12th – 14th October 2023: Yoshiki Classical World Tour “REQUIEM”, London (England, Great Britain)

Posted on 1 November 2023 by JBinnacle

This was my third and last trip to London in these five crazy weeks, and it was again to see Yoshiki. Someone once told me that I love Yoshiki because he appeals to both my wild and posh sides – it is partially true, I guess. It has a lot to do with how many of his lyrics resonate with me, more deeply than I am comfortable admitting sometimes.

I don’t think I would have travelled twice so close in time for any other artist. And believe me, organising this trip was a logistics nightmare. In other circumstances I would have flown out the same day of the event, which was Friday the 13th, but I don’t think that airports in the UK have completely recovered from the Covid chaos, and there are still a bunch of issues – just the previous week to my arrival, a good number of flights were cancelled in Gatwick. Second, the 12th is a holiday where I live, and since it was a Thursday, it kickstarted a long weekend. And last but not least, the 12th is also my parent’s birthday, and they were excited for a big celebratory lunch.

Taking all this into account, I tried to coordinate everything the best I could without breaking the bank. I found the last plane leaving on Thursday the 12th, at 21:50. That gave me time to have lunch at my parents’, then drive off past 19:00 – there should not be too much traffic. I booked the parking lot – the shuttle runs every 15 minutes in the evenings. In the worst case scenario, if my flight was cancelled or too delayed, there was space to manoeuvre on Friday morning. The plane was scheduled to arrive in London Gatwick close to midnight, but I was quite sure it would be delayed, and in order to avoid late-night trains and stress, I reserved a hotel next to the airport terminal – I did not have to worry about dinner as my parents make food to feed a small army. For the following night, I found a “boutique hotel” next to the venue. I booked my return flight on Saturday the 14th in order to avoid the end-of-weekend traffic that would concentrate on Sunday.

Great plan. In the end, something happened and the celebration had to be postponed, so I spent the evening watching the clock, and checking and rechecking both the weather forecast and my luggage – finding something to wear that was nice and still weather-appropriate was difficult. I changed my mind regarding footwear about six times.

Around 19:00 on the 12th, I finally drove to the airport. Considering that the forecast was rain both at home and at London, I took boots in the end, but more comfy shoes for driving. I reached the parking lot and airport a bit earlier than expected, and I found a nice covered spot for the car – which I had to check that it was not reserved a few times. As I entered the international terminal, I was disoriented for a second – since I usually take planes before 7:00, I had not seen the shops open for a long time! It turns out there is a Duty Free just after passport control which I had not even realised before, and that threw me off track for a heartbeat or two.

I had some dinner at one of the fast food stands, and as expected, the plane was delayed. Then it needed an engineer. Then it taxied forever. And after almost two hours of delay, the two-hour-and-a-bit flight to Gatwick was cut short – we landed not even ten minutes late, so we flew the route in a little over an hour. I never knew you could step on it so bad on a plane! I went through passport control and found my hotel – just outside the North Terminal, and much closer than I had calculated. Gatwick was also crazy busy even if it was nearly midnight.

I checked in, and I was surprised that even though it was the same chain I had stayed at next to the O2 Academy Islington, the procedure was completely different. But it went without a hitch, and I was in bed within thirty minutes. I even caught some sleep. For some reason they gave me a room with a sofa-bed aside the regular one.

Leaving in the morning was a bit more complicated. After a much-needed caffeine boost at Costa Coffee, I took the inner airport shuttle from the North to the South Terminal, where the train station is. From there, I found my connection to central London. The good thing is that Gatwick trains belong to a regular line, so they do not require a special ticket, you can use the Oyster card, which I did. The shuttle and train went through awful weather, but when I reached London, rain and wind had calmed down a little. I wanted to leave my things at the hotel because of the bad weather and not to go into any museums with the backpack – just in case. The nice person doing my check in was very stressed that I might want my room – it was before 10:00 for a 15:00 hour check-in. I really just wanted them to hold my luggage. After that was successful, my next step was finding a bank that would exchange a handful of old pounds for new ones. In the end, train, underground, hotel and bank took a bit longer than I had expected and I was running a bit behind my self-imposed schedule.

My first stop was Sir John Soane’s Museum. Sir John Soane was a neoclassical architect – he worked in the remodelling of the Palace of Westminster, but his most prominent legacy is his house-museum. He bought a couple of attached houses in the centre of London, and combined them both as an architecture experiment and to host his collection of antiquities, copies, paintings, and pieces of architectural interest. There was a special Act of Parliament to establish the museum while Soane was still alive, stating that after his death the houses should be kept as they were, to avoid his son selling the collection, as some of pieces were / are worth a fortune. For reference, one of the most important artefacts hosted there is the sarcophagus of Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I (Second Dynasty). Adventurer Giovanni Battista Belzoni tried to sell the piece to the British Museum after taking it from the Valley of the Kings in Thebes. The Museum was not willing to pay what today would equate to almost £200,000, but Soane bought it in 1817 to exhibit it in the basement “sepulchral chamber”, where it still stands today.

Entry to the museum is free, but you are requested to purchase the guide for £3, which I did. The first area you visit is the lovely library, and then you step into the real treasure – the area comprised by “the dome”, “the colonnade” and “the corridors”, where literally hundreds of sculptures, friezes, amphorae, decorative pieces… pile up on one another to the point that everything is overwhelming and fantastically chaotic. Wherever you look, there is something else to notice – whether it is Apollo, a copy of the Farnese Hercules, a pegasus… Then you go down to the basement, and both the “catacombs” and the “sepulchral chamber” are equally cluttered – a pair of Chinese guardian lion-dogs, Aphrodite bathing, a Poseidon head, and of course Seti I’s alabaster sarcophagus, encased in glass, which sucks for pictures but protects it in the super-tight space.

Artefacts at Sir Soane Museum

Sarcophagus of Seti I in Sir Soane Museum

Other spaces include the kitchen – which feels strangely empty in comparison– the drawing rooms on the first floor, and the picture room on the ground floor – with some of Canaletto’s Venetian landscapes, and drawings of ancient monuments. All in all, whenever you blinked, you missed a detail. It was almost stressful, but an amazing place to visit.

Afterwards, I met up with fellow Yoshiki fans A****d and A**i, at the British Museum. They were going there first thing, and we had arranged to get together around noon, but I ran a bit late and only reached them around 12:20. Through that time, they went through the must-dos. We met at the Ancient Middle East and saw a few exhibits about the history of money, one on clocks, Roman Britain, the library… They asked me if there was anything I recommended, and we went past the Moai so I could show them one of my favourite sculptures ever – the Bodhisattva Guanyin [觀音 in Chinese], associated with compassion, in the Chinese Art Gallery. Guanyin sits with one leg up in a very relaxed and informal position compared to other Buddhist imagery, and I just adore this wooden representation.

Artefacts in the British Museum

Around 14:00, we went out for lunch. We tried an okonomiyaki place near the British Museum, but it was unfortunately full, and both my friends had had CoCo Curry the previous night. We walked into Chinatown and we found a self-proclaimed izakaya Japanese restaurant called Oita (Soho). I ordered sushi bento for £16.95, which at first felt a bit expensive, but I had forgotten British-sized servings. It was actually very proportionate size-wise, and came with complimentary miso soup. The bento (“boxed lunch”) itself comprised a small salad, seven pieces of assorted raw fish on sushi rice (tuna, salmon, butterfish, mackerel, squid, prawn and octopus – these last two were no raw, actually), four assorted nigiri (tuna, salmon, butterfish, mackerel), three salmon sashimi, two tuna sashimi, three avocado hosomaki, and some garnishing including cucumber, radish and alfalfa, along with pickled ginger and wasabi. It was really good.

Oita Soho sushi bento

The three of us separated after lunch to go to our hotels and get ready. On my way, I bought a sandwich and a bottle of water from a supermarket to have for the night, and decided to take a shower before changing into concert gear. When I reached my hotel, they showed me around, and told me my luggage was in the room – which it was not. I had to come down again to get it, which embarrassed the staff a lot. The room was posh to the max – I even had a bed with a canopy! Apparently, boutique hotels are “small hotels with a personality” that try to “tailor the experience to the customer”. For me, a hotel is just a place to sleep in, so I’m just happy with them being safe and clean. I can do without the personality, the steeper price, and the surprise extra service charge.

I reserved the hotel through Booking, and they got in touch that they wanted payment outside the page. I dislike this, but it is not unheard from. I needed to demand my payment receipt, too, because the page did not generate any. Later, they tried to charge me through Booking again (though in their “defence” this might have been a Booking issue, as it has been hacked). In the end, the image I got from them was that of an overpriced wannabe high-end hotel, but there were too many blunders to consider coming back if I can help it.

At least, the hotel fulfilled the one reason I had chosen it – it was a short walk from the Royal Albert Hall. Considering how badly I felt after the Miyavi concert a couple of weeks before, I was a bit apprehensive this was going to be too much. It was, but not in the worse sense of the word. The recital was emotionally hard on me, as I tend to connect a bit too much with Yoshiki’s music, but fortunately I did not take ill this time around.

I was deeply moved when I attended the first Yoshiki Classical concert in Paris in 2014, but this time my mind was absolutely blown. Back in May, in a moment of fanby weakness, I decided to buy RAH membership (£55) in order to get access to the presale. Despite that, I only managed a sixth-row seat to the side – Arena F – Row 6, Seat 27 (£60). These were sent by post and arrived in physical form in late July. I decided on this delivery method because even if the tickets did not arrive on time, or got lost, I still had the option of “will call” with my ID and the card used for purchase (of course, my bank decided to cancel my cards meanwhile and get me new ones, so I’ve been running around with both working and not-working cards in my wallet for the last couple of months).

Having a RAH account also meant that I was notified about a “Yoshiki meet and greet VIP package” within minutes of its release, which included an exclusive opportunity to meet Yoshiki after the concert in the 1871 Bar, a photo opportunity with Yoshiki, and a piece of merchandise for signing (£150) – I booked it as soon as the email came through, and I think I was the 10th person to buy the upgrade. These tickets were supposed to arrive by post, too, but the venue changed them to e-tickets the week before the show – when I was already antsy about them arriving – “will call” was still an option, but I was restless.

Around 18:15 I left the hotel to walk to the venue to meet A****d and A**i. The Royal Albert Hall is one of the most famous concert venues in the United Kingdom. It was world’s first domed amphitheatre, designed by two civil engineers, Francis Fowke and Henry Y.D. Scott, and inaugurated by Queen Victoria in 1871. The outer structure is built in Fareham Red brick with a mosaic frieze that represents the arts and sciences, and the roof is a glass and wrought-iron dome. It has several halls and a corridor surrounding the amphitheatre, with several bars and other hospitality offerings.

The three of us walked around and found the merch stand, which was a bit underwhelming – two short-sleeve T-shirt models, and a tote bag. I kind of regret not getting the tote now, but I felt I had already spent too much money. A****d was sitting next to me, and A**i just a couple of rows behind. However, upon being shown to the amphitheatre when doors opened around 18:45 for the 19:30 concert, my brain shortcut. Rows 1 to 5 were inexistent. My row 6 ticket was a first row ticket. I was first row for a Yoshiki concert!

Fine, to the side and with some camera equipment in between, but I was first row for a Yoshiki concert. In particular, for Yoshiki’s Yoshiki Classical 10th Anniversary World Tour with Orchestra 2023 “REQUIEM” on the 13th of October 2023.

Yoshiki Requiem Poster 2023

Most seats had a small booklet, and since mine did not, I decided to “steal” it from a still-empty seat – I’m selfish, sue me. Once my brain settled down enough to take everything in, there were two things I noticed – one, that the grand piano in the centre of the stage was not Yoshiki’s trademark glass piano, and two, that his drum set was there. This was not a huge surprise as he had hinted it during the Q&A in September that he wanted to do something with it. We passed the time looking at people come in, being impressed at how fancy some people dressed, meeting other friends, and taking photographs in front of the stage.

Inside the Royal Albert Hall

The concert / recital was intense. Most of the music played had been composed by Yoshiki himself either for his different collaborations or for X Japan. Vocals were entrusted to pop singer Beverly [ビバリー] and soprano Ai Ichihara [市原愛]. Special guests St.Vincent and Ellie Goulding sang their own songs. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra was conducted by Ward Stare. Ballet dancers from Jlee Productions performed on stage during Forever Love and Swan Lake..

Setlist:

Part 1
   1. Amethyst (orchestra alone)
   2. Tears
   3. Angel
   4. Miracle with Ai Ichihara
   5. Forever Love
   6. Kiss the Sky with Beverly
   7. Anniversary
Part 2:
   8. Drum improvisation while the orchestra played Serenade for Strings (by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) and Symphony No. 3 (by Henryk Gorecki) and Ai Ichihara on vocals
   9. Say anything
   10. Swan Lake (by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
   11. New York by and with St.Vincent
   12. Love me like you do by and with Ellie Goulding
   13. Red Swan with Beverly
   14. Requiem
   15. Without you
   16. OPUS 13 in A-minor (by Felix Mendelssohn)
   17. Art of Life (second and third movements)
   18. Endless Rain

Although the auditorium opened later than it was supposed to, the concert started almost punctual, a bit past 19:30 – which for Yoshiki is a miracle of ontimeness. He had probably done all his interviews the month before. Director Ward Stare came on stage and the orchestra played Amethyst as warm-up – this is the song that was usually heard at the start X Japan’s concerts, before members came in. Yoshiki walked on stage to play piano from the second song on, Tears. The tour title Requiem comes from the song Yoshiki wrote to honour his mother after she passed – he was understandably devastated, and it made sense to start the show with Tears.

Yoshiki playing piano at Royal Albert Hall

Throughout the concert, he alternated piano-playing and talking – most of the talks we had heard before, but a few were new to me. He told us that when he felt that he had managed a great achievement his mother used to bring him back to earth with questions like “have you eaten?” or “did you sleep?”. He explained that she really praised him when he composed Anniversary for former Emperor Akihito. We also had some promotion of the Under the Sky film, and Yoshiki’s champagne line, along with a recap of him being honoured in LA’s Chinese Theatre. There was also some “thank you to my sponsors” talk, and he might have said “amazing” around a thousand and three times.

The first part went more or less as expected – except for the ballet dancers. I did not think we would get them, but I am not going to complain. I did miss Hero, because I really enjoy listening to that one live, but something had to be taken out to accommodate the songs by the special guests. Some people say that he talks too much, but I think that he’s just trying to catch a breather – both physical and emotional. At one point he spoke about an “X Japan song that we would never really hear”, which was heartbreaking. There is a difference between knowing that there won’t ever be any X Japan ever again, and having it confirmed. Both in September and now, we’ve heard him openly say things that usually went only implied, which I think means that we are in a new stage of his artistic career / life.

Yoshiki Royal Albert Hall with orchestra and ballet dancers

For the second act, he pushed himself even harder with a drum solo to start off. He always smashes the drums as if he were trying to get a confession out of them – it is like he has so much anger inside him and the drums are his only way to release it. In a way, it probably is – he always says that he turned to drumming to deal with his father’s suicide, and that is how he expresses himself. But then he goes back to the piano, and it feels that the keys are crying with him.

The acts with St.Vincent and Ellie Goulding, in my opinion, were more promotional than anything else. Both are well-known and established in their own niches – and Yoshiki likes female singing voices because they can hit high notes better, I think – though I miss Katie Fitzgerald and Ashley Knight, to be honest. St.Vincent was okay, Ellie Goulding left me wondering… what she was doing there. Apparently the pinnacle of her career until now has been composing Love me like you do for the film Fifty shades of grey… And I hate to be that person, but both of them could have chosen way better outfits.

The titular song, Requiem, was extremely poignant. It was the piece Yoshiki wrote to deal with his feelings for his dead mother, in his own words, the means he found to stop crying for her loss. Just like he took to drumming after his father’s death, he took to composing after his mother passed. Later, he explained again how the song Red Swan symbolises standing up through the pain and the blood. The original version of this song is sung by vocalist Hyde, and since he was bringing in people from all around the globe, I would have been extremely happy if he had flown him in for it, and I was hopeful for about one tenth of a heartbeat. Unfortunately, you cannot have everything.

Throughout the recital there were sad moments and happy moments, to thank fans, and to remember those who are gone, moments with ballet dancers and with the torch on the phone on, moments to sing and to laugh, and to feel your heart shrink. In the end, Endless Rain with all the audience was extremely special – it never feels that it is going to be, I keep thinking “this time it’s not going to affect me this much”, but it gets me every time.

Yoshiki talking at the Royal Albert Hall

In the end, the show lasted for about three hours, plus a twenty-minute intermission. He thanked the conductor, the orchestra and dancers and the guests, and received lots of flower bouquets. Next to me, A****d managed to give him a Union Jack with a small EU flag sewn into it, which he proudly wore around his shoulders. It’s fun how he is such a huge super star and then he becomes all shy and embarrassed. Or he just… crashes.

Yoshiki with the Union Jack flag, Royal Albert Hall

After the concert was over, we said goodbye to A**i and, A****d and I made our way to the 1871 Bar, where the Post Show Meet & Greet Experience was to take place. We went to one of the doors, but of course then we needed to go to the other one. Eventually we got in, and rather quickly – I was the 20th person in the queue, and got to wait inside the bar. It was upholstered in blue, turquoise and green tones, with the most garish decoration I’ve seen in my life, including mirrors, golden wallpaper, bright plastic deer heads (better than real ones but still gaudy), lava lamps… There were about… four or five sofas, and the whole floor was carpeted in reddish and green / grey tones.

I was a bit nervous – waiting to meet an artist is actually the worst moment of queueing, I feel. To be honest, the first time I saw Yoshiki in person in 2017, my brain went 404 on me and I was not able to utter a word, though in Vienna I did a bit better and got a selfie. I was shaking so badly it came out horrible and moved.

As we were waiting, a staff member came to tell us that we could talk to Yoshiki a little, and that they would take our pictures with him and email the link to us. He explained that Yoshiki had just played a three-hour show and that he was bound to be tired – and how amazing he was. We smirked that we knew that already – most of us were not local, after all. Meanwhile, lights were set up, and signed posters brought out.

Yoshiki arriving for the M&G in the 1871 Bar at the Royal Albert Hall

Once he came in, we clapped and then everything went very fast and very slow at the same time. Everyone got to talk to him a little indeed, ask for an autograph or give him a present. Some people conjure amazing gifts for artists, but I never bring anything for them, because I feel it’s imposing and they don’t need any junk I could get them. However, I was clutching my bad selfie print-out, running through my head what to say. It was finally my turn, and then something I could have never prepared for happened – he declared that he was tired and just sat down on the floor. Not one of sofas. Yoshiki, superstar, just plopped down on the garish carpet of the bar at the Royal Albert Hall.

I have no idea how or why but my brain kicked into gear at that point. Before the staff could react in any way, I asked Yoshiki if it was all right to sit down on the carpet with him – I really did not know if he wanted to have his picture taken on the floor. I’m not sure if the staff and the aides knew what to do, but when he said it was all right, I approached and sat – A****d had stayed behind and was able to document the whole thing, apparently I sat in the proper traditional Japanese way for the conversation.

