{tinza's tiny good things #6}

Today's #tinygoodthings is: plan a trip! 
If you know me well, you'll know I grew up on a boat sailing around the world. If you know me at all, you'll know that I love to travel and can't stay put long. Both those things are making this time hard, but also have provided me with life lessons that I am taking with me during this 'travel ban' time.

{us on Pitcairn island in the '90s. Photo: from my sister Rachel's archive. I'm third from left}

Growing up on a boat meant that we were weeks out at sea: these were the days of no internet and the era of mixed tapes. I learned to keep myself occupied by reading (I read the Hobbit in one day when I was 12), being creative (I wrote stories and drew), and finding new skills (like learning how to play the guitar). I learned to find beauty in nature around me, which on first glance didn't seem like it changed much: horizon, clouds, sun, and waves. But taking note of a small change in the weather, the change in colour of the ocean, the change of wind... these become observable and enjoyable. And you look for the exceptional, such as when dolphins decide to play with the haul and swim beside the boat and do flips.
and I learned to plan for the future: to get excited about what I'd do when we got into port, or when we lived on land for a while. 
So, I'm trying to do the same. I'm planning for future trips and looking back on amazing trips I have taken. Last spring I was away almost every week: Amiens, Barcelona, New York & lots of travel within the UK...and I spent a fellowship in May in Lisbon. Those were good times.
So here are some pics of travel planning, packing, and reflecting on the good times of travels of the past.
x
L

 & some of my faves from my instagram account: 

{I'm in love with this cross stitch façade in Valencia}

{Golconda Fort, India}

{streets of Lisbon}

{celebrating my birthday in Nice}

{the streets of Mumbai}

{postcards from Spain-San Vincent Ferrer}

In my previous post, I blogged about my stay in Valencia and promised to dedicate a post to the San Vincent Ferrer celebrations, which took place while I was there.
Saint Vincent Ferrer was born in Valencia and is an incredibly important saint for the city and, in the early modern period, for the Aragonese. I first stumbled upon the saint during my PhD research when I was studying the Aragonese court in Naples. A well-known painting by Colantonio was/is of particular interest to me as it is one of the earliest portraits we have of Eleonora d'Aragona (daughter of the king of Naples and Duchess of Ferrara)-somebody I've spent much time researching (she appears in the central panel of the predella):

{Colantonio, Altarpiece of Saint Vincent Ferrer, c. 1458, commissioned for San Pietro Martire, Naples (but currently in the Capodimonte)}

Luckily, I just happened to be in Valencia during the celebrations, which occur on the weekend after Easter and run for a few days.
I first stumbled upon a church (Iglesia de los Santos Juanos) where the spectacular temporary structure was being erected:


We then seemed to stumble upon the processions and festivities everywhere we went...
The next morning at breakfast, we were suddenly in a privileged spot to see the saint being paraded to the nearby church:

{walking back from the beach we encountered a performance in front of another church}

As a Renaissance art historian, you read chronicles and letters reporting such events, but seeing it live as we did, made me feel just a bit closer to the real experiences of Renaissance individuals, who would have seen such spectacles on a fairly regular basis (and we must remember, had never seen the telly so that such pageantry would have seemed even more spectacular).

 That evening, as we jumped from tapa place to tapa place, we got caught up again in the extraordinary celebrations. This time the saint was being lifted up on a mechanical ladder to his final position on the erected structure:

{when out for tapas, we joined the celebrations of him being placed on his perch}

 Children dress up in traditional costume and process through the streets:

{there he goes--almost reached his destination!}

The music I have to admit, was particularly moving:

 On the final day, a large procession, including adults and children winds its way throughout the city, accompanied by musicians, fireworks, and other fanfare. Once again, we just happened to be having breakfast in the right place at the right time:

& this is what it looks like when you randomly stumble upon them on a side street:

& then more down the main streets:

{one final shot of a little girl dressed up, on the street below-view from my balcony!}

Thank you Valencia!
What a wonderful treat!!
xo
L

{postcards from Spain-Valencia}

Earlier this month I was enjoying the sunny and warm climes of Spain!
I was in Valencia for a conference and then stayed on to conduct archival research. Over the weekend I had a good friend come and visit and we enjoyed lovely evenings out eating tapas and paella...and beautiful days strolling and soaking in the sunshine.
We were also lucky to be there during the patron saint's festival-San Vincent Ferrar--I'll post another blog post dedicated to those celebrations as they are simply fantastic!
The pics say it all:

{I'm still stunned by this amazing cross-stitch façade}

{my friend Ruth enjoying a drink on the beach!}

There's lots of wonderful museums to see:
The Colegio Seminario de Corpus Christi is a church and a museum (with a collection of paintings from Van der Weyden to Caravaggio}

The ceramic museum in the centre has a fantastic façade and is housed in an old palace, so is much more than just a museum, with stunning interiors (& exterior) to admire:

My flat was in the old city centre:

{my flat was on this street}

{the fantastic balconies on the flat I rented!}

{the main old cathedral was just a minute away from my flat--you could hear the bells ringing!}

 Valencia feels small--especially the old centre...it's easy to just wander around by foot.. That indeed was my favourite thing to do. I couldn't stop admiring the buildings, the winding little streets, the beautiful tile work everywhere you look. The colours were a feast for the eyes.

{antique shop!}

Just around the corner from my flat was the market: 

{simply stunning tiles}

{ham!?}

{striking interior as well}

{spices}

{seafood}

{exterior of the Lonja, which faces the market--originally a hall for silk traders & now a UNESCO heritage site}

 We enjoyed some horchata at Oxata Daniel in the mercato Colon, which is a lovely little place:

I have to admit, I did enjoy spending time on my balcony, eating breakfast, or sipping a glass of wine and munching on tapas and simply watching the world go by below:

I'd gladly go back to Valencia again!
xo
L