the daily view from Thru Other Eyes

See The Light

 September 6, 2009; Tibidabo and Placa d'Espanya, Barcelona, Spain

Today's theme, our last full day in Barcelona, ended up being about 'seeing the light' if you will. In the early afternoon we went to see another one of Barcelona's beautiful churches - the Sagrat Cor - on Barcelona's highest peak called Tibidabo. In the evening we caught the fantastic light and music show at the Magic Fountain of Montjuic.

  The Sagrat Cor sits 575 meters (1900 feet) above Barcelona giving 360 degree panoramic views in every direction. The inside of the church has lovely stained glass windows and lovely scenes painted in the alcoves and on the ceiling. What I really  liked were the statues of the 12 apostles adorning four towers with each statue looking into the distance keeping watch on the residents of Barcelona.

The Magic Fountain of Montjuic is set at the end of a nearly kilometer long boulevard starting at Placa d'Espanya. The boulevard is lined with dozens of small fountains leading to the large Magic Fountain at the other end. Evenings there are several sound and light shows that really are magic.

You can see the full albums as one picture just isn't enough to do either source of light justice.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

Sagrat Cor on Tibidabo, Barcelona

Excerpt show from Magic Fountain of Montjuic

Uncle Meat and The Highway Children

 July 25, 2009; Oren's house, Amsterdam @ 21.30

A dear friend of ours threw a garden party last night and arranged a most unusual music group to provide the entertainment. Meet Uncle Meat and The Highway Children. Oddly enough but somehow appropriate, Uncle Meat is the girl in the group and she is a vegetarian.

These five traveling troubadours hail from Manchester, England and are working their way around Europe in their big red van sharing their folk-punk-garage fusion sound with whoever crosses their path. They earn their money mostly by busking but also play open mikes and get the occasional paid gig as well. They sleep in the van and often find places to crash, either at another kindred spirit's home or as now in Amsterdam with a group of squatters in a squat.

Oren saw them play a month ago as they were busking across the street from the currency exchange office where he works. He offered them a night of free food and drink to come play at his party and they gladly accepted. They are all open, engaging, friendly and fascinating spirits with a genuine love of music, people and the highway. Their energy, their music and the incredible atmosphere they create are all reminiscent of an earlier time. Think mini-Woodstock.

As night fell, the darkness, their melodious music, the small bonfire in the backyard, the buzz and energy of the people, the food, the drink and the grass (not the stuff you mow) all combined to create a truly magical moment of joy and harmony. Again, think mini-Woodstock.

This last clip is visually very bad because it was dark but they were playing one of my favorite songs: Johnny B Goode. I unfortunately missed the first half of the song as it took a few minutes of 'filming,' panning, moving in and out before I realized I hadn't pushed 'record.' That's how good the party was hahaha.

One of the other guys who was with them last night is Christopher, from Kansas of all places. Christopher and his girlfriend, both musicians also, are on their first trip outside of the USA and hooked up with the group a few days ago in Amsterdam. It is so refreshing and inspiring to meet and talk with such great young people like them. I wish them all well on their journeys.

Draaiorgel - or music to kill by

July 23, 2009; Kalverstraat, Amsterdam @ 12.45

Have you ever heard music so intrusive, so penetrating and shrill that you thought someone was drilling a huge hole right into your skull? Have you ever heard an incessant musical noise that was so irritating you thought you would commit murder to make it stop? 

Welcome to the wonderful and weird yet somehow interesting world of Dutch draaiorgel (pipe crank-organ) music.

(Think I am exaggerating how irritating these things can be? Click on the download link here and let this track of 'draaiorgel' music play while you are reading this post. Oh yeah, to mimic the effect in real life, put the volume all the way up. Download Boogschuttermars)

The street pipe organ in the form of the portable barrel organ was popular all over Europe from the 17th century mostly in proletarian  neighborhoods. Until around 1850 they were pretty small, with the organ grinder carrying it around on a strap and standing it on one leg when being played.

In the early to mid 1800s the Italian organ builder Giacomo Gavioli began building much larger organs. With up to 80 - 90 keys these organs had much greater musical flexibility and range. In the late 1800s a pianola type book began to replace the cylinders giving the continuously larger and more intricate organs even greater musical flexibility.

In 1875 a Dutch businessman, Leon Warnies, began to import these new and larger organs to the Netherlands. As the organ began to lose popularity in the rest of Europe in the early 1900s it only grew in popularity in the poor working class neighborhoods of the Netherlands. Leon Warnies developed a new business model allowing the street organ grinder to rent his high quality instruments.

The company Warnies started still exists today and bears the name of his partner G. Parlee who took over the business when Warnies dies in 1925. The organs this company produced were ornate and intricate creations. The company produces a small number of organs still in the old-fashion artisan way and runs a museum in Amsterdam's Jordaan neighborhood which was the very poor working class neighborhood that gave birth to much of Holland's organ music culture. The museum is located at Westerstraat 119 where the G Parlee company has been building organs since 1932.

Where there in the past perhaps dozens of these organs were on the streets of Amsterdam on any given day, there are now probably only three or four. But these instruments and their music were such an important part of Dutch street culture that there are many museums around the country dedicated to them. For example, The Pianola Museum in Amsterdam, The Mechanical Organ Museum in Haarlem and The National Museum from Musical Clock to Street Organ in Utrecht.

The famous G Parlee organ model 'De Arabier'

Street dancin'

May 10, 2009; Leidseplein, Amsterdam @ 14.50

Leidseplein is one of the city's main squares. It is lined with cafes and restaurants and is a major tourist hangout place. The square itself is also the scene of much street theater and street performance artists. These four fellows are from France and make their living entertaining folks throughout Europe with their urban rhythms and street dance. Once they have had enough of a city, they start to save a bit harder and then catch a night train (saves a night in a rented room) to some other city in some other country. When talking about how they make their living they held up a waste basket, introducing it as their financial manager "Phil... Phil Itup." Reminded me of the sign at Pete's Coffeeshop in North Leominster, "If you would like credit, see our credit manager. Go to Helen Wait."

Beautiful Capoeira

April 22, 2009; Dam Square, Amsterdam @ 14.15

The sunny summer weather brings out the many Brazilian formal and pickup capoeira group. Today's photo also comes with a poor quality video shot on my mobile phone. But it's good enough to get a sense of it all.

Oh that feels good, can you turn up the bass

April 12, 2009; Warmoestraat, Amsterdam @ 22.10

As we strolled down one of Amsterdam's clubs/bars/restaurants/coffeshops/erotica streets this poster caught our eyes: a new Ipod-vibrator. Brings totally new meaning to getting off on your favorite music. This company may have been inspired by the Ipod-Nike trainers with Ipod software for registering, tracking and analyzing your training while of course listening to music. For those into jogging there's the Nike-Ipod combo and for those into.. well... you know.. another kind of workout there's this. You gotta love this city! Too bad this wasn't around while Sex in the City was on the air. Who would have been the first to check it out: Miranda or Samantha?