I thanked him for his music, and told him how his lyrics helped me feel better after a bad situation. Then I asked him to sign the “horrible selfie” – I actually said this – from Vienna. He thanked me for coming back, and I said “no, thank you for coming back”. The whole thing was absolutely surreal. There we were, sitting on the carpet of the Royal Albert Hall, surrounded by dumbfounded staff and… sofas. Photographer Andy Paradise took our picture, and what I saw when I looked at the camera was the photographer crouching, the video-camera person kneeling, someone else also crouching down, and a fourth person coming in with a chair (despite… sofas). I said thank you again, and dragged myself away – the guy whose turn it was behind me also sat down on the floor.

A****d and I got our signed posters, while I clutched to my now autographed bad Vienna selfie, and left the venue. Some people asked questions on the way out, and we explained how it went. When we came out, it was cold, so damn cold. My hotel was a block over, so I asked reception to order a taxi for A****d, and we parted ways, hoping to see each other soon.

I went up to my room to take my third shower of the day, and have my snack. I was so overwhelmed, it was hard to sleep. It was also stupidly cold because unbeknownst to me, I had not closed the window well, and there was an open crack. I burrowed under the bed covers, a towel and a bathrobe, and got some rest.

The next morning, I made myself a hot instant coffee to start off the day, but it did not do much to get my blood pressure up. I vacated the room around 9:00 after asking the hotel to keep my luggage – but considering what had happened the previous day, I made sure I had all the important things with me. I had a nice plan for the day, but I decided to discard it last minute because underground disruptions had escalated – it was not worth it to get stressed due to commuting issues having alternative things to do. Seeing the first red phone cabin will have to wait for another time.

It was still extremely cold when I stepped out. First, I went to see the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, and I crossed to Hyde Park. I also found the Monument to Livingstone. I went around the Royal Albert Hall, and a bit before 10:00, I joined the queue to enter the Victoria and Albert Museum. Whenever I am in Kensington, I always get distracted by the Natural History Museum, so I had forfeited the V&A for a while now. Today was the day to finally explore it.

The Albert Memorial

Royal Albert Hall from the outside

Founded in 1852, the V&A is one of the largest museums in the world – it’s actually the largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design. It covers 51,000 square metres, with 145 galleries and almost three million individual items in its permanent collection. It is a chaotic museum, and yet, it makes sense. The museum is organised by “themes” such as Buddhism, England Middle Ages, metalwork, porcelain, glass, Baroque sculpture… I tried to see things in some kind of logical order, but it was pretty much impossible. Apparently they tried to rearrange it a while back and they just… gave up, as it would diffuse expert knowledge. I found this very interesting, but since this was my plan B, I did not really have time to plan the visit very thoroughly.

Before diving into the galleries, I headed over to the museum café for a gigantic tea-infused scone with jam and proper clotted cream, and a mug of coffee, and sat down at the Gamble Room. When it opened in 1868, it was the first museum café in the world. It is decorated with tiles imitating the Italian Renaissance majolica tiles, columns, golden ceilings, and weirdly modern lamps. After breakfast, I felt a bit more grounded, though I felt a bit off all day.

Scone and coffee at the Gambler Room in the V&A museum

I roamed around the museum for a few hours, and I know that I missed some important areas. I found it difficult to keep track of where I was and where I wanted to go, but I got a bit of a taste of all. I was very impressed by the Cast Courts, where copies of some of the most iconic pieces of architecture and sculpture are kept. These were made in the 19th century, and represent “the truest spirit of the Victorian museum.”

Artefacts at the Victoria and Albert Museum

On the ground floor, I wandered the Korea, Japan, China and Buddhism galleries, and I came across another depiction of Bodhisattva Guanyin, in the same pose but a completely different artistic style. I saw the largest Middle East and Islamic Art collection in Europe, and the adjacent galleries –South Asia (especially India) and South East Asia had a lot of interesting artefacts, too. The sculpture galleries are tantalising.

Other areas I visited included Medieval and Renaissance, Britain though history, ironwork, metalware, gold, silver, ceramics, glassware, jewellery, stained glass, architecture, and I could have gone on and on. But alas, I had a plane to catch.

Artefacts at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Victoria & Albert Museum

Around 13:00, I left the museum, collected my luggage, and made my way to South Kensington Station amidst the Tube closures of the lines that would take me directly to Victoria. A while back, I had to take a similar alternative route from Earl’s Court due to the wires overheating when I was going to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to watch Wicked. The South Kensington station runs the same Tube lines, so I was able to reach Victoria railroad station at the desired time – even with a line change and more than double stops. I was off towards Gatwick airport on the expected train.

Once there, I went through security without a hitch. I had a snack in the most expensive and unfriendly Wagamama in history – give me Stansted’s Itsu anytime. I wanted something warm because my body gets weird after emotional highs, and I was freezing. I even wondered if I was taking ill again, but no. I was just cold. I did not let either the restaurant nor the chill spoil my mood though, and I might even have had a nap on the plane. By the time I got off, I had warmed up. I cleared passport control, found my shuttle to the parking lot and – aside from the inevitable idiot on the road – there was not even that much traffic, which is good. You know the routine – shower, snack, bed.

I was not ill in the end, just stupidly exhausted. Going back to normal was quite difficult, especially as I still had Sunday free. I did not ever dare look at my phone to see if the photographs were real. A few days later, on the 18th, we received the email with the meet & greet professional photos. I look ridiculously happy, sitting on the carpet ,with a sofa behind me, with who is probably my favourite artist. I feel a bit guilty that I burdened him with my problems – I really hope he forgot quickly. Nevertheless, I am mostly glad that I was able to take these three crazy trips to London without incident. I feel extremely lucky that all three of them worked out, if not flawlessly, without any huge mishap. There is actually another Yoshiki event announced for December, but as much as I would love to go, it is just not in the budget, and I am a bit sad about that. But then I think “I sat with Yoshiki on the carpet of the Royal Albert Hall” and smile.

7th October 2023: The historical centre of Valencia (Spain)

Posted on 27 October 2023 by JBinnacle

I had the chance to spend a few hours – seven, to be exact – in Valencia | València (first name in Spanish, second one in local dialect) due to unforeseen circumstances. I’ve been there before, but it was to visit the Oceanogràfic, and I had not entered the historical area.

Valencia is the third-largest city in Spain. It is known for its love of pyrotechnia – Las Fallas – and its famous paella rice dish. The city dates back to the Roman period, in the 2nd century BCE. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the most disputed areas between the Christian and the Moor troops, changing hands a few times. The city flourished in the Late Medieval Period under Christian ruling. It played an important role during the Napoleonic war, and during the 20th century it became a great importer of wine and citrus, especially oranges. During the Civil War, it was the Republican capital, so it was heavily bombarded. With the advent of democracy, the city invested in development and tourism.

I arrived at the station Joaquín Sorolla around 11:30, which is not far from the centre. It was pretty hot, even if it was October, so I was ready for a few weekend-tourists. One detail that I had not planned on, nor thought about, was that it was a long weekend over there, Monday the 9th was a holiday, and there were way more than “a few” weekend-tourists. Also, I walked into a lot of preparations forfor institutional acts, which got in the way of photographs – the city hall square was cordoned off and it was really hard to get a good view. On one side of the closed-off area stands the town hall Ayuntamiento de Valencia | Ajuntament de València, on the other, the old central postal office Palacio de las Comunicaciones de Valencia | Palau de les Comunicacions de València. The town hall is actually a mash-up of two different buildings, one from the late 19th century, and another – the façade – from the 1930s, with Renaissance and Baroque inspirations.

Valencia town hall

I continued off towards the main market – Mercado Central | Mercat Central. This is an impressive Modernist building designed by architects Alejandro Soler March and Francisco Guardia Vial. Construction started in 1914 and finished in 1928 – the building was erected in iron, glass and ceramic tiles, the central dome is 30 metres high. This is one of those places I wish I were a VIP and could see closed, because it was fantastic. Unfortunately, though it is the largest market of fresh produce in Europe, it was extremely full, and it was hard to even stand to the side and take a photograph or two.

Central Market Valencia

Next to the market stands the church Royal Parish of the St Johns Real Parroquia de los Santos Juanes | Església dels Sants Joans also known as St John of the Market. When checking if the city tourist card was a good choice for me – it was not – I bought a combined ticket that included this church and two other buildings for 12 € (considering that each on its own was at least 7 €, it was a sweet deal.

Church of the Saint Johns Valencia

Most of the original Gothic building has been destroyed, and its appearance today is mostly Baroque. It seems that the church is prone to fire accidents, and burnt down totally or partially at least three times. It is undergoing inner restoration at the moment, which takes away from the fresco decoration of the vaulted nave. The frescoes were carried out by Antonio Palomino in the 16th century, and the Baroque altarpiece was brought from another church in the north of Spain. An add-on to the church is the Capilla de la Comunión, the chapel of the Holy Communion was added in the 18th century. The church reminded me of the Italian Baroque I saw in Naples.

In front of the church, on the other side of the square, stands what I consider the most important building in the city – the Silk Exchange, or Lonja de la Seda | Llotja de la Seda, also called Lonja de los Mercaderes | Llotja de Mercaders. In Spanish, a lonja is a type of public building where merchants would negotiate and auction their produce, traditionally fish. In this case, instead, it was used for trading in silk during the Middle Ages. Silk was important for Valencia, and the city is considered part of the Silk Route. The Arabs introduced it in the 14th century, planting mulberry trees to produce it, and the trade became so important that it required its own building.

Lonja de la Seda Valencia

The Exchange was originally designed by Francesc Baldomar in the late 15th century, though he died before completing it. His disciples Joan Ivarra and Pere Compte finished the building according to Baldomar’s original plans and drawings. The building has four distinct areas: the Tower, the orange garden (Patio de los Naranjos), the Contract or Trading Hall (Sala de Contratación) – which were the original ones – and the Sea Consulate Hall (Sala del Consulado del Mar ). There is also a small basement.

The building is considered the masterpiece of the civil Valencian Gothic, a style that flourished in the east of Spain towards the end of the Gothic period. It is characterised by a heavy reliance of traditional Roman architecture and a little Mudejar influence. Wide open halls are typical, with decoration and sculpture influenced by Flaming Gothic. The Exchange is decorated with tiny gargoyles sprinkled all around the outside of the building towards the garden.

The Trading Hall has three naves which rest on eight helical columns and 16 pilasters that hold the vaults, eleven metres above ground. Further ribbing extends from the the columns, creating a net that spreads all over the ceiling. The combination of columns and ribbing tries to represent heaven – the palm tree trunks and the celestial sphere. Another ceiling that deserves admiration is the painted wooden one in the first hall of the Sea Consulate.

Lonja de la Seda Valencia

Wooden roof of the Consulado de Mar in Valencia

I loved the Exchange, but it is not as if I have ever scorned anything Gothic. However, I could not stay forever, so I pushed myself to leave. I went around the building once and then, after a short stop at a cute little round square, Plaza Redonda, I found my way to the large square Plaza de La Reina, where the cathedral stands.

The Iglesia catedral-basílica Metropolitana de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia | La Seu is also built in Valencian Gothic on Romanesque foundations. It was erected over a Roman Temple, and part of the Roman remains can be visited in the “archaeological area” of the museum, underneath the current church. The main building that stands today was erected between the 13th and 15th centuries, thus the prevalence of Gothic, but there are earlier and later styles – as recent as Neoclassical.

Valencia Cathedral

In a side chapel, in the middle of an alabaster Gothic altarpiece (1777), the cathedral holds and exhibits its most important treasure – the Holy Chalice (Santo Cáliz), sometimes called Holy Grail. According to the Christian tradition, the Holy Chalice is the vessel used by Jesus Christ during the last supper. If we follow the Spanish legend, when the Virgin Mary died, Jesus’ disciples gathered everything that belonged to him, and Saint Peter took it to Rome. During the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, the Chalice was entrusted to Saint Lawrence, who brought it to one of the former Spanish realms. It was eventually presented to the monarch in 1399. In 1437, King Alfonso V of Aragón donated it to the Cathedral of Valencia.

According to other legends, there was this King called Arthur, and something about a knights and a round table. In the Arthurian legend, there was a mystical object called the “Grail.” which was originally a Celtic cauldron with magic powers. However, the concept became mixed up with the Chalice when the story was “Christianised” – the chieftain on whom Arthur is based on, and his legend, originates in the 5th century BCE, so there is no way that Arthur looked for the Chalice anyway.

The Valencia Chalice itself is a stemless cup made of carnelian (dark red agate) – and that is the relic itself. It was most likely produced in Syria, Palestine or Egypt, and it has been dated between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE. There is an Arab Kufic inscription on its base. I am not sure it fits what Indiana Jones would have called “the cup of a carpenter”. The cup is mounted on a gold stem embellished with gold, pearls and emeralds, with a foot and two handles, which were added in Medieval times. Now, the cathedral claims that it cannot be proven that it is not the Holy Chalice, and the translation of the Kufic script is supposed to be “Allah Josua”, translated as “Jesus God”.

Valencia Cathedral and Holy Chalice Chapel

The cathedral also has a museum and the previously-mentioned archaeological areas, with a Roman road and human remains. The museum has sculptures and paintings from the cathedral itself and religious artefacts. The bell tower is famous in its own right. Erected between 1381 and 1429, it is called Miguelete | Micalet – “Little Michael”, which is actually the name of the bell at the top. . The tower has eight sides on the outside, and is circular in the inside, with 207 steps up to the terrace. The bell-gable was added in the 18th century, but the tower itself is Valencian Gothic just like the cathedral. The views are not as impressive as expected as the whole thing is netted off and it is hard to see anything unobstructed.

Views from Miguelete

The cathedral is connected to the Episcopal palace on the other side of the street by a sort-of bridge called Arco sobre la calle de la Barchilla | Arc del Carrer de la Barcella that I saw when I went round the cathedral. I also saw the Tribunal de Aguas de Valencia | Tribunal de les Aigües de València and Palacio de la Generalidad Valenciana | Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana on my way to the church of Saint Nicholas and Saint Peter Martyr (part of my combined ticket).

San Nicolás de Bari y San Pedro Mártir | Sant Nicolau de Bari I Sant Pere Martir stands at the end of an alleyway that comes from one of the main arteries of the city. It quite humbly calls itself “The Valencian Sistine Chapel”. It is a single-nave church, built in the 15th century on top of a Mosque which was in turn built on top of a Visigoth palaeo-Christian temple. During the Baroque period, the whole vault was decorated with frescoes, to the point that. And when I mean “whole” I mean… whole. There was no space for an extra soul, saint, angel or whatever. It was so full I could not process the painting as individual items, just as a whole.

Frescoed Vault of Saint Nicholas church in Valencia

Afterwards, I went into the small streets that led into the Arab Quarter, marked by the archway Portal de Valldigna. I also spotted an Islamic tower Torre islámica | Torre islàmica in side a private parking lot, and the remains of the Arab walls Muralla Árabe de Valencia | Muralla àrab de València.

I finally reached one of the gates of the Medieval city walls – Torres de Serranos | Portal dels Serrans. The gate was flanked by two polygonal defensive towers built in the Gothic style and finished in 1398. They survived the destruction of the wall ordered in the 19th century as they were used as prison. Today, they can be climbed and hold a small museum, but I had already gone up the bell tower, so I decided I was good with heights for the day.

Serranos Towers Valencia

I headed back to the historical centre and reached the area of the cathedral. I decided to buy a stupidly expensive typical drink of the area, horchata de chufa | orxata de xufa, made from sweetened tiger nuts, usually with a severe quality control. I remembered trying it as a kid and that I did not like it much, but I decided to try it anyway – I had riskier culinary adventures in Egypt after all. It was not bad, but decided that I am still not a fan – and it was chilly, which helped against the heat.

There is another surviving gate structure of the Medieval wall, the Torres de Quart | Portal de Quart. They were a bit out of my way, so I left them for the time when I started retreating back towards the station. Unlike the Serrano ones, the Quart towers are cylindrical, but they share the Valencian Gothic style. They were built between 1441 and 1460 have been damaged in the different wars that the city has survived, and holes from shelling are clearly visible on the stone.

Quart Towers Valencia

Taking a small detour from my way to the station, my next stop was the silk museum – Museo y Colegio del Arte Mayor de la Seda | Museu I Collegi d’Art Major de la Seda. I only went here because it was the “extra” museum my triple ticket had it, and I had the time to do. I was not impressed though, as more than on silk it focused on the local re-enactment of the Medieval battles in Valencia and the costumes.

Just next block over however, I found the park Jardines del Hospital | Jardins de l’Antic Hospital, where the 15th-century hospital used to be until it was demolished in 1974. The park was reorganised between 2009 and 2012, and an “archaeological garden” has been prepared next to the skate park, with free-standing columns, and a shelf with chapitels and the remains of sculptures that have been found in the area.

Archaeological Garden Valencia

Unexpectedly, I walked by the monument to Spanish Medieval warlord El Cid Monumento a Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar | Monument a Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a copy of the original sculpture of Anna Hyatt Huntington, which is in the Spanish Society of America in New York.Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid, became Lord of Valencia. He besieged the Moorish city between 1092 and 1094, until the city surrendered. Having proclaimed himself Prince-Lord, he died in 1099 – the legend says that after he died, he was placed on his horse and just catching sight of him made his enemies run away.

Monument to El Cid in Valencia

My final stop was the gastronomic experience Mercado de la Imprenta | Mercat de la Imprenta. Aside from horchata, Valencia is known for its ice-cream, and I was hoping to find one. There were none, unfortunately, so I just walked the last bit towards the train station – and had a sundae there, because why not?

All in all, I think I spent as much time on trains / at stations as roaming and visiting monuments, but I reckon I did a good job out of getting a feeling off the old town of Valencia. Lots of pretty Gothic buildings to see, which was enjoyable. It probably warrants a whole weekend to see the dozen or so small public museums. It was bit too hot, especially for October, but it did not feel as humid as I imagined it might be.

3rd October 2023: Highgate Cemetery {Miyavi in London 2023}

Posted on 20 October 2023 by JBinnacle

I own up to my love for older cemeteries, in particular Victorian ones. After stumbling across Brompton Cemetery for the first time, I learnt about London’s Magnificent Seven. These are seven cemeteries “within a crow’s flight of Saint Paul’s cathedral” (9 km), all established privately in the 19th century. During the 1800s, London was the largest city in the world. Its population increased from one million to 2.3 million throughout the century – more living, more dead.

Several problems arose. There were too many burials in the churchyards within the city limits, and decaying matter contaminated water supplies, which in turn led to severe epidemics. Furthermore, a culture of grave-robbing had been established – for clothes, jewellery and the bodies themselves, to be sold to anatomy students and professors. And lastly, British visitors to Paris became impressed by Cimetière du Père-Lachaise – they would not be less than the French.

And thus, as many as eight new cemeteries were established in the outskirts of London. The seven left today – most in use – are called The Magnificent Seven. They became private endeavours, competing against each other to sell plots where people would build their graves. During Victorian times, “pretty” graves were their way of marketing, as it was usual to just go walk in cemeteries – so they had to look “inviting”. Hanging around cemeteries was a very socially-accepted past time due to all the romantic influence.

