La Boqueria: Barcelona’s World Class Market… Seaports of the Mediterranean

May 24, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 19 Comments

A front view of the busy La Boqueria. The sign and building were done in Barcelona’s famous Modernista art style.

What a place… a kaleidoscope of colors, smells, noises and textures– an imagination gone wild. I walked into the Boqueria Market just off of Barcelona’s Ramblas (most famous street and pedestrian way in Barcelona) and I was captured; enthralled may be a better word. I could have spent a week alone with the fish. There were fruits and vegetables and breads and nuts and meats and drinks… not to mention some 200 square feet of chocolate delights! Who wouldn’t go crazy? Imagine going here to shop instead of your local Safeway or Wal-Mart.

La Boqueria is first mentioned in Barcelona literature in 1217. It may have started as a goat market. The market arrived at its present location in 1835 when St. Josephs Convent burned down. Today it is one of Europe’s best known fresh produce markets, a favorite of both locals and travelers… especially travelers with cameras. One stall owner even yelled at me, “No, no take pictures. Buy.” I could empathize… but I could no more not take photos than refuse to breathe.

Peggy spent what seemed like hours checking out the 200 square feet of chocolate wonders…

… while I was intrigued by the strange fish. This one had a face only its mother could love.

I promptly named this guy Jaws.

Squid, anyone?

I found these shrimp colorful…

… and these, uh, weird.

I found most photos on the web featured fruit stalls like this at La Boqueria rather than my fish. I wonder why? (Photo by Peggy Mekemson… Peggy does not take photos of weird fish)

Being a big fan of spicy food, I found these peppers quite attractive.

Hanging garlic and corn at La Boqueria Market in Barcelona.

I also liked the hanging garlic and corn.

Several types of mushrooms were for sale. I believe these were morels. They grow up behind our house in Oregon. People kill for them.

Delicious fruit drinks at La Boqueria in Barcelona

Fresh fruit drinks were in abundance. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

eating raw oysters at La Boqueria in Barcelona Spain

Peggy’s brother John joyfully downed a raw oyster. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

Fruit at La Boqueria Market in Barcelona.

I’ll close with my own obligatory photo of fruit at La Boqueria. Can you taste the strawberries?

NEXT BLOG: We journey to the incredibly beautiful and strange cathedral, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. You will not want to miss this blog.

Pompeii: Where Ruins Aren’t Quite Ruins… Seaports of the Mediterranean

April 8, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 8 Comments

The walls and streets of Pompeii are amazingly well preserved.

The magic of Pompeii is in how well it has been preserved. There are fewer ruins among the ruins. I know that sounds strange. But most ruins require considerable imagination to reconstruct the original site. This isn’t true of Pompeii. Many of the streets, walls and buildings are found in close to the same condition they would have been found in 79 AD before being covered by the eruption of Vesuvius. The preservation of bodies, as shown in my first blog on Pompeii, is even more impressive. Thousands of storage and cooking vessels have also been found along with paintings, mosaics and sculptures giving us a detailed look into early Roman life. While much of what has been found in Pompeii can still be found there, much has also made it into museums around the world.

Today I am going to conclude my visit to Pompeii with a stop at the Basilica, the city’s center of government, and the market area, which has become a temporary repository of storage containers, bodies and other items found in Pompeii. (I will also slip in a few more of my favorite photos Peggy and I took but didn’t find a home on my other blogs.)

Thousands of artifacts have been found in Pompeii. Many, like these storage vessels, have found a temporary home in the area that once was the city’s market area. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

The Basilica in Pompeii was the center of government. It is centrally located next to the market and Jupiter’s Temple.

This combination fo ancient and modern in one of the fountains found along the street was amusing. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

This combination of ancient and modern in one of the fountains found along the street was amusing. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

Since I use so many of Peggy’s pictures, occasionally I like to throw in a photo of her taking photos. This was along one of Pompeii’s walls.

I found the detail in this Pompeii wall decoration impressive. It had a plastic cover to protect and preserve it.

I’ll close with this shot of Pompeii ruins looking more like ruins. (grin)

NEXT BLOG: We visit the excellent Archeological Museum of Naples.

A Visit with the Gods of Pompeii… Seaports of the Mediterranean

April 5, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 9 Comments

I liked this view of the Temple of Jupiter with it's stair step columns. A massive earthquake had destroyed the temple in 62 AD. It was still being rebuilt in 79 AD when covered by volcanic rock from Mt. Vesuvius.

I liked this view of the Temple of Jupiter in Pompeii with its stair-step columns. A massive earthquake had destroyed the temple in 62 AD. It was still being rebuilt in 79 AD when it was covered by volcanic rock from Mt. Vesuvius.

