Wednesday 26 March 2014

Mapping

Yesterday on the bus up from Tarifa, the guy in front of me was driving me crazy with his constant rubbernecking. Except for the 45 or so degrees that I occupied of his circumference, he covered the rest in nonstop rotation.
As coincidence would have it, that very morning I'd spotted the Google mapping car in its endless circling through the streets of Tarifa and, if I'm not mistaken, got mapped myself. That's me sitting on the iron railing behind the Tarifa bus station.
This morning I spent roaming around Jerez de la Frontera. Just getting to the flamenco center and back took me through or past several plazas, a dandy market, several historic buildings, shopping areas, and, of course, numerous cafes. By the time I got back to my hotel around 2, intending to shut down for the afternoon, as is the way around here, I could walk without a map. It's the little google mapping car in our heads. If we circle long enough we get where we are.
Even at 10 in the morning, the classic flamenco performances preserved on video at the Centro Andaluz Del Flamenco were dynamite. For the first time, I witnessed down-tempo flamenco. As you performers know, it's the slow stuff that's the greatest test of control and expression. In this case, the performance sustained its high charge with exquisite control. I'm going to catch another session there tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, tonight I'll catch a flamenco show in a mainstream restaurant. The tourist info and guidebooks all rave about this place, probably a for-tourists thing. Anyway, I've also extended my stay in Jerez so I can visit a couple of small flamenco clubs Friday and Saturday.
I know where they are.

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