Sara Collantes: George Harrison - THE QUIET BEATLE

England, 1962: Four hairy boys, who came from the humblest outskirts of Liverpool, released their first smash hit “Love me do”. This refreshing new sound was really well accepted and their music embraced by youngsters all over the world. They were simple yet catchy songs. People really loved them anyway and they knew it. That was the key to their success.

“When I met them it was love at first sight. It wasn’t that they were great singers or great performers or great songwriters. It was that they had enormous charisma, and they were the kind of 

people that you actually felt better being with." George Martin, The Beatles' producer.

At the age of 13 George Harrison was no more than a young skinny English boy, no different from other kids his age. But George had a guitar. His first guitar, which his mother had bought for him after he recovered from a severe flu, cost £3, a huge economic effort for the family after WWII. He was obsessed with R’n’R, especially with Elvis, and he tried to practice and learn as much as he could.

George met Paul McCartney at the school bus and the latter introduced him to John Lennon, as they needed a good guitarist for The Quarrymen, the germ of The Beatles. Despite the skepticism and reluctance shown by John for George to join the band, as he was the youngest, he demonstrated his value as the lead guitarist beyond any expectation. He even turned out to be more skilled than John himself. So the seed of the Beatles had been already planted.

A few years later, in the wake of their monumental success, the different personalities in the band were perfectly distinguished. They were like the four corners of a square. They didn't interfere with each other, but the four of them worked as a whole. John Lennon liked to attract attention; he was outgoing and a bit cantankerous. Paul McCartney was kind of a romantic and egocentric Casanova. Ringo Starr was charismatic and fun to be with. And George Harrison was a mysterious, introverted man with an exceptional taste in music.  

George didn’t have the magnetic and powerful personality of Paul and John (or their baffling egos) nor was he as extroverted and friendly as Ringo. But he had a fascinating and intense character and naturally accepted his condition as the underdog of the band. Lennon and McCartney held the reins (of the band) as they were the most talented and prolific while Harrison was the overshadowed one. The writing talent of the Paul-John duet eclipsed George's, who wasn’t that bad anyway. He only wanted to play good songs which Paul and John gave him.

Some people called Harrison the “quiet Beatle”, although, as Tom Petty said, “he never stopped talking”, and that was part of his appeal. What made him really different is that he didn’t enjoy fame and fortune as much as the others. George started then to feel an indescribable attraction for both Indian culture and its spirituality, whose influence changed him forever. George visited India many times, thus establishing a friendship with Ravi Shankar, who taught him to play the sitar. This mystical way of living wasn’t compatible with George’s life in the material world, not for long at least.

Little by little, George began discovering his hidden talent and started to improve his songwriting skills, while borrowing Indian sounds and concepts from oriental philosophy in his songs. But it wasn’t that easy to include them in an album when Paul and John penned one hit after another. Nevertheless, those compositions became better and better, as good as the others, or even stood out on their own.

The Fab Four finally split up in 1970 but none of them regretted the decision. The overwhelming pressure and growing tension within the band were simply too much to put up with. George once said that he sought for success, not fame. He started then a quiet life away from stardom, but not away from music, since in 1971 he published his first solo album, “All things must pass”, featuring all the songs never recorded with the band. It was praised all over the world, and “My sweet lord”, the jewel of the album, is considered a masterpiece.

George Harrison passed away in 2001 because of a lung cancer. But he died a great artist shining in his own right; he wasn’t just an ex-Beatle anymore. He was, in fact, not just one of the Beatles but their actual soul, the best musician, the true innovator and, quite sadly, frequently underestimated. People used to say that he was the Beatle who had changed the most and that’s because that’s just what life meant to him: change. However, there’s something that will never change: the eternal sunshine of his sincere smile.

I can’t finish without recommending a wonderful documentary directed by Martin Scorsese, “Living in the material World”, which portrays the life of George Harrison both as a Beatle and as an ordinary yet passionate man. It was premiered in 2011 on the tenth anniversary of George’s death. If you like The Beatles as much as I do, you can’t miss it!!    

Thanks a lot, dear Sara! I mean, this post came totally unexpected, which makes it even more pleasing.

And then they were only two. First it had been John who was shot to death. Then, when George died of cancer, I felt so devastated. I had always deemed him the biggest musical talent within the greatest band that ever was. It is true that he often had this kind of aloof, rather mysterious personality punctuated by his love of Hinduism. But he was indeed a great human being and his beautiful songs will stay with us forever.

Like Sara, I cannot but wholeheartedly recommend Scorsese's (a staunch Beatle fan himself) extraordinary film "Living in the Material World", which, luckily enough, is available in its entirety on YouTube (in original version, subtitled in Spanish)

Eva: NATURE AND MUSIC. A REAL (COMPLETE) EXPERIENCE.

I still remember the day I picked up the phone and listened to my friend Sonia’s voice: 

- “Hi honey, have you heard the news? Sting is going to give a concert in Hoyos del Espino".

- "Are you kidding me?" I answered.

- "Of course not. It’s absolutely true. I’m going to buy tickets for me and some friends in Madrid. Would you like to come with us?”, she asked.

