I forewent my American Thanksgiving for a winter Eurotrip to discover other traditions and the other half of my cultural roots. Paris visiting family and friends, exploring the southern Spanish community of Andalusia on my first solo trip, and London - nostalgic "home" of my five months abroad.
But first, Paris... An outdoor sculpture display, a particularly decorative subway stop, and a Christmas market on the Champs Elysee I couldn't resist.
Palais de Tokyo is one of the most avant-garde museums I have ever been to - I wandered into a pitch black room of chanting and dancing performance artists pulling me into their invisible circle. As an exhibition only museum with no permanent collection, each artist in residence gets access to the large warehouse-like dwelling. The only indication that you are actually in Paris is the incredible head on view of the Tour Eiffel from the back garden. When I left the museum, the sun had set and the light reflecting over the city was bright orange - no filter.
Hot chocolate and treats with a friend was a full sensory experience...
Next stop, my own adventure. After landing in Malaga, I took a two hour bus to Granada through the Spanish hills which brought to life the adventures of Picasso, Hemingway and many others who witnessed the tragedy and beauty of one of the first colonial empires.
A few miles away from Morocco, Granada - the last stronghold of the Moors - has stayed true to its history and the old stone city streets wind as they did in the 13th century filled with Arabic markets. While the Alhambra, a fortress and later the palace of the last Sultan in Granada, was inexplicably beautiful and ornate, but the highlight of the trip was discovering the region's history of cave life. During our first sunset at the highest point in the city among the hills, we were invited into one of the caves by the Senagalese settlers currently residing there. Fully equipped with electricity, in the first room I passed by was a young boy playing playstation!
On my last full day I checked out the Cave Museum - the highlight of my trip. With the caves reproduced as they would have been centuries ago, they explained the traditions, natural wildlife and ecological habitat of the region. Flamenco - a dance we now well know well around the globe - was born in these caves with the merging of the marginalized and conquering cultures. The music and dance reflect the cultures of Jews, Arabs, and the Romani Gypsies. I went to see a show for myself and was blown away.
My last stop was the Picasso museum in his birthplace, Malaga. I finally came to understand and fully appreciate his genius. His prolific nature and determination to demonstrate the imperfect world in which we live, were what made him as remarkable and iconic as he has proven.
“If I paint as many canvases as I do, it is because I am searching for spontaneity, and when I have expressed a thing with a degree of happiness I no longer have the courage to add anything at all...”
“When I paint my object is to show what I have found and not what I am looking for. In art intentions are not sufficient and, as we say in Spanish: love must be proved by facts and not by reasons. What one does is what counts and not what one had the intention of doing.”
The last stop was London - always beautiful and full of inspiring art and fashion- from streetwear, to the iconic Dover Street Market, to my favorite room at the Tate - Rothko, of course.
