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Tuesday, January 19, 2016

OBSERVATIONS OF NANTES, FRANCE

Since April of 2015 to now, January 2016, I have been in a different country at some point in time every month. I’ve travelled for a long time, but the amount of traveling I’ve gotten up to in the last 10 months is incredible even by my standards. For a non religious person I dare say I have to use the word, blessed. I’ve been blessed to see what I have in the last months. I was able to revisit some old places and visit a few new places. One of those new places was Nantes, France.

Now, I actually lived in France for awhile over 10 years ago. Time is literally on a rocket ship because it feels like it was yesterday. I lived close to Toulouse and Lyon. Loved both cities dearly. If I hadn’t been so intimidated by the French language, I could easily have seen myself living in France much longer than I did. I was totally unprepared by how much I enjoyed France and all it had to offer. So, when I found out I was being surprised with a birthday trip to Nantes I obviously was excited! First thing I had to do was Google it because I had no idea where it was. Second thing is I had to learn how to pronounce the city correctly because my American tongue kept wanting to call it NAN-tez. How else could it be pronounced any other way?? Germans say it like, Naud which totally confused me as I couldn’t figure out where they got the ‘d’. In French it’s like, ‘Naunt’. Yeah, so my first observation was the city name is difficult for my American tongue to pronounce properly.

As I knew nothing of nothing about this city before arriving I quickly realized it’s a young city. For me, I would compare the vibe to Boston. There are over 150,000 college students in the greater Boston area and all of that youthful energy leaves its mark. I felt that same vitality in Nantes. I loved attending university in Boston because of this feeling so I really enjoyed that about Nantes. Going out in the evening there were throngs of young people out in the streets wandering around and hanging out with friends. What I also noticed is, they mostly congregated in the center of the city. This was cool because a tourist didn’t have to travel to distant parts of an unknown city and everything is in walking distance. Often when there are a lot of young people gathered with alcohol present young guys often let their testosterone get the better of them. Not in Nantes. Saw many groups of young men and never felt like I was being sized up or saw them making women feel uncomfortable. Hats off to the young men of Nantes, France!

Another thing I liked about Nantes, and very aware only medium-sized cities could get away with this, they have painted a line that runs through the entire city to take tourists past important landmarks, sites and shopping areas. How smart is that!?! It was like having a deaf and mute tour guide. Wait, I hope that’s not offensive.. then again, I’m not forcing anyone to read this. Not like I could ask questions about things I saw, but I could walk as slow or fast as I wanted, take as many coffee breaks as I wanted, skip parts, retrace my steps. I loved it! I travel a lot and this is one of the few cities I felt like I saw almost everything there was to see while I was there. Now I didn’t experience everything I possibly could, but as far as the major sites I saw it all.

Photo not taken by me
Another observation I had with Nantes, and I noticed it at the exact same time I noticed the youthful energy, I kept picking up a strange vibe from the place. I couldn’t quite put my figure on it. In theory, Nantes had everything in a city I should love, history, good food, nice local population, no overt sense of racism and reasonably priced. But I just kept on thinking, eh, something is off. Then walking along the harbor I came across it. There is a huge memorial dedicated to the abolition of slavery. It’s a very powerful and well done memorial. I lingered there for at least an hour reading everything and taking it all in. One question I had walking through the memorial was answered at the end. “Why would a European city have a memorial dedicated to slavery?” kept going through my head. I understand Germany having museums dedicated to terror and tyranny. Additionally, the monuments dedicated to the holocaust makes perfect sense. But Nantes, France? Abolition of slavery monument? Strange.. The city has another tribute to slavery that answered the question in such a striking manner that as cliché as it sounds, left me at a loss for words. The tribute is, all the slave ships that left Nantes, their names and date of departure and are laid out on a pathway represented with small bronze bricks. Nantes, France was the epicenter of the European slave trade during the 15th and 19th centuries. My history teachers definitely left that out of our history lessons. The number of bricks was literally sickening. What I thought was a small path turned into a boardwalk along the harbor. Every single step on a brick represented hundreds of innocent human beings being bundled and packed into horrible conditions like farm animals being shipped off to the slaughter house. For a super logical Virgo it was emotionally overwhelming for me. If I had known the history of the city would I have visited? I can’t answer that. But it was good that the city had decided to create these monuments to own up to it’s history. Unless I’m mistaken, the United States, a very willing participant in the Mid-Atlantic Slave Trade, has no slave memorial of any type at all.


