mercredi 14 mars 2012
A weekend in Milan
We flew from Spain, coming to Milan at the tale-end of a week of business, for a long weekend of pleasure and indulgence (not enough time to go to the nearby celebrated lakes though, but nonetheless...!)
We stayed at the Grand Hotel et de Milan (was that a typo – “et” de Milan?), one of these classic hotels close to the center of the city. This one is reputed as a hotel favored by lovers of opera, composers like Verdi in the 19th century, or singers like Calas in the 20th century or simply people like ourselves who come to Milan to hear beloved operas at the teatro della Scala nearby. It is an old fashioned place where you stay (and pay) for old-time sake!
Very well located as well for those who come to Milan for shopping, as it is on Via Manzoni, and right by Via Montenapoleone where all the well-established fashion houses of Italy have stores (home to Gucci's flagship store, along with Roberto Cavalli, D&G, Prada, Valentino and Versace; Giorgio Armani's superstore and his new hotel are at either end).
I started my time here by visiting the Necchi Villa, (above) a 15-minute walk from the hotel on Via Mozart. This is a very opulent residence (but not a castle!), built in the 1930’s for a rich industrialist family (the Necchi sewing machine), which has remained intact, well preserved with its original furniture and epoch furnishings and paintings. It confirms you in the view that there are more than massive apartment and business buildings along the streets of this city; it also affords you a glimpse of what life must have been for people with money decades ago. It is a house that is well featured in the recent film (2009) I am Love, a movie about a tragic love story, by filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, with actress Tilda Swinton. When I knew that it was in Milan and open to the public, I had to see it!
We spent the first evening at La Scala,(above) to see Aïda, Verdi’s opera which premiered here, at this theatre, more than a hundred years ago (in 1872 to be exact). This was the “clou” of the visit – the reason of our being in Milan, with my brother, a life-long worshipper of opera – the culmination of his passion for this art! Not disappointed: a stellar, 4 hour-long, performance in an incredible setting, reminiscent of the golden years of opera. La Scala “breathes” opera – to be convinced, one simply has to visit the shop or/and the museum, both adjacent to the theatre. A night at La Scala, an experience not to be missed!
That is if you can obtain tickets – not easy (and not cheap!): I failed to secure them on line, even early on, and we finally obtained ours through the concierge of the hotel, who got them for us from a dealer at a high price. The hotel argued that we could have dinner after the opera at their “renowned” restaurant, Don Carlos; at midnight, after a very long day that started in the early morning hours far away in Sevilla? No thank you! They were kind enough to suggest the nearby Il Salumaio – we went back for lunch a couple of days later – for simple pasta before the opera...
One more reason to be here was to see firsthand the rendition of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, painted on the walls of a convent refectory, next to the church of Santa Maria della Grazie (worth a visit, by the way!), all realized thanks to the largesse of the “mécène” of the day, the duke Ludovico Sforza, known as “il Moro”, ruler of Milan at the end of the 16th century. I had seen replicas of the painting in London a few months before, at a special exhibition of the work of Da Vinci in Milan (he spent 24 years in that city) at the National Gallery, and I convinced myself then that I should see the original at the first occasion! Again, not easy to get tickets – I booked a 15-minute (that is all they will allow!) guided tour some 6 weeks before – but at least, unlike for Aïda at La Scala, they were sold at the marked price...
This is a remarkable painting that defines the art at the time, a touchstone of the Renaissance; remarkable also because it started fainting very shortly after its creation, thanks to the unproven technique that Leonardo used, to allow himself more time to paint and work at it. What you see is only, I imagine, a pale reflection of the original, with its now washed colors. There have been several (unfortunate) attempts to “restore” the painting, but what is there to be seen is the closest to the original, the fruit of 20 years of reparation at the end of the 20th century.(Had Leonardo painted the face of the Christ? This is a controversy that had currency in my brother’s circle – it was believed that Leonardo had not had the audacity to paint Jesus’ face, and had left the task to an assistant or a monk later on. The guide (very good) assured us that he had, and that it was inspired by the face of the duke, mixed (very much so!) with the more feminine traits of a woman!...)
One more reason to come to Milan is shopping! It’s a true emporium for whoever has a passion (and the money to go with!) for the creations of the various fashion houses of the country – Prada, Armani, Versace, Ermenegildo Zegna, Valentino, Gucci, (above: The Gucci Shop) etc, be it for designer clothes, shoes or handbags. It’s everywhere, but more particularly in the streets cluster that is known as the “Quadrilatero d’Oro” (the golden rectangle) which include Via Monzani, Via Montenapoleone, Via P Verri, Via della Spiga, etc... I spent some time for a shopping break at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – a place that could be considered perhaps as the ancestor of the shopping mall, but with much more class than the usual modern incarnation!