At first I was speechless but then I said, “Sure, I’ll come with you.”

Oh my goodness, Sting in Hoyos! It sounded so incredible! A music icon worldwide was going to drop by in a small village with a population of less than 400 inhabitants in the Sierra de Gredos. But like most things in life, there was an explanation.

The "natural" venue in Gredos

The Junta de Castilla y Leon opened the season with that concert called “Musicians in Nature”, a way to raise awareness of the respect for natural areas and also to promote them and what a better choice than Sting, a renowned activist and the philanthropist founder of the Rain Forest Foundation.

After the controversy generated among environmental movements, the initial location within the Regional Park of the Sierra de Gredos had been transferred to its limits, on a vast esplanade surrounded by pine forests and mountains.

Some months later I was able to arrange my schedule for the day of the event so I was absolutely delighted. And our musical date arrived. We organized ourselves in several cars and started our trip to the charming and lovely village.

On arrival we found a crowded place, cars and buses concentrated in tiny streets and in a jam-packed car-park. The atmosphere was electrifying and festive, and we bumped into many familiar faces. We heard people say that the star had arrived by helicopter just in time to see England’s defeat against Portugal in the World Cup.

Gordon Matthew Thomas, Sting’s real name, appeared on stage with his guitar playing the chords of the legendary “Message in a bottle” before proceeding with “Synchronicity”. He was alternating songs from his mythical band The Police with others from his solo career. “If you love somebody set them free”, “Every breath you take”, “Englishman in New York”, “Shape of my heart”, “Fields of gold”, “Walking on the moon” or “Roxanne” were, to name a few, part of his repertoire.

Truly unforgettable was the way back to town walking along a path lit by the soft moonlight and the perfectly aligned lanterns of volunteers while everybody was singing camp songs.

Songs evoke moments and I don’t know the reason why my heart has chosen “Fragile” to fill it with memories of that warm night of July. So every time I listen to this beautiful song I can’t help feeling transported to that time and I can almost sense the heat and the intense smell of pine and nature.

The magic of the moment and the music as well as the heat of that night, wrapped in a canopy of stars, made that evening memorable and surely it will remain in the minds of those who shared an experience that provided us with an incomparable setting and the infinite music of an awesome artist with a capital "A".

Dear Eva, it's great to see that, after almost one and a half long years, you have made up your mind to write a post for the blog, so congrats and a big, big thank you!

Well, it's amazing how vividly you can remember an event that took place back in July 2006, so it must obviously have made an impression on you, and understandably so, since Sting is undoubtedly a fantastic artist. I am very fond of both his solo career as indeed of his glorious years with The Police, one of my fave bands of the late 70s / early 80s.

What can I say about Eva's choice, Fragile, to me one of the finest songs of Sting's second album as a solo artist, "Nothing like the Sun", a vinyl record which I treasure to this date. A really moving intimate song which actually is inspired by the sad controversial story of an American engineer murdered by the then US-supported "Contras" in Nicaragua in 1987:

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one

Drying in the color of the evening sun

Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away

But something in our minds will always stay

Perhaps this final act was meant

To clinch a lifetime's argument

That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could

For all those born beneath an angry star

Lest we forget how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall

Like tears from a star, like tears from a star

On and on the rain will say

How fragile we are, how fragile we are

Beautiful lyrics, aren't they? This is the lovely, somewhat minimalist original videoclip which Sting made for the song, where he - rather oddly I dare say - plays an acoustic (Spanish?) guitar:

Eva may not know that some time later Sting recorded the complete album in Spanish (and Portuguese too), under the name of "Nada como el Sol". Even if I never thought much of the Spanish cover of Fragilidad (honestly, I can't help but find the translation kind of weird at times), I've decided to embed this clip below for the sake of the evocative, well-known photographs used in the black & white montage, which suitably reminds us, these days more than ever, that "nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could" ("Nada se logra con violencia ni se logrará", Sting sings in his funny Spanish accent) ...

Sara Collantes: Bob Dylan's "Hurricane"

What’s music for? What’s its aim? Does it have a particular purpose? Can a single song change someone’s life? Many people would say that music is only there for our amusement and for the sheer pleasure of listening to it. Music itself is filled with emotions and feelings but when good lyrics are added the meaning is perfectly conveyed.

A legendary duet: Dylan & Baez

During the 60s and 70s a new wave of singer-songwriters made social problems and contemporary events known through their music. Those songs dealt with the current social situation of the time. They had a strong content of civil disobedience and were characterized by their political and social commitment. Those are the bases of the so-called protest song. It presented common issues such as women’s and civil rights, politics, or the anti-war movement. Its messages of non-conformity were spread by the likes of John Lennon, Joan Baez, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, The Clash, Bob Marley, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bob Dylan as well as many other less renowned. They are some of the best exponents of this kind of music, which came to a climax in the Woodstock Festival in the summer of 1969. Woodstock quickly became the symbol of a young generation of Americans who were weary of politics and war and claiming for peace and love as a way of life while showing their rejection of the “Establishment”.