Though not the first to open, the most famous of these private ventures is probably Highgate Cemetery. Designed by architect Stephen Geary, it was dedicated (basically, opened) in 1839, and it became quite popular – with eye-catching sculpture, architecture, trees, shrubbery, wildflowers… It was not to everybody’s tastes, of course – writer H.G. Wells (who, with permission of Jules Verne, is considered “the father of science fiction”), despised the “cheap urns and obelisks” overpopulation there. The cemetery was abandoned in the 1970s when the company that owned it went bankrupt, and in 1981 the charity Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust acquired ownership. The cemetery is divided in two areas – the West cemetery is the older one, built uphill; the East cemetery is the newer one.

Admission is required, unless you have a “grave pass” or are attending a funeral. I had a ticket for a guided tour at 10:30, since after how huge and overwhelming Père-Lachaise felt, I had decided that the difference between plain admission and a tour was not that steep.

I got up around 8:00, still feeling a bit queasy, and headed for Costa Coffee for a vanilla latte and a cookie, which I finished on my way to the underground. After figuring out the Tube changes – the Northern line bifurcates and comes together a few times – I arrived at Archway, and walked the rest of the way. I reached the cemetery gates just before opening time at 10:00 (I had planned to be there at 9:45, so not bad), and a nice lady took my name and gave me my paper ticket. I had booked the Highlights Tour, which takes you around the West Side of the cemetery, but allows you to do a “self-guided tour” at will through both sides.

I used my first 30 minutes to wander around the East Side, I visited the grave of Douglas Adams, a writer to whom ball pens are offered, and philosopher Karl Marx. The East Side is more modern and thus a few contemporary “celebrities” are interred there.

Highgate Cemetery Eastside views

Then I headed off towards the West Side, the most Victorian area. The guide was actually pretty lovely, but the actual “highlights” side of the tour was a bit too swallow for my taste – more anecdotal than anything else. The guide took us to see several “pretty” or unusual graves, but the information was mostly about the people buried there, and not the art. Thus, I feel that we did not get a real taste of the actual Victorian cemetery. The most interesting area in Highgate West Side is the Egyptian Avenue, leading to the Lebanon Circle – so called because of a tree that grew in the centre, though it had to be cut down due to sickness and a new one planted. The guided tour is also the only way to visit the Catacombs and Terrace, which are otherwise closed. Unfortunately, our visit here was cut short due to a classroom of primary-schoolers coming in and trying to scare each other.

Highgate cemetery westside

Highgate cemetery Lebannon circle and Egyptian avenue

Overall, the burial site is a nice place, but I was a bit unimpressed… I think that Highgate is the cemetery that people who do not usually visit cemeteries go to, and thus the fame. I was really expecting more spectacular funerary architecture and sculpture, especially after visiting Brompton. Or maybe I was still feeling a bit off, and I did not enjoy the visit as much as I hoped, so I might have to go back, eventually – after I’ve visited all the remaining Magnificent Seven.

I undid my way and took the underground back to central London. I had promised myself to stop by Leicester Square to get the mug I had loved, so I visited the M&M’s Store London, where I became the proud owner of an I’m afraid of what might happen if I relax bright orange mug. I thought about having some warm lunch in Chinatown, but it started raining, so I decided to head to the station and either have lunch or take my train over there.

I was thirsty but not hungry, so I bought a smoothie and went on towards the airport – the trip went without a hitch, unlike the previous time. As I was about to go through security, I was redirected to the new scanners that they are testing, where you don’t need to take your shoes off nor put your liquids or electronics on a separate tray. I did not beep nor was stopped, but it looked like if you do, you go through heavier scrutiny.

Stansted Airport has an Itsu restaurant, which is a Japanese / healthy-fast-food fusion chain, which I always visit when flying through there. I wanted sushi, but I felt like something warm, so I got some chicken & spring onion gyoza, a bowl of miso soup, and a bottle of coke that finally helped set my stomach. There is a Lego Store at the airport, but it had no stamps. That was a bit of a bummer.

My plane got delayed for an hour, so as I waited I also got a yoghurt. I discovered that I severely dislike people who use “quiet areas” to hold video conferences or phone calls. There was no explanation for the delay, but there was no issue with the flight once the plane was there. After landing, I reached passport control and they directed me to the machines, which had a long waiting queue, so I just asked if I could go through the empty manual checks. I was able to – yay – and as soon as I reached the shuttle stop, the bus arrived. When I reached the parking lot I was easily able to sort the problem of the licence plate not being detected, though I took a bit longer to find the car – it turns out I’m not a good directions-memoriser at 5:00. Thus, despite the delay, I was able to get out of the parking lot on time and was home around 23:00, ready to shower and sleep, in order to get ready and recover, considering I had another trip coming in less than 10 days.

All in all, not trusting the airport nor public transport systems turned out to be productive, even if a bit more expensive – obviously, with an extra hotel night – than usual. However, since Brexit I’ve been seeing more and more transport issues in London. Miyavi’s was the first concert by a Japanese artist I’ve attended after the pandemic, and it was extremely enjoyable, even if there was a bit of a price to pay afterwards. It’s nice to be reminded of the good things in the world.

2nd October 2023: Miyavi’s “Return of the Samurai Guitarist: 20th & Beyond European Tour 2023” {Miyavi in London 2023}

Posted on 17 October 2023 by JBinnacle

When planning this London trip, I booked two hotels – a bed and breakfast for a lower price for the first night, and a more expensive one next to the venue for the night after the concert – I like staying as close to venues as possible, and the second hotel was literally next building over. I woke up on Monday around 7:00, and it took me 20 to 30 minutes to pack all my things. Since breakfast was included, I accepted the challenge of a full English breakfast. I drew my line at tea though. I love tea but I’m a caffeine addict anyway. I need my boost in the morning.

Though London’s public transport was going through a strike period, I was very lucky with both trains and underground – actions and closures were planned for both the day before I arrived, and the day after I left. I took the Northern Line, and headed off to the O2 Academy Islington to wait for the start of the concert. The venue is part of a shopping arcade, so there were readily available toilets and even better, we could wait under cover. This was great as , as there was a forecast of thunderstorms – which ended up breaking around 17:00. The queue was nothing out of the ordinary, I was the fourth VIP to arrive, and the fifth person overall when I reached the area around 9:15.

Miyavi [雅] was born Ishihara Takamasa [石原崇雅] is, above all, a guitarist. He was born in 1981 and debuted in 1999, going solo in 2002, aside from doing collaborations with some of the musicians I follow – Yoshiki and Hyde. Miyavi’s concerts are extremely fun, he is full of energy and he sometimes greets fans one by one when he arrives at venues. He is in general a good person, and a volunteer at UNHCR. He has had small roles in American blockbusters such as Kong: Skull Island and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. He is really kind during M&Gs too, and one of the few Japanese artists who actually means “world tour” when he announces a world tour. This time he toured Europe and China tour, a continuation of his 2022 North America tour – this leg was called Return of the Samurai Guitarist: 20th & Beyond European Tour 2023.

Miyavi Return of the Samurai Guitarist European Tour poster

After around 500 bus manoeuvres and 90 minutes of waiting, we saw him come into the venue around 13:30. The staff filmed, and he waved and said “thanks for coming.” Other times he has shaken hands and stayed for a chat, but I guess he was tired. He was coming directly from Paris after the concert there the evening before. I’m getting too old for queuing all day though, because even if it did not feel extremely long, I was a bit queasy and headachy all day – there would be a full-blown migraine coming at night but, oh well.

Miyavi Return of the Samurai Guitarist London arrival

Around 15:00, the venue’s crowd management staff decided to rearrange the queue. I had a VIP ticket with included a picture, a pass and a “special present” – which turned out to be a wristband. When buying the ticket, the 25 first purchases had an extra autographed picture, but my Ticketmaster decided to freak out and I did not get that one. Oh well. Anyway, security decided to break the queue into two – one for VIP and Early Entry, the other one for General Audience. This caused a bit of a problem when the VIP tickets had to be read, but at that point I was already safely checked in. The worst was the way the placed the barriers, so sitting down on their supporting structure was awkward. Better that than standing though, as that would have to happen later, once in the venue.

Once the queue was rearranged, around 16:00, I snuck out to go to the hotel and check in. They gave me a “superior” room which was nice and had pretty views, but the bathroom smelled of sewer – as bathrooms near tidal areas sometimes do. I ate a snack and went back to the queue.

VIPs were admitted a bit after 18:00, with disabled VIP ticket-holders coming in first. There was a lot of trouble with the merch shop as they would not take card and they had no change. I did not want to buy anything, so I went straight to the M&G. After the people around me realised that if they stayed back, they would lose their spot, they quickly rearranged themselves back in the queue. I was happy to let the people who had waited in front of me pass – all three of them.

When it was my turn to see Miyavi, I told him a secret – that he reminds me that good things exist in the world. He said thank you. I am horrible at selfies, so I handed my phone to the staff, and they were happy to take two of them. Afterwards, I went into the venue and found my spot at the barrier, centre but a bit to the right – which was apparently an amazing place for pictures, considering that I had the photographers in front of me through most of the concert. Early Entry came in after all the M&Gs were done, and GA were let in at 19:00. The concert started at 20:00 sharp.

Miyavi Return of the Samurai Guitarist London Rocking out

Setlist:

   1. Selfish Love
   2. WHAT’S MY NAME?
   3. SURVIVE
   4. Ahead of the Light
   5. So On It
   6. In Crowd
   7. Secret
   8. Cry Like This
   9. Tears on Fire
   10. Long Nights
   11. Under the Same Sky (Unplugged)
   12. 君に願いを [Kimi ni Negai wo] (Unplugged)
   13. Girls, be ambitious
   14. 陽の光さえ届かないこの場所で [Hi no Hikari Sae Todokanai Kono Basho de]
   15. 咲き誇る華のように -Neo Visualizm- [Sakihokoru Hana no You Ni -Neo Visualizm-]
   16. Fire Bird
   17. New Gravity
   18. Bang!
   19. No Sleep Till Tokyo
   20. Horizon
Encore:
   21. 愛しい人 [Itoshii Hito]
   22. Under the Same Sky
   23. The Others
   24. DAY 1

The concert was extremely fun, as it usually is with Miyavi. As the tour is a bit of an anniversary celebration, he sang a lot of his older songs, along with newer ones. He jumped and twirled and rolled on the floor. He also had moments to sit down and a give us acoustics. At some point, one of his guitars malfunctioned and he went “I guess we’re chilling now.” He spoke about his work with refugees and how he does not understand the British accent to save his life – despite having lived in the US for years. He said that he enjoys being in the country where rock was born. He also said that he had played the venue before – his phone remembered the Wi-Fi password.

Miyavi Return of the Samurai Guitarist London, sitting down and talking

We had an improvised song at the beginning of the encore, since the audience requested Itoshii Hito. He remembered it, unlike when he was forced to google Señor Señora Señorita in Barcelona (2019). Despite being visibly tired when he arrived – and according to the Instagram story getting lost in the venue – he gave his all in the concert, and I am grateful for that. He indeed reminds me that there are good things in the world. At the end of the concert, he was given a Union Jack that he wrapped around his shoulders.

20231002 Miyavi Return of the Samurai Guitarist London with the Union Jack bowing

Exit was chaotic due to the problems with merchandising continuing. I would have liked to stay to stay and say goodbye, but I crashed after the concert was over – my headache got worse, and I was really nauseous. I bought some food to take to the room and headed back to the hotel to eat it, take my medication, have a shower, and get rid of the contact lenses. I went to bed as soon as I had finished and, and slept from midnight to around 5:00, when I woke up, vomited dinner – I hope not too much of the medication – and tried to get some more rest. I think I did sleep a bit further, but I’m not sure.

1st October 2023: The City and North Greenwich {Miyavi in London 2023}

Posted on 15 October 2023 by JBinnacle

As I was going to drive myself to the airport, I had a parking reservation at 5:00 for my 7:00 flight – you have to love those wee hours of the morning wake-up calls. I reached the airport around 4:55, just as the shuttle was leaving. I didn’t worry too much because there were people at the bus stop though. I found a nice parking spot under cover, but did not see the number on top, so I tried to memorise where I had parked. The shuttle arrived again around 5:25. Security was not a problem, but then I was sent to the automatic passport control, which did not work, and I had to go through manual control. The plane took off and landed on time, and despite the strike warning, the Stansted Express was only delayed 10 or 15 minutes, so I reached London a little after 9:30 – much earlier than I had expected.

Since I had time – for once – I decided to hang around London Liverpool station, where the Stansted Express terminates. Though I’ve always liked this building, which is actually listed for its historical importance, it is “just” a train station – I somehow have never had the time to explore as I seem to always be in transit. Construction was decided in the early 19th century, and development of the project displaced around 10,000 residents. The station was designed by engineer Edward Wilson, in a Gothic-inspired style in brick and bath stone. He added a trainshed in wrought iron and glass which was restored and expanded in 1894. The Victorian station survived the Blitz, a subsequent renovation in 1975, and it’ll hopefully will make it through the refurbishing proposed in 2022. I went around the station once, and then moved on – they had not cleaned the windows though.

Liverpool street station trainshed ironwork

Well, I went to have a vanilla latte at Costa Coffee, because I love that blasted beverage. I then decided to kill some time around the City of London. I went to Aldgate Square, home to the Church of Saint Botol, a school, and a very fun fountain with lights.

I found The Gherkin and Saint Helen’s Church, which I wanted to visit, but unfortunately they were about to start a service, so in the end I did not go in – I find interrupting religious acts disrespectful, and this was one of those “we welcome you at the door” community services… It would have made it awkward. I realised I had not wandered around The City for a long time (since… 2011), so I checked out some interesting buildings, such as Saint Michael’s Church or The Counting House or the Shanghai Commercial Bank.

There was a modern-art exhibit going on in the area, but the only work that drew my attention ended up not being even a piece of art. I walked by Leadenhall Market, which was sporting… purple tentacles. It turns out that since 2021 the area has “dressed up” for Hallowe’en! I was not expecting that… Though I have to admit, it’s a fun idea.

Leadenhall market and the purple tentacles

I went towards Bank station, which hosts Mansion House, where the Mayor of London lives, the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington. I finally reached London’s Guildhall, the old town hall still used for ceremonies and so. It was built between 1410 and 1440, though only part of it remains today. It was damaged in the Great Fire of London, and the façade that can be seen today was added in 1788 in the neo-Gothic style. I did not expect anything to be open, but the Guildhall Art Gallery was. I had less than an hour to my timed ticket somewhere else, so I decided not to go in.

The main façade of the old Guildhall building

Instead, I walked towards River Thames, passing by Saint Stephen Walbrook church, 1 Queen Victoria building and No 1 Poultry. I reached Walbrook Wharf and the Thames Path / Riverside Walk, including Fruiterers Passage and Millennium Bridge.

Thames Walk in London

At noon, I had a ticket to London Mithraeum Bloomberg Space. The Roman ruins of a Mithraic temple were found in London. The cult of Mithras flourished throughout the Roman Empire between the 1st and 4th centuries CE. It “recycled” the the Persian god of the sun and justice into the patron of loyalty to the emperor. Mithras is usually representing slaying a bull (tauroctony), though archaeologists are not really sure why. The London temple was discovered in 1952 in a construction area, transported off-site, then brought back to its original position in 2010. Today, it lies in an underground ward in the European HQ of the Bloomerg company. When I connected to the Wi-Fi to read up on the items on display, I received an email that my car had not been detected at the parking lot – and for a second I worried that I had parked in the wrong place, but I knew I had not.

The visit consists on a glass case display with several objects from the Roman era, including sandals, jewels, glassware, even a cabinet. Then there is an audiovisual show that does not make much sense since everybody is walking around wondering what is going on. Finally, you are admitted into the temple, which yields to an “immersive experience”, with a projection of lights and shadows and a few chants in Latin. When the lights go out, you finally get to see the temple. The remains are barely a few foundational stones and a little of the altar. Apparently the actual Mithras sculpture was also dug up, but it is in the Museum of London, closed until 2026. To be honest, it was a bit underwhelming, but after all, I’ve recently done an Italy trip, so I might be hard to impress in that sense at the moment.

London Mithraeum temple and artefacts

I headed to the hotel, but I decided to make a stop at Leicester Square to find two of the Scenes in the Park I had missed last time. I might have also dropped by The LEGO Store Leicester Square because I discovered that there is a Lego Stamp Rally. Of course, I needed to get myself a Lego passport to try and get some stamps. I thought about buying a mug from the M&M’s store, but I decided that I did not want to be carrying it around, and I would get it on my last day if I had the time.

Batman and Laurel & Hardy from LEicester Square Scenes in The park, and a Lego passport

I took the underground to Paddington Station and I stumbled onto the bronze sculpture Wild Table of Love by public art creators Gillie and Marc. Their characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, have invited several endangered animals to their table – giraffe, elephant, tiger, koala, chimpanzee, zebra, gorilla, rhino and lion – and there are two free spaces for onlookers to sit and become part of the banquet.

The Wild Table of Love sculpture

I went to my hotel and took a short break before I set off to catch the Jubilee line towards the Greenwich Peninsula in south-east London. I had been there to attend a L’Arc~en~Ciel concert in the O2 Arena a lifetime ago, and I was surprised how much the area had developed. This time over, I was not going to an event but to the building itself, the Millennium Dome, one of the largest structures of its kind in the world. The exterior of the Dome is a huge tent-like construction that pays tribute to the concept of “time” in its design – 365 metres in diameter (for the year’s days), 52 metres high at its highest point (the weeks) and twelve support towers (the months). It was originally built as an exhibition centre to host a number of shows and activities throughout the year 2000. Eventually, the inner structure was built. Today it has the arena and a smaller concert venue for events and concerts, there is a shopping centre and it offers dozens of activities…

One of the experiences that can be carried out is Up at the O2, which takes you on the marquee to the top of the dome and then back again. You are not allowed any bag or rucksack of any kind, and you can only “carry your phone in a jacket zipped jacket pocket”. I cheated and took my wallet in the other pocket. They have shoes to let, vests and jackets if you are not dressed appropriately. You have to sign a waiver and provide an emergency contact

As instructed, I was there fifteen minutes before my scheduled time, 17:30. I was offered a spot at the 17:15 climb and I shrugged into it. I was okay with that. First, you watch a “preparation” video that is more of a self-promo. Then, you are given a climbing harness and a tether, and told to never ever ever get your phone out during the climb – probably to avoid having to pick any little device up from the tent structure, or risking getting sued if they decline to do so. The harness is easier to put on than I thought, and it holds your upper legs and your torso. The first few metres are ascended on a plain outside staircase and the rest on a PVC catwalk that has a railing for you to get tethered to. The guide pranced up and down providing mostly funny commentary, but you could only hear him if you were close.

The steepest point at the catwalk has a thirty-degree inclination, but it did not feel extremely demanding. From the upper platform there are some cool views, especially of Greenwich and Canary Wharf, along with the Thames. The views were cool, and something very different from what you get from places in the city like the Sky Garden. I think I was expecting a bit of a further thrill / exertion though, so even if it was fun, I did not get as much from the experience as I thought.

