Monday 25 November 2013

'Life is a rollercoaster, you've just gotta ride it'

Yes, the title is a reference to that Ronan Keating track that we all secretly love. It seems quite appropriate to describe this past week.

It all started well with last Thursday night. It was Tía Marga's birthday (Aina and Núria's mum) so we all went round to their flat for some traditional Mallorcan food to celebrate. This included some of my favourites such as Coca- a type of cheese-less pizza and Empanadas- a pie style pastry filled with pees and chicken which has hands down won FOOD OF THE WEEK. Delightful

Coca

FOOD OF THE WEEK- An Empanada
Later that night, I went on a meandering tour around the streets of Palma stopping off at the various live music venues as I was going along. The first stop was at a place called Espai Xocolat, a Catalan record shop/bar where I had purchased the new HAIM album, Days Are Gone, earlier that day. Whilst purchasing aforementioned CD, I noticed a band called Little Lion Man Trio were playing a show there to promote their new album. As a big Mumford & Sons fan, I couldn't resist seeing a band who named themselves after one of M&S's best songs. Unfortunately due to all the festivities beforehand, I didn't arrive until the very end of the band's set however I was there in time to hear their cover of Mumfords' 'Little Lion Man' with a very significant Brazilian Bossa Nova twist to it that gave the song a whole different edge to it that I never thought was possible.

La Rambla at night

Illuminati in Palma :O


I then descended on the La Lonja area of the city centre as I had done several weeks previously plus a minor detour to the Blue Jazz Club on the banks of the Torrent de Sa Riera. The venue is at the top of the four star Hotel Saratoga with a great view of the city however I didn't stay long . It's not that I didn't like the music or the place, it was because I felt hideously out of place with many people in their finest get-up while I was there in my trainers, Alt-J t-shirt and chinos. If I go back there again, I'll have to make sure I dress up a bit more for the occasion! By far the most fun I had all night was at the Jazz Voyeur Club where I saw a Spanish Jazz/Funk/Rock and Roll band called the Funky Crackers. They played a good mix of well-known songs such as Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' and Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition' as well as a few original songs which were led and sung very well in English by the lead singer who you could tell was really enjoying himself. After they played their second set, I went up to him to congratulate him on his singing ability in my very best Spanish and to say that as a singer myself, I could empaphise with how difficult it is to sing in a language that isn't your own. One thing led to another and the next thing I know, I'm up on the stage belting out the Jimi Hendrix classic 'All Along The Watchtower'! I'm sure my mates Blank Cheque would have approved.

Funky Crackers at the Jazz Voyeur Club

Up on stage doing my thing

Fraser and the Funky Crackers- it does have a good ring to it!
Before heading home, the final phase of my night was along the Paseo Maritimo where I strolled into the Three Lions English pub to check out the live music there. The band was like many of the fairly terrible rock-cover bands that you see performing on most nights out in Palma however as this was the first time I'd entered this particular establishment, I couldn't help admiring its passion for Football. The walls and ceiling in the Three Lions are scattered with logos and crests of just about every pro-football team on the planet plus with Sky Sports News on in the background it felt a lot like being at a pub back home. I then went next door to the Shamrock for a few minutes to check out their live music which was yet another rock band however this one had a rather eccentric lead singer who was dancing and shaking his stuff around in a Mick Jagger-esque fashion. Despite the enjoyment of the band with the lady-hipped singer, my tiredness got the better of me thus I ended what was a very enjoyable night on the town.
Torrent de Sa Riera at night

Southampton in the Three Lions

Live band

Lots and lots of crests

Good old Stocky. Never knew it was 'The Friendly Football Club'

Norwich City representing


Music in the Shamrock, this picture accurately sums up the atmosphere I think
The Sunday was one of my worst days for a long time as I received the sad news that my Grandpa had passed away in the early hours of the morning. When someone has been a fixture in your life for the best part of 19 years it is hard to imagine life without them and makes you realise how valuable quality time with loved ones truly is. "Gramps" as we affectionately called him, was a very kind-hearted, supportive man who was always interested in what I got up to. From a very young age, our family trips to see both Gran and Gramps in Norwich have been a personal highlight of mine and have given me many happy memories. There isn't any one in particular that stands out to me but it's all the little things that matter. Shockingly, as a youngster, I was very much an early-bird who would be up at 6/7 sometimes 5AM to watch kids TV or videos but despite my unreasonable rising, Gramps would come downstairs in his dressing gown and help turn on the TV or video player for me before starting breakfast. I loved how he introduced the three of us to the board game 'Sorry!' and he would always play as the green team. Often, we would talk about how Norwich were getting on in the football amongst many other subjects. Knowing we will never have those times again or being able to say goodbye one last time is painful and it has been difficult for all of us in the family to grasp. This is compounded for Imogen and I considering how far away from home we are right now with very few people around us who can really share our grief (not entirely sure if that's the right expression). Fortunately, I have an amazing host family out here who have been supportive and understanding. I also had some lovely skype conversations with Imo plus two of my best friends Josh and Natalia on Tuesday which really helped pick my spirits up and get me back into a positive frame of mind. I know he is in a better place now, Rest In Peace Gramps