Did my previous vibe about the city have something to do with it’s history? I don’t know, but once I knew about the history of the city that weird energy I felt before didn’t go away, but it made more sense. And as I said, the city wasn’t shying away from it’s history. I felt like that until I went to the Museum of History of Nantes. It’s located at the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany. It has about 7 chambers that go into detail about the history of Nantes. I LOVE history so a museum set in an actual castle?? Awesome! Not only do they have historical artifacts, but they have touch screens throughout the museum that give stories connecting the use of certain artifacts or eras through the eyes of the people who lived during those times. A great use of technology! It bought the history to life! I was feeling it! Then I got to the hall on slavery. It had a lot of artifacts and stories about Nantes during that time. They showed the wealth the city made during that time, architecture constructed as a result of the wealth, certain artifacts associated with the slave industry and other things. Can’t say anything connected to the misery of millions of people to make it more human, but it was informative. The one thing though that totally threw me off and completely changed my view of Nantes was the story they decided to use in the slavery chamber. They chose the story of a young white resident of Nantes who was the son of a powerful merchant. To learn the trade of the family, which was the purchase and sales of African slaves, he set out on a slave ship to get an education from the bottom up. This young boy kept a journal so the story is based on his actual words. It spoke in great detail about his trip, all the actual quantifiable facts; what date they set out from Nantes, how they were delayed by weather, negotiating for the slaves, loading them in the ship’s hold, the trip across the Atlantic Ocean, the unloading in the Caribbean of a portion of the “cargo”, what goods they received in return, then continuing to the New World to sell the rest then the return trip, etc, etc. That’s it. That’s all the story included. The story ended with the young man deciding never to go on one of those trips again. Because he had a change of heart and realized human beings shouldn’t be treated like bales of cotton or material? No. He felt he had learned enough, went into the family business of slave trading, made even more money than his father did in the business and became a much respected member of the Nantes elite society. Wait.. What??!! Of all the stories a museum could dedicate to it’s history of slave trading you choose one with a happy ending for the slave trading merchant?? WTF city of Nantes!? In a modern city, with a disgusting history that laid the foundation for it’s wealth, no one understood how it might come across having a story about a titan in the slave trading industry be the story you present in the slave trading chamber?? And the story had a happy ending for the man you use as well?? Disgusted. That’s how I felt when I finished that chamber. Totally and completely disgusted. The amount of pain and anguish and death associated with Nantes to this day is still present in the very fabric of the city. Even my uber logical analytical self picked up on it immediately upon arriving. So given the opportunity to use a story from the perspective of those affected by your actions which could add a very real sense of humanity to this period of your history, you choose the perspective of the slave merchant. Yeah, I’d called that a big fat fail.


Typically, I don’t write observations like this. But it’s obvious the museum left a very bad taste in my mouth. Bad enough that I wrote to the museum.. but I didn’t receive a reply. I will blame it on the fact I wrote in English to a French museum which is entirely possible. Hey, Nantes is a really nice city. There are some amazing things to see, the people are super friendly, and their memorials to slavery are powerful and a must see. Personally, I’d never go back to the place. Ever. I won’t ever have the inkling to rediscover its streets or explore uncharted areas of the city. It’s the first city I would say that about. And it is sad since it is such a beautiful city and region of France.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

OBSERVATIONS OF SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN

It is the start of 2016 and only now am I posting about a trip I took in August. Shameful. Part of the delay is due to work, but a significant part is I lost the desire to write. I even fell off in my journal! Considering the amount of traveling I did in 2015 I have a lot of catching up to do. What better start than one of my most favorite cities in the world to visit, San Sebastian, Spain!

Now, I wrote observations about turning 40, but I didn’t really talk about in detail where I celebrated my birthday. As far as I know, San Sebastian isn’t as well known as a Spanish tourist destination like Barcelona or Madrid or Southern Spain, but lord have mercy it should be! These are some things I notice every time I visit this city, because I try to visit as often as possible.