Up the O2 experience

Some staff members take pictures of you that you can buy at the end. You ascend on the front area of the O2 and descend on the rear, so you need to walk all around the inner area to exit – and boy was it crowded with concertgoers (Muse) and dinners. After I walked out, I turned to the side of the O2 Arena where an area called The Tide has been developed. This is a public walkway, sort of an elevated platform with endemic plants sprinkled with public art installation, including The Mermaid by Damien Hirst, or the psychedelic stairs named Poured Staircase by Ian Davenport.

The Tide Greenwhich, showing the Mermaid, the Thames, the Spire and the Melting Staircase

I went back to the underground. I wanted to go to back to Chinatown to try the British version of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, one of my favourite Japanese chains. Whenever I’ve walked by it around food time, there was a big line. However, when checking online if you can book a table, I discovered that there was another location in Bond Street, which I thought might be less busy. I am not sure it was, or I was lucky with timing, but I did find a spot in that shop within minutes. I was happy to enjoy a hand made chicken katsu curry (手仕込チキンカツカレー), the equivalent to my usual choice in Japan, and be on my way.

London Curry House CoCoICHIBANYA chicken katsu curry

While the hotel bathroom was tiny, it was more than enough for a shower and a change of clothes. Also, despite being so close to the station that one could feel the trains pass by, I slept pretty well until around 7:00.

1st – 3rd October 2023: London (England) {Miyavi in London 2023}

Posted on 15 October 2023 by JBinnacle

Probably three trips to London in a little over three weeks are a bit too much combined, but both Miyavi and Yoshiki seemed to be planning around the same schedules, and their European dates ended up almost overlapping. I have to admit I did consider Paris for Miyavi, but in the end, the conditions on Ticketmaster were weird, and I decided to attend a concert in a country where I spoke the language – and considering Paris’ current bedbug (ew) problem, I’m extra happy I did. There were announcements regarding strikes and problems with trains and undergrounds, so I did not set my plans too hard in stone.

Except, you know. The Return of the Samurai Guitarist, because Miyavi is one of those people that makes you feel that all is good with the world, even if just for a couple of hours.

The concert was on Monday, but I had decided to take a plane on Sunday for cost-effectiveness, and because I was wary of travel issues. I booked one hotel from Sunday to Monday near a major station, and another one for Monday to Tuesday, next to the venue. I made loose plans and I got on my way.

16th September 2023: Archaeological Site of “Los Casares” (Spain)

Posted on 25 September 2023 by JBinnacle

I took an almost two-hour drive to the municipality of Riba de Saelices, which involved having to fill up the tank in the middle of nowhere – ouch. It was early in the morning, and once I got off the motorway I saw a bunch of roe deer grazing dawn away. A couple of them got spooked by the noise of the engine and jumped towards the road, and another was uncomfortably close to the asphalt, but I was careful not to run any of them over – of course!

I went past the village and took a turn at an unpaved road, and reached the parking spot of the site, 3.5 km later, around 9:10, which was great for my free 9:30 visit. . My main interest in the archaeological site Conjunto Arqueológico de Los Casares was the cave Cueva de los Casares, which can only be visited by appointment and in small groups. Post Covid recovery plans have made some archaeological sites free until the end of the year, and I wanted to visit before the end of good weather. The cave holds important carvings from the Upper or Median Palaeolithic period. However, the site also comprises the remains of a Muslim village, a defensive tower, and an ancient oven, with the latest findings dating from the 14th century.

I found the parking spot – a clearing at the foothill of the area. The whole place was empty except for a kettle of griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) circling up above. It was a bit creepy, I’ll be honest, and I joked with myself that maybe the webpage for the archaeological site was just the way the vultures ordered food. From the parking lot I saw a small clearing with tables, and up the hill, a small tower, which I thought was the tower from an old Muslim castle. Since I had some time I decided to climb up and I found the entrance to the cave, with a notice that visits started there. By then it was already 9:30 so I thought maybe my ticket was wrong and the winter timetable had already started so the visit was at 10:00. A bit before 9:40 I saw two cars approaching – yay.

Vultures flying

Archaeological site Los Casares: cave, ruins, and tower

Finally, the guide arrived and she told me that the visitors in the other car had lost their way, so she had had to guide them down the track. We started late as the group also took a while to come up. We stayed at the entrance of the cave for a little as the guide explained about the civilisation that inhabited the area in the Palaeolithic, and a bit about the cave bears that used it as a lair before them.

The cave Cueva de los Casares was inhabited by Neanderthals some 60,000 to 40,000 years ago. The stonework and industry have been classified as the European Mousterian; among objects found inside the cave there are flint points, arrow tips, scrapers, and even pottery. Animal remains, both from predatory events and human consumption have also been recovered. The most important archaeological items found in the cave are the carvings on the walls. Though there are carvings from later periods, some experts think that the cave holds the oldest anthropomorphic carvings in the Iberian peninsula – not carved by Homo sapiens (modern humans) but the previous Homo neandertalensis.

Entrance to the cave Cueva de los Casares

Only the first third of the cave can be visited, and we got to see horses, cattle and the human-like figures. Once you know what you’re looking for, it gets easier to identify the shapes. One characteristic about the human depictions of the period is that humans are represented to have weird heads, though nobody really knows why – possibly animal attributes to represent their qualities. The humanoids are represented alone and in groups, and sometimes they are one above another. There are families, activities – such as diving – and copulation (apparently this is important because the carving in question might be the first ever recorded). It is an interesting experience, though no pictures are allowed inside, there are some on the official page – you don’t get to see half of them anyway. I’m disappointed we were not shown any mammoth carvings either, those are restricted to the expert-only area, but at least I saw something, and it was original.

After the cave, I climbed up the gully to the hilltop and the Berber tower – called Torre atalaya (“Watchtower tower”) – which hangs above the entrance to the cave to look at it. On the way up I also had a good view of the Muslim settlement underneath, Poblado Hispano-musulman. I also looked down the gorge and the valley called Valle de los Milagros, which I may or may not hike in the near future in search for fossils. However, I really did not feel like staying at that point, so I just drove back.

Watchtower Los Casares

Muslim village of Los Casares

Valley Valle de los Milagros from above

11th & 12th September 2023: 23h 45min in London (England) for Yoshiki’s “Under the Sky”

Posted on 20 September 2023 by JBinnacle

Considering that Japanese musician Yoshiki recently got his hand- and footprints enshrined at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, I guess he’s not one of my obscure artists any more. Yoshiki is a Japanese drummer and classically-trained pianist who, alongside vocalist ToshI, founded the band X Japan in 1982. They started as a heavy metal band, and eventually shifted over towards progressive rock. Their flashy looks probably gave way to what is now called Visual Kei (V-kei) [V系], though they had dropped them in the mid 1990s, before they disbanded when vocalist ToshI left the band basically to join a cult. In 2007, X Japan reunited.

Yoshiki, born Hayashi Yoshiki [林佳樹], is considered one of the most influential Japanese artists of all times. Aside from a musician, he is also a songwriter, composer, producer, and fashion designer. He collaborated with Stan Lee for a special four-issue comic collection called Blood Red Dragon, and with international musicians and bands such as Bono (U2), Roger Taylor and Brian May (Queen), KISS, and Sarah Brightman. He composed the theme of the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, worked on the soundtrack of Saw IV, and has composed music for anime such as Saint Seiya and Attack on Titan. Within Japan, aside from tons of collaborations and solo works, he became “mainstream” when he played a concert to honour former Emperor Akihito upon the tenth anniversary of his enthronement in 1999. He also has a Hello Kitty line named and modelled after him, Yoshikitty. And I’ve been using one of his songs as my alarm clock since roughly 2010 (since 2015 it is Born to be free).

Back in 2017, Yoshiki hosted a Q&A in several cities throughout the world, including Vienna (Austria) for special showings of his documentary film on X Japan. The documentary should have premiered in the scheduled March 2016 concert, but when that was postponed, the film went on to be shown at different events festival. When I went to Vienna, I had already travelled to see it in X Japan concert in London and the Beefeater In-Edit festival in Barcelona (and owned the blu-ray).

In 2020, as the Covid-pandemic lockdowns eased up, Yoshiki organised an online concert on a bunch of rooftops, connecting with different artists and having others over, to celebrate his birthday on the 20th of November . Now, he has made a documentary out of the event, called Yoshiki: Under the Sky, which has “premiered” four times, the third of them in London on 11th September 2023. As the London announcement only came mid-August, it was a challenge to get everything running, but I managed to find doable flights and a hotel near the venue. I was able to buy a second-row seat for the cinema, which was pretty good too.

On the 11th of September, trying not to reflect too much on the date, I left the house around 5:00, and right as I merged into the motorway, it started pouring. There was more traffic than usual because the plane was an hour later, but I managed to make it to the airport a bit before the time I had booked to enter the parking lot – yay accuracy. I went through security and passport control without issues, and had to walk to the end of the terminal for my flight, which was also uneventful. Upon landing at London Stansted Airport, we had to wait for a bus because the escalators were broken or something, but I was outside around 9:30. I bought breakfast at Costa Coffee, and settled to wait for a friend I had met in Vienna, A****d. Her flight was due half an hour after mine, so we had decided to hang out for the day. She agreed to tag along to the Natural History Museum – I wanted to go back to the the Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary #NHMxJURASSIC store before it closes down at the end of the month. I really really wanted the rubber ducky cosplaying as a velociraptor, but I feared that if I got that one, I would end wanting to collect rubber duckies… I bought get a limited-edition “opening weekend ticket”, which had been out of my budget on my previous visit, and a titanosaur coin that I had not seen when I visited the exhibit.

A****d had never been to the museum, so we took a tour of the highlights – dinosaurs (of course) and other fossils, the “journey inside the earth” (escalator that goes into the inner core of the planet), the historical building, and Cadogan gallery… Unfortunately, the hall of mammals had recently closed for renovations, so we could not visit that one.

Natural History Museum London

Afterwards, we took the underground and got off at Leicester Square to have a late lunch in Chinatown. We found a little place for lunch. I ordered some rice and duck, which was nice but the duck had a lot of shattered bones. We looked for a place she had known that sold ice cream taiyaki, but sadly we did not find it.

London Chinatown

We located the cinema where the film was showing, Odeon London Covent Garden, but there was nothing going on yet, there was not even a poster announcing the film. After taking pictures, we continued down the block to snoop around the Forbidden Planet London Megastore, one of the biggest comic, manga and related merchandise shops in the world. Luckily, they had few things I wanted badly, and the ones they did were stupidly expensive, so I was able to get away with all my money, yay me!

A****d had decided that she would go back to the airport after the film, but I had taken a hotel a few minutes away from the cinema, right in front of the university and a few minutes away from the British Museum. I dropped by to check in, then we backtracked to Leicester Square as the museum was already closing for the day at 17:00. As we walked by the cinema, they were setting a poster for Under the Sky outside.

We decided to do something a bit silly and headed off to the The LEGO Store Leicester Square, two stories dedicated to selling LEGOs, either in sets, or just blocks. There are also different decorations – for photo-ops – made with oversized blocks, which include Shakespeare in the park, a Bobby, a Buckingham palace guard, a whole Aston-Martin with a Bond sculpture – you can actually go into the car – and lots and lots of Harry Potter. It was a bit disconcerting that they were already displaying Christmas sets!

Lego Shop London

Then, we crossed the street for the M&M’S Store London, which has four floors. The ground one has a recreation of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road, with M&M’S. There was a logo asking “which M&M’S colour are you?” which I thought was a little silly, until I found the orange M&M’S section, whose motto seems to be “I’m scared of what might happen if I relax”. I connected immediately. Next time over I should totally buy a mug or something. Also, there was no Christmas decoration yet, as they were preparing for Halloween. Oh, and they were looking for staff, offering “London liveable wages”.

M&Ms Shop London

We came out and it was 18:00, the Swiss glockenspiel at Leicester Square was chiming. The glockenspiel is a Swiss-themed clock which was built in the 1960s as part of the Swiss Centre, a ploy to drag rich British tourists to the country. The centre failed, and the clock was taken away, but it was eventually restored to the area in 2011. I could have sworn it was playing Poncelli’s Dance of the Hours?

Swiss Clock Leicester Square

Leicester Square is built around a sculpture of Willian Shakespeare, and the gardens around him hold a number of statues dedicated to cinema, Scenes in the Square. We spotted Mary Poppins, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly’s character in Singin’ in the Rain), Charles Chaplin, Paddington Bear, Harry Potter, and an Indiana Jones which is supposed to be temporary. Apparently, there are a few more I should be checking out for, but that’s okay because I’ll be coming back to Chinatown eventually, and it’s just a few blocks away.

Statues of cinema figures in Leicester Square + Willian Shakespeare

We headed back towards the Odeon London Covent Garden cinema, and we reached there around 18:20. Another poster had been put up, and some fans were already waiting. We met another friend of hers, M**, who told us she had found a sitting area inside, so we sat and chatted away for about an hour. The staff was extremely friendly and did not peep a word of complain, even if we did not buy anything.

Yoshiki Under The Sky at Odeon Covent Garden London

Finally, we were allowed into Screen 2 and found our seats. I lost count of how many people tried to get away with ignoring the seating numbers. Nobody did. I had a second-row seat, pretty centred. The film was introduced by some film producer who explained what we were going to see as if we had just accidentally wandered into the cinema.

There was supposed to be a trailer for Yoshiki’s upcoming concert in October, which was not shown. We had a few in-house adverts before the documentary started. Through the film, Yoshiki talked a little about the power of music, and how he had come together with all these great musicians to create a world-class event, very Covid-compliant. All the songs featured were either composed by Yoshiki himself, or had been arranged by him in some way. Perched on an LA rooftop, he mostly played piano, but occasionally he donned the drums.

The narrating thread of the whole film is life. Yoshiki was a sickly child, and his father committed suicide when he was ten years old, so he grew up with the idea of death deeply ingrained in his brain. As the film goes on, he speaks about how music can bring people together, and how it is important to find the strength to go on. Halfway through the film, he talks about recently losing his mother and how he cried for days. At some point a voice is introduced. It is a regular John Doe who once reached out to Yoshiki on Twitter as his dying wife had just entered palliative care. The man asked for some encouragement for her, and he got it, from Yoshiki and a lot of the fans, until she passed away. There was a heart-wrenching Zoom call with the man, who spoke about how overwhelmed he was by all the support he received. Unfortunately, she passed away.

The documentary runs for an hour and a half, and it’s a mixture of the Yoshiki’s thoughts, the performances alongside different artists, each in their corner (or rooftop) of the world, and a bit of conversation with them, or a making-of. I was familiar with most of the featured musicians, but not all.

Sarah Brightman: Miracle. Sarah Brightman has had an extremely long career and is an excellent soprano – my first memory of her dates back to the 1992 Olympics. She collaborated with Yoshiki on Miracle in 2018. I was really sorry I was not able to go to any of her performances back then.

Jane Zhang: Hero. The original version of Hero was sung by Katie Fitzgerald for the soundtrack of Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary. Though Saint Seiya was my favourite anime as a kid, I had wandered away from it. The song featured in the film actually made me want to go to see it, and eventually dragged me back into the world. Zhang did a good job, but I personally prefer Fitzgerald’s version.

SixTONES: Imitation Rain. As a music producer, Yoshiki must have realised a bit ago that the Japanese boy-band panorama was dire. For long years, the boy-idol company Johnny’s Entertaining (JE) had dominated the business, with bands as SMAP or Arashi. However, an extremely protectionist policy and the open secret that the director had sexually abused some of the boys, lead to the company losing power. I have no doubt that this is why Yoshiki decided to create and produce a boy-band, and thus looked for the six young men that comprise SixTONES. Having followed some of JE’s bands back in the day, I can see how they would tap into the niche (serious flashbacks to KAT-TUN circa 2005, to be honest).

Scorpions: Wind Of Change. Formed in 1965, Scorpions paved the way for a great deal of the big names in 1980s hard rock such as Guns N’Roses, Mötley Crüe, Helloween, Megadeth… And Yoshiki is a little fanboy of theirs, of course.

Sugizo: La Venus. Sugizo is one of X Japan’s members, who took over guitar duties after they reunited. While the band was separated, original guitarist Hide died in “mysterious circumstances” – either accidentally or by suicide. For a long time, Yoshiki claimed that Hide’s death was an accident, and on this film he for the first time acknowledges otherwise. Thus, Hide was the second person in Yoshiki’s circle to take his own life. Sugizo, who also plays violin and is a member of an insane number of bands, including LunaSea, is credited by Yoshiki as the reason X Japan could come back together, which made him very embarrassed. They played a rendition of La Venus without lyrics, with Sugizo on violin.

Hyde: Red Swan. Hyde is without a doubt one of the best rock vocalists in Japan. He was originally the voice of L’Arc~en~Ciel, when they were still a thing. He worked alone for a few years, then he and KAZ founded VAMPS, and finally he went solo again. Red Swan was a collaboration between Yoshiki and Hyde for the anime Attack on Titan!, released as “Yoshiki feat. Hyde”. Yoshiki explained how the red swan represents rising even covered in blood. After this collaboration, there was a second single, released as “Hyde feat. Yoshiki” with the song Zipang, in English and Japanese, which I personally find even more powerful. The significance of Red Swan in Under the Sky comes from how many versions there are on YouTube, especially as anime songs tend to be translated. Thus, it ties in with the concept of coming together through music.

St. Vincent: New York. St. Vincent is known for her clear voice and her complex arrangements, with lots of instruments playing a part. She is considered one of the best guitarist in the 21st century. Yoshiki arranged her song New York for piano and vocals, which made it extremely powerful. All LA artists were invited to sing on Yoshiki’s rooftop, as it would have reduced the logistics involved.

Nicole Scherzinger: I’ll be your love. Scherzinger was the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2009, but before that she had already performed with Yoshiki with this very same song.

The Chainsmokers: Closer. They are an American electronic DJ pair: Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, whom I honestly know nothing about other than they do electronic remixes. They have some supporting musicians.

Lindsey Stirling: Forever Love. She is a violinist who performs and dances at the same time. I had never heard of her either, but she did feel the music. Regarding her, Yoshiki said that she made him realise that not all songs need lyrics and vocals. She did a great job.

Yoshiki and fans: Endless Rain. In a way, Endless Rain is the emotional ballad that keeps showing up in anything X Japan related – and breaking people’s hearts. A while back, there was a request on social media for fans to send recordings of themselves singing the song, which were used for the film. Hearing a Ukrainian girl singing “endless rain lets me forget all of the pain, all of the sadness” was soul-wrenching. Once more Yoshiki circled back to the idea of music bringing music together, along with living, just keep living.

Yoshiki Q&A in London, 11th September 2023

The Q&A afterwards was awkward. The guy who carried it out – Toby Amies – had done his homework but it was not a Q&A, it was an interview by someone who had just learnt about Yoshiki, and was curious, so he had a ton of questions, most of them absolutely unoriginal, such as hey, I’ve just discovered V-kei, explain that to me! Or “do you prefer piano or drums?” which we hear every time – I could swear that Yoshiki was a bit annoyed at that one. The only input that the audience had, before Yoshiki was even in, was “are the Last Rockstars coming to Europe?” (we know the answer to that: never) and “When is the next X Japan album coming out?” (we know the answer to that, too: also never), but when the interviewer got around to ask those, he messed them up! At some point Yoshiki explained the meaning of the title “Under the Sky” – basically, we’re not in Heaven yet, we are underneath. As he was leaving, he was kind enough to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.

