White Plains’ 4th Best Personal Blog

It’s been a busy week already, and there’s still plenty more to come. In fact I can hardly believe it’s already Friday, five days since I left Tenerife and flew to Malaga. After a day there, we headed north to Madrid for a brief look-see before returning to Andalusia and visiting Granada and Seville (from where I’m writing this post).

The week definitely got off to a sad start. Just before going to bed Sunday night, we heard a rumor that former Wilco member Jay Bennett had passed away. Of course it wasn’t long before the news was confirmed, and so it was a bit weird to be so far away and yet also share in the emotions of shock and tragedy that so many people felt. Since it was a Monday, already a slightly strange day since most museums and other attractions are closed, there wasn’t a lot of “tourist stuff” to be done. We wound up visiting the cathedral (nicknamed “La Manquita” because of its one tower; the other was never completed after funds ran out) and having a very memorable hike up a hill to the Castillo de Gibralfaro, a 14th-century Moorish castle with some interesting architecture and some great views of the city below:

Then it was onto Madrid for a very brief stay, which featured visits to the wonderful Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza — one of my favorite art museums in the world — and the massive Museo del Prado as well as a leisurely stroll through the Central Park of Madrid, the Parque del Retiro.

In keeping with the go-go nature of the week, we caught a train the next morning for Granada. The Alhambra awaited, but we wound up delaying our visit until the following day when we were able to book a tour. (Since so many people want to visit the Alhambra, we learned, you often have to secure a ticket first thing in the morning with some people camping out as early as 6 a.m. to wait for the ticket office to open. By booking a tour through the really nice parador where we stayed, we were able to bypass this step and also make a more informed visit.) It’s hard to do justice to the Alhambra and the nearby Generalife in a just a few words, but both are lovely, splendid and peaceful. I can see why the rulers of the Nasrid dynasty had these places built and enjoyed spending time there:

So that’s the latest update on what’s been seen and visited. Oh, and the Wilco shows so far have each been pretty memorable in their own way: Malaga, of course, as the first show following news of Bennett’s death; Madrid, with its venue sponsored by Haagen-Dazs and an energetic crowd; and Granada, with its odd, convention center-like venue and a relatively sparse crowd (perhaps due to the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United going on at the same time).

I’m interested to see what Seville has in store tomorrow. Then it’s onto Portugal. Who said this was going to be a vacation? Haha.

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Wilco//5-25-09//Teatro Cervantes, Malaga, SPAIN//support: Akron/Family

Ashes of American Flags/Company In My Back/You Are My Face/Wilco (the song)/A Shot in the Arm/IATTBYH/Pot Kettle Black/Handshake Drugs/War on War/Bull Black Nova/Jesus, etc./Impossible Germany/Via Chicago/Spiders (Kidsmoke)//e1: Hummingbird/The Late Greats/Hate It Here/Walken/I’m The Man Who Loves You//e2: Monday/I’m A Wheel/Hoodoo Voodoo

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Wilco//5-26-09//Teatro Haagen-Dazs Calderon, Madrid, SPAIN//support: Akron/Family

Sunken Treasure/Wilco (the song)/Hummingbird/Hell Is Chrome/Handshake Drugs/IATTBYH/Muzzle of Bees/A Shot in the Arm/At Least That’s What You Said/Bull Black Nova/Jesus, etc./You Are My Face/Impossible Germany/Via Chicago/Poor Places>/Spiders (Kidsmoke)//e1: Misunderstood/You Never Know/Walken/I’m The Man Who Loves You//e2: A Magazine Called Sunset/The Late Greats/Hoodoo Voodoo/I’m A Wheel

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Wilco//5-27-09//Palacio de Congresos, Granada, SPAIN//support: Akron/Family

Sunken Treasure/You Are My Face/Bull Black Nova/IATTBYH/Kamera/One Wing/Handshake Drugs/Jesus, etc./At Least That’s What You Said/Via Chicago/Impossible Germany/Hate It Here/Walken/Theologians/I’m The Man Who Loves You//e1: Misunderstood>/Spiders (Kidsmoke)//e2: The Late Greats/You Never Know/A Shot in the Arm/I’m A Wheel