Built towards the end of the 19th century, this is very near to the Duomo, the fantastic pinkish marble cathedral – one of the largest temples in the world (the third largest in Europe, they say, after St-Peter's in Rome...and the cathedral in Sevilla! see previous entry) – constructed over several centuries and that constitutes the central attraction of Milan – do visit: see not only the interior and the exterior, but explore also its roofs!
A great way to get an overall sense of this large city – close to 2 million people – is to take a less than 2-hour sightseeing bus tour – there is one service that starts in front of the formidable Castello Sforzesco – which helps one to get his or her bearings, and in “organizing” a short visit (what to see and where to go)...like a long week-end!
March 2012
samedi 10 mars 2012
Sevilla – Mars 2012
De retour à Séville (voir blog octobre 2007). Pour la même raison: rencontres de la CISAC. Différent hôtel cependant: EME Catedral Hotel; littéralement juste à côté de la cathédrale, en face de “la Giralda”. Cette fois, accompagné de mon frère Robert, l’aîné.
N’aies pu m’empêcher de re-visiter rapidement la cathédrale, immense – la plus grande au monde du style gothique apparemment – et de re-monter “La Giralda”, tout juste en face.
Ai pris le dernier après-midi (libre) pour visiter l’Alcazar et ses jardins, remarquable composition! Et puis pour faire un saut, à quelques kilomètres seulement au nord-ouest de la ville, pour voir les mosaïques et l’amphitéatre du site archéologique d’Italica (première cité romaine en Andalousie remontant au 3e et 2e siècle avant JC.
En ai profité également pour explorer la cuisine locale: Tribeca (fortement recommandé); Salvado Rojo (passable); de nouveau l’Abantal; n’aies pu goûter cependant les saveurs très recommandés du Santo, le restaurant de l’hôtel, ne me sentant pas particulièrement en forme le dernier soir...
Séville, le 9 mars 2012
mardi 21 février 2012
Portland, Oregon: Béatrice Lumière a 2 ans!
Arrêt quelques jours, de retour du El Salvador, en route pour Toronto; c’est l’anniversaire de Béatrice Lumière : deux ans! On célèbre çà le dimanche, à la maison qu’ils ont acheté du paternel d’Eric, en banlieue de Portland…
Descends au Ace Hotel (1022 SW rue Stark – entre la 10e et la 11e SW); dans le quartier dit historique du centre-ville de Portland, à quelques pas de la fameuse librairie Powells. Un hôtel qui fait dans « l’alternatif », à la hauteur de la réputation de la ville – bizarre ou étrange (‘Keep Portland Weird!’) Un mix entre le moderne et le bohémien…79 chambres - la mienne (« superior deluxe ») est en coin, au 4e, très spacieuse – à peu près 500 pi. ca. – aux mûrs blancs et aux accents kakis – certains meubles doivent venir de magasins de surplus militaire! Une suite de divans en coin dans l’espace de séjour; une baignoire avec des pieds-griffes qui sert de douche également, dans une salle de bain aux ouvertures de portes-coulissantes en bois naturel, bordées de métal. Un lavabo aux touches traditionnelles – sur pied, en émail blanc – dans un coin, séparé de la salle de bain en tant que tel. Une grande table de travail, plutôt étroite, en travers de la chambre, où se trouve l’inévitable télévision écran-plat, et …une table-tournante, apparemment de fabrication tchèque (J’y écoute d’ailleurs le long-jeu d’un enregistrement des variations symphoniques Opus 78 d’ Antonín Dvořák, interprétée par l’Orchestre Symphonique Tchèque, sur étiquette Nonesuch – un enregistrement qui doit dater des années 80). Frigo à vins compact, mais pas de coffre-fort!
De fait, rien n’est très conventionnel au Ace Hotel, à commencer par lobby – qui ressemble plus à un café rempli d’adolescents – et le comptoir d’enregistrement en bois, jusqu’aux magazines que l’on retrouve dans la chambre et que je ne reconnais pas – « Imbibe », « Beer West », « Antenna » and « Good »…Autre touche unique, qui devrait être répliquée ailleurs : une enveloppe bien identifiée pour le pourboire à la femme de chambre! Adjacents, de chaque côté du lobby, le Clyde Common restaurant – tables communales – hautement recommandé, et l’un des « outlets » du non moins recommandable Stumptown Coffee Roasters, temple du café à Portland!