I don't have great access to family photos at the moment but here's one of a more youthful me with Gramps on Christmas day in 2009. The laptop I'm holding is coincidentally the very one I am writing this post on right now.
To finish on a more positive note, one thing I have greatly enjoyed doing during the weeks in Palma is my little wanders around the city centre while the kids are at Music. During this week's wander, I stumbled upon an Art Gallery called Museu Fundación de Juan March which is just off the Plaza Mayor. Considering it was free, I decided to get in touch with my arty side and check out the exhibitions. There were many nice pieces of modern art inside including works by famous artists such as Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso which really caught the eye and I couldn't resist going around taking tons of picture yet standing in the CCTV blindspots when doing so as I had no idea whether it was okay to take pictures or not. I also discovered a lovely church nearby but more interestingly I managed to find a small tea shop. Maybe the Spanish don't hate tea as much as I thought they did!

PICTURES FROM MY WEEKLY WANDERS- A church

Placa d'Espanya

Outside the public library

Tea shop!




Weather-wise, it looks as if we have now finally slipped into full winter mode after a weekend of non-stop rain and the miserable grey week that followed. Even for me as a Brit, it's no longer acceptable to walk around in shorts and t-shirts which has made for a rather harsh reality check on the amount of warm clothes I have with me. I was left caught out on Wednesday by this as I was struck down with illness and had to go to doctors (a first for me in Spain) to get some meds which after some rest patched me up in time for the next day. I have a nasty feeling all the hot weather that took me so long to get used to here has altered my perception as to what is cold weather so it is safe to say the first few days of my return in the UK are going to be tough ones. As Marta says, the weather changes plans in Spain so I don't predict as much activity in my final three weeks or so here however I will make sure there is still something interesting for me to talk about that's worthy of a weekly blogpost. Below are some shots I took at the Art gallery. Espero que les disfrutéis.

#FraserOnTour

FP

Heads at the Art gallery titled 'Oradores'

I think this is the Dalí one?

Some of Picasso's prints

Picture of the great man Picasso himself





Probably my favourite painting 
Lovely little entrance to the gallery. I swear lovely has become I've overused that word in this post!






Thursday 14 November 2013

Fraser On Tour! The Youtube Channel

Today marks exactly one month until I return to Blighty so I thought it would be a good idea to make another post.

Last Thursday night, I joined Núria, Aina and two of their friends for a Quiz at the bar below their flat. This was similar to the kind of quiz you'd find in just about every British Pub with rounds on all kinds of topics including Geography, History, Science, Literature, a picture round (name that celebrity), Fashion and Sport-bizarrely no music round though... what's that about?

Luckily enough for me, the quiz questions were read out in Spanish rather than in Catalan so I could understand what was being asked but it was still a real test of my listening skills which have been historically poor in any of my French or Spanish lessons. When we started with the first round (Geography) and I got the first two questions right I thought to myself-"man, this is going to be an easy quiz" however after that I was proved very wrong indeed as the questions were to the British Pub Quiz standard of nigh-on impossible. As a group we struggled to get more than 3 out of 5 questions right during any round (although I got the most correct answers-nerd). In the end, our team 'No Es Broma' (in English- It's no joke), came in 6th place out of 8 teams but I wasn't too bothered as I had enjoyed the night being sociable, talking in Spanish and testing my quiz knowledge. Much better than sitting hunched in front of my laptop doing TEFL all night.
The 'No Es Broma' Quiz Team

Quiz result
The weekend was very much a non-event and was really just for relaxing so I won't bore you with details of how the most exciting thing all weekend was watching England beat Argentina in the Rugby and Norwich City finally win in the Premier League vs West Ham-Get in!
Massive bowl of Dirty Rice for supporters of Plataforma Crida at the Poli in Sa Pobla on Saturday

Lunch at the Poli. A dish literally called 'Fried' in Catalan. Chips, bits of beef, red and green peppers and a few herbs. Gorgeous! FOOD OF THE WEEK 

Sunset taken from the house in Alcúdia
On Wednesday night we attended an information evening about the TIL laws organised by the Plataforma Crida movement. I spent much of the evening trying ,and succeeding mostly, to translate the presentation from Catalan so I could follow what was going on and I was quite impressed with my progress. In a few of the presentations, we noticed a small group of people in white t-shirts that said "Por una educación pública de calidad, trilingüe y apolítica"  which means- For a quality, trilingual and apolitical public education. They were supporters of TIL and seemed to sit through every one shaking there heads in disagreement. The evening culminated in a large Q&A session however this quickly turned into a heated debate due to the presence of the white shirted brigade like some kind of Spanish Question Time but with no David Dimbleby to keep order. Until now I'd only seen the side against TIL so it was interesting to see who was in favour of it. Certainly makes things a bit more political.