It is impossible to visit the ancient cities of the Mediterranean without thinking about the importance of the all-too-human early gods.

Back before they were relegated to the status of myths, they were as alive and real to the people as say Christ might be to today’s faithful Christians. A primary difference was their misbehavior. They became involved in feuds, had affairs, became jealous, drank too much, etc. Other than the fact they were immortal and extremely powerful, they might be a neighbor… or live even closer to home. (Grin)

If they liked you, they could be your best buddy… make you healthy, wealthy and wise. But if they disliked you, watch out! They were like the little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. “When she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid.” ( From a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

So it isn’t surprising that the ancient folks of the Mediterranean spent a great deal of energy and money trying to stay on the good side of their gods. Some of the world’s greatest art was created in their honor and whole herds of castrated animals were sacrificed and cooked to keep them smiling. Interestingly, the smoke from the cooking meat seemed to satisfy the gods. Mere mortals consumed the flesh. As the old saying goes, “Man is nothing, if not practical.”

The Romans, who lacked creativity, obtained their gods wholesale from the Greeks, only changing their names to sound more Latin. Zeus with his fiery lightning bolt became Jupiter, his wife/sister Hera, became Juno, and his daughter Athena, who sprang fully armed from his head and gave him a headache, became Minerva. And of course there was a whole pantheon of other gods.

Each of these gods had a role to play. If you wanted to kick someone’s tail, Jupiter was your ‘man.’ Juno could help you through a difficult childbirth. If you needed more wisdom, and who among us doesn’t, Minerva was there for you. There was no one stop shopping like today’s church goers enjoy.

The gods did gain more power as they aged, however. They took on the roles, and sometimes personalities, of the earlier gods they replaced. Juno, for example, was responsible for both “loosening a bride’s girdle” and protecting the money of the Roman Empire. In her latter role she was the patron Goddess of the Royal Mint.

Mt. Vesuvius provides the background for this photo of Jupiter’s Temple, which he shared with Juno and Minerva. The arch on the left was built to honor the Roman Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD) (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

This view of the right side of Jupiter's Temple in Pompeii shows the arch of the the Roman Emperor Nero, known for fiddling around while Rome burned.

This view of the right side of Jupiter’s Temple in Pompeii shows the arch of the Roman Emperor Nero, known for fiddling around while Rome burned. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

A final photo of Jupiter's Temple, which I liked because of the massive, almost brooding sense, it gave to the columns.

A final photo of Jupiter’s Temple, which I liked because of the massive, almost brooding feel, it gave to the columns.

Jupiter, Juno and Minerva were worshipped as a triad in both Pompeii and Rome. Possibly it saved time and money. There was also a temple to Mercury in Pompeii. His earlier persona had been that of the super fast Greek God Hermes who carried messages for the gods and had wings on his feet. He was also the god of getting rich, luck, trickery and thievery. Hmmm.

Apollo seems ready to take off and deliver a message in this photo of him overlooking his temple. Obviously, he is stripped down for action.

Dark clouds hover above Apollo’s Temple caught in the sunlight. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

In this fun perspective by Peggy, Apollo seems to reach out and grasp one of the columns in his temple.

NEXT BLOG: I will spend one more day wandering the streets of Pompeii including a stop off at the Basilica, Pompeii’s seat of government.

R-Rated Pompeii… Seaports of the Mediterranean

March 29, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 7 Comments

The Lupanare or main brothel of Pompeii. Girls would stand in the window and call to the men below.

The Lupanare or main brothel of Pompeii. Women would stand in the window and bark at the men below.

Today’s blog is R-rated with a :). It’s for mature audiences with a sense of humor. Seriously.

I’ll start by noting that the citizens of Pompeii had a slightly different take on morality than we do; um, make that a major take. Erotic art was found everywhere in the city during archeological excavations. Think ubiquitous. It was also quite explicit.

When King Frances of Naples visited a Pompeii exhibition at the National Museum with his family in 1819, he was so embarrassed by the erotic art that he locked it away in a secret cabinet. Ever since, the collection has had a history of on-again, off-again exposure.

Early bra sizing.

Today, it’s on again. Sort of. When you visit the Archeological Museum in Naples, Pompeii’s erotic art is stored in the Gabinetto Segreto, Secret Room. You may have to make an appointment to get in… not because the subject matter is XXX, (which it is) but because the exhibit is the most visited site in the museum.

Similarly, in Pompeii, the Lupanare is included on every tour group’s must-see list. Our guide warned us that visiting the brothel was an adult activity. She also told us we weren’t allowed to linger. Our tour was to be a quickie, so to speak. We had five minutes. Other groups were waiting.