Petit déjeuner au Bijou Café, avec Laurence, Eric et la petite Béatrice; oàu je savoure le special du jour, l’omelette aux crabes!
Lundi, jour férié – President’s day! Déjeuner (« Tasty n sons », du coté est); achat de cadeaux pour la petite Béatrice Lumière; longue promenade (sous la pluie) dans le parc avoisinant; pour finir par un casse-croûte au Ace Hotel, dans la chambre…
Portland, le 21 février, 2012
Descends au Ace Hotel (1022 SW rue Stark – entre la 10e et la 11e SW); dans le quartier dit historique du centre-ville de Portland, à quelques pas de la fameuse librairie Powells. Un hôtel qui fait dans « l’alternatif », à la hauteur de la réputation de la ville – bizarre ou étrange (‘Keep Portland Weird!’) Un mix entre le moderne et le bohémien…79 chambres - la mienne (« superior deluxe ») est en coin, au 4e, très spacieuse – à peu près 500 pi. ca. – aux mûrs blancs et aux accents kakis – certains meubles doivent venir de magasins de surplus militaire! Une suite de divans en coin dans l’espace de séjour; une baignoire avec des pieds-griffes qui sert de douche également, dans une salle de bain aux ouvertures de portes-coulissantes en bois naturel, bordées de métal. Un lavabo aux touches traditionnelles – sur pied, en émail blanc – dans un coin, séparé de la salle de bain en tant que tel. Une grande table de travail, plutôt étroite, en travers de la chambre, où se trouve l’inévitable télévision écran-plat, et …une table-tournante, apparemment de fabrication tchèque (J’y écoute d’ailleurs le long-jeu d’un enregistrement des variations symphoniques Opus 78 d’ Antonín Dvořák, interprétée par l’Orchestre Symphonique Tchèque, sur étiquette Nonesuch – un enregistrement qui doit dater des années 80). Frigo à vins compact, mais pas de coffre-fort!
De fait, rien n’est très conventionnel au Ace Hotel, à commencer par lobby – qui ressemble plus à un café rempli d’adolescents – et le comptoir d’enregistrement en bois, jusqu’aux magazines que l’on retrouve dans la chambre et que je ne reconnais pas – « Imbibe », « Beer West », « Antenna » and « Good »…Autre touche unique, qui devrait être répliquée ailleurs : une enveloppe bien identifiée pour le pourboire à la femme de chambre! Adjacents, de chaque côté du lobby, le Clyde Common restaurant – tables communales – hautement recommandé, et l’un des « outlets » du non moins recommandable Stumptown Coffee Roasters, temple du café à Portland!
Petit déjeuner au Bijou Café, avec Laurence, Eric et la petite Béatrice; oàu je savoure le special du jour, l’omelette aux crabes!
Lundi, jour férié – President’s day! Déjeuner (« Tasty n sons », du coté est); achat de cadeaux pour la petite Béatrice Lumière; longue promenade (sous la pluie) dans le parc avoisinant; pour finir par un casse-croûte au Ace Hotel, dans la chambre…
Portland, le 21 février, 2012
samedi 18 février 2012
“December 21, 2012”
About the so-called prediction by the Mayas…
We were explained, by a Maya descendant herself, that actually what it means is the end of a cycle in the Maya calendar (the 5,125 year “Great Cycle of the Ancient Maya Long Count Calendar” – in other words the current Maya calendar runs out!); not “the end of the world” – what it has become to be interpreted as! Passed that fatidic date, the Maya pronouncement means, there will be an adjustment – within the 5 following days when the calendar will adjust itself to the state of the cosmos at the time (5 days that won’t exist – or be recorded!) – and then a new calendar cycle will start. The Maya twist: the Maya will then become again respectable!
A note from an entry in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon) : “December 2012 marks the conclusion of a b'ak'tun—a time period in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar which was used in Central America prior to the arrival of Europeans. Although the Long Count was most likely invented by the Olmec, it has become closely associated with the Maya civilization, whose classic period lasted from 250 to 900 AD. The writing system of the classic Maya has been substantially deciphered, meaning that a corpus of their written and inscribed material has survived from before the European conquest.