One of the presentations

The supposed leader of the white shirts addressing the audience

In reference to the title, this week I started a project I'd been longing to do for a while now. Some of you may or may not be aware but I've now had a Youtube channel for 2 years which I've used to posts clips of me singing various songs that I play at gigs and events. Before about a week or so ago, I hadn't uploaded anything or really used it all for about 5 months and it was beginning to become a bit sterile and boring because I just didn't know what I wanted to upload or even whether I wanted to upload anything at all. In recent weeks, this mindset has taken a change for the good (I hope) and now I have a vision and some purpose for the channel once again. So far I've really enjoyed making the Fraser On Tour!  blog and I have created a way of expanding the whole concept behind it. I'd like to present the new and re-branded Fraser On Tour! Youtube Channel.

After taking inspiration from successful and well-known Youtubers such as JacksGap, the Vaga Brothers (BBBTV), Louis Cole (Fun for Louis and Food for Louis), Marcus Butler and Ben Brown, I decided to re-brand my channel from it's previous name of theoneandonlyFP-a channel very much about my music- in order to make a much more general channel which would serve as a more of an accurate reflection of me as a person. The main aim of the channel is to compliment the experiences and information I write about in my blog as well as creating a more interactive blogging/web experience for my audience and allowing for an outlet for the creative side of me. I don't know how often I will be able to upload videos however I do have plenty of ideas for videos to make in the future such as occasional Vlogs (Video Blogs), Travel videos and Original songs as well as the music videos I already make. This could be a really successful idea or it could all flat on its face but I intend to enjoy it either way and I hope you do too. By all means, please check out the channel and check out the intro video I made for it just the other day: Fraser On Tour! The Youtube Channel

Plenty more to come from me in the near future but ciao for now!

#FraserOnTour

FP




Wednesday 6 November 2013

50 Days-50 Observations of an Englishman on Spanish/Mallorcan culture and anything in between

Today is my 50th Day in Mallorca so I thought I'd do something special to commemorate it. I've compiled a list of things in no particular order that I have learnt during my time here for your education and entertainment.

1. Olive oil and salt are present at EVERY meal.

Whether they're needed or not, you can guarantee Olive Oil (Oli) and Salt will be on the table should someone need to smother their perfectly natural and healthy salad or other item of food that was perfectly acceptable to eat beforehand-This includes breakfast.

2. Catalan is a very passionate language.

When people speak in Catalan 75% of the time it sounds like they are having a heated debate or argument on something when they could simply be talking about what they had for lunch yesterday.

3. Sea Food and Eat It.

As an island, it is no surprise that Sea Food (Mariscos) harbours a strong interest in the fine cuisine department. Personally I've never really been a Sea Food kind of guy however after weeks of Paella, Prawns, Shrimp, Muscles and Octopus I must say I have grown to like it. Also, I'm still not sure how , but the Mediterranean diet seems to work. Pretty much no one here seems to be that fat and I have noticed for all the times I've been out having nice food and drink in restaurants I have still managed to stop myself from ballooning outwards. GREAT SUCCESS! *said in Borat's voice*

Octopus from last week


4. Spanish Hospitality

As far as I'm aware, it is not something Spain is traditionally renowned for but I must say I have been made to feel really welcome by just about every Spanish person I've encountered in Mallorca. Maybe it's cos I'm making an effort with my Spanish, I don't know.

5. Marina always talks in the third person.

How vain is this 2 year old!?!?

6. Baila Baila Baila Bele Bele Bele.

Having been on the odd night out in Palma and Alcúdia, looking at the general attitude in bars and nightclubs, most people seem to go out actually JUST to dance! If you go to any student dominated nightclub or bar across the UK, you are more than likely to see several people utilising the whole idea of loud repetitive dance music to 'go out on pull' in search of 'clunge' or whatever the female equivalent is for that filthy word. While I've been out in Mallorca, this has rarely been the case with  most people being interested in shaking what god gave them to one of the many funky Spanish worded songs blasted over the PA than the noble art of 'Pulling'.

7. It aint over til TIL is over.

Spain is a politically strained country at the moment due to all the economic issues and the whole TIL issue is kicking up some real fuss here and looks like it could be going on for a while. More demonstrations and more civil unrest looms on the horizon. And we thought our government was bad.

Fight the power!



8. Spain like de Mango!

I've had so much tropical fruit here that I never/rarely have at home-Watermelon, Kiwi, Pineapple, Lemon, Pomegranate, Mango. The list goes on...

9. Phoney Fraser.

Something that I've never had to do in Spain before is answer the phone and I must say without the face-to-face interaction of a regular conversation it is something I struggle with. When I answer the phone to a non-family member they fire away in rapid Spanish or Catalan expecting to be speaking to a fellow native speaker only to hear my confused voice when I struggle to understand what they're saying.