If you believe in horoscopes I’m a Virgo. A TRUE Virgo so I’m told. I’m super rational and logical and detest when people try to change my opinion based on emotionally backed arguments. So astrology and crystal energy and past lives is lost on me. Totally 100% lost on me. Or used to be, until I visited San Sebastian... Now, let me explain. The first time I visited San Sebastian was in 2004 with a group of co-workers for a short weekend getaway. We were living in France close to the Spanish border and had heard it was worth checking out. The second we arrived. I’m talking about SECOND I had this overwhelming sense of déjà vu. I was convinced I’d been there before and felt like I was coming home. Crazy right!? It was my first time there, and this was before Trip Advisor and Instagram. I seemed to always know where to go without asking people or having a map. Talk about out of body experience! Some years later, a very good friend of mine convinced me to speak to a psychic. Why? I can’t remember. For sure I had a smirk on my face from the start of the “session” cause I don’t believe in that mumbo jumbo one bit! So blah blah blah the woman is talking and suddenly starts talking about an ex-girlfriend of mine. My friend must have told her about this ex and this scam art..uumm.. psychic is trying to play on my emotions. Long story short she goes on to say my ex and I shared a big love somewhere in the very Northeast corner of Spain and that I have a really strong connection to the region. Now, as I’m so analytical I immediately assumed she’d gleaned this information from my friend, but I’d never told ANYONE how I felt when I was in San Sebastian. Not a single person because it was so unexplainable for a person who is always so focused on how to explain logically. And I hadn’t even started blogging at that point for someone to google me and read up on my travels. WEIRD! But in a way, it did explain my connection with this city. I said all of that to say San Sebastian is in my heart. I always feel as if I’ve come home when I visit. It’s like pure magic when I roam those streets. Those strong feelings I always have when I visit obviously might cloud my observations. And that’s my disclaimer.

First thing I observed about San Sebastian is that it’s like the greatest hits album of your favorite band, but for a country. Seriously. It takes all the things that make Spain great as a whole and packs them all into one city! It has the typical things one would expect from Spain, nice weather, friendly open people, relaxed culture. But then it has other things I’ve never experienced anywhere else in Spain. Part of the reason could be the French at different times controlled the region which adds to the unique culture of the city. I don’t know, but whatever the reason San Sebastian is a city that will always be on repeat for me.    

It has beaches right in the middle of the city. I mean seriously, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY! Not on the outskirts, but directly in the city center. You don’t run to the beach for your morning or evening jog, you start it at the bench as you come out of your apartment. How bada$$ is that?? I’m from Florida and let me tell you, not too many places have the beach in their city center. And for all you non Miami people that say South Beach SHUUD UP! South Beach is NOT Miami. It’s a vey small section of Miami that tourists visit and then say they know Miami. I’m sure there are other cities that have this, but I only know of San Sebastian.  Also, San Sebastian is a great destination for wind surfers. AND if you are a surfer, there is a public bus which takes you to top surfing spots in nearby France. A PUBLIC BUS that takes you to surfing spots in another country!?!? Beat that California!! So if relaxing on the beach isn’t enough for you, you take a scenic bus that costs less than $6 to get to another country to go surfing? Actually, I’m not sure why I’m so excited by that because I don’t lay out on the beach or go surfing or wind surfing. I guess I got excited for all of my white friends for a second. But the thought is beautiful though!

 Then there’s the food. San Sebastian has the second highest concentration of Michelin starred restaurants in the world. The EARTH people! Not the country, but the whole entire planet!! The tapas in San Sebastian are way beyond the simple ham and potatoes variety you find in many Spanish cities. Fresh fish and seafood every day of the week, and chefs who aren’t afraid to throw down in the kitchen?? What?? This city does not play with food. In general Spain is cheap when it comes to dining out, but in San Sebastian you’re definitely going to pay more, but you get more for your money also.

Another thing for me that was very apparent in San Sebastian is there style. I don’t know if it’s due to the French influence or what. But people in San Sebastian are smoooooth. I would put this city up against any other city in Europe for the best dressed. It’s this really nice mix of classy, but not too conservative; stylish, but not too pretentious. It’s a good mix they pull off collectively very well. Which in turn means shopping in San Sebastian is dangerous. Going shopping there is like going out to a bar with that one friend that is borderline alcoholic. You wake up the next morning doing the, “Where’s all my money?” game. You’re walking down the street window shopping and next thing you know you feel the weight of shopping bags holding you down and you have no idea how it happened. Leave your bank cards in the hotel room and only take a minimum amount of cash while you city explore. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

PLUS, the people are welcoming. Ok, I’ve lived in Berlin for the last 9 years so someone from Southern Spain might argue they aren’t. Well these are my observations so deal with it. For me, they are very nice and very welcoming. My first time in San Sebastian over 10 years ago I never once felt like my color was even on the list of things people recognized. I can’t say the same about Madrid my first time there. Now, it’s extremely possible that the history of the Basque Region where San Sebastian is located has something to do with that. It’s almost like they go out of there way to be nice to anyone not from the Madrid region of Spain just to piss off the people of Madrid. A lot. Again, it could just be because of my feelings for this place and I have selective memory. All I’m saying is I feel totally unguarded when I’m walking the streets.