“Unlike the 52-year Calendar Round still used today among the Maya, the Long Count was linear rather than cyclical, and kept time roughly in units of 20: 20 days made a uinal, 18 uinals (360 days) made a tun, 20 tuns made a k'atun, and 20 k'atuns (144,000 days or roughly 394 years) made up a b'ak'tun. Thus, the Mayan date of 8.3.2.10.15 represents 8 b'ak'tuns, 3 k'atuns, 2 tuns, 10 uinals and 15 days.” (More details:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_Long_Count_calendar)
Suchitoto, February 18, 2012
We were explained, by a Maya descendant herself, that actually what it means is the end of a cycle in the Maya calendar (the 5,125 year “Great Cycle of the Ancient Maya Long Count Calendar” – in other words the current Maya calendar runs out!); not “the end of the world” – what it has become to be interpreted as! Passed that fatidic date, the Maya pronouncement means, there will be an adjustment – within the 5 following days when the calendar will adjust itself to the state of the cosmos at the time (5 days that won’t exist – or be recorded!) – and then a new calendar cycle will start. The Maya twist: the Maya will then become again respectable!
A note from an entry in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon) : “December 2012 marks the conclusion of a b'ak'tun—a time period in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar which was used in Central America prior to the arrival of Europeans. Although the Long Count was most likely invented by the Olmec, it has become closely associated with the Maya civilization, whose classic period lasted from 250 to 900 AD. The writing system of the classic Maya has been substantially deciphered, meaning that a corpus of their written and inscribed material has survived from before the European conquest.
“Unlike the 52-year Calendar Round still used today among the Maya, the Long Count was linear rather than cyclical, and kept time roughly in units of 20: 20 days made a uinal, 18 uinals (360 days) made a tun, 20 tuns made a k'atun, and 20 k'atuns (144,000 days or roughly 394 years) made up a b'ak'tun. Thus, the Mayan date of 8.3.2.10.15 represents 8 b'ak'tuns, 3 k'atuns, 2 tuns, 10 uinals and 15 days.” (More details:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_Long_Count_calendar)
Suchitoto, February 18, 2012
Suchitoto (no, it is not Japanese!)
Driven back from Los Caracoles to Suchitoto by Pascal & Joaqim, the owners of the guest house (and of the hotel where we are going to be staying in that city, Los Almendros de San Lorenzo). Stopped for a bite at their new restaurant, Bistro de San Lorenzo (in case you wonder, Lorenzo, it’s the dog!) in San Salvador. They were kind enough to give us a couple of hours to visit both museums nearby – Museo National de Antropologia Dr. David J Guzman (Pascal oriented us to room 5 – a history of the country through religion - fascinating: such a contrast between the pre-Hispanic and the colonial periods!), and Museo de Arte de El Salvador (special exhibition of local painting artists since the 19th century), both recent constructions.
Drive to Suchitoto, 47km north of San Salvador, late afternoon.
Suchitoto is a small town (but a city; ciudad – 5,000 people, but many more around the city proper, perhaps some 20,000). It seems though to be an important one, in the region (further north from San Salvador, but still geographically central). The name would actually mean “place of birds and flowers” in Spanish! The cultural centre of the country, they say. Perhaps because its colonial, Hispanic character has been preserved, cobbled stone streets and all! Although most of the buildings have been erected after the independence (1821), including the beautiful church of Santa Lucia (mid 19th century - picture above) – one has to see the wooden-columned interior, long and narrow (picture below) – that dominates the main square (Parque Centenario) where, at the other end of it, sits Las Puertas Hotel (where Cynthia stays when the more luxurious Los Almendros – see below – is fully booked), which was we are told a jail a one point, converted into a bordello (!), then in a hotel – the rooms are upstairs, on the second floor, each with a balcony that must offer a unique take over the square.