After the film, we took a bunch of selfies with other fans in front of the poster(s), then moved on. I went back to my hotel for a shower and a few hours’ rest. The bathroom was tiny but hot water did its job, and I could not find the cereal bar I had packed for dinner. The bed was extremely soft, and the carpet smelt strongly as England is in the middle of yet another heatwave, and my nose clogged – I need to remember to start packing my allergy pills. I did not sleep much if at all, and I ended up leaving the hotel before 5:00. I had to decide between breakfast at London Liverpool station or catching the Stansted Express at 5:25. I decided to go for the train and have breakfast at the Stansted Costa, so I boarded, found a seat, and settled down for a travel nap.

Ten minutes away from the airport, as we left Harlow Town, the second-to-last stop, there was an announcement. We were informed that the train would terminate at Bishop’s Stortford, the last stop before Stansted Airport. There were technical issues at the terminus platform, and the train could not reach it. Passengers should vacate the train at at Bishop’s Stortford and ask the platform staff for instructions. The instructions were that we had to fend for ourselves to reach the airport as there was no alternative transportation provided. It was chaos for a second, with everybody scrambling for buses, taxies and so. I was near a young woman who was going to Uber and had some extra seats. She asked if anyone wanted to tag along and I said yes. She said it would be free because her company would reimburse her, so I was lucky on that account, and I arrived at the airport a bit after 6:30. I waved my Uber-companions good-bye and headed to Costa Coffee for breakfast, feeling relieved that I had decided against waiting for the 5:40 train in London Liverpool.

After a sandwich and a vanilla latte, I passed security, where I had to go through secondary screening because… no idea. There was like no metal on me whatsoever. Then the scanner complained about me having something in my pocket – my damn handkerchief! Seriously, now. This has happened a few times. Where do people keep their hankies / tissues if not a pocket??

A****d had not yet departed when I was through, so we could hang out for a little longer – it’s fun that we had only met in person for a few hours in 2017 and we hit off so well. We even had gates in the same area of the airport, so it was cool. This is the first time that I have done the “going to the airport early in the morning” in London, but to be honest there was a 100 € difference between that flight and the next up, since the whole thing was announced and happened so fast. I asked for a refund from the Stansted Express, and now I’m wondering whether to cancel the train for my next trip to London as they’re threatening with strikes on those days… (ETA: I received a full refund, and there was no major incident during the following trip).

The trip back was uneventful except the road was stupidly full when I drove off the parking lot. I napped most of the plane ride, and I had a Coke before 9:00. Talk about living wildly, especially considering how all this happened in 32 hours, and I was in London for less than 24! My only regret was not taking the camera, but I was trying to pack extra-light this time around.

9th September 2023: DinoExpo XXL (Guadalajara, Spain)

Posted on 10 September 2023 by JBinnacle

When I heard that this was going to happen nearby, in Guadalajara, I was mildly excited. I mean, I did not expect a Jurassic World Exhibition level event, more similar to Dino World Expo. Not even.

In any case, I decided to attend DinoExpo XXL to have a look. There, I had the pleasure to see a bunch of dinosaur models cramped in an obviously-too-small area, a few fake skeletons and bones, and some “Ice Age” representation. Some of the dinosaurs swayed their tails and necks, and there were roaring sounds. It is obvious that someone agreed to place the exhibit there without thinking it through. The models were extremely close to each other, to the point that a lot of their tails were basically in another one’s snout.

The kids were thrilled though, except the ones who wanted to actually ride the available dinosaurs and their parents told them that it was too expensive – on top of the ticket – for a photo-op. A bigger area would have been more enjoyable, but the way it was crammed in the auxiliary tent took of a lot of its lustre. Not sure about the legality of the Jurassic Park logo either… The models were a bit on the old side – some of them a bit damaged, and others inaccurate, such as a Spinosaur with the old tail, and Nanotyrannus has been deemed a juvenile T-rex for a while now.

Two dinosaurs on jeeps that remind of Jurassic park

DinoExpo XXL general view

A hunt scene and a family scene - with dinosaurs

A model of smallish T-rex and a fossil cast.

I stayed for about forty minutes, then left when the area started crowding up. I really did not feel like doing anything else, so I just drove home.

31st August 2023: Blue Supermoon 2023

Posted on 1 September 2023 by JBinnacle

The blue supermoon happened the night of the 30th, but it slipped my mind and I was only out just before midnight, therefore I saw the moon already on the 31st. A full moon occurs when the earth does not block the moon getting light from the sun, so it reflects sunlight with all its visible surface. A blue moon is a second full moon within the same month. A super moon means that the moon is closer to earth than usual. The night between 30th and 31st made everything come together at the same time. Even more, it was the closest full moon to earth in the whole year. According to the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, the moon looked about 8% larger and 15% brighter than a normal full moon.

Blue Supermoon 2023

My town is horrible to catch moonrise, but during the evening of the 31st I was also able to observe it, about three times bigger than the usual size, and with a bright gold-orange colour.

Moon rising behind buildings

Moon rising

Note to self: be in a better position in 2037 to see the next blue supermoon rising.

5th August 2023: Prints, Sharks, Mice and Neon (Madrid, Spain)

Posted on 13 August 2023 by JBinnacle

I won’t say that the Southern Italy trip was a bad one, but due to the planning blunder, the heatwave and the general not-so-relaxing atmosphere, I kind of needed a low-stakes day out. And what can be lower-stakes than a silly giant shark film? I got myself a ticket to watch Meg 2: The Trench at noon – I’ve found out that my non-dubbed cinema has started doing matinée shows at a reduced price – and planned my day in Madrid around that.

I took the train and arrived in Madrid on time for my ideal connection. Unfortunately the local public transport is chaotic this summer, with both the train system and the underground going through construction, outages and closed stations. As fortunately the city was between heat waves, I decided to walk for 20 minutes instead of waiting for 17 for a train that might or might not come to take me to where I wanted to go.

My first stop was Imprenta Municipal – Artes del Libro, a local free museum dedicated to the history of book printing and binding. The exhibition is hosted in a dedicated building with two levels. The ground floor focuses on the invention and development of the print, both for text and images, and the art of binding and decorating books. There are printing “machines” from the 16th century on, for copying books and texts, and the whole thing gives off a retro feeling – a video actually shows how the machines work even today.

Collage Imprenta Municipal Artes del Libro

The second floor held an exhibition about “Asian Writings” Trazos de Oriente: imágenes, objetos y caligrafías de Asia. It hosts Arabic documents, Mongolian drawings, Chinese writing instruments and Myanma and Hindu praying books, along with items like ex libris and schoolbooks. All very cool.

Exhibition about writing in Asia

I had a little bit of time before the film, so I got a snack, then headed to the nearby Yelmo Cines Ideal to watch my film. Something I’ve learnt is that matinées attract a weird crowd – when I went to watch Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, I sat next to someone who narrated the whole film, and this time there was a lady who would tut whenever any of the sharks was on screen. I read the Meg: a novel of deep terror by Steve Alten a lifetime ago, and I enjoyed its albeit-very-liberal adaptation to film, especially because it did have a self-parody tone. It was fun because it was implausible, and it knew it was so. The second and current film, Meg 2: The Trench, has tried to become more of an action-like blockbuster and it takes itself way too seriously in my opinion. But there are three giant prehistoric sharks on screen at times, and I’m simple in that regard. Bigger and more teeth, I’m all for that.

The film finished around 14:00. I was not hungry, so I just grabbed myself a drink at Starbucks. I had a ticket at 15:00 at the Nomad Museo Inmersivo (and it was bad timing I guess, because just a couple of days later they opened a new exhibit). When I first read about it, the idea reminded me of Mori TeamLab Museum, since the art is all digital. The museum is staged in two floors. The lower one hosts the immersive projection ward and the shop. The upper one hosts the entrance and the “activities”. I thought that I’d ask if I could come in early, and they had absolutely no problem with that, so I entered around 14:35.

As you climb down the stairs, you have a very cool corridor with mirrors and lights that lead to the projection area. I had a ticket with entrance and “iris picture”, so an employee took me to get that one (I guess because the photographer was about to go on a break). We had to try a couple of times as it was hard to force my eyelid open under the bright light of the flash. The photographer was very patient with me and we were done in a few minutes.

Interactive Museum Nomad access corridor

I found my way back to the beginning – the museum is surprisingly small. The immersive projection is shown on the four walls and the floor. The projection I watched was called Utopia 1.0, where millions of digital blocks work as a tridimensional Lego set that sort of “build” a surreal world with dragons, deer, sculptures, whales, high rises, dinosaurs… The whole thing takes around 20 minutes and you can watch sprawled on the floor, or sitting up on a pouf – I chose this last option as it allowed me to turn around.

Interative Museum Nomad: Utopia projection

Following the projection, I went upstairs to do the activities. There’s a virtual reality experience where you get to travel the cosmos and see a lot of “space cetaceans”. I wonder why digital artists are so keen on whales… Another of the activities consists on “painting” planets with a giant brush as they float on a wall, and when you colour them all, you get to see penguins on a rocket or something… I did not catch it well because a bunch of kids burst in and took over. On another wall, there is a bunch of neons that you can play with using an app that you download on your phone, and blast music so they pulsate with that. Finally, the nice attendant is at the ready to take your picture at some stairs photo call (I think it is the glorified emergency exit), and you can go back down using a spiral slide.

There is finally a last corridor with lights and you end up at the shop, where you can start all over again, as there is no limit about how long you can stay in the museum. I really liked the first corridor, so I went back there for a while. Then I walked into the projection area again just in time to watch the dinosaurs roam once more. A fun detail is that even the toilets are “in character” with neon and messages.

Interactive Museum Nomad exhibits

On my way out, I bought myself a shark glass at the shop. There was also a very fun pufferfish cocktail glass, but I thought it would be awful to clean after use – not that the shark one is going to be much easier though… I left and headed off to a place I’ve always tangentially felt curious about, even if I’m not really the target public for it – it’s called Casita-Museo del Ratón Pérez.

Ratón Pérez or Mouse Pérez (also called Ratoncito Pérez, Little Mouse Pérez) is the equivalent of the Tooth Fairy in Spanish-speaking tradition. In 1894, writer Luis Coloma was commissioned with writing a tale for the future King Alfonso XIII, who had lost his first tooth. This tale penned the folklore mouse into print. According to the story, Mouse Pérez lived in central Madrid, in a biscuit box in the patisserie Prast, situated in number 8 of Madrid’s Calle Arenal. The town hall installed a plaque to commemorate the place and when the shopping centre in that building became almost empty, someone came up with the idea of building a “museum-house” dedicated to the mouse.

Museum-House of Mouse Pérez

The kids had a blast for sure, the visit is a forty-minute activity 100% dedicated to them . The guide has them running round looking for stuff and going into small doors. I snooped around and found it an interesting business model – though it falters when you pay a bit of attention to detail: books like 1984 or anatomy guides may very well be interesting, but a bit out of place in a children’s museum. At the end of the visit, the guided asked me what I was doing there and I told him I… wanted to see what the fuss was about, what kind of things they did in such “alternative” museums. We chatted away for a bit before I left.

To end the day, I did some shopping and I headed back home – the trains were delayed, but I eventually made it home and had a pizza dinner, because I suck at staying fed on day trips. Truth be told, I wanted to step by a famous bar to eat a calamari sandwich, but it… was complicated, with lots of signage on where to stand and wait to be seated, but there was nobody around, so in the end I decided I did not care enough for the calamari. Some other day – I’ve been saying that for months now though…

22nd July 2023: Half a morning in Naples {Southern Italy, July 2023}

Posted on 12 August 2023 by JBinnacle

For my last half-day in Naples, I had free entrance to the catacombs Catacombe di San Gaudioso, one of the monuments in the Catacombe di Napoli (Catacombs of Naples) network. These are in a really bad part of town that the cooperative is trying to revive – and they say they’re being successful. San Gaudioso – Saint Gaudiosus of Napoli – was a North African Christian bishop who fled persecution into Naples. His relics were buried in the Catacombs of San Gennaro and then transferred to his own around the 6th century. The Catacombs of San Gaudioso were “popular” at first, but they became abandoned, until eventually they were rediscovered and entrusted to the Dominicans in the 17th century. The Dominicans took over and developed a rather morbid interment tradition for the nobles and clergy. The body was drained, then buried. A wall would be built in front of the tomb, and the deceased person’s skull placed on it, with the frontal bones facing forwards. The body was fresco-painted as a skeleton underneath, with symbols and writings around it. Today you can see those frescoes, but the front part of the skull has been smashed away. There is also the actual tomb of Saint Gaudiosus and other 17th century paintings left. If you ask me, the guide went a bit into… excessive graphic detail about the body preparation.

Catacombs of San Gaudioso

The catacombs were restored and open to the public in 2017. They are accessible though Basilica di Santa Maria della Sanità (Basilica of Saint Mary of Healthcare), the Baroque church that was built by the Dominicans once they were entrusted the catacombs – with the money they had from the noble family’s interments. The church connected directly with the catacombs through a hole under the back area of the altar. There was a wedding, so we could not snoop around much. In the sacristy, there is a presepe which, aside from the standard Nativity scene, has scenes from everyday life, legends of Napoli and mythology touches.

Baroque church Santa Maria de la Sanita

I walked back towards the Historic Centre of Naples Centro storico di Napoli thinking that maybe I could get an early lunch, but the nice places were not open yet, and the smell was a bit on the overwhelming side. I went into Via San Gregorio Armeno – the Christmas alley – again. It was Saturday morning so the “good” shops had brought out what they offered and I finally got to see what makes the area famous.

Neapolitan nativiy figures

I finally decided to go towards the station, grab a bite to eat there, and head off to the airport. I had seen a huge bookshop near the food court, and I found something to entertain myself. I tried another piece of typical Italian food – a focaccia stuffed with cheese and greens. And then I realised that I had not had any real Italian ice cream! That was easily solved though…

focaccia and ice cream

The flight back was uneventful except I got emergency exit seat again, so I had to negotiate an exchange seat. The flight attendant this time was not as efficient as the one I had last time this happened. He had me wait until boarding was complete to find me another seat, which almost ended up with him having a riot in his hands. And here I had tried to board a bit earlier than usual to help the crew out… I will go back to boarding late-ish from now on.

Balance: Pompeii and Herculaneum are fantastic. Some people need to learn some respect and be civil – “no smoking” includes marijuana, don’t prance around with your shirt off in what is basically a ghost town, and for the love of that is holy, don’t poke the buildings. At least I did not run into anyone writing their name anywhere. Naples is not the best city, but it’s not as dangerous as I had worried about beforehand. However, maybe I should have done my planning a bit more carefully. Then again, not being too efficient allowed for downtime and resting, which I might have needed. I recently read that you should relax when you go on holiday?

21st July 2023: Naples, from the hills to the port {Southern Italy, July 2023}

Posted on 11 August 2023 by JBinnacle

Due to poor planning on my side – that happens sometimes – Friday was a weird day. Part of me keeps thinking that I should have taken a train or a boat somewhere, but I actually managed to do most of the key sights in Naples. Acting on a recommendation, I had booked a 10:00 visit to the Catacombs of San Gennaro Catacombe di San Gennaro, part of the Catacombe di Napoli (Catacombs of Naples) network.

I bought a multiple-trip public transit ticket and I set off around 8:00. The underground-bus commute was to take 45 minutes, but the underground alone took that long. Thus, I decided to do the second leg of the trip on foot, up the hill Collina di Capodimonte. The bus trip was to take 20 minutes, and the walk 22 – I took less than 20 and I did not even see any bus going where I wanted to be… then again I was stupidly early in the end…

The cult to San Gennaro (Saint Januarius) is deeply felt in Naples – the miracle of his blood turning liquid three times a year is just one of the signs. They buried, exhumed, and reburied the man up to seven times if I understand correctly, and he is not even in the catacombs any more, but in the cathedral. The catacombs are excavated into the volcanic tuff that conforms the hill, and they date back to the 2nd century CE. They were located outside the city walls, as were all the graveyards at the time. The original tomb was expanded to accommodate palaeo-Christian burials. The first patron of Naples, Saint Agrippinus, was buried here and a basilica was constructed in his honour. After his burial in the 4th century CE, the catacombs became… popular. Eventually, San Gennaro was buried there in the 5th century and the place became a pilgrimage site until his body was moved to Benevento.

The catacombs have two levels, and can only be visited in a guided tour. They were restored in 2006, and are currently managed, by a cooperative which tries to promote Naples heritage and improve the city, providing working opportunities for young people. They tackled the restoration of the catacombs in 2006. Our guide asked if anyone had visited any catacombs before, I said that I had visited the Catacombs of Paris, but she did not make any… further comment about anything. There are no bodies in the Catacombs of San Gennaro, which is almost weird considering how morbid Neapolitans are.

Catacombs of San Gennaro

What you can find in the catacombs is a powerful example of underground architecture. Everything is directly carved into the rock, except for a few bricks here and there (and some scaffolding). There are three types of tombs: fossa (ground burial, vaguely body-shaped), loculo (stacked tombs built against the walls) and arcosolium (a carved tomb carved into the wall and a protective arch surrounding it). Some of the walls and tombs still have frescoes, a few of them with recycled symbolism from the pagan times, such as the god of wine Bacus’ vines being reinterpreted as a Christian theme of Jesus as the ‘true vine’, God as the husbandman, and the disciples as the branches.

The visit ended at the basilica San Gennaro Extra Moenia or St Januarius Beyond the Wall – due to it being outside the city’s protective walls, even if these walls are long gone. As the reception area had a small cafeteria, I headed there for a late breakfast (second breakfast? super early lunch?). It was around 11:00 and I ordered a mini-pizza and got myself a cold coke. I felt much more alive after that.

Neapolitan mini pizza

I went uphill for Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, one of the former royal palaces Reggia di Capodimonte, and the forest that surround it. The palace was built in the Italian Baroque and Neoclassical styles between 1738 and 1840. A cohort of architects worked on it, the most credited being Giovanni Antonio Medrano. Although today the palace is technically a museum, the ‘good’ paintings have been moved for restoration, so I decided not to go in. But I might have got sunburnt on the walk.

Royal Palace of Capodimonti

I went back down Capodimonte Hill towards Central Naples, and I made a stop at Galleria Principe di Napoli, a commercial gallery dating back from the 19th century. It was originally built in brick, with a cover of iron and glass. Today it is almost unused as most of the shops have closed or moved, and there have been recent mini-collapses which worry local authorities.

Commercial gallery in Naples

I walked into the underground system – which does not have air-con and was crowded. I stopped at Stazione Toledo, one of the stations belonging to the project Stazioni dell’Arte (Art Stations), a city project to beautify Naples’ transport hubs. Óscar Tusquets designed Stazione Toledo, and it has earned the reputation of being the most beautiful underground station in Europe.

Escalator in Toledo underground station Naples

Afterwards I went back to the platform to wait for a train to head to the harbour – the frequency is 15 minutes, but at least I was sitting down. I should have eaten something , but it was too hot – I bought a bottle of water and an ice cream (which was not even actual Italian ice cream) and continued off. I saw the outward of Castel Nuovo, a medieval castle dating back from 1279, commissioned by Charles I of Anjou. Had it had an open ticket office, I would have come in, but you could only book online and I really did not want to go around entering my bank data in the middle of Napoli.