My last observation of San Sebastian.. They have the beach which I mentioned, AND directly overlooking the city they have mountains. I know that's not SO unique, but how many cities have build a theme park at the top of the mountain!?! I sh*t you not people! They have a theme park at the top of a mountain with a view of the entire city!! It's called Monte Igueldo. It's not Disney World but who cares! You're on top of a mountain! I admit, I was a little scared riding the coaster, but I'm glad I did! Me no punk b*tch! I even videoed it here


Man, I could go on and on about San Sebastian, but then it would start to sound like a love letter and not independent observations of the city. Which might explain the magic I spoke about earlier. I love this city. If it were a woman it would be the one that got away, but as I get older I’m being drawn back to it with the promise of a reconciliation. No words to really explain it properly, and that’s why you need to visit yourself and experience it first hand.

Monday, September 14, 2015

10 GREAT IDEAS FOR A 40th BIRTHDAY GIFT

I recently celebrated my 40 birthday in San Sebastian, Spain. I had an amazing time with some amazing friends in an amazing city. Now, I’ve already touched on what it felt like turning 40. Three weeks in I can say being 40 is GREAT! While sitting around with my friends in Spain we somehow started talking about which gifts would be great for the average 40-year-old to get. As we began this conversation in a bar at 11pm on my last day of being in my 30’s, you can imagine the potential gifts became increasingly more and more outlandish and less realistic as the night progressed. I tried to use the memo app on my phone to remember them but 4 drinks in I accidentally erased the first draft and drunkenly tried to remember the ones we’d already discussed. These are the 10 I could decipher the next day. Just to add, there was a woman present during this list making process incase readers assume it was a bunch of middle-aged men going through a midlife crisis who made the list.

1. A Plane Ticket
Maybe this gift excites me so much because I’m a traveler. A plane ticket to ANYWHERE in the world you want to go? I’d pee my pants from excitement if I got this present! And then I’d spend the next week locked in my apartment researching where to go. Yes, this would be a lovely present for anyone who isn't terrified of flying...

2. Concert/Sporting Tickets
Actually, this gift is not age dependent when I think about it now. A ticket to any sporting event or concert of your choosing. When I was 20 I would have appreciated this gift just as much as I would now. Nonetheless, still would be a badass present to receive. What would make this present badass if you could attend ANY sporting event or concert, EVER! Can you imagine seeing Jimi Hendrix in 1967 at Monterey Pop Festival!? Hell, why not just go to Woodstock! Or how about when an unknown Biggie Smalls (his name then) is called up on stage to freestyle with Tupac at a NYC concert!? Don’t even get me started on Michael Jackson! Speaking of Michael, watching Michael Jordan during his prime. The Miracle on Ice Hockey Game would have to be considered as well. So many sweet sweet options to choose from!

3. Dinner with Friends
Unless you live in a village of 200 people high in the Himalayas all of your friends probably don’t live in the same place. Imagine a dinner with all of your best friends and/or family in one place. That alone would be awesome. But to make it super awesome, the chef of your choice would do the cooking! Come on now! I know even the Republicans and bible thumpers like this one! When you’re 20 you eat what you can afford. At 40 your palate matures and you prefer quality and you can afford to spoil yourself a bit more. People you love all in one room eating delicious food? Shiiiiiiiiid! Sign me up right NOW!   

4. A Bullshit Detector
At 40 we are too damn old to be wasting our time, on anything. Twenty years ago it was fun playing in the swirling chaos of uncertainty. It gave us conversation topics for our friends. But now? No thank you. Imagine a gift that would tell you immediately if someone was bullshitting you. Now, this is different from a lie detector. Someone can be telling the truth but still bullshitting you. Or conversely, they can be bullshitting themselves and as a result you get shit on you as a result. “I’m ready to have kids and settle down.” BEEP BEEP BEEP! *Pleasant Siri type voice. “He’s ready to settle down and have kids with his ex he’s still in love with. In no way will it be you.” Imagine men if a woman says, “I believe women expect too much nowadays and don’t take care of their man enough.” BEEP BEEP BEEP!! “She believes this but her idea of taking care of you is spending your money buying clothes so she looks good when you come home from working all day while she’s out shopping.” Yes, this would be at the top of every person turning 40. Younger people might buy it, but I have a feeling many would take it back because let’s face it, when you are under the age of 30 you kinda revel in drama. At 40+ ain't no body got time for that! 