This opportunity of giving a voice to those who didn’t have one was seized by Bob Dylan many times but particularly, on one very specific occasion, in 1975. Some songs simply tell us a story and while others become part of history.

“Here comes the story of the Hurricane …”

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter was a black American boxer who, accused of the triple murder of white people in 1966, was imprisoned for 19 years. Almost ten years later, during the mid-70s, Bob Dylan read The Sixteenth Round, the autobiography Carter had written in prison, in which he claimed his condition of a wrongly convicted innocent man. After visiting him in Rahway State Prison, Dylan started writing the song “Hurricane”, where the unfair story of Carter is told, and organizing benefit concerts in order to raise money and help him pay his lawyers’ fees. 

Dylan meets "the Hurricane"

After the release of the song in 1976, the case came to light and Carter had a second chance of proving his innocence on a new trial. But once again he was found guilty. Both trials were a bit obscure and misleading and in the subsequent years a huge controversy emerged both over the case and the song. The two trials, full of irregularities and racial prejudice by a jury consisting only of white people, were based on the testimony of two burglars who later on retracted their allegations. Thanks to the song, Carter’s case was known worldwide, aired in all newscasts. And so it was how black people took to the streets to denounce this gross injustice and how important leaders of the black community gave their support to the former boxer.

Finally, in 1985, Rubin Carter was freed and all charges against him were dismissed by a Federal Judge, who said that the punishment was “based on racism rather than reason”. After his release he worked as director of the AIDWC (Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted) for twelve years. Hurricane died last Sunday 20th April at the age of 76.

So, is music useful? Of course it is! Not only is it nourishment for the soul and a pleasure for the ears, but also a way of knowledge and possibly the most powerful way of communication. Music is indeed one of the most influential factors in the creation of a culture. There’s no need for it to be so specific or direct as Dylan’s “Hurricane”, but it is always great when a song gives us food for thought. Zack de la Rocha, the lead singer of Rage Against the Machine, once said, quote: “Music has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges and to establish real dialogue”.

You can’t touch music, but music sometimes can touch you.

Another fantastic post, so thanks a lot, dear Sara! Hurricane is not my fave Dylan song but it’s great anyway, isn’t it? I do love its committed lyrics and I can only say that I’m really proud of the way the blog looks right now.

You know, I’d been thinking of writing something myself , and it’s only coincidence that it also deals with Mr Dylan - yet in a completely different light.

I guess you guys might have seen an advert for ING which is being shown on television these days. It features the legendary singer-songwriter in London in the mid-60s and at the end of the commercial you can hear the familiar tune of arguably Dylan’s most iconic song, “Like a Rolling Stone”. Actually, the scene where Bob does the funny, nutty play on words is part of a famous 2005 Martin Scorsese documentary called “No Direction Home” (in fact, a well-known phrase among Dylan’s fans, as it is is part of the lyrics of “Like a Rolling Stone”, which you can read here)

The thing is this campaign, designed with the consent of Mr Bob Dylan (once, as Sara mentions above, the archetypical anti-establishment singer-songwriter) has caused quite a stir among his followers here in Spain, so much so that many of Dylan’s staunch fans have bitterly criticized, to say the least, his approval for allowing the popular Dutch bank to use both the funny scene and his most famous song in order to promote the corporation’s image in Spain. The slogan reads like this (let me translate it into English to kind of “honour” Mr Dylan):

TO THOSE WHO RECONSIDER THINGS. We broke ties, we broke the ground. We improved everyone’s conditions. We created the new banking. We have turned 15. It’s only the beginning. ING Direct. PEOPLE IN PROGRESS.

A rather witty, intelligent message, ain’t it?

Well, some of you guys could know this is not the first time that Mr Robert Zimmerman, who’ll turn 73 in barely a month, has sort of “sold his soul” for the “easy buck”, as it were. Back in 2004, Bob briefly yet strangely appeared in an ad for American lingerie company Victoria’s Secret featuring supermodel Adriana Lima to the tune of his 1997 song “Love Sick”.

More recently, barely three months ago, the iconic American singer infamously used his public image - and own voice! - to shoot another commercial which was aired during the celebration of possibly the most popular sports event in the USA, the Superbowl. There was huge commotion across the Atlantic as this campaign triggered wide criticism among his home fans too, especially since Dylan was advertising a car make, Chrysler, which is now in foreign hands, namely Italian motor giant FIAT.

When I saw the ING advert, I myself thought: Poor old devil, Dylan’s succumbed for good to the charms of mindless, greedy capitalism. Long gone are those days back in the 60s when he used to write the lyrics below in his fantastic 1963 song “Masters of war", where he heavily panned both the US government and military, financed by big banking corporations during the Cold War:

Let me ask you one question / Is your money that good? / Will it buy you forgiveness? / Do you think that it could?

But Dylan is complex and multi-layered, both musically and as a public figure, as you will find if you read an interesting article by American libertarian magazine Reason.com on this link, dealing with the controversy around his recent endorsement of Chrysler. Incidentally, “Hurricane” is mentioned too.

I couldn't agree more: whatever the reason, music certainly touches people, as Sara says above. And advertisers know, don't they!