The brothel was called the Lupanare because its working ladies were called lupe or she wolves. They were called lupe because they were not allowed to solicit in the normal way. It wasn’t “Hey, sailor, looking for a good time?” It was more like “woof, woof, woooooo.”

Once inside, guests were treated to a series of paintings that graphically portrayed the various services available… and costs. Sailors weren’t noted for being literate. Each woman a small cubicle with a stone bed.

Each of the ten rooms in the Lupanare had a stone bed and pillow. I call this Lupe's Den.

Each of the rooms in the Lupanare had a stone bed and pillow. I call this Lupe’s Den. Hopefully, a mattress was included.

Graffiti was found on the walls. Those who could write were invited to evaluate their experience. It was basic. “Sollemnes, you S**** well!” one proclaimed. Apparently, she received a four-star rating.

In Naples we followed up with a visit to the Secret Room. I found the exhibition much more humorous than erotic. I mean, how can you take a flying penis with bells on seriously?

It's hard to take this guy with wings and bells on seriously.

Stepping out for the night? A friend said, “OK, I get the wings, but what’s with the bells?” I told him I found them quite chiming.

Batter up? Or maybe I should label this 17, 18 and 19.

Batter up? Or maybe I should label this contestants 17, 18 and 19 doing the Macarena. And the winner is…

I’ll close with a final view of the Lupanare. It had 10 rooms, altogether. Five upstairs and five down. The upstairs rooms were larger and had private entrances.

NEXT BLOG: Back to a G-rated look at Pompeii.

Walking the Streets of Dubrovnik… Seaports of the Mediterranean

February 27, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 6 Comments

The Stradun, Dubrovnik's main thoroughfare, lit up by sun after a rain storm.

The Stradun, Dubrovnik’s main thoroughfare, wet after a rain storm.

Luck was with us… the rain held off while we were on the walls of Dubrovnik and waited for us to descend to the Stradun, the city’s main thoroughfare. Lunch and pizza occupied most of the downpour. Afterwards we were treated to shiny, wet streets.

Our pizza, Croatian style.

In its first life the Stradun had been a winding canal separating Dubrovnik’s Roman and Slav populations. The canal was filled in during the Eleventh Century and brought the two populations together. A devastating earthquake took out most of the town in 1667 and Dubrovnik rebuilt the road to its present straight alignment.

Narrow pedestrian ways shoot off in both directions from the Stradun and invite exploration. Plazas anchor both ends of the street. Since we arrived in December, Dubrovnik was preparing for the holidays. Two Christmas trees competed for our attention in Luza Square. I found one outlined by a window in the old Customs House to be particularly dramatic.

Walkways such as this and the one below branch off from the Stradun in Dubrovnik, Croatia and invite exploration.

Dubrovnik walkway.

We visited Dubrovnik in December and found the city preparing for the holidays. In this picture,a Christmas tree is gracefully outlined by a window in Sponza Palace, the old custom-house.

Another photo of Sponza Palace, the Christmas Tree and Dubrovnik’s clock tower.

The town’s bell tower and clock, St. Blaise’s Church and Orlando’s Column and are also prominent features of Luza Square. Both St. Blaise and Orlando symbolize Dubrovnik’s fierce sense of independence.

A close up of the Dubrovnik clock tower. A digital clock at the bottom adds a touch of modernization.

St. Blaise was an early third century Christian Martyr from Armenia who was so holy that wild animals were said to drop by his cave for a blessing. The Romans used steel combs to flay off his skin and then beheaded him. Since the combs resembled those used for carding wool, Blaise became the Patron Saint of the wool trade. Go figure.

He earned the everlasting gratitude of Dubrovnik by appearing in a vision to a local priest to warn of an imminent invasion by the Venetians in 971. Ever since, the locals have loved St. Blaise and disliked Venice. They celebrate his birthday by parading various parts of his body through the city on February 3.

St. Blaise, the Patron Saint of Dubrovnik, holds a model of the city in his hand. This particular statue is found in the Pile Gate at one of the city’s main entrances. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

Orlando is known as the legendary knight Roland in Northern Europe. The story is that he rescued Dubrovnik from a siege by the Saracens in the Eighth Century. The fact that the dates of Roland’s life don’t match those of Orlando doesn’t seem to matter. He wasn’t from Venice. Also of note… his arm was used as the standard measure of cloth in Dubrovnik.

The Orlando column in Luza Square. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

The Pile Gate, Franciscan Monastery, and Onofrio’s Fountain are located at the other end of the Stradun. The fountain is a subject of my next blog. The Monastery houses a peaceful cloister and a small but interesting museum that features a pharmacy that opened in 1317 and St. Luke’s finger.