10. Be careful crossing the road.

At some crossroads in Palma, certain right turn lanes are given the green light "with caution" whilst there is a pedestrian green light for that same crossing. Many drivers ignore the "with caution" and just fly through the junction so make sure you're aware of your surroundings.

11. Spanish Football > English Football. As a proud Norwich City supporter it pains me to say this but Spanish Football is much more entertaining. At times the stadiums may be half empty and it may not attract the same level of attention as the Premier League, but Football at the highest levels is fast paced, more skillful and a more ground-based game than in England where the ball seems to spend 50% of the match in the air while teams like Stoke try and knock lumps out of you. Plus, considering I've seen the Spanish National Team for free and Real Mallorca for under 10 euros you can't go wrong with the whole 'Price of Football' issue.

Desperately trying to fit in with the locals by getting myself a Real Mallorca shirt

12. Catalan is a bigger deal than I expected.

Previous to arriving in Mallorca, I just thought of Catalan (Majorquin is spoken here, a slight variation of mainland Catalan) as an "Up Yours", Two finger salute of a language towards the majority of Spain who speak Castilian Spanish like Welsh is to the rest of the UK. It turns out Catalan has a rich heritage and influence to such a point that wherever you go about 80% of any written language is in Catalan and it is the first choice language of the locals. No wonder they're so uptight about these new TIL education laws! Speaking regular Castiliano is one of the ways in which you can be easily identified as a tourist.

13. Location, Location, Location.

My host family have an excellent flat in a great location in the suburbs of Palma. The nearest pool? In the apartment complex. Supermarket? less than 5 minutes away. Park over the road, the kids school another sub 5 minute walk and a Music shop at the end of the street. Although  it is a good 25-30 minute walk away from the city centre, I don't think I could've asked for a better base in Palma. Being about 2 minutes away from the sea in Alcúdia is not too bad either, great for Open Water Swimming.

14. I will never truly understand kids.

In one day, most young children will go from balling there eyes out one minute to extreme happiness the next. There's very rarely a happy medium, just one big emotional roller-coaster.

15. Being British all-of-a-sudden makes you 100 times more interesting.

On top of the welcoming nature I have experienced here, the Spanish have an excellent attitude towards language learning. Thanks to my many freckles, I am easily identified as a non-español and people seem genuinely interested in speaking to me so they can learn about British culture and the English language with some actively choosing to switch the conversation into English despite my best efforts to keep talking in Spanish. It goes without saying that English is a powerful world language that is highly useful not just for communication but for business and employment. With the current economic crisis, many Spanish people are flocking to the UK and Germany in search of jobs so many people are eager to learn and I have been inundated with requests for language exchanges although I can only commit to a few.

16. The Spanish don't like their left turns (Beyoncé dissaproves*).

With the huge amount of one way streets, no entry signs and traffic around Palma it appears nigh-on impossible to make a left turn for poor foreigners like myself. To counter to this in Palma, there is a series of underground tunnels which are really hard to spot and a few massive roundabouts however I feel this would take a while to get used to.

*reference to the song 'Irreplaceable'

17. Spanish people freak out at the slightest possibility of rain.

As soon as the clouds turn the slightest shade of grey people panic and whip out their umbrellas and kagools when in actual fact it doesn't even end up raining at all. Major over-reaction. Normally in the UK I don't even consider putting a rain coat on unless it's truly pissing it down.

18. Spench.

After weeks and weeks of constant immersion in a Catalan-speaking environment, I have found that I can follow most conversations around the house as Catalan just seems to be a mixture of both French and Spanish. Although I can't form any coherent sentences in the language, I can understand simple words and expressions such as Mol bé (well done), Basta (stop) and pantalons (trousers) which are similar to their Spanish or French equivalent.



19. Tea is not popular here :( *FP sobs uncontrollably into his laptop keyboard*

I don't confess to being a serial Tea drinker however I have rather missed the British Tea culture I'm used to at home. Spain like most of the world is obsessed with coffee hence the shame I felt when I could only find one type of Tea (PG tips) in the supermarket. It also appears that the Spanish aren't aware of the existence of the kettle so when I want a brew I either have to stick some cold water on the hob or in the microwave

20. My new favourite Spanish TV show is ¡Ahora Caigo!

Basically, it's a quiz show in which one contestant has to take on 10 people in rapid-fire questions rounds until one person can't answer. The presenter then presses a button to open a trap door under said person into which they fall without so much as a warning as to when it is exactly going to happen. ¡Soy adicto!

21. Road Crossing etiquette.

If you cross the street where there isn't a marked crossing or you cross on a pedestrian red light people thrown upon you. I have received some pretty nasty evils from some locals.