Fernando: My view of Glasgow

From the outset of my trip to Glasgow I was well aware of the trouble of understanding Scottish accent properly, but I had no idea of the complexity of the task I was going to undergo. When I flew into Edinburgh Airport, I took a bus to Buchanan Bus Station. The Express Coach was certainly comfortable, with a very convenient timetable (departures every 30 minutes). I sat on one of the front seats in order to have a better view of the road and also to listen to what the two bus drivers were talking about. 

To my dismay, I immediately realized that I couldn’t understand a word. I took a chance on another place so that I could focus my attention instead on three cheerful, lovely ladies in their mid-seventies sitting next to me. They were exchanging jokes with the bus drivers and having fun all the time, and funnily enough, not without a big struggle, I managed to understand this phrase: “Just in case he were to kiss me” after half an hour eavesdropping their conversation. It seemed to me that I was listening to a Germanic language and the whole situation was utterly frustrating to me as a student of English. In that precise moment I felt how much I missed the accent of our dear Chris, so clear by comparison with his fellow countrymen.  

The Royal Concert Hall

On arriving at the hotel I was scared I wouldn’t understand the language to talk about my reservation and stuff. Luckily, the guy on the reception desk had a mild accent that gave me the opportunity of grasping the explanations somehow without being committed to accepting something different from what I had booked. I was determined to do the same things I do whenever I travel, namely, apart from watching the main tourist attractions while observing the locals’ day-to-day life and, if possible, talking to them, as every tiny detail matters to me because I always learn so much just by noticing what happens around me.

Buchanan Galleries

The hotel was perfectly situated in the city centre, next to the Buchanan Bus Station, which is something really convenient as you can walk around the whole city centre. Heading down to Buchanan Street you can find, barely 400m away, the Royal Concert Hall, where the most important artistic events take place. I am not interested in shopping at all. However, my wife wanted to have a look at the famous Buchanan Galleries Shopping Centre and I must admit that it is a magnificent building where you can buy all kinds of stuff. Buchanan Street Subway and Queen Street Train Station are almost next to each other, which gives you the chance to wander around the metropolitan areas and also outside the city. 

Glasgow is a bustling city indeed, as there are a lot of people on the streets coming and going but the majority of them were locals, I mean, there were very few tourists, which is quite the opposite to what happened in Edinburgh. Truth to be told, I must confess that I had no objection to that at all. 

The City Chambers

It is not my intention to provide a full description of the history of the most representative buildings of the town. Nevertheless, to my mind there some places that are well worth visiting and all within walking distance: George Square, The City Chambers, The City Halls (a concert hall), The Cathedral and of course of the museums, in particular the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (by the way most of them are for free). 

The impressive Kelvingrove Museum

Breakfast is the most important meal for me and I always like to have a good one which gives me fuel to go through the day so I booked a room with breakfast included and fortunately it was a buffet one, with a wide variety of food. So every morning I felt energetic enough to walk across the streets, which is, in my opinion, the best way to know a town and what I did at least the two first days, until my wife, unable to follow my steady pace, refused to take part in such an adventure. Consequently, the following days we took the underground, which pleased her so much. The tube has a circular trajectory, with only two lines, inner and outer, and although it can be rather noisy and certainly old, it is doubtlessly easy to handle the itineraries. I continued eavesdropping conversations wherever I went in the hope of grasping something more of the difficult Scottish accent and whenever I could I engage myself in small chats with some local people. 

Oran Mor. A pub, can you believe it!

At this point I have to remark that the Scottish are extremely kind and helpful and I witnessed that behaviour: on every occasion I was in the middle of a street checking my map for directions someone would turn up offering useful explanations. Wherever I went I would read every lettering, banner ad, indication or recommendation in museums, train and bus stations, as well as at the airport, the subway, in churches, restaurants and so on. It is amazing how much English you can learn by simply reading the banners!

Glasgow is a city where you can find people eating at every hour of the day until 8 or 9 pm, when the restaurants and bars become half empty. (I must say that I am in favour of timetables, and it is no problem for me to have dinner early. In Spain many people have dinner at 10 or 10.30 and sometimes this can be unhealthy and certainly not practical at all.)  I like knowing the customs of the places where I go as much as possible so I ate the food that the locals tend to eat. As my wife and I wanted to meet a young man who lately we had heard of a lot, we made a reservation to have dinner in a wonderful pub. If I may, I would like to write its name, “Oran Mor”, at the top of Byres Road Street (Hillhead Subway Station). I highly recommend this place to those who want to visit Glasgow, where you can enjoy your meal while admiring a rather unusual environment.

As a regular listener of the BBC, I had to visit the headquarters of BBC Scotland on the other side of the river Clyde. It is a superb, modern building overlooking the river, which reflects its waters on the glossy windows. It is situated by The Science Museum and there was a lot of construction and activity going on where the City Council is currently transforming the area into a modern and dynamic development, highly beneficial to the image of the city. When I saw all of that, a sad thought came to mind and I said to my wife: “there is money here, a big amount of money. I wish I could say the same thing about our country”. 