Outside of Castle Nuovo, Naples

Thus I walked past the theatre Teatro di San Carlo and headed off towards the square Piazza del Plebiscito. On one side stands the church Basilica Reale Pontificia San Francesco da Paola, which was getting prepared for a wedding. On the other side, the other Naples Royal Palace Palazzo Reale di Napoli. The palace was one of the Bourbon residences during the time of the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Like the Capodimonte one, it is built in a mixture of Italian Baroque and Neoclassical styles, and it is attributed to Domenico Fontana. I snooped around the free areas of the palace.

Basilica of San Francisco de Padua, Naples

Royal Palace, Naples

There is another shopping gallery next to the palace, the Galleria Umberto I, a little more alive than the Prince of Naples if only because there were tourists groups using it as a meeting point. I crossed it on my way to the underground stop. I took the train again and alighted at the square Piazza Dante, with the monument to the famous poet Monumento a Dante Alighieri and the school Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II, whose tower is called the Equation of Time Orologio Equazione Del Tempo, with a double clock to reflect both solar hours (apparent solar time vs mean solar time) simultaneously.

Dante Square, Naples

I headed out to the chapel-museum Museo Cappella Sansevero, which is reported to always have long lines. I wanted to check if there were advanced tickets.￹￹￹￹￹￹￹ Upon arrival around 15:15, I managed to get a slot for 15:30, and I was admitted a bit after 15:20. Pictures are not allowed and the guards patrol like eagles, so I could not even a sneak one. The chapel is home to a number of incredible Baroque and Rococo sculptures. The most important one is the masterpiece known as the Veiled Christ Cristo velato by Neapolitan sculptor Giuseppe Sanmartino (1720 – 1793). The sculpture was commissioned by Raimondo di Sangro and completed in 1753. It is so impressive that a legend says that an alchemist transformed the veil from a real one into marble.

Other incredible sculptures are Release from Deception and the veiled Modesty. When you go out, you are forced to cross a small cabinet which holds something called Le Macchine Anatomiche “Anatomical Machines” (Giuseppe Salerno) which are real-life skeletons with a reproduction of the vascular and circulatory system.

My final stop for the the day was Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara, a monumental complex comprising a church Chiesa di Gesù Redentore e San Ludovico d’Angiò, a cloister Chiostro maiolicato, a museum Museo Di Santa Chiara and a Roman archaeological excavation Scavi archeologici Santa Chiara.

This religious complex started off as a Clarisse monastery built between 1313 and 1340. The cloister is square, and the arcades are covered in frescoes. The cloister itself is considered unique, as in 1742, Domenico Antonio Vaccaro built two avenues of octagonal columns. These pillars, along with the benches that join them, are decorated in the Rococo style, covered with majolica tiles in floral and everyday-life themes. A bit too fancy for a Poor Clares convent… though I really liked the columns and the cloister.

20230721 Santa Chiara Cloister Naples

The library contains codexes. The Roman ruins are from a Roman bath, but with Pompeii and Herculaneum so recent in my mind, they were not that impressive, I guess. The museum holds pieces from the baths, religious artefacts from the church before it was burnt, and other religious paraphernalia.

Altar. Santa Chiara, Naples

The church was originally erected in the Angevin Gothic style, with some original Romanesque left, and it was redecorated in Baroque style in the 17th century. After being damaged during the WWII bombings, it was restored “in style” – meaning, how it was supposed to have been before the Baroque decorations.

After the church, I went back to the hotel and I decided to try one of the McDonald’s item that is typically Italian – not found anywhere else, a Tasty Basket: McNuggets (found everywhere), chicken wings (found in more places), and panzerotti con pomodoro (typical Italian, a panzerotto is a small calzone with the same dough and seasoned tomato as pizza). It was either strangely good or I was hungry.

panzerotti con pomodoro

20th July 2023: Herculaneum and the Naples National Archaeological Museum {Southern Italy, July 2023}

Posted on 6 August 2023 by JBinnacle

Knowing my way to the station of Napoli Porta Nolana, this time I only had to buy the ticket and wait for the 8:14 Circumvesuviana Line 4 to Poggiomarino, which was supposed to reach Ercolano Scavi in the town of Herculaneum [Ercolano] by 8:33. It took longer than that because there were a lot of stops. Then again, my strategy of the first station in order to travel sitting down was successful once more.

Unlike the modern city of Pompeii, the modern Ercolano was built before the ancient town was discovered. It was originally called Resina, but the name was changed in 1969. Despite the legend saying that the Greek hero Heracles (Hercules in Latin) founded the original Herculaneum, the early history of this city is parallel to that of Pompeii. It was first an Oscan settlement, then Etruscan, then Greek, and it eventually became a Roman municipium in the first century BCE. It was a small vacationing town for people from the north, apparently.

Much like Pompeii, the ancient city of Herculaneum – what today is the Parco Archeologico di Ercolano or Herculaneum Archaeological Park – was buried by the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and it belongs to the Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata Unesco World Heritage Site. However, the different location of the town changed how it fared during the eruption.

The 79 eruption lasted two days (thought to be 24th and 25th October 79 CE). The citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum who fled and survived were the ones who escaped during the first 12 hours – during these, heavy pumice and ash came down on Pompeii, destroying buildings. At this time, Pliny the Elder was commander of the Roman fleet at a nearby town, and he sent galleys to help the evacuation of the coast. We know this because his nephew, Pliny the Younger – a teenager at the time who would grow into a lawyer and magistrate – left in writing what he had seen in two letters. Those letters are now lost, but Medieval copies of them survived.

At the time of the eruption, Herculaneum stood right by the shore. Most of the bodies found were at the coastline, probably trying to escape by sea or reach Pliny’s ships. A boat was actually found carbonised in the vicinity. As wind blew pyroclastic flows towards Pompeii, burying it in volcanic ash and pumice, only a few centimetres of ash fell onto Herculaneum. These, however, rightfully freaked people out, and caused most of the population to flee during the first day.

As Herculaneum lies closer to the volcano, when the cloud of volcanic material (called a “volcanic surge”, composed by gas, ashes and pumice) collapsed in the middle of the night, it hit the town at over 400 ºC. Everyone who had stayed behind was instantly killed by the heat, leaving behind the skeletons of around 330 people. There were no casts made of them – unlike the thousand unfortunate Pompeiians.

Pliny the Elder died in the early morning of the second day. During the second day, the second pyroclastic cloud collapsed on top of Pompeii, but at this time, not a soul remained alive in Herculaneum. Subsequent volcanic clouds and pyroclastic surges (not lava) buried the towns until excavations started in the 18th century – barring some grave robbers, apparently.

About one fourth of Herculaneum has been unburied, even if it was the first city to be discovered. There is a bit of a paradox here – although it is in better condition and it suffered less structural damage, it is worse preserved. It still holds a lot of mosaics in situ, despite many frescoes taken to the Archaeological Museum. Unfortunately, its current condition has deteriorated terribly.

Herculaneum is less famous than Pompeii. A much smaller area can be visited, and the unexcavated part is underneath the modern cities of Ercolano and Portici. There are many buildings closed and a lot of scaffolding is needed due to a period or abandonment at the end of the 1990s. One of the telltales that it expects fewer tourists is that the webpage is only in Italian.

I reached the station Ercolano Scavi around 8:45, and ten minutes later I was at the entrance of Parco Archeologico di Ercolano. The park was already open and there was a line to buy tickets, and people struggling with their phone passes. I had printed mine out, so it was stupidly easy to wave it, get it scanned, and go through. Most people who went in before me decided to stay at the museums because that is the first thing you reach, but I reasoned that the earliest I went into the archaeological area, the less time I’d be under the sun when it became scorching. Again, this helped to be alone in a couple of houses.

Herculaneum general view

Restoration is a race against time in Herculaneum and as you walk you can see the scaffoldings and workers going on their daily lives – archaeologists, restorers, gardeners. Here, the effect of the volcanic activity are seen extremely clearly, on the floors and the walls – bulging mosaics and cracked frescoes and tiles. There is no doubt, however, that the damage was less. There are columns that still stand, covered in their original paint, and the bathhouses could just be used today with some refurbishing – and of course running water.

Another phenomenon that happened in Herculaneum was that a lot of wood became instantly charcoal when the pyroclastic surge collapsed onto the town. That means that some of the beams that are still in the buildings are the original ones, which is unbelievable. There are even surviving stairs and furniture. I wandered the streets for a few hours, going into anything that was open and in general feeling in awe at the mosaics and the frescoes. I was also astonished as how people felt comfortable poking the slabs and the paint – as there were fewer caretakers than in Pompeii.

Some highlights included:

– Terme Maschili or Male Baths, where you can see the wavy mosaic on the floors.
Herculaneum mosaic - Merfolk

– The mosaics in Casa di Nettuno e Anfitrite or House of Neptune and Amphitrite.
Mosaic covering a foutnain in Herculaneum

– Casa del Rilievo di Telefo or House of the Relief of Telephus, one of the best preserved structures with a lot of paintings, even on the columns.
Herculaneum: House of the Relief of Telephus

– Terrazza, statua e altare di Marco Nonio Balbo or Terrace, statue and altar of Marcus Nonius Balbus.

It was noon when I decided to retreat towards the museums, which hold only small trinkets and some jewellery. Just as I was thinking that the Herculaneum inhabitants could rest in peace instead of being on display, I reached the Boat Pavilion Padiglione della Barca, which holds a carbonised boat where some of the residents tried to escape. There are panels which explain that they are planning to make copies of the three hundred something skeletons they found at the coastline and place them in the same spot they were found. So much for resting in peace.

I went back towards the station and took a train back to Napoli, where I transferred to the underground and headed off to the National Archaeological Museum – Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN). I had read online that the ticket was valid for two days, so the plan was to grab a leisure lunch there, wander around for a while in the air-conditioned areas of the museum, then come back the following day. Unfortunately, the ticket read that it was only valid for one admission that day. I had to reconsider my plan then. It was barely 13:30, so I decided to go right into it. Also… there was no air-con.

The roots of the MANN are the so-called Collezione Farnese, or Farnese Collection, one of the first collections of the Greco-Roman Antiquity. The original collector was Pope Paul III when he was still Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (1568 – 1549). In the 18th century, the marbles were inherited by Elizabeth Farnese. Her son Charles would become King of Naples, Sicily and Spain, and was the great sponsor of the excavations in Herculaneum and Pompeii. The mosaics and frescoes taken from these two cities are the second core conforming the museum.

The Farnese Marbles are fantastic. It’s been a while since a work of art took my breath away, but some of these did. The collection preserved a lot of Roman copies of Greek original sculptures, and although a lot of them were restored during the Renaissance, I enjoyed the gallery a lot. Some favourites were the Resting Hercules, Atlas, Apollo playing the lire, and of course the Farnese Bull.

Farnese Marbles: Farnese Hercules, Farnese Bull, Farnese Apollo, and Eros with a fish

The Hercules sculpture shows the hero leaning on his club after having finished the last of his tasks – the apples of the Hesperides garden, which he holds behind his back. Atlas kneels, holding the world. The Farnese Bull is the biggest surviving sculptural group from antiquity – the twin brothers who founded Thebes, Zethus and Amphion, tie their stepmother Dirce to the horns of a wild bull as revenge for how she tormented their mother. The original is attributed to Appollonius of Tralles. Apollo playing the lire is sculpted in two marbles, one darker for the tunic and a white one for skin and the lire – and one of the few sculptures I can share on social media as he is totally clothed…

After the Farnese marbles, I explored the rest of the classical sculptures. Then I moved onto the second floor to the collection of mosaics from Pompeii and Herculaneum. When I was little I saw a mosaic of fish in my history book, and I had always wanted to see it. I finally did, along with one that implies “beware of the dog”. I did not get to see the Alexander the Great mosaic because it was being restored (though I did see the in-situ reproduction in the Casa del Fauno / House of the Faun). There was even a whole fountain with columns that were almost completely covered in mosaics.

Mosaics from Pompeii and Herculaneum

At the end of this area stands the “Secret Cabinet”, which holds the images and sculptures from Pompeii and Herculaneum that were over the centuries considered “too pornographic to be seen” – including penis amulets and a sculpture of “Pan making love to a goat”.

I continued on to the second floor, to “Archaeological Naples”. In this area there also were sculptures, a lot of bronzes too – including a beautiful Athena and a Drunk Faun. The central hall of this floor held an exhibit about Alexander the Great and his influence in the Mediterranean. It hosted the Farnese Atlas and the Artemis of Ephesus. Afterwards, I went to the Protohistory and Prehistory area – which did not hold many attention-grabbing artefacts, especially consider how spectacular everything else was.

Sculptures in the Napoli Archaeological Museum

By this time, I needed a break. It was a bit later than 15:00 so the café was practicable. I got myself a lemon sorbet and… fried pasta pasta frittata, a typical street food bite. Which is basically a croquette made out of pasta. It was surprisingly good, actually.

Pasta fritatta

I went back upstairs – I was tired by now, and if I had had the chance to do the museum in two days, I would have left now. But I did not, so I continued towards the exhibitions of “everyday life” and frescoes of Pompeii and Herculaneum. These include dishware, glassware, decoration, mirrors, jewellery… and of course the frescoes, including the Portrait of Terentius Neo and his Wife, that were taken down from the walls of the houses during the 18th century in order to preserve them. They feel weird as they hang on the blank walls – framed, far away from the place they used to be. I know it can’t be, but it would be cool to see them all on site. While I could really imagine how some of the houses would have looked 2,000 years ago when I was in Pompeii, I could not imagine the perfectly-framed frescoes on the walls. It was a bit unsettling.

Pompeii and Herculaneum frescoes

I bought the extra ticket to see the Magna Graecia Collection. At first I was not convinced because after a while all the Greek pottery starts looking the same to me. You get to wear shoe coverings in order to walk in there, at first I thought it was not to upset the marble floors, but then I walked onto the mosaics and wow. Just wow. I mean… after a bit you don’t even realise that you’re supposed to be looking at pottery and just keep staring at the floors…

Magna Graecia Mosaic

I ended the visit with the Egyptian collection, where – on top of it being the only area of the museum with air conditioning – I saw one of the crocodile mummies that I might have seen at Kom Ombo.Finally, after basically snooping round the whole museum including the gardens, I headed back to the station area to buy some food and go get some rest in the hotel.

For the sake of completion, here is a relation of all the spots I visited in Parco Archeologico di Ercolano or Archaeological Park of Herculaneum:
Boathouse and shoreline
Access bridge
Casa dello Scheletro or House of the Skeleton
Casa dei Galba or House of Galba
Terme Maschili or Male Baths
Casa dei Due Atri or House of the two atriums
Sede degli Augustali or Hall of the Augustales
Casa dei Salone Nero or House of the black salon
Bottega del Plumbarius or Shop of a plumbarius (metal worker, welder or blacksmith)
Casa del Bel Cortile or House of the Beautiful Courtyard
Casa di Nettuno e Anfitrite or House of Neptune and Amphitrite
Terme Femminili or Female Baths
Casa Sannitica or Samnite House
Casa del Tramezzo di Legno or House of the Wooden Screen
Casa del Papiro Dipinto or House with the painted papyrus roll
Casa dell’Alcova or House of the Alcove
Casa dell’Erma di Bronzo or House of the Bronze Herm
Casa dell’Ara Laterizia or House of the Brick Altar
Casa dell’Atrio a Mosaico or House of Mosaic atrium
Casa dell’Albergo or House of the Inn
Casa del Telaio or House of the Tailor
Casa del Mobilio Carbonizato or House of the Wooden Furniture
Casa dell’Apollo Citaredo or House of Apollo the Lyre-player
Casa del Bicentenario or House of the Bicentenary
Pistrinum di Sextus Patulcius Felix or Bakery of Sextus Patulcius Felix
Taberna di Priapo or Bar of Priapus
Casa della Stoffa or House of the Cloth
Casa dei Cervi or House of the Deer
Palaestra
Casa del Rilievo di Telefo or House of the Relief of Telephus
Terrazza, statua e altare di Marco Nonio Balbo or Terrace, statue and altar of Marcus Nonius Balbus
Terme Suburbane or Suburban baths
Area Sacra or Holy Area
Sacello di Venere or Shrine of Venus
Grande Taberna or Large bar
Casa del Gran Portale or House of Large Portal
Thermopolium (food shop)
Casa di Aristide or House of Aristides
Antiquarium (museum)
Padiglione della Barca or Boat Pavillion

19th July 2023: Pompeii {Southern Italy, July 2023}

Posted on 5 August 2023 by JBinnacle

Pompeii [Pompei] is a town belonging to the greater Napoli Metropolitan Area. There is not much there “except” for the ruins of the ancient city that names the area. Pompeii Scavi (ruins of Pompei) or Parco Archeologico di Pompei (Archaeological Park of Pompeii) is the name given to the ruins nowadays, which belongs to the Unesco Heritage Site Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata.

The ancient city of Pompeii dates (dated?) back to an Oscan settlement in the 8th century BCE. The Etruscans arrived around 524 BCE, and the Greeks in 450 BCE. From the year 340 BCE, Pompeii was controlled by the Romans, first tacitly, then as a confederate, with its own administration and language. After it tried to rebel, it was forcefully conquered and made a colony in the first century BCE. The different civilisations expanded the city according to their own tastes.

The preservation of Pompeii makes it possible to appreciate the different styles in decoration, in mosaics, but chiefly on the frescoes in the houses. The first decoration style was called “incrustation” and it made the wall look like it was composed of actual marble bricks when it was in reality flat. The second style was the “architectural” one – areas of the wall were painted to look in relief, with or without decoration, such as a brick with a still life decoration on top, an open door, a window or a garden. The third style was the “ornamental” – there was a central element and all around it, linear separations and smaller motifs occupying whole walls and even rooms. The fourth and final style was called “Intricate” because it just fills the walls with ‘main’ motifs – the more the merrier, with as many colours and decoration as possible.

In the year 62 CE, there was an earthquake that heavily damaged the city. The citizens were not too worried, because quakes were common in the area. Reconstruction started. By the year 79 CE, the city had thousands of inhabitants. In October, Il Vesuvio, the volcano known as Mount Vesuvius, erupted. The eruption happened in the early afternoon, which caused most of the population to flee during the first hours. The ones that stayed behind were killed instantly when a cloud of volcanic gas with a temperature higher than 300 ºC collapsed onto the city. By the end of the eruption, Pompeii had been buried by 20 m of volcanic ash, whose weight caused most roofs to collapse.

Romans never came back to Pompeii, though after the eruption some valuables were salvaged, some excavations were made and building materials were taken. Subsequent eruptions covered the city completely, until the first walls were excavated in 1693. When Herculaneum was discovered in 1738 while building the Royal palace for the King of Naples (later Spain’s Charles III), the king was greatly interested and he sponsored excavations, which continue even today. The archaeological importance of Pompeii resides on the fact that this was not a fancy town, but an everyday one, which can teach us a lot about how Romans really lived.

