Ode to the Feast: Food and Dralas in Andalucía

Apparently, the dralas have not blessed my iPad. Dralas are somewhat difficult to describe. They are the living, uplifted, natural energies inherent in places and things that are invested with a sense of sacred world; the inherent magic that emanates from an awake and open-hearted relationship with our world. A living -- though not necessarily visible -- force that depends an appreciation free of conditioned habits and aggression. If I get this machine to be more compatible with my blog, then in will copy & paste some words from Chogyam Trungpa on "drala".

For now, this being my 3rd attempt tonight at posting SOMEthing for this travel journal tonight, I will say that I have to use the comments section to post until I find the solution to my iPad-World Nomad glitches.

Awoke at 10:40am thinking it was closer to 8:30 or so. Missed the in-house breakfast which is reported to be to be good, but glad for my first 8+ hours of sleep in ages. Went out into a glorious Costa del Sol, Malaga day, walked down to the nearby plaza bordered on one end by Teatro de Cervantes. Enjoyed a couple of pre-made simple tapas for brunch: a spinach & cheese mini-pie, and una empanadita de pollo. Together, they sated my appetite nicely.

On to the Museo Picasso by foot, only a few blocks from Bar Cervantes, with a brief detour into Santiago Church, the foundation of which was built in 1490, atop a Moorish mosque. (How many conquering powers have built their houses of worship over the ruins of religious or sacred buildings of the peoples they defeated? Has this been primarily a practice of Western Christian -- or Catholic -- powers, or have conquerors of other faiths shown their dominance in the same fashion?) Santiago Church has 2 claims to special status in Malaga: it is then oldest church in the city, 1st built in 1490, and Pablo Picasso was baptized there, Malaga being the birthplace of the artist.

Arrived at Museo Picasso ton discover that it's permanent collection of Picasso's work is currently closed while they are making changes (so much for "permanence"!) Undeterred, I entered the museum to see the temporary collection of Avant Garde toys. It was throughly delightful and educational, occupying about 4 rooms and a hallway on 2 floors, with a lovely, open, approachable sense of minimalism. Toys, drawings, books, paintings, furniture, and films told stories of a revolutionary approach to education, and changing attitudes about the role of children in modern western societies, as well as the influence of "primitive" cultures on those artists and philosophers of the late 19th -- early 20th centuries. Oh, and the influence of Rousseau on modern educationalists. Artists represented include -- but are not limited to -- Picasso, Calder, the Eames Brothers (of furniture design fame ... picture clean simple lines in small-sized chairs, tables & coat rack), Miro, Klee, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Cartier-Bresson. Many names I had never seen or heard uttered, from across Europe and N. America. Puppets and marionettes, as well. 100+ year old sets of building blocks much like the ones I played with as a child (that were new then, of course), that my son played with, that you would find familiar, as well. I especially loved the short film of Alexander Calder bringing his toy circus to life (unfortunately, the sound was turned off -- boo!), and his roaring lion face, but was a bit rattled when the lion tamer pulled out his gun and shot the creature for some inauspicious wild behavior.

Wandered back towards my hotel, stopping in at Lorenzo for some late afternoon lunch. The gambas (whole & still in their shells prawns) boiled in a sauce of brandy, garlic, olive oil, and one ingredient secreto (the friendly gents at the neighboring table & I both thought it to be paprika) soaked my taste buds with such balance and beauty. A large bowlful was delivered to my table ... clearly not meant for the solo diner, but I did my best and enjoyed a good two thirds of the serving. They served a dual purpose in giving me a reason to talk with these gentlmen sitting next to me, a native Dubliner, and a Spaniard of the Catalan region now living in Dublin; they appeared to be a couple, and the Spanish gent highly recommended I visit Toledo, which I may just do for a day or so.

OK ... Drumroll please ... Going to touch "Add your comment" before the iPad demons make off with my words into the realms beyond retrieval ..... Until tomorrow, buenos noches.

  jinpag Oct 20, 2010 8:35 AM