A celebration in Seville

As published on the Jakarta Post 02/06/2013
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/02/a-celebration-seville.html

The 2013 Gate of Seville’s April Fair

“I came from Brazil seven years ago and have never been to any other cities in Spain but Seville. I have been dedicating my life to the sevillana dance and will do so for many years to come.”


Leandro, a part-time dance teacher, confessed his great affection for the Spanish dance sevillana during a break from dancing during the Feria de Abril — Seville´s April Fair.

Some people say the dance is part of flamenco but others do not agree because sevillana and flamenco — although sharing similar costumes — have different origins. Some believe flamenco was a slave dance performed to entertain the rich, conveying sadness, while sevillana is a party folk dance that expresses joy and celebration, with its own fixed steps and choreographies.

Moreover, it takes two to make it happen in sevillana. For the aim of getting a date, lots of young Sevillians are eager to come to the fair. Even those Sevillians staying abroad are willing to come back home just for this occasion.

Leandro is dancing with his Sevillana partner

The Seville Fair had its 166th birthday in 2013. Starting with the idea of a Basque and a Catalan having a grand fiesta in the autonomy community, the first fairs were celebrated only for three days, every 19-21 April.

It comes close to the Holy Easter Week (Semana Santa), which is why many April fairs in the olden days were attached to the holy week and eventually became a week long party.

“The April Fair is Seville´s biggest occasion, side by side with the Holy Week [Semana Santa], which is celebrated [now] two weeks before the April fair,” said Juan Gonzalez, a born and bred Sevillian.

“During the Feria week Seville is paralyzed, although business should run as usual, it runs very low. But no one can ever stop the party. Some people even use this occasion for business purposes like entertaining clients.”

The people’s fair is located south east to the canal of Alfonso XIII, which is part of the River Guadalquivir. The river, which crosses through 12 provinces of Southern Spain, splits Sevilla by one third in the south where the fair is located, and the rest in the north where the city center is.

It takes around twenty minutes walking from the city center to go to the fair. Some locals go in traditional way by riding a horse or horse cart. Meanwhile, buses are also a wise form of transportation as they run 24 hours during this occasion.

Ready for the Feria de Abril

The most beautiful thing to see there is the gate, which has a distinctive design every year. The giant portico looks colorful during the day and is illuminated during the night.

This year is inspired by Spain Square (Plaza de España), dedicated to the 75-year Once Foundation for the blind and the bicentennial of Seville’s religious brotherhood Rocío Triana.

This year, 1040 houses or casetas that have either red and white stripes or green or white stripes – took part. Every caseta has a hall at the front which serves as a dance floor and to welcome guests.

Meanwhile, at the back of the temporary house is a bar that serves various drinks, including the fair’s typical manzanillas or apple white wine. Youngsters nowadays go for a booster called rebujitos, a mixture between manzanillas and sprite with tons of ice.

If you feel hungry, a typical Spanish dish of sliced ham makes a perfect companion. Some casetas also serve doughnuts for snacking.

Most of the casetas belong to Sevilian families or groups of friends. The party had even started before they decorated their “houses” for the fair.

Therefore, before you decide to come, it is recommended to find your Sevillian acquaintances in advance.

Plaza de España in Seville

Outsiders cannot enter private casetas without knowing the host, as they are guarded. One can only enter public casetas - restaurants or bars with less feria experience. Another option is to walk
a bit further to a park containing rides and games for kids.

Seville is the most populated city in Andalucia and the fourth most populated in Spain.

“Many people love to live in Seville mostly for its climate,” admits Gonzalez, who is keen on hanging around in Seville’s West San Luis Street, where many foreigners used to gather.

In terms of the climate, it felt like Jakarta with a temperature of 30 degrees, but low humidity so people sweat less.

Cathedral of Seville

Along with Italy’s Venice and Genoa, Sevilla is another European city with the largest antique town. It contains some UNESCO world heritage sites, like the Cathedral Santa Maria de la Sede, the Palaces of Real Alcázar and the General Archive of the Indies.

Close to those buildings, you can find a mixture of Spanish exclusive neo-mudéjar and neo-gothic architectural styles in the Alfonso XIII Hotel.

A little bit to the north stands a former tobacco factory, the University of Seville, and to the south, the King Palace of San Telmo.

These sites are within walking distance to Santa Cruz District, the former Jewish quarter of the medieval city.

Seville has the most beautiful Plaza de España in Spain, which attracted a Star Wars director to shoot here. It faces Seville’s biggest park – the Maria Luisa - and accommodates a fountain, circular canal and another mudéjar semicircle edifice along with tiled alcoves of the 48 Spanish provinces on its wall.

Buhaira Palace, one of Moorish heritage in Seville, Spain

The historical side of Seville is amazing. It is a must-see place for those who value culture, history and architectural beauty.

And if you drop by for the April Fair, prepare your flamenco costume and learn some basic sevillana movements to enjoy the party. Olé!