The modern Science Museum on the banks of the Clyde

In my short experience, it seems to me that Glasgow has huge potential in the future of Scotland, together with its industrial activity and its three increasingly competitive universities (The University of Glasgow, Strathclyde University and Glasgow Caledonian University) as well as a dynamic transport system essential to create wealth.

The magnificent University of Glasgow 

On balance, honestly I must say that Glasgow’s main asset is, without a doubt, its people, very friendly and welcoming, but to my mind also very different from those in the south of the country. I’ll always have fond memories of Glasgow as a place different from the rest.

Fernando, I've thanked you many times before for your invaluable contribution to our blog and I'll do it once again. A beautifully-written post indeed.

You know, I visited Glasgow with some of our language school students in April 2013, almost 28 years after my first and only visit, and I couldn't believe how the city had changed, much to my surprise. I must admit Scotland's biggest city is like paradise for architecture (both modern and classic) lovers, from the ground-breaking work by the great Charles MacKintosh to the awesome modernistic buildings scattered along the banks of the River Clyde. 

I'm sure I could mention many more places that made an impression on me but I guess the photos above are a good example of Glasgow's charm. However, if you are not satisfied and wish to see some more snaps I took myself (this time on my daughter's compact Canon) during the school trip last year, click on this link.

Maite Garcia: Dallas Buyers' Club - a chance to live

A homophobic, drug addicted womanizer, this is the way Matthew McConaughey's character is introduced, a Texan rodeo cowboy called Ron Woodroof, whose life has been a path full of big excesses. Based on a real story, Woodroof's adventure works as a pretext to present the terrible HIV virus and its consequences during the eighties.

The behaviour of this selfish guy is cut short when he is diagnosed AIDS and given only a few weeks to live. After some intense moments of doubts and a gloomy relapse, Ron Woodroof doesn't give up; instead of passively accepting his fate, he decides to look for an alternative treatment to delay the effects of his awful disease, since up to that moment the only commercialized drug is AZT, but with little success. Therefore, he acts decisively and faces up to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) after travelling to México in order to buy non-approved medication. 

Rapidly, he becomes a genuine smuggler of antivirals, vitamins and peptides. Woodroof changes many people's lives as well as his own, as this cause connects him to some unknown figures; one of them played by Jared Leto, a transvestite homosexual infected with the HIV virus. Together, they will start a large distribution center called "Dallas Buyers Club", which will be constantly fighting against the United States' legal system. 

The two Oscar-winning actors in action

As all critics have agreed, the film’s plot is punctuated by extraordinary, emotive performances. Most remarkable has been Mathew McConaughey's. Until today he was known to the Academy as a leading man from the genre of romantic comedies, but thanks to his fantastic role in Dallas he has achieved the highest recognition from the American industry, an Oscar for best actor in a leading role. Not only have we been impressed by his extreme physical transformation but also by the roller-coaster of emotions he manages to transmit. The other Oscar-winning actor, Jared Leto, fills his acting with several tinges, so that the audience connects immediately with his feelings since he oozes sensibility and charm. I guess the director Jean-Marc Vallée has contributed to the success of their performances, as even Jennifer Garner, in a modest secondary role, has improved her acting skills significantly compared to previous films. 

I love this movie, especially because of the way all these characters, each one of them coming from different origins and having such distant ideologies or lifestyles, intertwine their lives. However, their differences are not a handicap to fight for life.  Dallas Buyers Club is a marvelous, thought-provoking film in which the director deals with issues which unfortunately are so contemporary. If I had to underline a particular scene, I would recall one when Ron is portrayed surrounded by butterflies; it seems to me a gorgeous metaphor of our existence. Simply fantastic! 

Thanks Maite for another great post! You hadn't written any stuff since that early review of Nosferatu, so welcome back.

As you know, I saw "Dallas ..." too and I really loved it, even if it's rather tough to watch at times. Films dealing with the plague caused by HIV since the mid-1980s in America are always extremely gruesome (Philadelphia and The Hours, to name a few, are two titles you may remember). 

Honestly, I'd never thought much of Matthew McCounaghey as an actor before his awesome role in this film. To me, maybe wrongly, he was just the classic "rom com" ladies' man. But all of a sudden he puts so much of himself into this character, both physically (seemingly he lost some 50 pounds) and emotionally. Also worth mentioning is Jared Leto's heart-rending performance - no wonder they both scooped well-deserved statuettes at this year's Oscars.

So let me just embed the film's trailer for those of you who may have not seen Dallas Buyers Club yet, arguably one of the best, most successful independent films of 2013. 

Sara Collantes: The French "Iron Maiden"

A few days ago, in late March, one of the most recognizable symbols of modern architecture in Europe turned 125. I mean, the most praised Parisian inhabitant, the Eiffel Tower of course. This magnificent iron structure is an iconic landmark, not only for Paris itself but for the whole France.

L'exposition universelle 1889 

Conceived as the imposing gateway for the 1889 World’s Fair in honour of the centenary of the French Revolution, it was originally condemned to be dismantled after 20 years (just like the other constructions built specifically for the exhibition); but in 1903 the French Army placed a transmitting antenna on the top, which was absolutely essential during the Great War, changing its fate forever. Because of its great value for communication, it was allowed to stand and now we all can admire its slender fragility and cold beauty.

