La Fête Nationale

All My Potpourri would like to wish a happy belated quatorze juillet à tous! This is how we were lucky enough to enjoy it:

 

Paris à vélo

One of the best experiences I can recall having in Paris happened over the weekend when I decided to venture into the Champs Elysées on my bicycle in the  midst of the buzz and bustle of a Saturday evening, dodging cars and cheeky pedestrians alike. It was a sea of shiny car tops ahead and the Arc du Triomphe was drawing its imposing silhouette in the horizon. It was rather idyllic for a city jungle scene, and I lived to tell the tale!

If you come to Paris and you’re up for a very exciting, near-death experience I recommend you give Vélib a try.

Now, my apologies about the quality of the picture but I was trying to keep my physical integrity while being sandwiched between two cars.

Paris, Paris

As if a sunset could get much better than this!

A certain someone might be jealous to hear me say this but I am in love with Paris. Yes I am! There it is, I said it.

Two weeks and the romance just keep blossoming.

Paris from my window

On Planes and Trains

Travelling by train is a million times better than air travel, and here is why:

-No need to get naked at the security gates to prove that you’re not planning on blowing the whole thing up.

-Bringing a bottle of shampoo in your bag is ok, and it can be bigger than 100ml!!

-Good God, you can even bring a big bottle of water and they will not take it away from you. Luxury!

-Grab the biggest suitcase you can find and fill it up with all your crap. Weight allowance, what is that? (Thanks Rich).

-Sinuses haven’t been unwillingly compressed and decompressed = no hideous headache.

-Free wi-fi at the station.

-I have a Swiss knife in my bag, yet no one thinks I plan on murdering the train driver. They might be right.

-The most important of all: Paris is just at the end of the road.

It’s Not Unusual to Come Across the Spanish Tom Jones

When I say that Spaniards are not exactly known for their language skills, some may think this is a bit of an understatement.

Everyone knows Spanish people are simply terrible at learning foreign languages.

What is the reason behind this mysterious disability of the vocal apparatus of Spanish speakers to produce foreign sounds? Who knows. It could be the characteristic roughness of the Spanish language, its beautifully rolled r’s and unchanging pitch, or the passion and stubbornness Spaniards are known for, genetics maybe, or possibly a combination of all these. Whatever the reason, hope is long gone. Try asking a Spanish person to pronounce the most simple English words. Really, anything, ‘hello’ or ‘pencil’ for instance. The answer will probably come out as something totally unintelligible yet still very cute, sexy perhaps. Been there, done that, and even though I have been using English much like a first language on a daily basis for 5 years, my Spanish accent will forever remain. I am doomed since the day I was born. Then again, I would love to ask an English speaker to say ornitorrinco, esparadrapo or institucionalización. ¡Buena suerte!

Haven’t had the chance to listen to a Spanish person destroying the English language? Here’s a sample I recorded yesterday during my city’s annual fiestas. These fiestas are celebrations held in virtually every town and city of Spain at some point during the year, most likely during the hottest summer months, where people eat, drink, gossip, dance, talk and laugh until sunrise. Some risk their lives running in front of angry bulls. Unfortunately, some people also sing.

Believe it or not, the Tom Jones wannabe was singing in a big stage in front of the city hall and there must have been over five hundred people dancing along. We hid away from the crowd in order to laugh in peace.

The clicking sound is my sister-in-law eating sunflower seeds.

This pub offers take-away drinks!

Translation unavailable. This one is reserved to Spanish speakers.

It’s Me, Ginger!

Have you heard of a lovely historic town in the Spanish plains called Toledo? Maybe you are lucky enough to have been there (maybe I took you there!). Have you read Don Quixote? Do you know who Cervantes was?

You bloody well should! They’ve gone as far as saying Cervantes’ Don Quixote is the best book ever written, no shit. Nearly a thousand pages of the adventures of a slightly demented gentleman across Spain involving lances, horses, love stories, hilarity and some death. What is not to like?

Right, that is enough literature for one post. Before you are off to the nearest library looking for a shiny new copy of El Quixote (oh readers, I know you far too well), here’s what everyone was looking for: me, ginger! To the left, me beardy old man. We went down to a little town called Esquivias, not far from Toledo, and visited Cervantes’ home (you would NEVER believe the size of the wine cellar). Then we took this picture for you all.

See You When I See You

Accompanied by impending grey skies and a characteristically Mancunian spring shower, Allmypotpourry bids farewell to these soils and embarks in the eternal search for more Francophone territories.

The headquarters are imminently moving to Paris; cheese and macaroons are just around the corner. First, though, let’s sail to Spain to dance some Sevillanas.