View of Seville from top? Try Las Setas

South Tyrol: A melting pot in northern Italy

As published on the Jakarta Post 25/11/2012
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/11/25/south-tyrol-a-melting-pot-northern-italy.html

Old Town of Bolzano

“Gruess dich! Wie gehts?”

“Bene, bene”

As you walk across South Tyrol, Italy don’t be surprised when hearing this kind of conversation. The first line in German, while the response is in Italian; it could of course be the other way around.

In the South Tyrol capital Bolzano, people normally use both languages to form one sentence. This northern part of Italy is bilingual due to its different history and culture from its southern neighbors.


It was part of Austria until being handed to Mussolini’s Italy after World War I. The local inhabitants of Tyrol stayed, thus the language remains. Austria and Italy are now separated by the Brenner Mountains in this province, and the northern part of Tyrol still belongs to Austria to this day.

The province is well connected by public transport, both land and air, especially to the capital city. I saw people prefer to ride a bike instead of a motor vehicle to get around Bolzano, but for me as a tourist the nicest way of travel was to wander on foot. It is not a big town anyway, and every corner of it is easy on the eye.

Bolzano is surrounded by the Dolomites mountains, and the Isaac River flows through it. The beautiful scenery and vast outdoor market located in the old town, make it a favorite tourist destination in Italy. In summer, people come for mountain hiking, while in winter they come to ski.

This makes Bolzano the second most expensive town in Italy after Milan, but top of the league in terms of economic stability and workers’ income, according to an Indonesian Missionary, Mansuetus — Tus for short, who has served in Bolzano parish for the last three years.

Cathedral of Maria Asunta, Bolzano

In the old town area, as I walked in front of the landmark of the Maria Asunta Cathedral, I saw some mothers wearing the hijab playing with their kids in a park next to the church.

I asked the priest whether there was a mosque in town or maybe in another town nearby. He answered, “No. Even though there are more than 5,000 Muslims in the area, the local authority has not given them permission to build one”.

However, the fact remains that Bolzano is multicultural. Aside from being 75 percent Italian, the second biggest ethnic group, the Pakistanis, manage to thrive there.

A house in Bolzano

Lined up on Garibaldi and Marconi Street are the Pakistani shops, which vary from clothes shops, barber shops and Asian grocery stores to international money transfer services, even a sex shop. Okay, the last one is owned by a local, not by them. It became clearer to me then why I had found some buildings with mosque-like roofs around the region.

It is indeed a melting pot of cultures, furthermore different cultures are celebrated. It is brought into action in June when foreigners in Bolzano present their own culture in a festival. Meanwhile in February, intercultural tolerance is also commemorated at a festival of immigrants.

Those efforts to promote cross-cultural understanding are, as Father Tus admitted, because Tyrolese don’t really fancy plurality, even though they have never actively worked against it.

Yet Bolzano is growing, more and more people are coming. The Tyrolese have to learn fast facing the reality of multiculturalism in their land.

Ladin Museum

Another color in the melting pot is the Ladin people, who can be traced to the historic valley of Ladin, about an hour’s drive north east of Bolzano.

The autoban or highway is a faster way to reach the area than the normal road. It was constructed in 1973 as there was a swamp fever epidemic down in the Isaac River.

Along the way to Badia, the district where the valley is located, I could view 270 million year-old red volcanic rocks, as explained to me by senior Bolzano geologist, Ludwig Noessing. He is also the one who constructed the safety barrier along the way to prevent landslides.

Ladins look like Austrians physically. They have existed as a community since before the Romans. There are currently thirty thousand people who still speak Ladin in South Tyrol, and they even have their own channel on local television. All Ladins I met were proud of their heritage, as it is one of the oldest civilisations in Europe, believed to date back as far as 9000 BC.

Posing with Ladinese

Previously it had been a bishop’s castle, until a Ladin farming family bought it and turned it into a house. For the last 10 years “De Tor” Castle has been the They have maintained the structure of the castle while somehow managing to install modern multimedia equipment throughout the building.

Every visitor is issued with a headphone set that automatically relays a story once one enters a room. There were theater-like rooms to follow the history of this ethnic group.

One particularly interesting exhibit was a room with pictures of key figures in the history of the Ladinian kingdom, talking to each other with moving expressions. Visitors should climb the three-story tower to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole valley. Of course there are multimedia binoculars installed, which convey images of the valley in the old times.

Fire Brigade Day Parade in St. Ulrich

According to suedtirol.info, there are 12 features to explore in South Tyrol: the castles, garden landscapes, country and people, customs and traditions, mountain farmsteads, mines, cuisine, monasteries, medieval townscapes, wine, history and the UNESCO world natural heritage Dolomites.

Unfortunately, my short trip did not allow me to experience everything. However, I do suggest you find the house of Saint Giuseppe Freinademetz in Oies, a peaceful green hilly area, or the world famous cross-country ski resort, the historic St. Ulrich.

