Star Wars in Madrid!

The wildest dreams of a Star Wars fan come true...

That's what it feels like when you walk into the hallways of Leia's ship and enter the many rooms full of precious collectors' objects that await you... Now in Madrid, Star Wars The Exhibition makes it possible!

Come with me to see who's here:






...And, a guest of honor:


From Geonosis to Tatooine, from Coruscant to Naboo, you can travel across the galaxy and its inner rings... Then make a stop wherever you please...

George Lucas and his team have made sure that the exhibition is full of details from inside and behind the screen of his films, so we can see lots of scale models of the ships and buildings, a wide arrangement of outfits and costumes, sculptures of many strange creatures, sketches, designs and character profiles, storyboards and even loose pages of the original scripts.
And one of the best advantages is that you can take all the pictures you want, an aspect rarely found in exhibits or museums nowadays. There's even a Jedi School to participate, and all this for just 10 Euro.











And here are my fan pics, for the sake of fandom:






Star Wars The Exhibition, will be in Madrid until March 15, 2009, so don't miss your chance to feel the force and have lots of fun no matter the age... That's the great thing about Star Wars...


Now, it's time for me to board my ship to a galaxy far, far away... (I had to say it!)

 

Which way to go?

Just some thoughts about the urban life...

When you're living in the crazyness of a megacity or a global city, you may face many forks in the roads...

Sometimes it's not even a matter of turning left or right...
Maybe there's a third path that awaits to be seen... or to be created...
Anyway you choose, be sure that you go your own way... :-)

 

Chocolate Pleasures

Come with me to a place where your sweetest chocolate fantasies can come true...


There's a sweet little shop...


...full of little sweet goods...



...and a cute little penguin on the door...


...with a nice selection of the finest bonbons...




...and a colorful array of delicious macaroons...


Remember: Petit Plaisir.
You'll be glad to knock on its door, located at Castelló 12, Madrid.

 

Waterfall Curtain

A window that opens to a colorful pond in the middle of the city... :-)

Located at El Retiro park.

 

A walk into the 16th century

A nice place to look at the past and loose yourself in the architectonic marvels of an old city...

...That's what you find when you walk on the brick and stone roads of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.


The Monastery of El Escorial, a monumental building declared of Worldwide Interest by UNESCO in 1984, hosts a palace, a museum, magnificent gardens, a library, a crypt, and many more 'attractions' adorned with wonderful antiques and master pieces of art.


The city is located in a natural environment of amazing beauty, so after your 'date' with history, you can just relax and enjoy its wonderful parks and surroundings.

 

Pan Cake Café

Today, I'll take you to enjoy a delicious snack for 'tea time'.


Taking a relaxed summer walk through Alcalá Street alongside El Retiro Park, we find a nice little café located in the fifth street corner from the Puerta de Alcalá, in Castelló Street # 3. The place is called "Pan Cake".



Its interiors are decorated in inviting soft colors accentuated with the cheerful hues of the appetising and exotic pastries.


The first time I visited the place, I tried the pastries sample tasting menu, and was delighted with some exotic flavors like 'banana-curry rice crispies', 'sweet cheese with tomato jam topping', and 'lemon-molasses jelly gummies', among others.
But their real specialty are the fresh from the oven goodies: croissants, brioches and breads.


You can enjoy your favorite buns with coffee, tea or fruit juice. I deeply recommend their iced green tea with a touch of mint, really refreshing!


Have a great snack time! ;-)

 

Duane Hanson's people in Madrid

Until August 24th, you can walk into a place where it's difficult to figure out who's made of flesh and bones and who's just fiberglass or bronze.
"Fundación Canal" is showing an exhibit on the works of the american artist Duane Hanson, "Scupltures of The American Dream".
His life size sculptures will make it hard to tell if those guys sitting at the bench admiring the exhibit are just visitors or part of another art installation. Only when you notice that the security guard is in fact breathing, then you realize that not all the people in the room is the creation of a realistic artist.
After all, that's what Hyperrealism is all about...

Hanson put a lot of attention and detail in each one of his works to resemble ordinary people. They're even dressed just like everyone else, with real life outfits, and there's also an anecdote about him buying all the clothes from a woman selling stuff in a flea market (the ones she was wearing and the ones she was selling), with the sole purpose to recreate the perfect everyday scene of an ordinary lady who's trying to earn some money just to make ends meet.



If you happen to be in Madrid this summer, take a look around these people and get into their not so fantastic american dream. It's free and the booklet comes with a poster of one of his master pieces. :-)

 

Swan in a blue lake

Swans...
What do they evoke in us?
...Beauty?
...Perfection?
...Old naive tales?

Soft winged curves that move rhythmically with the water waves...
Wings that spread and reach the immensity of our skies, followed by the perfect water landing...
All peace, calm and grace...

A luxury sight to enjoy, not so far from the city...

 

Seen at sunset

Driving around 'La Sierra de Madrid' (Madrid's mountain range), may take you to some breathtaking views and places. A few kilometers away from the city core (approx. 50 Km), there are some small and nice towns to spend the day, just like Manzanares el Real. Here you can take a walk into the past, entering through the huge portal doors of this magnificent building from the 15th century, or simply delight yourself with the beautiful sight of the artificial lake from which almost all Madrid's water come.
Along the summer time, the sunsets are stunning and there's daylight until around 10:30 pm.

Another great pastime can be watching the numerous population of storks that have nested on the higher tops of the town's buildings and that fly through the skies above your head as little 'dragons', so big in size...

...And perhaps, if you're lucky, they will land on the peak of the nearest tree and will offer you a friendly glance...

Can you see it?

More photos and articles about this wonderful place in coming posts.
(All pics were taken with my Motorola V360 cell phone camera).

 

A New Day...

...Always brings a new promise!