There is the “International Permanent Festival of Art and Culture” going on in February every year (the XXII edition this year!). This weekend, there is a performance by two Mexican artists, a pianist and a guitarist… Paid a visit to the art gallery across the street, called Galeria Pascal (guess who is the owner!) where there is a photo exhibition of pictures of Suchitoto by the wife of a German diplomat on posting in El Salvador; interesting…
Suchitoto is also the place where the Stratford Shakespeare Festival theatre company from Ontario has chosen to help a local group – EsArtes – to build up a theater concern, a few years ago, perhaps remembering how Stratford itself started from nothing some 60 years ago… That’s why Cynthia is here, along with several other theatre people that are here (mostly from Stratford; but some from other places – Victoria, Montreal…) who come here throughout the year to assist this nascent theatre group – go to Stratford Festival’s website for a couple of videos on this unique experience (supported by CUSO)… We were fortunate to have a long conversation over dinner with the local leader of this initiative…
We are staying for a couple of days at Los Almendros de San Lorenzo (picture above), described in one guide book as “by far one of the most luxurious independently owned hotels in El Salvador”! It’s a former hacienda (abandoned some 200 years ago by the wealthy Bustamonte family who left Suchitoto for the coffee-growing hills further north, like many others when at that time the natural (and toxic) indigo dye was taken over by trade in the synthetic variety); Pascal bought the place in the early 2000 and renovated it (redone and expanded) with immense taste! Beautifully furnished and landscaped. With what is also known as the best restaurant in town – in a glass enclosure at the back of the property, bordering a larger courtyard and a pool! Only 8 rooms; we are upgraded to a suite, room #4 (beware though if you go to bed too early – it is right above the bar, and you can hear the noise until late at night…) The quieter suites I would imagine – there are 2 others – are at the back, overlooking the second courtyard. Cynthia is staying in that hotel during her stay in Suchitoto (well, almost all her stay…when she does not have to go to San Salvador, or move to the other hotel, Las Puertas…)
Suchitoto was spared by the civil war – it was very much at the center of it though – and most villages around bore the brunt of it. But somehow it was not destroyed – they say it’s because of some local artists, like resident film-maker and cultural mover-shaker Don Alejandro Cotto, who were able to speak to both sides…. It’s election time in El Salvador – local elections, mayors (and heads of departments?) for 2012-2015, but throughout the country. San Salvador is placarded with electoral campaign signs (FLMN, ARENA, GANA, ASI, and other parties…) – it is more subdued in Suchitoto though (I mean the signs…)
There are a few things you can go and see in Suchitoto – Los Tercios for instance, 30-foot waterfalls about a mile away from the center of town. I decided to walk down to the lake – Lago Suchitlan (picture below) – huge, the largest in the country; man-made: they dammed the effluent river in the 70’s for power, sacrificing arable land and displacing people. It’s also a kind of bird sanctuary, where some 200 species of migrating birds – some from as far as Canada – come, I read. It is quite a steep road downward – I would say a good half-hour walking from the main square (got a lift coming back up!)
Lunch at Villa Balanza, with some of the Stratford people – I had my introduction to the local dish – papusa – the night before with all of them at a private residence – the best papusa in town, if not the country (!) they say… Dinner at the restaurant of Los Almendros – very good – steak and salmon, and a Saint-Emilion. Cynthia says the quesdadilla – a corn meal pound cake – deserves special mention.
Suchitoto, February 17, 2012
Drive to Suchitoto, 47km north of San Salvador, late afternoon.
There is the “International Permanent Festival of Art and Culture” going on in February every year (the XXII edition this year!). This weekend, there is a performance by two Mexican artists, a pianist and a guitarist… Paid a visit to the art gallery across the street, called Galeria Pascal (guess who is the owner!) where there is a photo exhibition of pictures of Suchitoto by the wife of a German diplomat on posting in El Salvador; interesting…
Suchitoto is also the place where the Stratford Shakespeare Festival theatre company from Ontario has chosen to help a local group – EsArtes – to build up a theater concern, a few years ago, perhaps remembering how Stratford itself started from nothing some 60 years ago… That’s why Cynthia is here, along with several other theatre people that are here (mostly from Stratford; but some from other places – Victoria, Montreal…) who come here throughout the year to assist this nascent theatre group – go to Stratford Festival’s website for a couple of videos on this unique experience (supported by CUSO)… We were fortunate to have a long conversation over dinner with the local leader of this initiative…
Suchitoto was spared by the civil war – it was very much at the center of it though – and most villages around bore the brunt of it. But somehow it was not destroyed – they say it’s because of some local artists, like resident film-maker and cultural mover-shaker Don Alejandro Cotto, who were able to speak to both sides…. It’s election time in El Salvador – local elections, mayors (and heads of departments?) for 2012-2015, but throughout the country. San Salvador is placarded with electoral campaign signs (FLMN, ARENA, GANA, ASI, and other parties…) – it is more subdued in Suchitoto though (I mean the signs…)
There are a few things you can go and see in Suchitoto – Los Tercios for instance, 30-foot waterfalls about a mile away from the center of town. I decided to walk down to the lake – Lago Suchitlan (picture below) – huge, the largest in the country; man-made: they dammed the effluent river in the 70’s for power, sacrificing arable land and displacing people. It’s also a kind of bird sanctuary, where some 200 species of migrating birds – some from as far as Canada – come, I read. It is quite a steep road downward – I would say a good half-hour walking from the main square (got a lift coming back up!)
Lunch at Villa Balanza, with some of the Stratford people – I had my introduction to the local dish – papusa – the night before with all of them at a private residence – the best papusa in town, if not the country (!) they say… Dinner at the restaurant of Los Almendros – very good – steak and salmon, and a Saint-Emilion. Cynthia says the quesdadilla – a corn meal pound cake – deserves special mention.