Nowadays, about two thirds of the city have been uncovered and most areas that are not being actively worked on can be visited. Scientists and experts say that the primary goal at the moment is conservation rather than uncovering the rest of the site. Pompeii was not destroyed by lava, it was only covered in pumice and ash – lava would have disintegrated the whole city. As it became buried, time stopped. Unfortunately, as soon as anything is unearthed, the clock starts again. Furthermore, there are problems with conservation, bad restoration techniques, vandalism, theft and overtourism.

Another thing that makes Pompeii special was that “remains” of the victims were found – skeletons encased in a “hollow” where the body decomposed. Giuseppe Fiorelli came up with the idea of making casts out of those moulds in 1863 – though many of these casts were destroyed or damaged during WWII bombings. Some of them, or their copies are displayed through the site. I personally find it a bit morbid, but they are useful for archaeologists, apparently. It is calculated that around a thousand people perished in the eruption, but 90% of the population survived.

I woke up early to take the train to Pompeii – the modern town next to the ruins has taken the name of the ancient city. While most people take the train at Napoli Garibaldi (the easiest train station to reach on public transport), I was coming on foot. The terminus, Napoli Porta Nolana, was just three minutes further and the ticket price was the same, so I went there to hopefully be able to sit. I was successful and I rode the Circumvesuviana Line 1 8:09 train to Sorrento, which reached the station Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri a bit after 8:30. After a couple of minutes, I was in line to get into Pompeii Scavi. As I had an entry ticket booked (and printed), once gates were open at 9:00 I was inside the archaeological park in a couple of minutes (my first picture is timestamped at 9:04).

I spent in Pompeii from 9:00 to 15:30, most of it walking, though I made a stop around noon for a snack, and I also had multiple breaks to apply sun lotion. The strada (streets) have little shade, and the few trees are planted on recreated orchards and gardens, and you can not sit under them. Also, there is a system of rotation on houses – not all of them are open, and none are open all the time. A few are the “house of the day”, which in my case (Wednesday) was the Terme del Foro (Forum Baths). There are also a lot of fountains throughout the site, and the water is drinkable.

A typical Roman house – where most people lived – were called insulae. They were “apartment blocks” with up to seven floors. The ground floor usually had a shop, and the owners lived right above, with windows and balconies. The higher the floor, the worse the apartment was – smaller and with fewer to no windows.

Rich people, in contrast, lived in a type of house called domus (villa for extremely wealthy individuals). A domus was a single-storey house built around an wide area, the atrium which had an opening in the celling with a small pool underneath to gather rainwater. This was the most important place of the house and it hosted a place to worship the ancestors or the household gods. Most of the rooms in the house led to the central atrium – the bedrooms (cubicula), dining room (triclinium), the study (tablinum) and the kitchen (culina). At the rear of the house there was an orchard or garden (hortus) and at the front, the shops (tabernae ). The domus was accessed through the fauces, a small decorated corridor. Bigger houses had a second building with a sort of patio (peristylum) similar to a cloister, with columns, plants, and a pond in the middle (piscina). At the very end there was a resting area (exedra).

The walls were decorated with frescoes, and the floors with mosaics. In Pompeii, both are damaged in most houses due to the earthquakes and the weight of volcanic ash and pumice, but they are still the best examples we have of Roman domestic frescoes. A lot of them have been removed and are in the Naples Archaeological Museum – only the most recently-unearthed ones are still at their original place. It is an interesting debate though – should they have been removed? If they had not, they might have got destroyed by decay and insufficient protection. But now they hang in the museum, devoid of all context, and it is weird.

A problem with Pompeii is the sheer amount of people that visit it – another paradox: maybe fewer visitors should be allowed, but it is visitor revenue is what keeps the place working and pays for conservation, research and further excavations. The best was the first 30 to 40 minutes, when I even had the Santuario di Apollo and the Casa dei Mosaici Geometrici all for myself.

All in all, the city is awe-inspiring. It’s not only that it has a huge architectural and archaeological value. It also shows the will of humanity to learn and discover, and at the same time, how small we are in comparison to nature – some of the originally-flat mosaics are now wavy due to the volcanic earthquakes, and the mosaics are cracked.

The streets are wide and the pavements are raised. There are raised crossings that would have slowed down the chariots and allowed people to cross without getting wet when it rained, or hm… when people… dumped… stuff there. Today, aside from tourists, there are lizards – absolutely indifferent to tourists – and cats – absolutely adored by tourists.

Some highlights of the visit included:

– Casa di Romolo e Remo or House of Romulus & Remus; Santuario di Apollo or Temple of Apollo; Basilica (building where politics were discussed); Foro or Forum. Some sights even have Il Vesuvio looming about.
Collage showing some buildings of Pompeii

– Casa del Menandro or House of Menander, with an almost completed atrium and peristylum, with great frescoes in situ.
Pompeii Casa del Menandro - hall and garden

– Casa dell’Orso Ferito or House of the Wounded Bear, with incredible mosaics (closed, unfortunately)
Pompeii House of the Wounded Bear

– Casa del Fauno or House of the Faun, one of the most famous houses, and original home to a mosaic depicting Alexander the Great in battle.
Pompeii House of the Faun

– Casa delle Nozze d’Argento or House of the Silver Wedding, with fantastic frescoes, and tiny details, extremely detailed.
Pompeii House of the Silver Wedding

– Casa dei Dioscuri or House of Castor & Pollux, in which the columns still keep some of the painting.
Pompeii House of Caxtor and Pollux

I visited around 75 buildings, and entered as many as I could. Towards 15:00, I again had a few buildings for myself, or with fewer people, and I wish I had had the energy to continue on. Unfortunately, the inner restaurant was super-full whenever I checked – which I did repeatedly between 12:00 and 15:00. However, by 14:00 I knew that I was overdoing it, so I started my retreat. I still had to see the Antiquarium or Pompeii Museum.

After I left the site, I stopped for a very late lunch (or a very early dinner) at a restaurant just outside the ruins. One of the waiters did not want to give me a table – or actually acknowledge me at all, I think this is the first time that I have actually felt the whole “solo travellers not welcome” echo, However, another one sat me, and I ordered the famous pizza Margherita, which is the big pizza in the Naples area. Not the Napoletana one, go figure.

A whole pizza Margherita

I took the train back, and I was in Naples with time to do something else. I had eaten and I was feeling better, but I thought that I had overdone it, and was worried about crashing the following day if I was not careful. Thus, I took a trip to another supermarket and went back to the hotel for a shower.

For the sake of completion, here is a relation of all the spots I visited in Parco Archeologico di Pompei or Archaeological Park of Pompeii:
Casa di Romolo e Remo or House of Romulus & Remus
Santuario di Venere or Temple of Venus
Casa di Trittolemo or House of Tryptolemus
Basilica (building where politics were discussed)
Santuario di Apollo or Temple of Apollo
Comitium ed Edifici Municipali or Hall of the Elections and Municipal buildings
Foro or Forum
Casa dei Mosaici Geometrici or House of the Geometric Mosaics
Palestra Degli Iuvenes or Gymnasium of the Iuvenes
Casa dei Cinghiale or House of Vesbinus
Terme Repubblicane or Republican Baths
Foro Triangolare or Triangular Forum
Santuario di Atena ed Eracle or Temple of Athena and Heracles (Greek Doric Temple)
Teatro Grande or Large Theatre
Quadriportico dei teatri / Caserma dei Gladiator or Quadriporticus of the theatre / Gladiator Barracks
Ingesso al Teatro Piccolo od Odeon or Entrance to Little Theatre or Odeon
Domus Cornelia or House of Cornelius Rufus
Tempio di Asclepio or Temple of Aesculapius
Casa degli Epidii or Casa de Marco Epidio Rufo or House of Epidio Rufo
Casa del Citarista or House of the Citharist
Casa de Casca Longus or House of Casca Longus
Fullonica di Stephanus or Fullery of Stephanus
Casa del Larario di Achille or House of the Lararium of Achilles
Casa del Criptoportico or House of Cryptoporticus
Casa di Paquius Proculus or House of Cuspius Pansa
Casa di Fabius Amandio or House of Fabius Amandus
Casa del Sacerdos Amandus or House of the Priest Amandus
Casa dei Casti Amanti or House of the Chaste Lovers
Casa e Thermopolium di Vetutius Placidus or House and Thermopolium of Vetutius Placidus
Casa di Giulio Polibio or House of Julius Polybius
Casa del Frutteto or House of the Orchard
Casa di Trebio Valente or House of Trebius Valens
Taberna di Sotericus or Tavern of Sotericus
Casa di Octavius Quartio or House of Octavius Quartio
Casa della Venere in conchiglia or House of Venus in the Shell
Anfiteatro or Amphitheatre
Palestra grande (Exhibition: “Arte e Sensualità nelle case di Pompei” Art / Sensuality in the Houses of Pompeii)
Pradeia di Guiulia Felice or Farms of Julia Felix
Casa del Triclinio all’aperto or House of Summer Triclinium
Casa del Larario Fiorito or House of the Floral Lararium
Osteria del Gladiatore or Inn of the Gladiators
Porta Nocera (gate)
Necropoli di Porta Nocera or Necropolis of Nocera Gate
Casa del Menandro or House of Menander
Casa dell’Efebo or House of the Ephebus
Casa del Criptoportico or House of Cryptoporticus (again)
Casa dei Ceii or House of Fabia and Tyrannus
Casa di Sirico or House of Siricus
Casa di Marte e Venere or House of Mars and Venus
Casa dell’Orso Ferito or House of the Wounded Bear
Casa dei Cornelii or House of the Cornelii
Terme Stabiane or Stabian Baths
Lupanare or Brothel
Arco di Nerone or Arch of Nero
Portico Della Concordia Augusta (Edificio di Eumachia) or Portico of Concordia Augusta (Building of Eumachia)
Tempio del Genio di Augusto or Temple of the Genius of Augustus
Arco di Caligola or Arch of Caligula
Terme del Foro or Forum Baths (this was the “house of the day”).
Casa del Fauno or House of the Faun
Casa della Caccia Antica or House of the Ancient Hunt
Casa di Arianna or House of Arianna
Casa della Fontana Grande or House of the Large Fountain
Casa della Fontana Piccola or House of the Small Fountain
Casa dei Vettii or House of the Vettii
Casa delle Nozze d’Argento or House of the Silver Wedding
Thermopolium (food shop)
Casa di Paquius Proculus or House of Cuspius Pansa.
Porta Ercolano (gate)
Necropoli di Porta Ercolano or Necropolis of the Ercolano Gate
Casa del Poeta Tragico or House of the Tragic Poet
Casa dell’Ancora or House of the Anchor
Casa di C.N. Caetroni Eutychi or House of C.N. Caetroni Eutychi
Torre di Mercurio XI or Tower of Mercury XI
Casa dei Dioscuri or House of Castor & Pollux
Tempio di Giove or Temple of Jupiter
Macellum (food market)
Antiquarium (museum)

18th July 2023: Naples from below and above {Southern Italy, July 2023}

Posted on 30 July 2023 by JBinnacle

Naples [Napoli] was waking up when I walked out into the heat. It was a bit after 8:00 because I was… not really planning, just expecting to get lost. My hotel was right next to the Porta Capuana and Castel Capuano, remains of the Medieval times and ancient walls. There is where I took my first wrong turn – the nice receptionist at the hotel had tried to explain to me how to get there, and I tried to follow his instructions – which meant I did not follow my original route and I got disoriented. Fortunately, phone GPS came to my aid and I eventually made my way to the Historic Centre of Naples Centro storico di Napoli. While on principle I understand the protection of a Unesco Heritage Site, it did not feel like one, mostly due to the smell – a mixture of human urine, cooked flour and raw fish – and the crazy traffic. I don’t think “pedestrian” means the same thing in Italian as in any language I speak.

I was around the area I wanted to be about 9:30 for my 10:00 visit, and I took the time to wander up and down Via del Tribunali. Off to one side stands the metal sculpture Busto de Pulcinella – a character of the early theatre school called Commedia dell’arte, where different characters wear masks to be identified as an archetype. Pulcinella is an opportunistic anti-hero from the lowest social strata recognised by the black mask. Italians like rubbing body parts of different statues for luck, that’s why his nose is polished off.

Napoli Storico - the centre of Naples

I had a booked guided tour at 10:00 for a place called Napoli Sotterranea – Underground Naples. It is just one of the companies that give tours through the hundred of kilometres of tunnels that cross the Historic Centre. The city of Naples was built on and out of tuff, a volcanic rock made out of compacted ash, with a yellowish colour in this area. Tuff is easy to dig and excavate, and the Greeks used it to build an aqueduct to serve the city – that later the Romans expanded – 40 metres under the ground. When I arrived at the gate, there was a crowd – and even if I had a “skip the line” reservation, my English tour did not start till 10:20. The whole thing was a bit chaotic, and I later realised that as convenient as online pre-booking is, it is not covered by the Naples Tourist Card, so a lot of people had no option but to call at the attractions to get their discounted tickets – I decided not to get the card because I had booked or planned to book most things in advance so it was not value for money for me.

Napoli Sotterranea starts off going down over 150 steps into the excavated tuff to visit the aqueduct. There are a number of galleries where the water used to run, and at some points you can even glimpse the original paint to help prevent the water filtering into the rock. Then the guide explains that during the WWII bombings, the tunnels were used as air raid shelters and you are shown the “showers” and “latrines”, followed by a morbid recall of the stench and the conditions, and some art exhibits and objects from the time. It was at this point I started thinking that the Neapolitans had a thing for the macabre.

Fortunately, we moved over soon, to a tiny garden that is not watered nor lit by sun, and yet it thrives in the tunnels due to humidity and artificial lamps. Then we went further into the earth – you have to walk along a very narrow tunnel, sometimes only practicable sideways. They used to give you a candle for it, but now they tell you to use your phone torch. It was a bit claustrophobic, but at least you did not need to crouch like in the pyramids. At the end of the tunnels there are several underwater ponds and fountains.

Napoli Sotterranea: tunnels and underground water reservoir

As you come out from the tunnels, there is a small “museum of war” with some uniforms and so on, and then they take you to see “the Roman Theatre”. Here’s the thing – the theatre is kind of there. Throughout the centuries, it has been incorporated into the rest of the architecture of the city, so only bits and pieces are visible, mostly those that remain underground, like the actors’ tunnels, and a hall which holds a collection of Neapolitan nativity scenes or presepe.

After the guide set us loose, I walked towards the Montesanto funicolare cable car station. Naples’ rope way is a tourist attraction in its on right, some people say. I’m not a fan, but I really did not want to climb up Vomero Hill Collina del Vomero in the sun and heat. The ride did not take longer than a few minutes, and after a short stroll I reached one of the city’s castles – Castel Sant’Elmo.

This fortress and former prison dates from the late 13th century. It was built in volcanic tuff, and the structure was mostly developed throughout the 14th century, though it was severely damaged in an earthquake in 1456. Construction continued, and then in 1587 lightning struck the ammunition depot and the explosion destroyed several parts of the castle, including the church. Throughout Naples’ convoluted history, Castel Sant’Elmo has been a stronghold for war, and a prison. Today, it’s a monument, a museum, and a viewpoint of the port and Mount Vesuvius Il Vesuvio in the distance.

Naples Castel San Telmo

Next to the the castle stands the monastery-museum Certosa e Museo di San Martino. It originally was a Carthusian monastery inaugurated in 1368 and dedicated to St. Martin of Tours. The monks were expelled by French soldiers in 1799, and they were never allowed back. In 1866, it was taken over by the state. The monastery has a Baroque church – Naples is after all the birthplace of the style, but in a different way from the Spanish one, so I don’t dislike it as much. The monastery also has two cloisters – one of which with a cemetery in the middle. There are also hanging gardens and orchards and the different rooms of the building host religious artefacts, items from the Bourbon times, and one of the best presepe in the world.

Naples Monastery of San Martino, showing the church, the cloisters, and the entrance to the hanging gardens

Then I went back downhill, again using the funiculare. My next spot was Naples Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, known as Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, Cattedrale di San Gennaro in honour of Saint Januarius, the patron saint of Naples. However, the most common name it receives is simple Duomo di Napoli. The current building was built in the Angevin Gothic style (gotico angioino) back in the 13th century, over palaeo-Christian buildings. The interior is strongly Baroque, though there are still some 14th century frescoes.

Collage. Duomo the Napoli: façade and main nave

For reference, Italian churches claim that walking into them showing shoulders or knees is disrespectful – so they encourage visitors to show “decorum and modesty” because “it demonstrates respect in the house of god”. I think their obsession with joints is exaggerated (especially considering the heat), and there was a certain event that highlighted the hypocrisy of it all. I visited the palaeo-Christian baptistery, one of the parts of the cathedral that you need to pay in order to access – and all tickets in Italy have been increased 1 € as part of the recovery plan of the area of Emilia Romagna, affected by heavy floods in May 2023.

The Baptistery of San Giovanni Battistero di San Giovanni in Fonte is a basic round pool on the ground, but the mosaic above it is super-detailed. It dates back from probably the late 4th century. The centre has the Chi-Rho symbol, and it is surrounded by scenes from the Bible, animals and plants, and allegories. Well, while I was admiring the art, the guy from the ticket booth came over, pulled his zipper down and urinated into the remains of the original wall. Talk about Catholics and respect in the house of God…

Next I went to the side chapel Reale cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro (Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius) and the Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro (Museum of the Treasure of St. Januarius). San Gennaro / Saint Januarius is the patron saint of Naples. He was a Catholic martyr in the 3rd century, who died during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Diocletian. After his beheading, his blood was saved and it is said that the blood liquefies three times a year. The chapel holds a reliquary, and the museum some religious artefacts, including the “treasure” – reliquaries, jewels and other religious paraphernalia in noble metals and gems.

Collage: Baptistery of San Giovanni and Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius

After the cathedral, I found Via San Gregorio Armeno, an alley that is famous because it concentrates the sells of handmade figurines for the nativity scenes presepe. However, as I walked I could only find cheaply-made expensively-sold figures of politicians, footballers and so on. I have to say that I know or understand nothing about football, but apparently Naples’ city team has won the national championship, and that’s a big thing? Everything was full of football references, posters, banners… and the alleyway was not an exception. It felt a bit… disappointing as I had heard so much about it, and I saw very few things that were “classical” there – I would come back another day and found the real thing though.

I made a visit to a local supermarket to find something to drink, dinner, breakfast and snacking the following day – because I had packed some, but I had forgotten that I had. Italian people don’t believe in either sandwiches or refrigerated coffee, which was a bit of a bummer. They have a lot of stands to grab something on the go, and they are keen on cafés, but I really did not feel comfortable sitting around in the city.

I went back to the hotel with my “groceries” because I did not want to be walking around after sunset, and I spent the rest of the evening watching British Museum’s documentaries about Pompeii and Ercolano to get ready for the following day. One of the things that drew my attention was how the documentaries kept emphasising the “importance” of the archaeological sites, and that it was important to respect them. I did not understand why, as I felt that is quite obvious. I would later discover… yes, people need to understand their importance.

