Monday, April 22, 2013

Madrid 2nd day

We had an Afternoon show for the soldier's daughters.
I can't lie- this was the craziest thing I think we did. We did a show for 30 kids in the age bracket of 5- 13 years old. Mostly girl scouts. We went through so much together this trip we figured ya know what- we can do it and did over 45min show for them. They were a ton of fun and after the kids went outside and we did another 45min for the parents. We had a ball with these folks. Craig did a lot of stuff with his voices and telling everyone how to develop these great characters.



Don and Craig IMPROV a scene.

We went out for lunch on this cold rainy afternoon, and the Spanish people treated us like gold. Our waiter just kept bringing us free food and drinks. We didn't have a grasp of the language to tell him- Don Doesn't eat meat, Craig doesn't drink, but we said thanks and loved the gesture.
We picked up a bottle of wine and sat in my room and just talked about everything we went through this trip and how much we appreciated each other's company. What a fantastic trip- Time to head back to NY.
















Sunday, April 21, 2013

Madrid

Welcome to Madrid Spain
File:Real Madrid CF.svg

After a killer breakfast in Rota, we took off. We got into Madrid, and we scored tickets to the Real Madrid soccer match. These guys are the Yankees of Euro Football. They spend more than anyone to make sure they are winners. They are the most luxurious sports team in history. I think. I never thought I would want to go to something like this, but man, I am glad I did. So my first question, what's with "real"? Real is Spanish for Royal. They started in 1902 and later was bestowed to King Alfonso XIII in 1920. 
Tickets!
The Santiago Bernabeu holds 85,500 people.
Built-in 1947














Winners of a record number of stuff:

32 La Liga titles,

18 Copas del Rey,

9 Supercopas de Espania,

1 Copa Eva Duarte

1 Copa de Liga,
Spanish Bart and Homer

9 Euro Cups,

3 International cups,

2 UEFA cups

1 AEFA Cup.

I bet that's a lot to people who know what any of this is!

They Play techno and Opera during pregame. That metal shows own Don Jamieson Sings a little opera for us. Look out VH1 there could be a That Opera Show coming next year.













At the half we had a quick drink, they do not serve beer in the stadium, so we went to this great dive. Photos on the wall show that every famous rocker has been drunk here. Soccer is like comedy- I think you need to see it live to really appreciate it.
We got on the subway, and it was packed, and this group of Irish kids started passing gas and literally cleared the car. Things don't change, no matter where you are.

We used the subway to get back and forth.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Rota part 2

I enjoy Craig's stories.
In all seriousness, I had so much fun being with three of my best friends and being in this beautiful city. I want to come back with my wife someday.
The art and history really inspired me- I was excited about the shows.
We had an excellent breakfast and was ready to go! We wondered at the base and met some folks. I know this show will be great, the people started pouring into the venue early


Don't eat the oranges- they belong to the king!








The shows where packed, and the crowd was amazing. It was March 15th, which is my wife's birthday. We got the group to get in on a cool video I sent her!




File:Veracruz Rota.JPG
After the show, we watched people getting ready for the holy week. It was pretty insane. They make floats out of real gold that has to weigh hundreds of pounds and march bar to bar while they work on the floats. Oh yea, did I mention they are dressed like Klu Klux Klan members. These clothes are meant to resemble the NazareƱos, AKA, for people like me who do not have a clue to what that is- people from Nazareth. So the klan must have ripped off these dudes stuff!!


It is kind of like a moving station of the cross or live bible scenes diner theatre.
HOLY WEEK IN SPAINThe people who carry the weight of the floats are called "costaleros" and are expected the carry these "thrones" with solemnity and grace. They use a small cushion, "costal" to protect themselves from getting sores from the wood rubbing against their skin during the long processions.

We got to sleep and got ready to head to Madrid early in the morning.



We leave for Madrid in the AM.




Friday, April 19, 2013

Rota day 6








Rota, Spain

Population 28,516 and 1 creepy dog

Rota is on the bay of Cadiz. 13th Century castle is now home to Town Hallalong with Baroque Caridad or San Juan Bautista Church and San Roque Church home to the town's patron saint. I can't wait to get there, I love history and looking around old cities so Rota will be a great trip. Driving To Rota was about an hour and a half countryside drive. It looked like Lancaster Pa. It was great and clean. Allot of the countryside was the grapes from the beautiful wine we drank all week. 


The base is impressive, they are putting us up in a hostile... At first, I was like "What?" but the hostile is what we consider a Bed and Breakfast. I could not believe how amazing this place was. The actual view made me think I was on a set of a movie- everything was crisp and vivid. 







A quick history of what I understood:
Rota started sometime in the Bronze age. The Romans have been given this city called "Astaroth," and they changed the name to "Speculum Rotate" later- taken by the Moors and became "Rabita Rutta."


The Moors left Spain, and the Christians took it over in 1297. Because of its great location for Coastal defense being near the entrance to the Mediterranean sea and great port for trade with North Africa, This city has always been part of Spain's great history.








We are across the alley from a fantastic pastry shop, and we partook in a siesta.. what a great Idea. Coffee and pastry than a nap in the middle of the afternoon. I am adopting this into my life.. wait, I already do that.




As we are enjoying a coffee next to this church all of a sudden, a bunch of little kids dressed like kings and princesses come walking out of the old castle. It was adorable and amazing. This tiny square in Rota has so much beauty happening, and we spend maybe 2.5 euros on such a beautiful afternoon. We decided to nap then explore, there is a lot to explore. This city is wonderful.




We have a Naval base here, which I mentioned the importance of location. It is known as "gateway to the Mediterranean" Its also the halfway point of the US and middle east. We also have a small Army and Airforce base near.. We could say its a very fancy gas station for jets.











The Navy base is a kind of support system for US and NATO ships. Its kind of like the general store for the region providing cargo, fuel, passengers, and ammo for anyone who may need that in the area of the world. It is also an excellent stop for soldiers going into or out of the danger zones.



The walk was so amazing, The old Castles, architectural genius and beautiful beaches. The significant part about traveling with these guys is we talked and took in everything for hours. I love traveling with such great people. Every tour I have done with Armed Forces Entertainment has been with great people.

I love these Spanish Tiles, I really would like to do this if I ever own a house.
The history of tiles has a great Spanish feel, but even further back is an Arab influence from the 11th century.
When the Arabs invaded Spain, they brought the ceramic making technology. Due to Christian pressure by the 15th century, the factory that made the tiles became more efficient at making these "Spanish style tiles" and started being shipped all over the world by the 20th century.