, spoken English is still minimal so it's hard to understand people especially when they give directions. That said and done, most of them are more friendly and ready to help than not. The location though hard to find, can be easy to navigate once you get your bearings right, which is much easier in daylight. It's located in the old city centre, so it's really really pretty with cobbled roads and gorgeous tiled courtyards. There are also plenty of places to eat in the alleyways, let them surprise you. The room was spacious as it's meant for 3 people, the water pressure was much better here though using solar power so you might need to wait a while for hot water. Otherwise it's the usual tiled floors, and they even have air-conditioners! Haha.
Entrance to hostel
Dining area
Bedroom
Day 1
Alcazar
Giralda
Cathedral
Iglesia del Salvador
Plaza Encarnacion
Metropol Parasol
Centro
Started the day early and fresh, headed to the Cathedral but it was only open for mass thus decided to head to the Alcazar instead which was once a castle. It's still in used nowadays as a hotel for the King of Spain should he choose to stay there. The Alcazar is gorgeous, I LOVED IT. It's very different in terms of architecture from the castles I've seen, mostly utilizing Mudejar influences which is a marriage between Christian and Muslim influences - who would have thought? I rented an audio guide but the small notices in each main area provide good enough information. Took about two hours just to visit each room in the palace - would have took longer if we tried to finish the gardens and the readings. The gardens are gorgeous. You would notice that there are a lot of palm trees or large trees, simply because it was brought it from America. Another thing about the Spanish palaces is that they are usually just empty rooms without furniture, so it can be quite boring though the structure itself is worth a see - pay attention to ceilings and walls, pretty.
The first main patio that greets you in the Alcazar. If you click and see clearly, the top half of the building is inspired by architecture from Sevilla, Cordoba and other Andalusian regions, thus they look different.
Inner patio; Andalusian architecture preserves the Muslim influences of having patio, commonly with plants (as opposed to flowers) and usually having a water feature
Alcazar gardens, see them massive trees?
Then we headed back to the Cathedral and climb its tower, known as the Giralda. It was initially a tower with a flat roof, like a box but when the Catholic took over Spain, they added a bell tower. This was the best tower climb ever because it had no steps, just smooth slopes - to accommodate the person who has to go up the towers 5 times a day to announce the Muslim prayers - on a horse. View was amazing as usual, and Sevilla is huge. Came back down and explored the interior of the Cathedral, the largest of the Gothic cathedrals in the world and 3rd largest cathedral behind St.Peters in Rome and St.Paul's in London. I felt massively proud to have gone to the 3 largest cathedrals in the world, all three which are amazingly gorgeous, hehe. The altar in the Sevilla Cathedral was being refurnished thus we could not see it, but it is set to be the largest altar in the world depicting 42/46 sins from the bible. I can't remember the number so please correct me if I'm wrong. With Spanish cathedrals, particularly the ones in Sevilla, carvings and sculptures seem to dominate rather than mosaic, frescos or paintings as in other European cities. The intricate details of each carving was amazing, I particularly love the eerie paintings furnishing the massive organ
One facade of the massive Cathedral
Floor-to-ceiling organs
View from the Giralda
Altar in Iglesia del Salvador
What do you think? Mushroom or waffle?
The walkway
View from Metropol Parasol
You see crazy beautiful buildings like these all over Sevilla
Day 2
Sevilla LowCost Walking Tours - Monument Tours
Sevilla LowCost Walking Tours - Legend Tours
Our second day was a day of tours. Thanks to the genius-ness of my travel buddy, we found a tour that is founded by students of the Sevilla University thus you can pay as much as you think its worth for them to continue the project. We really enjoyed it especially the Legend Tours which was held during the evening to night and tells you the stories of Sevilla's Santa Cruz alleyways, more on that later. It was easy to book the tour, either through email or telephone; here's a link to their FB page.
With the Monument Tours, we walked all around the city as our guide tells us the history behind each monument. For example, the University of Sevilla is once a tobacco factory, and boy was it a gorgeous one. It is supposed to take about 2 hours, but I think we took close to 3 hours simply because we were asking lots of questions, and it's just two of us for the English tour - private tour at a cheap price ;)
We both loved the Legend tours even more because it is much more interesting plus we had a really really nice guide. Since the guides are students, it's much easier to communicate and you learn stuff about each other's country such as the political systems, haha. An example of the story we heard was also with the University of Seville which had a Roman Goddess of Gossip sculpture on its rooftop. Back then, there was this dude who came to the tobacco factory it was and stared at the Goddess. When the man returned everyday and did the same thing, curious factory workers asked why he did so. His reply was that apparently the sculpture will blow its trumpet, but that does not make sense because it is a lifeless sculpture. So according to legend, the only time it will blow its trumpet is when a virgin walks through the archway beneath this roof. And it has not sounded for years, so go figure, haha. It's stories like these throughout the tour particularly in the Santa Cruz where it was the old Jewish quarters so we got to go through alleyways and listen to stories at the particular street or house.
A funny thing that happened though was at one of the tour stops when we were listening to our tour guide telling us the story. And these bunch of people came next to us, and this dude took something out of our guide's backpack. My instant reaction was to reach my hand out to stop the person, who ended up looking really shocked because...it was the guide for the Spanish version of the tour who was just taking a leaflet out of the backpack's side pocket and mistaken by me to be a pickpocket. HAHAHA. I was massively embarassed but it's funny, no?
University of Sevilla, see the Roman Goddes statue at the rooftop?
Find the 3rd hand of St Peters for good luck forever ;)
Part of the Legends Tour - story of the Devil's window
The beautiful cathedral at night
Again as with Valencia, there was a lot more walking around than visiting places of attraction. So while agenda like the tours didn't take whole day per se, in the middle we had long lunches, siestas and more food.
On to part 2!
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