17th – 22nd July 2023: Southern Italy

Posted on 29 July 2023 by JBinnacle

Back in May, I booked myself a small trip to the south of Italy. A long time ago, I was in the ancient city of Pompeii (and climbed Mount Vesuvius), and for a few years now, I’ve wanted to come back. I had not really looked seriously into it because affordable flights felt either too short (two nights) or too long (five nights). In the end, I made the calculation that maybe one day for Pompeii, one for Ercolano (Herculaneum) and two and a half for Napoli (Naples) might work out – arriving Monday evening and leaving Saturday late afternoon. I found an reasonably-priced hotel close to the station for the five nights, and then life happened as it usually does. This meant that I ended up without a definite plan – just a few basic bookings – and I seriously miscalculated how rough around the edges Naples really is. Despite it being an area with a “bad rep”, I wanted a hotel near the station to facilitate getting to both Pompeii and Ercolano by train, and because I did not want to connect to a second means of transport when I arrived in town at night.

My flight was due on the 17th of July at 18:30, but it was delayed. Right as I was boarding around 18:45, I got an email stating that my credit card had been denied at the hotel, so unless I provided another one within two hours, the booking would be cancelled. I would be in the air, so I needed to do it on the plane itself. Truth be told, my credit card is due to expire in August, so I don’t know if the error was on the hotel or my bank’s part. Fortunately, upon landing there were no further messages, and as I waited to disembark I tried to access my banking app – to no avail. That made me a tad bit stressed – even if I had cash, I wouldn’t want to get stuck abroad without a working credit card again. My bank has this thing for making all my cards stop working at the same time.

I had booked a ticket for the airport bus, that took merely 15 minutes to get to town. The line, however, was stupidly long. As we waited, taxis and gypsy cabs offered rides, but I did not trust those. The first bus left, and the second one arrived shortly after. It filled up, and there were two groups in front of me. The driver claimed that he only had space for one, so I gleefully claimed “one!” and went ahead. People on board called me lucky, people off board probably hated me.

As we drove off into the road, the first thing I saw was a rat, and that should have been a hint. We stopped off at Plaza Garibaldi in Naples around 22:20, and I did not take 10 minutes to get to the hotel – but boy, they felt long. The city smelt like urine and fishmonger ice, and there were lots of people hanging out who looked up to no good. I finally reached the hotel, the debit card worked, and I had bought a sandwich at the airport so I could have a snack. The air-con worked, and I managed to get the shower working. Things were looking up.

I’ve seen Naples described as charming and chaotic. In principle, I agree with the chaotic part. It has nice things, but it did not feel like a nice “welcoming” city – I would not really call it dangerous, but maybe dodgy or sketchy, and always on the lookout for a naïve tourist to scam or pickpocket. I was not really scared, but uncomfortable more than a few times, which made the whole trip a bit tiring. I decided not to wear headphones to pay more attention to my surroundings. In general, the plan was to start off early in the mornings and be back at the hotel with dinner and drinks in the late afternoon, which turned out to be a good idea. The hotel was small and noisy, but clean, with nice staff, and it became a little refuge, because this is not a town I wanted to go out to take pictures at night of.

Side note – on top of everything, I got caught in the middle of a heat wave – so just assume that from the beginning to the end, it was hot, and I was dripping sweat, unless I was underground. I mean, not even the Archaeological Museum has air conditioning in all the wards… but it does in the basement, which holds… the Egyptian collection. Go figure.

The city of Naples – Napoli in Italian – dates back to a settlement-port established in the 8th century BCE. It was refounded by Greek settlers in 470 BCE and it has been continuously inhabited since then, despite the constant threat of looming volcano Il Vesuvio – Mount Vesuvius – and its temperamental eruptions. There are records of about 50 eruptions, the most famous being the one that buried down Pompeii in 79 CE, though the volcano has been quiet since 1944.

Originally part of Magna Graecia (a network of Greek colonies in in Italy), Naples quickly became one of its most important cities. It became an ally of the Roman Republic against Carthage and it eventually became a Roman colony and part of the empire. Emperor Nero performed in its theatre in 64 CE, it is said that an earthquake hit as he did – he explained that it was the gods clapping at his act – it was in reality a precursor of the year 79 eruption.

After the fall of Roman Empire, the city was captured by the Ostrogoths, and later by the Byzantine Empire. In the year 661, the Byzantine Emperor granted Naples the right to be self-governed by a local Duke, which yielded to the Duchy of Naples and its eventual independence. In the year 1137, the Duchy was annexed to the Kingdom of Sicily, of which it became capital in 1266. In 1282, the Kingdom of Naples was created, though at that time there was a dependency of the Kingdom or Aragón and the city eventually became a part of the Spanish Empire. In the 17th century, Naples was the second-largest city in Europe, and it became the epicentre of the Baroque style.

In 1714, the Spanish “lost” Naples, and for a while it was ruled by Austria. After the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, Naples and Sicily combined to become the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. After 1861, Naples became part of the Kingdom of Italy as part of the Italian unification. This marked the beginning of the decline of the city. Naples was the most bombed city in Italy during WWII, and the first to rise against German occupation. In recent years, it has had issues with waste management, Camorra organised crime, corruption, poverty and high unemployment.

In 1995, the Historic Centre of Naples was declared Unesco World Heritage Site, due to the great number of historical monuments of standing importance – archaeological sites, churches, palaces, castles… Naples has turned to tourism as a source of income, both legit and not so much. Different attractions are managed by cooperatives that employ local people at the same time they open historical sites for visits – which is of course good, but the downside is a lot of guided visits and places you can’t see on your own.

I arrived late on Monday, and I had decided not to book Pompeii for my first day, just in case there were delays. I decided to dedicate Tuesday 18th to Naples (which lead to discover that the Archaeological Museum closed on Tuesdays), Wednesday 19th to Pompeii, Thursday 20th for a half-day trip to Ercolano, and the rest of the time to Naples itself. If I had done a bit more research and timed things better, I could have fit another half-day trip. However, on the bright side, this meant I did not become too tired.

11th July 2023: Museum of Dreamers in Madrid (Spain)

Posted on 16 July 2023 by JBinnacle

After I had so much fun in the Balloon Museum, I decided that I also wanted to see the Museum of Dreamers, which is something similar. Furthermore, it Madrid exhibit will close down at the end of July, too.

After I finished French school in Madrid, I headed headed off to the Japanese fusion restaurant Nomo Braganza, part of the Nomo Group. Nomo was established in 2007 under the culinary direction of Japanese chef Naoyuki Haginoya. I have to say that I don’t really trust the Spanish-Japanese fusion too much, but in this case, it really panned out. I met my sibling for a late lunch, because I was curious about the chef’s menu, what in Japanese would be called omakase [お任せ], which means leaving the choice of food to the chef. The menu was was a whooping 12 small-sized courses for 50€ – drinks not included, and considering it was 39 ºC outside, we ended up ordering a few rounds of water.

The menu, which changes periodically, comprised in July 2023:

Age Edamame Truffle – fermented edamame beans fried with white truffle scent. I personally prefer my edamame boiled, but the truffle scent was a nice touch.
Sukiyaki Croquette – oxtail croquette breaded with panko breadcrumbs. This was surprisingly good – and the actual flavour was strong.
Maguro Taco – mini taco of tuna tartar with wasabi and shiso (the “taco” was weirdly… not taco-shaped, more like cracker-shaped). The tuna was really good, albeit the base was a bit strange.
Gyu Niku Gyoza – aged beef dumplings with caramelised onion and yuzu, two of them per person. It was all right.
Ebi Chili – spicy king prawns and fried egg on kataifi noodles, mixed at the table. When we are talking spicy, it means… really spicy. The prawn bits were sizeable, but this was really something I would not miss should it disappear from the menu.
Toro Tartar No Temaki – tuna tartar prepared at the table: raw tuna belly mixed with Japanese onion, turnip, egg yolk, chilli pepper and wasabi on a bed of nori and rice so you can roll it yourself (spoiler: you really can’t). This was probably one of my favourite items – but I guess that after all I am a raw tuna fan.
Brie Nigiri – flamed Brie cheese nigiri with honey and walnuts. This was probably the weakest sushi bite, but it was still good.
Butter Fish Nigiri – butterfish nigiri with kimchi and chilli peppers. Butterfish is only good raw anyway.
Aburi Salmon Nigiri – flamed Norwegian salmon nigiri, with Japanese mayonnaise, salmon roe and onion. I still prefer raw salmon, but the flame was light so it was barely perceptible.
Maguro Tataki No Nigiri Trufa Nose – tuna tataki nigiri with soy and black truffle sauce. This was also really good.
Gyu Niku No Tataki – aged beef tataki with caramelised mushrooms and miso sauce. The combination of meat and the mushroom was strange, but when taken separately it was all good.
Caramel dorayaki – two halves of a dorayaki filled with salty caramel paste. Unexpected, because the menu listed something else, but it is not as if it was bad at all!

Chef's choice menu at Nomo Madrid

My sibling ordered some green tea out of the menu, and in the end, the drinks did not add as much to the price as I expected. Also, I have to give a shout-out to the pickled ginger we got. Really good.

After having lunch, we took a train towards the Museum of Dreamers, which is stands in Espacio Ibercaja Delicias, a place that seems to always look somewhat abandoned, even when it is stupidly hot and sunny. The exhibit was designed by sisters Elena and Giulia Sella, founders of Postology, an agency specialised in “phygigal” experiences. This concept merges the words “physical” and “digital”, allowing for a number of immersive and surreal experiences. The Museum of Dreamers is one of those things that you have to see with an open mind to have some fun. It comprises sixteen interactive installations which are basically photo-ops – after all, the word instagrammable has been officially accepted on dictionaries. I guess it is a new niche that can be exploited, and to be honest, I can get behind that, because some of these activities are hilarious.

Entry is timed, but they do not hold a very strict waiting policy – at least not on a Tuesday at 17:00 and 39 ºC. There were no timed exhibits or performances either. The first installation is a dark room with a starry sky of sorts, designed maybe to isolate the rest of the exhibition from the outside, maybe as a metaphor (100 Dreamers). Then you get to a semi open space that opens to the smaller installations that allow for fun pictures. All through the space there are motivational sentences and “rules” for safety in the different installation.

There is some kind of cosmic tube with mirror that was dizzying to walk into (Free your power), a tunnel made of hearts with an encouraging message at the end (Do what you love), an upside down room (Change perspective), an downside down bedroom with a giant plush and fun bed covers (Never stop dreaming), one full of disco lamps (Sparkle more), and a neon staircase flanked by colourful palm trees (Step by Step).

Museum of Dreamers exhibits

Afterwards, there is a ball pit – you know, it’s not like I had ever stepped into one before Friday, and now that’s twice in one week – with a “relaxing island” in the middle (Enjoy Today). In front of that, a tunnel made of fake pink flowers with a long table, set for a tea party (Believe in Magic). That managed to make you think of Alice in Wonderland imprint on your brain. Thus, you are in the right mindset for the following room, full of giant mushrooms and flowers that open up at will – theirs, for sure, not the visitors – whole giant butterflies hang around with their wings made out of lights (Wonder).

Museum of Dreamers exhibits

The final part of the exhibit consists on a second row of booths – a colour wheel, a door that opens to a fantasy scenery, a VR experience (Choose your Way), a stage (The stage is yours), some pink telephones (Your Dreams are Calling you), bright lights commanding you to DREAM (Be Bright)… There were two more rooms, one with a sky background and swings (Sky is not the limit), and the other with punching bags reading FEAR, STRESS, ANXIETY and so on (Never Give Up). I can’t punch, but I can strangle, so I choked the hell out of these last two.

Museum of Dreamers exhibits

That was the end of the escapade. It was a fun half-day out.

7th July 2023: Balloon Museum “Pop Air” in Madrid (Spain)

Posted on 15 July 2023 by JBinnacle

Part of this summer’s plans involved a three-week French course-and-stay in Montpellier, but I ended up changing my mind – too many hidden costs on top of the already-steep price, and a generalised bad feeling that I could not really define. I decided to take a course in Madrid and use up the evenings to do some exploring in town.

After class, I booked a table at the Chueca shop of the Japanese restaurant chain Sibuya Sushi Bar, which claims to offer a new concept of sushi. Most of what they offer felt pretty normal to me, except some random baos and the desserts. I browsed the website before booking, so when I arrived I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. Somehow, the waiter did not expect that and was thrown off track. I ordered some ebi furai and a sashimi mix – I have to admit that the size of the sashimi portion did surprise me a little, as I did not expect such a generous serving. Luckily, I had hold on ordering dessert, because the two dishes were more than enough.

Lunch at Sibuya Madrid

There were two temporary exhibits I wanted to check out, and I chose the one that closed down earlier. I checked as I had lunch, and there were tickets available online. I decided to take the underground and buy the tickets in person instead of stressing about making it on time for a particular timeslot. I reached the Balloon Museum on time for the 15:45 entry. The exhibition Pop Air runs from March to July 2023 in the Escenario Puerta del Ángel in Madrid’s Casa de Campo.

Still considered a noon slot, the exhibition was not too crowded at the time I entered, I even had a couple of rooms for myself before I reached a point in which you had to be admitted because the performance was timed. The Ballon Museum‘s Pop Air exhibit is a collection of art pieces that use air and light as their main vehicle.

Artworks:

The Goof by Filthy Luker (2021). They are a bunch of “friendly monsters” that observer the world feeding off surprise and happiness. They look… just adorable, as if they were made of giant inflated latex gloves in different colours with huge eyes.
Aria, The Breath Immersive Experience by Pepper’s Ghost (2022). A room full of mirrors and digitally-created colourful spheres that spreads to infinite and beyond.
Airship Orchestra by Eness (2020). More adorable creatures made out of air, some resembling Japanese peaches, other bunnies, or cacti.

Ballon Museum exhibits. The Goof, Aria, Airship orchestra

Hypercosmo by Hyperstudio (2021), which is basically a huge ball pit with a show of music and lights.
A Quiet Storm by Quiet Ensemble (2022). A dark room where cannons shoot bubbles.
Silenus by Max Streicher (2002). A giant, breathing… person… sleeping. It’s a bit creepy, to be honest.
Knot by Cyril Lancelin (2017). It is an inflatable… knot, literally a 3D knot made out of a tube.

Balloon Museum exhibits: Hypercosmo, A quiet storm, Silenis, Knot

Polyheadra by Karina Smigla-Bobinski (2022). It is a room full of balloons with small magnets which you can stick to the wall and the ceiling, and even to each other.
Never Ending Story by Motorefisico (2021). Music: Gentle Music by Plume (Netlabel). A lot of decorative balls in a small room full of mirrors and light.
Tholos by Plastique Fantastique (2022). A giant black ball surrounded by a plastic structure that imitates the archaeological tholos tombs.
Canopy by Pneuhaus & Bike Powered Events (2019). Four palm-tree-like structures that open up and glow if you bike them into life.

Balloon Museum Exhibits. Polyheadra, Never ending story, Tholos, Canopy

Cloud Swing by Lindsay Glatz with Curious Form (2019). Cute swings held by colourful “clouds” of light.
The GINJOS by Rub Kandy (2022). They’re blobs of air with eyes. When I saw them my first impression was “they’re squishy and unstable. I have found my people”. I also found the song hilarious, especially the reference that “GINJOS are not Barbapapa”.
Into the Rainbow by Ultravioletto. A VR experience out of which one cannot really take pictures. A white sphere travels through the colours of the rainbow and its symbols – orange candy, yellow rubber duckies, green trees, blue whales, purple… cows(?) and amethyst crystals
A number of cute photo booths for picture opportunities, without credit to any particular artist.
Parcobaleno by Stefano Rossetti (2020), is a large “inflatable park” for “all the family” (i.e. for kids), which was empty as it was way too hot for any playing.

Ballon Museum exhibits. The swings, the Ginjos, Parcobaleno

All in all, it was a really silly but fun experience. I headed back home afterwards, because even if exploring Casa de Campo is on my list, it was way too hot and I did not have any cold drinks on me. I made an amazing underground-train connection though, which was great because the Casa de Campo stop is pretty far away by public transport – and rather horrible to drive to.

24th June 2023: Abierto por Restauración. La Puerta de Alcalá (Madrid, Spain)

Posted on 13 July 2023 by JBinnacle

There is a Spanish adage that calls King Carlos III (1716 – 1788) “the best mayor Madrid ever had”. The truth is that when Fernando VI died, his brother, King of Naples and Sicily ascended the Spanish throne. He started a number of reforms in the Spanish capital that today conform the so-called “Way of the Light” – Unesco Heritage Site Paisaje de la Luz since 2021.

Madrid had at the time a surrounding wall for administrative reasons, in order to control trade. The different gates were named according to the main city they lead to. Carlos III decided to remodel one of the gates, the one that lead north-west – first to Alcalá de Henares and then to the rest of Europe. To carry out the task he called for a contest, which was “coincidentally” won by the Court’s architect Francesco Sabatini. It took ten years (from 1769 to 1779) to be completed, in typical Neoclassical style.

Today, this gate is still known as Puerta de Alcalá, and it stands in the central district of Salamanca in Madrid. The wall, however, long gone so the structure remains as a triumph arch more than a gate, in the middle of a roundabout in the Square Plaza de la Independencia.

The gate measures almost 24 metres high, 43 metres wide and 12 metres deep. It was built in solid stone with five arches, and decorated with sculptures depicting the cardinal virtues (Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance) and allegories of war victories.

Puerta de Alcalá under the protective cover

Restoration studies started in 2022, and the works began in 2023. In March 2023, it was announced that the gate would be “open for restoration” Abierto por Restauración, and that about 6,500 tickets would be offered for guided visits to the monument throughout summer. I had a free morning when the tickets went live and I managed to secure one, despite them being “sold out” in minutes. The Abierto for Restauración project, financed by the Madrid Town Hall, aims to raise awareness of the heritage that Madrid holds.

Though I had originally planned for a day out, I was not feeling too well . Nevertheless, I really did not want to give up the chance and I decided to just head over, attend the visit. and just take the train back home, making it a half-day out.

The gate is covered with a huge billboard showing a hyper-realistic photograph, which also hides part of the scaffolding and protective messes that cover the structure. The restoration aims to repair the mistakes of previous attempts at conservation, counteract the effects of pollution and weather, and secure the sculptures at the top of the gate.

We were supposed to meet at 10:45 at the gate of the park on one side of the square, for the 11:00 visit. The guide arrived at 11:00 sharp and started “taking attendance” – since the gate is technically a “construction site” you are insured, and you have to wear a security helmet and all. Then she took us to the base of the gate and told us the history of the construction. The previous group started coming down at 11:00 and we climbed at 11:15. By noon, we were down.

We climbed the inner scaffolding to the top of the gate, where we got to see the work first-hand. Not that there was much to see, because the works cover most everything. There are giant staples that have been taken off the sculptures in order to repair the damage and secure their placement.

Scaffolding supporting the Puerta de Alcalá

The upper platform allowed for snooping along the sculptures there and the views around the gate, along with a bit of the work being done – huge metal supports for the sculptures, filling up cracks, insulation…

Sculptures at the top of Puerta de Alcalá

Views from the top of Puerta de Alcalá

Though the experience was short, and I did not see as much as I hoped, I was lucky to grab a ticket – 6,500 of them, with 13,000 in the waiting list – but it looks like the reforms won’t be over for a while, so it might still be open next summer. It might be an interesting experience to try again and compare the progress.