22. Kiss-Kiss Bang.

Although this isn't the first time I've been to Spain, I've never been clear on what the rules are on the kissing greetings. In some places in France and Spain I have either gone in for two/three pecks on the cheek only to find I've done the opposite number of the other person which has left me feeling rather embarrassed and socially inept. So, after 50 days of practice I have concluded that the rule is 2 very subtle pecks; 1 on each side; and you always start on THEIR right side. and YOUR left side. Go left first and you could end up at the lips, hideously off-target and feeling oh so awkward.

23. Spanish TV has the most inappropriate ad breaks.

Ads on the TV aren't every 15 minutes like in the UK and seem to happen at the most random of intervals. I have watched shows that have been stopped mid-song (The show in reference being my favourite-How I Met Your Mother. The episode in question being my 2nd favourite HIMYM episode 'Girls vs Suits' and the song being 'Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit'), mid-sentence or even mid-question in a quiz show. Your viewing enjoyment ruined in favour of 5 minutes worth of hamsters dancing to promote yoghurt and Pierce Brosnan showing his support for a certain car insurer. At least they tell you exactly how long the ad breaks are though.

24. What Time Is It? SUMMERTIME!

In Mallorca, the conventional seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter don't seem to exist with Summer outweighing the other 3 for most of year-not that that's a bad thing! During my time here I have worn nothing but Shorts and a T-Shirt during the day thanks to this Mediterranean climate and Autumn didn't really kick in here until the very last days of October which is very late by my own British standards.

25. Music Scene? What Music Scene?

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of live music to see in Palma however considering the size of the city and the fact it is the largest city on the island and probably the largest city in the Balearic Islands the choice of music on offer is fairly poor. Apart from in the summer where the Mallorca Rocks Hotel in Magaluf attracts big name acts such as Franz Ferdinand and The Courteeners this year, not many famous artists choose to come to Mallorca leaving you stuck with a choice of cheesy Pop Rock cover bands, Verbena style Spanish music and not much else. However, if you know where to look, there are a few nice places to go and listen to some Jazz or Blues and some decent Rock & Roll. Agua Bar where I did my Open Mic is a cool little place where I expect I'll be returning to play some more tunes at some point before I leave.

26. Be careful with the 'S' word. Not every Mallorcan truly considers themselves as Spanish as they are islanders and have their own identity from the 'Castillians'. Think of it like the Isle Of Mann in the UK. Calling a local a 'Spaniard' may be classed as offensive.

27. Parks & Recs.

Mallorca has continued to confirm my belief that Spain has the BEST parks I've ever been to in the world

28. Parks and PDA. 

Mallorca has also continued to confirm my belief that the number 1 choice of Spanish couples for PDA (Public Displays of Affection) is in these very parks I marvel over... ¡Consiga un cuarto!

29. Pedal power.

Like many European cities, cyclists get the respect they deserve in Palma with plenty of cycle lanes on the pavements and on the roads to encourage transport of the 2 wheel variety as well as a bike hire scheme similar to that of the infamous 'Boris Bikes' in London

30. Kids are the fussiest of eaters.

Don't think anything else needs to be said here.

31. Football is religion.

Something that isn't too different from life back at home is that Football is the top dog in the sporting pecking order. There is some kind of match on TV nearly every night and at least one hour long chat show discussing the latest footballing issues. Stars like World Cup Winning Goalscorer Andrés Iniesta, World Cup Winning Captain Iker Casillas, World Cup Winning Coach Vicente Del Bosque and everyone's favourite Obi-Wan Kenobi look-a-like Xabi Alonso market all kinds of products from Men's wear for Corte Inglés (Spanish equivalent of M&S), Ice creams and Banking to Head & Shoulders shampoo and cholesterol lowering yoghurt-you can match the people to the products if you so wish. FC Barcelona is very much the team to support here with the whole of my host family being Barca fans meaning I've spent many a weekend sat in front of a TV watching their Tiki-Taka skills and yelling "¡Vamos Barca!"

32. Spanish people aren't morning people either. 

I fit right in here in Spain. Most people like to stay up late (11AM onwards) and wake up late in the morning (10AM-12PM) PERFECT!

33. Tom and Jerry rein supreme.

Every night almost without fail, all 3 kids eagerly crowd around the TV to watch 'Tom Y Jerry', a remnant of my childhood that has survived this current 'lost generation' as well as countless more before it. After all the years, I still sympathise with poor old Tom the cat. Other TV programmes that have hung on since my younger days include Spongebob Squarepants (Bob Esponja), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Tortugas Ninjas) and Pokémon

34. Exercise parks are awesome and we need them in the UK.

That is all.