Suchitoto, February 17, 2012
vendredi 17 février 2012
Los Caracoles (les coquillages/the shells), on Playa Maculis
“This plush guesthouse, operated by exquisite Los Almendros de San Lorenzo in Suchitoto, is right on the waves of gorgeous Playa Maculis, just north of El Tamarindo (she probably meant south of El Tamarindo, if we have to believe the map in her book). The four-bedroom hole sleeps eight very comfortably in an architecturally outstanding abode. Accented with designer kitchenware, bedding and other luxurious amenities, the setting is divine. There is a full kitchen, and all meals and maid service can be provided. The covered oceanfront deck, with hammocks and other furnishings, is inlaid with a lovely pool, kissed by the waves at high tide…” This is how Paige R. Penland, in her guide book on El Salvador (published by The Countryman Press, Woodstock, Vermont, 2011) describes Los Caracoles, a beach house where we are spending a few days. It reads like a publicity plug but it isn’t far from the truth! let's not be mistaken: it is still rustic (this is not a design-home of the kind you find at the Sea Ranch on the northern coast of California!) We are having the place to the two of us, Cynthia and I, and it is paradisiac!
Drove from San Salvador; a 3-hour drive, roughly 200 kilometers (the last 10 or so on a rough, dirt road, part of which because “they are fixing it!”) But I see on the map the markings of an airstrip nearby – for military (and less admissible) purposes – a remnant of the civil war, no doubt…!
Back to the guesthouse, the kitchen and the living room are in the open, giving on the deck and the inlaid ceramic-tile Jacuzzi (the pool Penland refers to), facing the beach. We have selected the largest bedroom in the place, which is a detached structure (still on the property, just 2 or 3 meters away) from the main building which houses a couple of bedrooms, the kitchen and the living room. Very comfortable (with the mosquito net on top of the bed, although I have not seen any mosquito – but it is the “invisible” ones that we should worry about!)
Playa Maculis is huge enough, about 2km long, a well-pronounced arch, east-west, bordered at each end by rocky patches. Los Caracoles sits about the middle. It’s midday, and there is nobody on the beach. I walked from one end to the other earlier in the morning. Sand a pearl gray. Very smooth, and “deep”. The waters recede 400 to 500 meters from the top of the beach, at low tide. There must be a 5 to 6 foot tide, not very high, some rocks appearing on the east side of the beach at low tide. The west side is somewhat more “developed”. There is a fishermen/boat colony. Lots of fish caught; boats-filled (judging by the quantity, I suspect they trade with the trawlers we see at a distance). Black vultures waiting close by.
There are also birds diving in the ocean, for fish (pelicans, says Cynthia). I say “more developed”, there seem to be more houses on the beach, one being constructed, and a cluster of them, built on a somewhat elevated cement base, on rocks, where the beach ends, at the western tip. There are a few houses on the east side, large cement structure – among which the eyesore next to Los Caracoles – that are abandoned (as it turns out the house next to the guest house is not abandoned, simply not used very often!). A very isolated beach. There were 3 or 4 bathers around 4pm, kids from the neighboring houses, at the back of the beach…otherwise, the odd dog from around…
It’s really at the south-eastern extreme end of the country, on the Pacific, but just as the coast turns from the Pacific to go north to the Golfo de Fonseca. It is probably just a matter of (a few) years for this corner of paradise to be “developed” with a major resort complex…(just make the road more accessible!)
El Salvador, February 16, 2012
Drove from San Salvador; a 3-hour drive, roughly 200 kilometers (the last 10 or so on a rough, dirt road, part of which because “they are fixing it!”) But I see on the map the markings of an airstrip nearby – for military (and less admissible) purposes – a remnant of the civil war, no doubt…!
Back to the guesthouse, the kitchen and the living room are in the open, giving on the deck and the inlaid ceramic-tile Jacuzzi (the pool Penland refers to), facing the beach. We have selected the largest bedroom in the place, which is a detached structure (still on the property, just 2 or 3 meters away) from the main building which houses a couple of bedrooms, the kitchen and the living room. Very comfortable (with the mosquito net on top of the bed, although I have not seen any mosquito – but it is the “invisible” ones that we should worry about!)