Mr G. Eiffel proudly poses at the stairs

Nowadays we can’t even imagine the City of Light without its Eiffel Tower. We can only picture the skyline of Paris, with the worldwide known tower patiently dominating the whole town. As Guy de Maupassant said, “the tower is the one place in Paris where the tower is not visible”. Take the case of the films. No matter in which hotel the lead actor is staying, they’ll always open a great double-door balcony with breathtaking views of the Tower. But the Big Lady hasn’t always been there. There was a time when its construction was the target of criticism and heated discussion between artists and intellectuals, on one side of the wrestling ring, and engineers on the other.

The dispute between architects and engineers goes a long way back. Since the appearance of the so-called iron architecture in the 1800s, which came as a result of the Industrial Revolution, the purpose of new constructions turned into a more social role. Engineering and new materials were now at the service of a new concept of architecture, which opposed the traditional train of thought. And so then, the Eiffel Tower symbolized the “grandeur of the science and French engineering”. 

Even before the beginning of its construction in 1887, it was surrounded by a unbreathable atmosphere of distrust and controversy among prominent figures of the world of literature and art. They defended their opinions tooth and nail and left proof of their common disagreement in a scathing announcement:

“We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects and passionate

devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, protest with all

our strength, with all our indignation, in the name of slighted French

taste, against the erection of this useless and monstrous

Eiffel Tower...” 

Le Temps, 14 February 1887.

A view of Trocadero

Rather than the massive structure, its daring excessive shape or the pointless of its use, the major concern they had was if it was even feasible to be erected. These personalities thought that the tower would collapse before it had been completed or, provided it didn’t, they were sure that Gustav Eiffel would look ridiculous in view of the misunderstanding and astonishment by the attendees of the World’s Fair. But the result was completely different, and the Tower was a smashing success since two million people had climbed to the top by the end of the exhibition.

I was tremendously lucky to walk up the tower, even though only to the second floor. I was only 9, so I can’t remember much of the experience, but what I do remember clearly is standing on tiptoe just to be able to see over the railing how vast Paris was in a bird’s eye view. I was astonished to see how countless buildings spread out as far as the eye could see. And at night it was absolutely awesome, a real dream of light.

To finish, just one infantile yet equally enlightening question: when playing Pictionary, if you are supposed to draw Paris, what is the first thing that springs to mind? Think of it, mon amis!

The Eiffel Tower in numbers:

Height: 324m

Weight: 10.100 tones

Foundations depth: 15 m

Steps: 1.710

Iron pieces: 18.038

Rivets: 2.5 million

Light bulbs: 20.000

Lifts: 9

Construction time: 2 years, 2 months, 5 days

Painting time lapse: every 7 years

Highest building from 1889 to 1930 (when the Chrysler Building in NY took over)

Such a fantastic post - as well as the photos and the great video - , dear Sara! 

Who can deny the lure of the City of Light, the ever so romantic Paris. I'm sure if you guys have been to the French capital yourselves you will find it really hard to choose just the one spot that sticks to mind, but surely the majestic iron structure will undoubtedly be in the top five, won't it? 

When we went to Paris (I mean, my wife and kids and myself) and I first saw the Tower in the distance, I thought it didn't look as high as its huge proportions would obviously indicate, but how wrong I was! Only when I stood at the very top of it, did I realise how mesmerizingly amazing the view is!

So I suddenly remembered I took some (to my modest mind) fantastic photos on my Pentax. Truth be told, it was rather easy to do so, as we were extremely fortunate that the weather was gorgeous, simply spectacular, that glorious day we had booked the tickets online to get to the top. So hey, I just decided I wanted to share with you this link. Hope you like the pics! 

If any of you guys have also been to Paris, would you indeed like to share your memories? ...

Maite Jiménez - "HER": SPIKE JONZE’S VERY UNCONVENTIONAL LOVE STORY

Set in Los Angeles, in an elegant, sophisticated version of the forthcoming technological future, where things have been nicely simplified, “Her”, Spike Jonze’s latest film, revolves around the unexpected, even unnatural relationship between a melancholic and soulful complex man named Theodore Twombly (masterfully played by Joaquin Phoenix), who is in the middle of a traumatic separation from childhood sweetheart Catherine (Rooney Mara) and his new, and seemingly autonomous, intelligent operating system (wonderfully voiced by Scarlett Johansson). 

Theodore makes his living working for a company called BeautifulHandwrittenletters.com, penning heartfelt and touching letters for other people. Discouraged after the unavoidable end of a long relationship, and incapable of moving on, he unconsciously looks for shelter and company, which he finds out, quite by chance, in a talking operating system with advanced brightness, not only thoroughly designed to adjust and evolve in its own way, but also personalized, to make matters worse, for each user. After initiating it, Theodore is pleased to meet “Samantha”, a captivating female voice who immediately cares for him, and is a good listener, as well as sensitive and surprisingly funny. Theodore is soon amazed not only by her ability to turn out the most varied issues, but also her intellectual capacity and keen sense of humor, all perfectly mingled with her enormous ignorance of the simplest human experiences. They bond over their discussions about inward feelings, their needs and desires, even sentimental experiences and jokes, developing an odd friendship into the eventual “love” for each other.