35. The Spanish taste in music leaves a lot to be desired.
Spain is to Britain what my Brother Ethan is to me when it comes to Music. There isn't a great deal of variety and everything they listen to seems to feel the need to be catchy. Europop and Reggaeton are hugely popular here so pretty much all Spanish music played on the radio or in bars is designed to either get you shouting and jumping around in ecstasy or to get you to shake your Nicki Minaj (gluteus maximus) to songs being sung/shouted in very fast Spanish. I can now understand why the likes of Green Day, Pitbull and Daddy Yankee are so popular here. Hits like Ai Se Eu Te Pego and Limbo are the highlight of most people's nights out and all the chart music is several months behind. 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke, Avicii's 'Wake Me Up' and 'Love Me Again' by John Newman are still top 10 hits while in the UK none of these even feature in the top 20. No real hope for some of my favourites like Alt-J or Dry The River making a name for themselves here.

36. "Vivo en Manchester" "Aah ¿prefieres Manchester United o Manchester City?"

This is the gist of the conversation once I reveal my whereabouts in England and can take many forms such as "¿Rooney o Yaya Touré?" or "¿City o United?". Cue awkward silence when I respond with"Ninguno de los dos, soy aficionado de Norwich City"...

37. Sunday is market day

Go to just about any town on a Sunday and you're bound to stumble upon various market stalls of Fruit & Veg, Lentils and many other products.

Getting Fruity!

38. In Spain when it rains, it pours

Rain is infrequent and comes in rapid 1 hour spells as opposed to the constant miserable level of rain we get in the UK which lasts for a whole day or even more.

39. Food & (more importantly) booze is REALLY cheap to buy in supermarkets here. This is hardly a new observations for me having been to Spain twice in the past two years beforehand but it's worth noting. A general food shop in a Spanish supermarket is roughly 20 pounds cheaper than its British equivalent and your average can of San Miguel? about 40 cents, less than a can of Coke.

40. The Germans love Mallorca a bit too much. 

Like all good tourist destinations Germans are everywhere and apparently have their own all German speaking area just south of Palma.

41. The Brits love Mallorca a bit too much.

The Brits are also strongly represented in Mallorca and like the Germans you are bound to come across several of them during a night out in Palma. Locals are fully aware that most Brits just come here to get drunk so they dare not approach their stronghold in Magaluf as exemplified by Josep who says he went there once but never again, he actually felt like the foreigner there.

42. Fresa.

On my previous visits to Spain I have come to realise that like in most countries bar the UK my name is difficult to say. I would do what my sister does in Spain where she uses her second name (Sofia) as her first name to make things easier however the Spanish version of my second name-Jorge for George- is something I really struggle saying myself. Instead, I have devised the strategy that to help people understand my name I say it's like the Spanish word-Fresa meaning Strawberry. This has been effective for the most part however this does mean to some people my name is actually Strawberry.


43. The UK and US's main export is music.

It wasn't till I came here that I realised how bigger effect Music in the English language has on the outside world. All kinds of songs in English can be heard out and about such as those by Robbie Williams, Adele, the ever unfortunately popular One Direction and surprising non-hit in the UK as far as I'm aware-Applejack by The Triangles. It is still really bizarre for me to find kids who know all the words off by heart to Let Her Go by Passenger or Hey Soul Sister by Train and whole rooms of adults who will happily join in with disco hits like YMCA by the Village People and Stayin' Alive by The BeeGees.

44. Little Barcelona 

I wouldn't know for sure as I have only ever been to the airport there but Palma is supposed to be like a smaller version of Barcelona. It's not just the language spoken that's the same but also many features of Palma such as La Rambla and Passeig de Born also feature in Catalan capital. This includes various other street names which makes looking up direction for places on google maps a nightmare.


La Rambla-In Palma of course


45. Spracken die Inglés? 

I've realised it is REALLY hard to tell the difference between English and German people even if you eavesdrop on a bit of their conversations. On occasion, I have approached someone feeling 99.99999% certain they were German/English only to find they were the other which makes me look rather foolish.

46. Spain-The Party Nation.

Whether it's Halloween, Oktoberfest, Christmas or simply the day of the saint who happens to share your name, the Spanish look for any excuse to have a party or bank holiday. In the summer Mallorca is supposed to be the 'party island' so I must find sometime to return here someday and go to one of the summer Verbenas to see how the locals really fiesta.

47. Get the London Look.

You only truly realise it when you leave the British isles but there seems to be something about London that foreigners find infinitely cool. While walking around Palma I see tons of people wearing hoodies, t-shirts or jackets bearing the Union Jack, I ❤ London and other London themed designs.



48. Sporty Spain.

Like the French, the Spanish are highly involved in a wide range of different sports. Although Football remains número uno, there is a big interest in what we would consider as minor sports in the UK which all get decent TV coverage such as Basketball, Fútsal, Handball and even Roller Hockey!

49. Botellón and ón and ón.

Having now experienced the fabled concept of Botellón for myself  it doesn't seem quite as crazy as it is advertised in the GCSE Spanish textbooks. Go out at night in Palma or Alcúdia and  you are bound to see various groups of people casually drinking out in the street and no one bats and eye which is essentially it. It's the Spanish answer to Pre-Drinks and is a great concept particularly in the summer when it is really warm during the evenings.

