Madrid is home to the only statue in the world dedicated to Lucifer, the fallen angel who is believed to become the devil. It’s well worth a detour to see, especially since it’s in beautiful Retiro Park. Sculpted by Ricardo Bellver, a Madrid sculptor living in Rome in 1877, it caused a great deal ofContinue reading “Fallen angels, gigantic monuments and an open-air sculpture museum”
Author Archives: Elizabeth Pizzuti
Google Earth Madrid
Saint’s blood, nun’s pastries, and Arab walls
Every July 27th in Madrid there is an event where a vial of blood is taken out of it’s preserved case, liquefied in front of masses of devotees, and then once the day is over, taken back to coagulate and preserve itself for many years to come. Image from quehaydonde.es The legend is that thisContinue reading “Saint’s blood, nun’s pastries, and Arab walls”
A few thoughts on storytelling
In my field I hear the word storytelling a lot. What is it exactly? Storytelling is a verbal journey that a companion or complete stranger is able to lead us on. It’s a tool to connect us all – regardless of creed, color or background – on a human level. The deepest level. It makesContinue reading “A few thoughts on storytelling”
More things you didn’t know about Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor has a much darker past than you would imagine from the fun and festivities that fill the square these days. In the 17th and 18th Centuries it was the regular location for autos-de-fé, public condemnations for crimes against religion during the Inquisition. Prisoners sentenced to blasphemy, adultery, witchcraft and other crimes were burned,Continue reading “More things you didn’t know about Plaza Mayor”
Most amazing visual diary I’ve ever seen
From Pep Carrió, a graphic designer in Madrid. Reminiscent of the collages of Sasakisan. Such incredible imagination, precision and restraint. Video from Experimenta
Things you probably don’t know about Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor is the busiest place in Madrid, maybe with the exception of Plaza del Sol. There are a million tourists, street performers, Spaniards with their children, and of course the ever present pick-pockets. I was overwhelmed by this area when we first visited because places like this remind me of Times Square in NewContinue reading “Things you probably don’t know about Plaza Mayor”
Great videos from Death cab for Cutie and La Roux
I guess they filmed this entire video in one shot. Impressive. I especially like the projections behind the band near the end of the song. I also wanted to include the La Roux video, Bulletproof, but they disabled embedding. Sigh. Well you can see the video on youtube here. My favorite part is after aboutContinue reading “Great videos from Death cab for Cutie and La Roux”
Creepy dollhouse and even creepier story
In the North-east corner of the Plaza de Cibeles, which I wrote about earlier, there is an imposing building, the Palacio de Linares, which was restored in the 1990’s to its current incarnation as the Casa de América. During construction in 1990, there were many odd occurrences in the house. Doors were opening by themselves,Continue reading “Creepy dollhouse and even creepier story”
Things I learned in school
Tomorrow at work I have a thirty minute presentation (mostly in Spanish) about myself, what I’ve learned in my life so far, and the work I do outside of Base. Especially since it’s the end of the year, it feels like quite a fitting time to look back at my years at school and summarizeContinue reading “Things I learned in school”