"Burning the artwork" - Fallas in Valencia


Dear citizens of the world!

Fire seems to play a central role in many festivals in Spain -- noise is a given.

The Fallas (pronounced FAIyas) of Valencia is a Spring celebration in late March where more than 400 pieces of art (Fallas) are created in the plazas and streets. On the last night, all are burned at midnight; all except the best one which gets a pardon and goes off to a museum.

This was my first year going to the festival. We had all afternoon to walk around and look at some of the main "fallas" before watching one burn at midnight.


A detail of Charlie...


One of the top Fallas statues... hard to believe it is paper...

While all this is going on, there is an incredible amount of noise. There are thousands of people -- mostly young children -- setting off loud firecrackers. A terrorist attack could happen just down the street and nobody would notice. I jumped out of my skin more than once.

A small kid being "indoctrinated" into the world of BOOM!


The mermaid that caught Nemo...

This Falla was huge! More like a stadium...

Just look at the size of it compared to the people!

A detail of one of the "lovers" from this Falla...

The last Falla we visited...minutes before midnight...

The same Falla a few seconds later...Burn, Burn, let it burn!

All in all it was an interesting experience, but I do not recommend it for people with heart problems!

In the next post I will show some pictures of the "funny" satyrical side of the festivities...

The United Statesian

Popular posts from this blog

The Creatine "Cell-Rinse/Flush + Methylation" Theory

Image
  The Creatine "Cell-Rinse/Flush + Methylation " Theory (Made with OpenArt AI, June 23rd, 2024, D. Troy Roach) The Cell-Rinse/Flush + Methylation Theory in four stages:  The cell is sickly and dehydrated has trouble cleaning out the "rubbish". Creatine supplementation increases the hydration, thus the internal to the external pressure gradient while also watering down or "rinsing" the cell.  "Rubbish" is pushed out of the cell into the interstitial tissues for elimination by the lymphatic system, which also works better with increased levels of H2O since it does not have it's own pump to regulate pressure. Overall methylation is improved by the supplementation of creatine which is especially helpful for people with existing methylation issues. Why I am interested in creatine now... I am at that stage in recovery that I can have a mostly normal life... as long as there is not too much stress and I avoid too much low-level (zone 2) exercise or ...
Read more

Neck exercises for Long Covid-- Part Deux

Image
  Image created with Midjourney by D. Troy Roach (Feb 18th, 2023) Neck Exercises for Long Covid-- Part Deux This is my 8-month update from the neck exercises (TMJ exercises, Throat exercises, Posture, etc).  January 2024 update : See the " Mewing " section below for a new "Tongue Circle" exercise which I think will be a game changer. Ma rch 2024 update : I have now added tongue circles. The tongue is a huge muscle that can help strengthen the neck as a whole. https://youtu.be/B3dF5TDkgiY?si=ZInmhrtoLbYW4VpA May 2024 update: I tried to stop my tine dose (10 mg) of amitriptyline. One month taper down to 5 mg...then off it for a few weeks. Bad idea to stop. My sleep got worse and neck tension came back. So I am now back on 5mg. The stop was because my head was feeling "too loose and bobbly", so a half dose of 5mg seems to be a good half-way point. Amitriptyline didn't start working until after nicotine patches... so I wonder what will happen when I take...
Read more

Pacing 101 - Brain Training as a Tool to Pace Better

Image
Brain Training -- Another Pacing Tool TLDR:  Brain training is one of many tools to help pace better by reducing wasted mental and emotional energy. The brain is small, but it is an energy hog that can eat through spoons faster than a sprint up the stairs. The science behind most "brain training" is sound. Most brain training programs oversell what they offer. You do not need an expensive program to learn this science. Outside of the "tools" that brain training programs teach you, which you can learn for free, the main benefit is accountability and the support of a coach. Some people might benefit from hiring a coach whom they can afford and feel a connection with. Brain training is not the boogeyman. It is just another tool to add to your healing toolbelt. Don't expect miracles. Stay away from programs that promise quick results and learn what you need for free. Like every other "cure" out there... people like to show off the big success stories becau...
Read more