50. There is much more to Mallorca than I ever realised.

What most tourists who come to the island never find out is that there is a lot more to Mallorca than just beaches, swimming pools, bars and nightclubs. Palma is a city steeped in multi-cultural history and great tourist sights such as Bellver castle, Almudaina Palace and La Seu Cathedral. The coastal areas away from the touristy beaches such as the coast around the bay of Pollenca and along the North coast of the island are absolutely breathtaking and let's not forget the UNESCO world heritage site of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range where you can get a whole different kind of Mallorca experience. Mooch around the many pokey little towns in the mainland of the island like Pollenca or Valldemossa, try some of the local cuisine including Pa Amb Oli or sea food. Mallorca came 2nd in a recent survey for quality of life behind world super power Dubai and I believe that it is is pretty darn accurate.



So those were my 50 Cultural Observations. I could probably give you a few more but that defeats the whole concept of 50 Things for 50 Days. If you feel some of them are completely and utterly untrue then feel free to correct me. I would just like to thank Jack Kenny of the blog 'Hit The Road, Jack' whose idea I stole in order to make this blog post. If you want to check out Jack's 50 things for his 50th day of his Third Year Abroad in Madrid then follow the link http://hittheroadjck.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/fifty-2/ .Jack's blog is also featured in my new section -"Pass the Blog Roll"-Blogs I Read- Which can be found in the sidebar of my blog.

Hope you liked that, see ya later Alligators!

#FraserOnTour

FP

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Hallostormoberferbenaperú: a week of weather changes, failures and festivities

Hi!

So, I know I've been going on about how we've been having lovely weather here in Mallorca and how there hasn't been a drop of rain for the past two weeks. Well... that all changed on Tuesday afternoon (29/10/2013).

Just as Simó was about to leave for Football, the skies opened up and in the space of about 15 minutes the streets were flooded like one of the scenes from the terrible disaster film 'The Day After Tomorrow'. As Marta tells me on many occasion, when it rains in Spain people panic and all plans made are swiftly changed so instead of going to Football we were confined to the flat where I played songs on my guitar for Simó and Júlia to pass the time while lightning lit the skies and thunder rumbled in the background. If there ever was a perfect time to play Lightning Bolt by Jake Bugg it was now. I guess this storm was what was left over from Storm St.Jude that terrorised the South of England (including Southampton) earlier that day. This has pretty much officially kick-started the autumn/winter period here as the temperature has now dropped to roughly 22 degrees or lower a day and there is a lot more grey in the sky and even as a thick-skinned Anglo-Saxon male I now have to wear a jumper when I go out in the evening cos it's so cold. I still wear shorts and a t-shirt during the day though!
View of the storm from the flat



Octopus on Wednesday night


Last week came the scariest night of year (supposedly)-Halloween. This was the 2nd time I had spent Halloween in Spain having been in Salamanca on a work experience trip the year before however this time I wasn't that excited for it. As a former Performing Arts student and Musical Theatre 'Actor' I'm not gonna lie, I LOVE to dress up; so Halloween is my kind of deal. I had wanted to go out for the night, get dressed up and paint the town like I did the previous year which ended up being one of the craziest nights of my young life. Unfortunately, by the time I got organised and decided that I wanted to go to Banana Club in Alcúdia where I went for my Birthday 2 weeks earlier, all tickets were sold out so instead I went out in Sa Pobla with Marta, Josep, Aina and Sonia to watch some live music at a bar where Pere Antoni works-not dressed up. The bar was a narrow establishment in the main plaza of the town which was almost jam-packed with people once the music started. I've been to and played in some pretty small venues but to highlight how small this place was I actively had to get up on stage and push past the female singer of the band just to get to the toilets, something I've never had to do before. Although it was a much more tame night in comparison with Halloween 2012, a good time was had by all which included me getting hit on by a gay guy... don't ask.
Live Band


The younger members of our group

Picture of the band from the loos backstage

Friday was 1st November and thanks to the catholic worship of All Saints Day it was a bank holiday and an early start to the weekend. After taking a lie-in to recover from our late night, we spent much of the afternoon at the Poli in Sa Pobla where they were hosting an Oktoberfest event, my third one this year which wasn't even in October (odd). So for the third time in just under a month, I gorged on fine German Bratwurst sausage and guzzled down fine German beer while my friends David, Pere Antoni, Aina, Sonia, Mireia and Marga worked hard at the bar dressed in German get-up. I was supposed to be providing some live music for the customers and was rather looking forward to it after uploading a new video to my youtube channel in mid-week (check it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW_gAbf1XA8) yet Pep had remembered to bring the amp but not the mic so I couldn't perform which was a big shame. The day wasn't complete without recognising the hole purpose of All Saints Day which is to go and pay your respects to the dead relatives in your family so we headed to the cemetery in Sa Pobla to visit the graves of Marta's grandparents amongst others. From what I have seen in the newspapers and from what I found when I went to the cemetery in Sa Pobla, the cemeteries in Mallorca are grandly designed with artistic gravestones and a small chapel in the middle which I think truly honours those who have passed away.
The girls getting into the Oktoberfest spirit

David hard at work

Me with the older, young and even younger girls

Oktoberfest Yah!