5. A Book
This isn’t just ANY book. This book has all of your mistakes from your 30’s. Every. Single. One. All of your boneheaded decisions just laid out in written form that you committed from the age of 30 to 39. Now, it may not seem like a great gift now, but the kicker would be the ANSWERS to your mistakes would be in the book as well. Oooooooh SNAP! That’s some deep ish right there huh? I know people reading this thinking, “Where can I buy this book!?” A personal manual on how you should’ve handled mistakes from your 30’s. Yes, every action we make takes us to a place with the potential to learn and grow. I’m just saying though, explanation to WHY we did what we did and answers to those open-ended questions that resulted from our mistakes. My book with be so damn thick it would take me a week to read. It also would be so dog-eared with the margins all marked and written up too. Oh how I would love this present. Wait.. I have journals. It's more or less the same thing, only without the answers. Hmm... 

6. Threesome
Pretty much speaks for itself. All I’m saying is, who wouldn’t want two people catering to all of your carnal desires for an evening?? I know there are people who will SAY they don’t. “I only need my husband/wife.” or some other crazy ish like that. I’m guessing if you don’t like this gift you’re a Republican and would prefer cocaine. Hey, I wouldn’t have turned down for my birthday!

7. Five Minute Conversation
Only 5 minutes is allowed. I guess because the long distance charges are too high. No idea why we decided on 5 minutes but by number 5 on this list I’m sure we were pretty lit and it made sense then. The conversation can only be had with yourself, at any age of your choosing. Whoa. So would you want to talk to your 14-year-old self who is always getting picked on in high school and has low self esteem and you tell yourself it will get better? Or would you speak with your 60-year-old self to calm your fears about the future? Oh so many options! And you only have 5 minutes! Do you only ask yes or no questions? Do you even ask questions?? Which age do you choose? This present has the potential to be abused. I could see people using the 5 minutes to tell their younger selves the winning lottery numbers. Then again.... 

8. A Mulligan
I’m not a golfer, at all. The one time I did go golfing I was 22 and Tiger Woods had just one The Masters. Everyone on that damn golf course was looking at me expecting the second coming of Moses. The real one and not the fake white Christian Bale one! What they got was a first timer who had a swing like a 90-year-old with a bad hip. I was beyond terrible and thoroughly embarrassed. Other than learning I had no future in golf I learned the term mulligan. It’s seared in my brain because I used 1,396 on that day. It is a second chance to perform an action, usually after the first chance went wrong through bad luck or a blunder. *Sigh. An opportunity to go back to tell someone you care about that you love them, or to swallow your pride and apologize. Maybe even just to go back, call in sick to work or skip classes and lay in bed with them all day cuddling and talking about nothing in particular. Or to use that condom you brought with you but were too lazy to get up and get out of your wallet! Yeah, at 40 having a mulligan would be extremely…nice. 

9. Another Threesome
I mean, if you’ve waited until your 40 to have one you might as well have two to make sure you remember the first. Also, the first time I tried wine I hated it. HATED it. Figured it wasn’t my thing. It took awhile, and some patient Italians to show me the light. Maybe threesomes are the same way!?!? Maybe you won’t like the first so you need to have one multiple times to make sure it suits you. I don’t know, but the first chance I get to test this theory I’ll let you know. And I hope I can let you know soon. I’m not getting any younger and the only threesome a 65-year-old has not named Hugh Hefner is with his physical therapist, doctor and health insurance agent.

10. Eat Whatever You Want
It might be obvious which sex REALLY wanted this on the list in the group. Let me expand this one. The exact wording was, “Be able to eat whatever you absoFUCKinglutely want for a year without gaining weight.” Any weight they stressed. Not even a damn gram more than you weigh when the year starts. We’re talking double chocolate fudge dipped in salted caramel cake with a side of Oreo cookie and mint chocolate chip ice cream on the side for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you never need to step on a scale because you know you’re not gaining a single pound for 365 days. I think my best friend almost caught the holy spirit just talking about this present! YES jee-SUS! I can see the value of this present. I can also see a lot of jealous friends too for that year if you’re a woman. How fun would it be if you went out with your girls and all of them are eating salad to make up for the Christmas holidays and you’re eating French fries with milk chocolate sauce. No, no, no. I see a lot of envy occurring with this gift. Men would get the guy to enter eating contests every single day of the year to see how much he could fit in his stomach before he spewed it all back up. We’re childish like that no matter the age.


Fabulous 40th in San Sebastian, Spain
 
There you have it, 10 perfect gift ideas for someone turning 40. Are any of these gifts possible? Eh. Depends on your salary, connections and imagination I guess. I can say it was FUN talking about the list. And it made me realize why I’m friends with the people who came with me to Spain for my birthday. We are all perverted intellectuals who can sometimes act like little kids. I love them for that. Looking forward to the next person who turns 40 in our group!