Playa Maculis is huge enough, about 2km long, a well-pronounced arch, east-west, bordered at each end by rocky patches. Los Caracoles sits about the middle. It’s midday, and there is nobody on the beach. I walked from one end to the other earlier in the morning. Sand a pearl gray. Very smooth, and “deep”. The waters recede 400 to 500 meters from the top of the beach, at low tide. There must be a 5 to 6 foot tide, not very high, some rocks appearing on the east side of the beach at low tide. The west side is somewhat more “developed”. There is a fishermen/boat colony. Lots of fish caught; boats-filled (judging by the quantity, I suspect they trade with the trawlers we see at a distance). Black vultures waiting close by.
There are also birds diving in the ocean, for fish (pelicans, says Cynthia). I say “more developed”, there seem to be more houses on the beach, one being constructed, and a cluster of them, built on a somewhat elevated cement base, on rocks, where the beach ends, at the western tip. There are a few houses on the east side, large cement structure – among which the eyesore next to Los Caracoles – that are abandoned (as it turns out the house next to the guest house is not abandoned, simply not used very often!). A very isolated beach. There were 3 or 4 bathers around 4pm, kids from the neighboring houses, at the back of the beach…otherwise, the odd dog from around…
It’s really at the south-eastern extreme end of the country, on the Pacific, but just as the coast turns from the Pacific to go north to the Golfo de Fonseca. It is probably just a matter of (a few) years for this corner of paradise to be “developed” with a major resort complex…(just make the road more accessible!)
El Salvador, February 16, 2012
mardi 14 février 2012
San Salvador; Oscar Romero
I arrived the night before and stayed at the Sheraton Presidente, a four-star hotel, one of the so-called “high-end” business hotels; in Zona Rosa, one of the ritzier neighborhoods of San Salvador. Made good use of the thousands of points accumulated over the years through the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG.com) program... Local history has it that there was a 28-hour siege at the hotel during the civil war when insurgents wanted apparently to kidnap (unsuccessfully) the head of the OAS – he must have been visiting there, and ended up in the process sequestering several Green Berets who were also staying at the hotel – I can imagine the reaction of the US: El Salvador is lucky that it was not invaded! Did not take a chance either, considering that I was arriving at 9pm, and asked the hotel to send a car – a taxi actually – to pick me up at the airport, some 44 km away, south of San Salvador; $27 – the regular price for a taxi.
Breakfast at Los Olivos, small café by the Hilton Princess, not far from the Sheraton, still in the plush Zona Rosa... (Scrambled eggs and 2 latte: US$12.00 with tip – not cheap!)
This being Monday and museums being closed (I would have liked to go and see MARTE art museum next door, especially that it is managed privately!) I went to visit the Centro Monseñor Romero on the Campus of the Universidad Centro Americano (UCA) not too far away (taxi ride: $5 each way). This is where 6 Jesuits, the housekeeper and her daughter were assassinated in November of 1989, during the civil war. They have pictures of the corpses, as they were found – some were found in the residential garden of the Jesuits – pretty gruesome! They were apparently tortured before being killed. There is a commemorative plaque now in the garden. In addition, the Centro has a room dedicated to memorabilia related to this assassination and other ones before (the times were difficult for the lower clergy who showed some sympathy for the poor...)
Rather incongruous that it happened there, in a center dedicated to Monsignor Oscar Romero, who had been assassinated for his so-called leftist leanings some 9 years before – one single shot, straight to the heart, from the back of the church, while he was celebrating the mass, giving communion to his parishioners! (This is when some of the Latin American Roman Catholic clergy had espoused the so-called Liberation Theology – the practice of religion based on the belief that Jesus Christ would have sided with the poor unjustly exploited, had he been around then…, a theology that was denounced by the right – and in due course by the Vatican! – as being too close to Marxism…). There is a film about the archbishop, Romero (1989); the archbishop is played by Raul Diaz, the Puerto Rico native who died 5 years later of liver cancer – see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098219/
It would appear that the murder of the Jesuits was carried out by the military. There was a trial in 1991 and, while there were many on trial, there was only sufficient evidence to condemn 2 officers (30 years of imprisonment) who were liberated a couple of years later, as a result of the general amnesty declared in 1993, to avoid a “witch hunt” after the end of the civil war. Last year though (22 years after the assassination!) the Spanish National Court (5 of the 6 Jesuits were Spanish) issued an international arrest warrant for 20 formerly high-ranking leaders of the Salvadoran military for their alleged role in the massacre (see Time magazine article that follows: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2075110,00.html). See also the following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdered_scholars_of_UCA#Victims. I don’t know if the warrant has ever been enforced…
Lunch at CITRON (in San Salvador, before leaving for Los Caracoles). It has a reputation, as “the most exciting, original and adventurous restaurant in San Salvador…”(Frommer’s Nicaragua and El Salvador, 2011). Early lunch, so we are alone in the place; sit at a table that gives on the open garden, probably the best table in the joint – a very elegantly-designed, if not simple, place, I might add. Owner and chef Eduardo (Harth?) – a young American from Washington (probably the state) who opened this place 6 years or so ago – helped us in the main course selection: “Atun Sashimi Encrustado”, the cold sesame tuna for Cynthia (with a reduction of hibiscus and a pickled vegetable), and “Calamar Gigante Asado”, a steak of calamari for me (with plantain chips, and 2 sauces – papaya and mango), plus a bottle of Italian white wine (“Dogajolo Blanco”, 2010). We shared a wild raspberry dessert (“Copa de Frambuesa del Parque”, raspberries that could have been picked on volcano slopes, if we are to go by what we read somewhere). All dishes very original and simply delicious – a true gourmet lunch! It falls in the category of “expensive” places - $96 for 2 but no appetizers – not that bad, if to compare to what we would have paid in Toronto for the same meal! (www.restaurantecitron.com)
San Salvador, February 13, 2012
Breakfast at Los Olivos, small café by the Hilton Princess, not far from the Sheraton, still in the plush Zona Rosa... (Scrambled eggs and 2 latte: US$12.00 with tip – not cheap!)