This is, broadly, an initial approach to the story. The rest of the flick I am not going to gut in attention for those who have not seen it yet, but these brushstrokes about the plot are enough to give my impression on the movie and to reflect upon some ideas.

I feel “Her” challenges our preconceptions about the so-called “real love”. I mean, it seems, on a superficial reading, another love story in a technological context, an imaginative attempt to go a little further about the difficulty of personal relationships in a high-tech world. It may be a weird, pretty absurd account, more implausible and unbelievable than others, but to my mind, it is, in fact, no more than a fantasy exercise that allows Spike Jonze to go deeper into thorny matters that invariably lead to weighty moral problems: to cite a few, the rational use of technology, the arrival of post-humanism, the phenomenon of machinism - or the control by gadgets of our lives - as well as the increasing isolation of the human being and their inability to communicate, to click with their peers on a deeper level.

Alongside them, other more “forgettable” subjects are brilliantly outlined by Spike Jonze: Are you a slave to technology? Do you need to tweet everything you do? Do you look at the world through a camera? Do you check your mobile phone before and after sleep? Would you fall in love with a thing? Do you have real friends? Are you afraid to be alone? Are you obsessed with the past? What do you need to be happy? 

Apart from these technological quizzicalities, there are three ideas, among the many that the film suggests, that I find interesting:

Firstly, the power of words. The job Theodore does is no coincidence. Let me remind you he is a lonely, introverted young man, very attractive by the way, who works for a company that employs professional writers who compose intimate letters for people who are unwilling or unable to pen letters of a personal nature themselves. Although Theodore is unable to help himself, he has, nevertheless, an uncanny ability to choose the appropriate words, those which will have a positive effect on the addressee. This is one of the many contradictions that accurately reflect Theodore’s personality, and by extension, of the entire human nature.

Words heal - or just the opposite - I guess Theodore must think, not forgetting words are also a source of misunderstanding. I have always liked a Spanish saying that summarizes this philosophy in a few words: “Tal palabra me dices, tal corazón me pones”. And which, on the other hand, doesn’t make you a corny fool or too pliable or fragile a person at all, as Theodore is very smart, but also too emotional.

Secondly, the consequences of trivializing romantic relationships. This notion probably sounds out of fashion. Yet the lack of responsibility in love has left many victims on the road. Notable French writer A. De Saint-Exupérie was able to express this question, better than anybody, through a beautiful fable in the mouth of The Little Prince: “I wished you no harm but you wanted me to tame you”, said the Little Prince to the fox”. “Men have forgotten this basic truth”, replied the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed”. 

In “Her”, Theodore was tamed as well, like the fox, and later on he is forced, by a particular set of circumstances, to cease to be the person he was, to reinvent both himself and his life, leaving aside the past. I like the way Spike Jonze tackles how hard it is sometimes to overcome a sentimental relationship ever so much, and not, as usually expected, from a female perspective but rather from a masculine one. 

Last but not least, there is the eternal conflict between reason and heart. In this feature it is embodied by an artificial super-intelligence (so efficient and fast) and a dim, vulnerable man. Computer “Samantha” would ironically like to be more human, to experiment what human beings feel, precisely just the opposite of that Theodore wishes, who would not want to sense so much so as to suffer less.

With regard to other aspects of the movie, the film’s soundtrack accompanies the story truly well (there are songs composed by Canadian band Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett, with additional music by Karen O of “Yeah Yeah Yeahs”). Jonze’s refined sense of taste (the use of beautiful bright colours contrasts the perfect world outside with the sadness of the main character), not to mention the teasing, jolly side of the film, already present from the very handling of the subject: the funny computer game “Perfect Mum”, designed by Amy, Theodore’s best friend - fantastically performed by Amy Adams - and the amazing game of the foul-mouthed yet adorable alien child that Theodore usually plays with, provide the icing on the cake.

Ultimately, “Her” is a fresh love story that explores the evolving nature - and the risks - of intimacy in the modern world. Not only is it a stirring and entertaining film, but also a small work of art, without appearing a bit over the top. Needless to say, you should watch it in original version. 

Maite, this is indeed a fantastic review of a film that, like you it seems, I really enjoyed - congrats on a job well done!

Jonze's "sci-fi love story" gave me so much food for thought as I was watching it. Honestly. I didn't know if I felt mesmerized by the storyline or simply terrified of the world it depicted, one which our society might inevitably be heading for. I mean, will we one day end up actually having a relationship with a machine, whether a computer or our ubiquitous mobile phone? Who knows!

As usual, Phoenix and Adams deliver extraordinary performances - and so does, to my mind, an "invisible" Scarlett Johansson just by her (terribly seductive) voice, doesn't she?

Anyway, for those of you who didn't have the chance to relish "Her", this is the film's official trailer ...