Valencia: A simple metropolis

As published on the Jakarta Post 07/04/2013
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/04/07/valencia-a-simple-metropolis.html

Valencia from the top of Miguellette

Signboard lights, street lights, car lights, traffic lights, all these flaring and glaring in Valencia remind me of the capital. To me, Valencia was just another metropolis like Madrid.

When top brand shops and franchise restaurants started to appear, I expected nothing special from Valencia as I believed I had entered a smaller version of Madrid.

The impression remained with me when I saw the busy train station.


At Norte train station, which is located next to a bullring, I waited for my Valencian host.

Dani, my Valencian host

Soon after, he arrived by bicycle. “Valencia is a city best explored by bicycle,” he told me.

Finally, I had found something different because there are hardly any bicycles to be seen in Madrid. It was then that the simplicity of Valencia dawned on me.

Simple and humble indeed as I set out to explore the city. After visiting Madrid for two weeks and then Valencia for two days, I could say that I had figured out Valencia better than I had the capital.

The city appears to be more or less circular on the map, and almost everything happens within the circle, the city center. A big river at one time crossed the northern part of Valencia but it has since been transformed into the Turia Gardens.

Within the garden’s confines are several football fields, a playground and at the east end is the famous City of Art and Science.

In the area of City of Art and Science

Meanwhile in the southern part of the city center is Norte train station and the bullring. Marking its place in the west is the Tower of Quart (Torre de Quart), where my journey to the city center begun, the same starting point when Napoleon entered the city.

Behind the medieval tower is the El Barrio de Carmen or The face of an old town greeted me. It also welcomes lots of tourists with a row of bars and restaurants. This area has tourist prices, but cheaper bars can be found in the side streets.

The big street leads to a popular square, Plaza de la reina, where the Cathedral Santa Maria of Valencia is located. The church also serves as a museum and gallery, where the works of famous European artists are displayed such as wooden carvings, artwork made out of precious metals and paintings, including two by Goya in one of the chapels. However, the main attraction here is the holy chalice from the last supper.

Sharing the same foyer as the cathedral is the medieval Miguellette Tower. Climbing the steps to the top is hard work, but there is a banister for safety precautions. That children and grandparents are able to reach the top of the tower shows that it is not a mission impossible.

An overall view of the city of Valencia awaits you there. Some notable sights to see from this vantage point are the City of Art and Science, Mestalla Stadium of Valencia FC and the port of Valencia. The distinct boundary between old Valencia in the center and the modern part of the city on the border is evident from up there.

A square in Barrio del Carmen

My tropical body fancies Valencia for its climate. It is the warmest city on the Iberian Peninsula, according to the locals, and competes with the Canary Island in its claims to be the region with most sun in Spain.

I became homesick when I ate paella and arroz del horno (oven rice). Both are typical Valencia dishes made with rice. Valencia is also a rice producer, and even has a rice field a little out of downtown.

It is also famous for oranges, which are big and sweet. So, when you drop by Valencia, be sure to have a glass of freshly squeezed Valencian orange juice.

Along with orange juice, horchata is another refreshment to try. This milky beverage of tigernuts, water and sugar dates back to the eighth to 13th centuries when there was a Muslim presence in Valencia and it is a traditional drink or dessert produced by fallera especially during the season of fallas.

the Holy Chalice of the last supper is kept in Valencia's Cathedral

 Las Fallas is the biggest festival in the city, which attracts international visitors. The people of Valencia have welcomed the arrival of spring and all the trappings of the celebration for thousands of years.

The ringing of a bell marks the beginning festival and the first mascleta, a display of fireworks in the middle of the day. Crowds of people come not only to enjoy the colorful pyrotechnics display but also the sound of it.

The first mascleta takes place on the last Sunday of February, and following mascleta from the first day of March until the 19th, which is the closing day of the festival.

Meanwhile, fallera are local women dressed in traditional attire with traditional coiffure. If flamenco dancers are the stars of Andalucia (Southern Spain), then the fallera are those who take the spotlight in Valencia.

Falleras marching in the celebration of Fallas

You cannot learn to be a fallera like you can learn the flamenco dance because it is a born-given gift. However, fallera frequently gather not only on the occasion of fallas but also to perfect their art and make things the Valencia way.

Although Valencia is Spain’s third-largest metropolis, the city has plenty of charm that will stay in my memory.

23 Feb 2013 was happened to be a striking day 

After the Dream

While the city is dimming its light at night, I am switching on memories of our days.
Your olive eyes stare passionately, whispering me not to let you go. Your first hello was a blessing, but the goodbye you left unsaid is a terror.

With you I recognise an enemy called distance, and desperately hoping to befriend with fate.
Then I realised that true friend is hard to get, when the memories of us are turning into sweet dreams.

Without your presence and ear to hear, I beg your permission to sail off these pieces of dream.
I have to forget how it felt,
I need to find the better of the best, and I want to wake up as the city always does after the dream.

Jakarta, 9th of Dec 2014.
00:49