Settling Down In Oxford

Sorry I've been so silent this past week, but Almudena, Julián, and I just moved up to Oxford for a six-month research trip. I'm ensconced in the Bodleian Library researching two books while Almudena is working with the astronomy department. Julián is starting in a local school next week so I'll have much more time to post after that. Taking care of a three year-old all day is exhausting!

So far we've been exploring the two local parks, the local pub called The Fir Tree (serving a fine Sunday roast and guest ales) and getting in a bit of work. Today we took another look at an old pagan grove and Norman church in the village of Iffley that I blogged about last year. This weekend I'll be attending Oxfringe, a local literary festival. I'll be reporting on that next week. Busy, busy!

Madrid Travel Tips

This week's postings are up on the Madrid section of PlanetEye. I talk about an upcoming film festival, my favorite plaza, and my first experience with Guinean food. If there's anything you'd like to see me blog about on PlanetEye, drop me a line or leave a comment here.

Travel Advice About Madrid

Hello everyone. Sorry for not posting last week, but Almudena was away and so I was doing the single dad thing, plus I got slammed with work. Something had to give, and it was my blogging. I promise to be better this week.

One reason I was so silent is I've taken a paid blogging position with the travel blog PlanetEye. You can see my first week of posts here. They include a review of an excellent art exhibit, info on four Jazz festivals this month, an article on the Obama election party, and some more about little old me.

Great Film from Nepal

I've been attending the 7th Annual Madrid Indian Film Festival, indulging in my love of foreign film. Despite the name, only about a half were from India, the rest being from various Asian and Middle Eastern countries. The best film I saw by far was Kagbeni, a Nepali film. I'd never seen a Nepali film before so I didn't know what to expect. Considering that it's one of the poorest countries in the world and just emerging from a nasty civil war, I figured I'd see a low budget effort.

Boy was I wrong! This is the best film I've seen this year. Cinemaphotographer Bidur Pandey has lots of fun with panning shots of Nepal's beautiful scenery, perfectly capturing the wonderful colors that are still vivid in my mind from my visit there more than ten years ago. The acting was well done, the scripting tight, the cultural mores are made accessible to a foreign audience, and the plot was engaging. The fact that this is Bhusan Dahal's directorial debut is simply amazing.

I won't give away the plot, but it's based on the famous story The Monkey's Paw, written by W.W. Jacobs in 1902. The story revolves around an ancient monkey's paw that can grant wishes. But as we all know, wishes come at a price. . .

If you get a chance to see this film, by all means do.

Easter Procession in Madrid

No, I haven't joined the Klan, I attended a traditional Easter procession in Madrid. These are held in big cities and small towns every year. In addition to these men and women in pointed hoods, there are women dressed as widows, cavalrymen in Napoleonic uniforms, marching bands, and teams of hefty guys carrying huge floats laden with candles and religious icons.
























So what's with the crazy and somewhat disturbing hats? Nobody seems to know for sure, but one Spanish friend explained that they wear masks because they represent the Romans and are embarrassed to be crucifying Jesus. One guy was even carrying a flag that said "SPQR", the Roman motto that stands for Senatus populusque Romanus, meaning "The Senate and People of Rome." Some of the marchers, as added penance, walk barefoot. I was wearing a sweater and coat, not to mention shoes, and I was freezing!