... plus a short yet interesting interview on the BBC's "Newsnight" with its director:

Fernando: A SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN RIBADAVIA

Some years ago I was working in in Galicia. I must admit that I really have fond memories of the place because it is an amazing place to live in. Apart from its breathtaking coastal areas, unspoiled beaches and well-known landmarks, Galicia has surprising places and villages off the tourist traps, unknown to many people, where you can find very friendly locals, delicious food and inviting landscapes. 

During the time I spent there I used to travel to remote little villages as well as bustling cities and big villages in order to know more about what life was like in that particular part of the country that I love so much. So on a cloudy November afternoon, after an early lunch, I drove with three colleagues of mine to Ribadavia in Orense’s province. We enjoyed ourselves while wandering around the village and its surroundings, visiting the main tourist attractions and shopping for exotic local stuff in an open market. 

At 9 pm, as we were about to leave the village, we stumbled across a stone building with no windows and a big wooden door, which apparently seemed to be a small chapel, although there were no crosses or religious symbols outside that indicated it could be. We could hear male voices singing from inside, so we guessed that it was presumably a choir doing some rehearsal. One of my colleagues, curious enough to know was going on inside, pulled the door smoothly. We saw a group of middle-aged men sitting in a rectangular wooden desk full of food and drinks. On seeing us they stopped singing immediately.” Sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb. We wrongly thought that this building was perhaps a chapel. Please, carry on with the party"- said my colleague. One of the men stood up and told us “Come in, we have an excellent wine that is worth tasting”. We politely refused the invitation, but the man insisted on his offer.  He said to us: “On the left there is red wine, the white wine is on the right and there is also some cheese and pasty on the cupboard on both sides", so we guessed that the place could be either a bar or a wine shop.

We diffidently approached the cupboard where there were several chipped taziñas and filled them with wine. It was extraordinarily tasty and so were the cheese and the empanada. The men continued enjoying the party oblivious of our presence and the one who was apparently in charge seemed to take no notice of everything we were drinking and eating. Therefore, I wrote down in a small piece of paper everything that we drank and ate. The wine was extremely soft and light as usual in that kind of wine (Ribeiro) so we almost gulped down the two first taziñas and, after drinking several more, we ended up joining the party. We had good fun, as the men were making amusing comments and telling jokes, some of them in gallego. In fact, though they were speaking the language most of the time, it wasn’t a problem for us at all because we could understand it easily, and all of us liked the Galician language.

At 10.30 pm, after an exchange of pleasant, polite comments among us, all the men stood up and said goodbye. They left the building apparently in a hurry, considering the mess on the table, where there were some leftovers, half empty taziñas, an untouched piece of bread, a cardboard box full of red apples, as well as homemade apple pie, a small box of cigars and many other things together with dirty dishes. We immediately thought that the man in charge would come back soon in order to clear up all the stuff. Nevertheless, after half an hour no one did, so we went outside in the hope of seeing someone but the street was completely deserted and silent. The only sound was a dog barking into the distance.  We were alone and, much to our surprise, we found out that the entrance door could only be locked from inside the building and obviously we didn’t want to leave the bar without locking it. So, to our astonishment, we were holding the fort of a wine shop for a while. In the meantime, we refilled our taziñas once again and, truth be told, we were almost drunk and having a great time. 

At 11.30 pm we still soldiered on, but we had to make a decision sooner or later. At midnight, we heard the sound of a door opening just behind one of the barrels. We stood up immediately and ran towards there. A tall, well-built man in his early seventies appeared in the threshold of a hidden door. He had grey hair and blue eyes and, though he was wearing a creased shirt, there was something smart in his presence. “Good evening, gentlemen”, he said to us. “It is two minutes past midnight and I’m afraid I have to close our wine cellar right away. I have a date with a very attractive lady and I just can’t wait to see her”. And he immediately started quoting famous sentences from well-known writers which spoke about love. We had a nice chat with him.  He seemed to be a learned person indeed, actually a retired man who spent his time growing his vineyard and sharing the wine with his friends. He lived in a house next door which had a direct access to the cellar. He told us that his friends would come back tomorrow morning to tidy up. He refused to take any money from us but we reached an agreement and left some money inside an empty cigar box as maintenance expenses before saying goodbye.

On our way to where the car was parked, we found a fountain in the middle of a park. I put my head under one of the streams. The cold water cleared my head and my body somehow to help me drive sober. I’ve always been a careful driver and right then I wouldn’t dare be drunk at the wheel for two reasons: it is too risky and also you can put your life and the lives of others in danger.  At about four we managed to go back home safe and sound.

It was an unforgettable experience which perfectly encapsulates my idea of traveling. Every trip means for me knowing new places, meeting new people and living experiences that otherwise I wouldn't live at home and, inevitably, open my mind and my readiness to embrace change.

Fernando, I really love this post, congrats! It perfectly illustrates what "the tiny wonders of life" mean, very much like we discussed in our lessons today. It's only a shame you did't take any pictures of the lively choir or the party you shared with those welcoming villagers.

So come on, guys. Can you share with us any more travel experiences like this? I'm sure you can recall a few, can't you?