Cemetery in Sa Pobla


Much of saturday was a typical lazy weekend kind of day in which I sat apprehensively watching the England Rugby team's first match of the Autumn Test Series vs the old enemies Australia. To my surprise, England won 20-13 so all my nervous mutters and shouting profanities at my laptop screen weren't in vain. I now realise that watching England play Rugby is the closest I'll ever get to truly understanding what it is like being a Barca/Real fan during El Clasico especially with stupid online buffering creating even more suspense. On a down note, my football team Norwich City were slaughtered in true halloween fashion 7-0 by the vampires of Manche$ter City so mood levels were reduced slightly.

That night, I headed out with Marta, Josep and their friend Juan to Es Gremi, a music venue on the outskirts of Palma, to a concert marketed as an indoor Verbena, something none of us had ever experienced before. A Verbena is a type of party that happens in the towns across the island during the summer in which a live band plays catchy music in the main square while people drink copius amounts of alcohol and dance until the sun comes up. Yet again we weren't able to get tickets so we missed most of the first band but fortunately the doors were opened towards the end of their set so we could join in. This verbena was quite a toned-down version of what is expected in the summer considering it was indoors but it was great fun dancing around to some bouncy Spanish music ad the occasional English disco tune by the two bands playing (La Pegatina and La Loca Motora) and gives me another reason why I want to return here in the summer sometime to experience the 'Party Island' for myself.
Indoor Verbenaaaa!

La Pegatina

Unexpected Brass Band


La Loca Motora
The partying continued on Sunday with una fiesta peruana (Peruvian Party). Over the summer a group of the cousins including Núria and Aina went on an epic trip around Perú and brought back various things to show and tell us about so it seemed like a great excuse to throw a Peru themed party. The house was decked out in Peruvian flags, textiles and Peruvian hats whilst Peruvian music played beneath the collective chitter chatter. We all tucked into a sumptuous feast of Peruvian cuisine (something I had no prior knowledge of) in which I tried a whole variety of new dishes such as Ceviche, Papas a la Huancaína and Ají de Gallina, a curry style rice dish containing chicken and nuts which fights off some pretty close competition for this week's FOOD OF THE WEEK. There was such a grand choice of food that I couldn't help getting my camera out and becoming some kind of cross between an instagrammer and a stereotypical trigger-happy Asian tourist as I took photos of literally everything laid out on the table. The party finished off with some slideshows of the cousins' trip to Perú which I found particularly inspiring. Life has reached a certain point of monotony here so the idea of travelling has become very appealing to me once more and considering South America is one of the many places on my world travel bucket list that I am yet to tick-off so it was nice to get a feel for what Perú is like and ask some questions about the country.
¡Fiesta Peruana!


Peruvian Cuisine


Ají de Gallina, this week's FOOD OF THE WEEK


Inka Kola. Essentially yellow Irn Bru...

Marina looking cute

Partaaaay!

Perú slideshow

I must admit that during this past week I haven't felt quite like myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm still having a great time out here, but even when I've been out doing things I just feel like I'm going through the motions a bit. This is largely due to the realisation that in the not too distant future I will be returning home for Christmas and the excitement of seeing my friends and family again has given me my second bout of homesickness. It is also the sadness that I will be leaving soon and the daunting task of sorting out the next leg of my gap year which means an even greater emphasis on my TEFL course to get it finished, rewriting my CV and sending off job applications-a process I very much hate. Sunday was probably the lowest day I've had out here after receiving some pretty bad news from life back home. Although many things were on my mind in the late morning and then the evening, I used the early afternoon to go for a lengthy sea swim with my wetsuit to clear my thoughts then the Perú party was a rather welcome distraction that allowed me to forget about things for a few hours and to really fall in love with the concept of travel again. Overall, a lot of mixed emotions.

To end this post on a slightly more positive note, just like to make a big shout-out to all my buddies from the Salamanca trip last year and hope you're all doing great at University/College. I've been reminiscing about our week together and I miss you all. It would be great to see you again sometime in the future.

For anyone interested in the idea of work experience abroad, please check out Halsbury travel's website:http://www.workexperienceabroad.co.uk/ My trip to Salamanca last October/November was one of the real highlights of my year and I gained so much from the experience.

Until next time world, peace out.

#FraserOnTour

FP

Pumpkin making on Wednesday night


Finished!

Ummm...Scary faces...

Our Pumpkin lit