This being Monday and museums being closed (I would have liked to go and see MARTE art museum next door, especially that it is managed privately!) I went to visit the Centro Monseñor Romero on the Campus of the Universidad Centro Americano (UCA) not too far away (taxi ride: $5 each way). This is where 6 Jesuits, the housekeeper and her daughter were assassinated in November of 1989, during the civil war. They have pictures of the corpses, as they were found – some were found in the residential garden of the Jesuits – pretty gruesome! They were apparently tortured before being killed. There is a commemorative plaque now in the garden. In addition, the Centro has a room dedicated to memorabilia related to this assassination and other ones before (the times were difficult for the lower clergy who showed some sympathy for the poor...)
Rather incongruous that it happened there, in a center dedicated to Monsignor Oscar Romero, who had been assassinated for his so-called leftist leanings some 9 years before – one single shot, straight to the heart, from the back of the church, while he was celebrating the mass, giving communion to his parishioners! (This is when some of the Latin American Roman Catholic clergy had espoused the so-called Liberation Theology – the practice of religion based on the belief that Jesus Christ would have sided with the poor unjustly exploited, had he been around then…, a theology that was denounced by the right – and in due course by the Vatican! – as being too close to Marxism…). There is a film about the archbishop, Romero (1989); the archbishop is played by Raul Diaz, the Puerto Rico native who died 5 years later of liver cancer – see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098219/
It would appear that the murder of the Jesuits was carried out by the military. There was a trial in 1991 and, while there were many on trial, there was only sufficient evidence to condemn 2 officers (30 years of imprisonment) who were liberated a couple of years later, as a result of the general amnesty declared in 1993, to avoid a “witch hunt” after the end of the civil war. Last year though (22 years after the assassination!) the Spanish National Court (5 of the 6 Jesuits were Spanish) issued an international arrest warrant for 20 formerly high-ranking leaders of the Salvadoran military for their alleged role in the massacre (see Time magazine article that follows: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2075110,00.html). See also the following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdered_scholars_of_UCA#Victims. I don’t know if the warrant has ever been enforced…
Lunch at CITRON (in San Salvador, before leaving for Los Caracoles). It has a reputation, as “the most exciting, original and adventurous restaurant in San Salvador…”(Frommer’s Nicaragua and El Salvador, 2011). Early lunch, so we are alone in the place; sit at a table that gives on the open garden, probably the best table in the joint – a very elegantly-designed, if not simple, place, I might add. Owner and chef Eduardo (Harth?) – a young American from Washington (probably the state) who opened this place 6 years or so ago – helped us in the main course selection: “Atun Sashimi Encrustado”, the cold sesame tuna for Cynthia (with a reduction of hibiscus and a pickled vegetable), and “Calamar Gigante Asado”, a steak of calamari for me (with plantain chips, and 2 sauces – papaya and mango), plus a bottle of Italian white wine (“Dogajolo Blanco”, 2010). We shared a wild raspberry dessert (“Copa de Frambuesa del Parque”, raspberries that could have been picked on volcano slopes, if we are to go by what we read somewhere). All dishes very original and simply delicious – a true gourmet lunch! It falls in the category of “expensive” places - $96 for 2 but no appetizers – not that bad, if to compare to what we would have paid in Toronto for the same meal! (www.restaurantecitron.com)
San Salvador, February 13, 2012
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