THEATRE IN LONDON SPRING 2023

 If you follow my blog you know that one of the main things I always do while in London is go to the theatre. I see a lot of it, to the point that anyone that doesn't like theatre and travels with me, at some point will disassociate from me because of it. This time around I was on my own, so I saw lots of plays, and all of them pretty good. And between theatre, I also visited places I've been or have never been before. 

I saw a lot of shows this time. Sometimes two a day. And I thought I took pictures of every show I attended but it seems I didn't but here are a few of them. 

From musicals based on films to old classic mysteries to modern adaptation of Greek tragedies, I saw them all. 

I don't think I have a favorite show because I enjoyed watching plays and musical in London. Although "Back to the Future, the Musical" is on my mind as my favorite musical. I dislike "Six." I understand the premise and the message but, um, they are all actually dead and that wasn't really their lives so I don't see the point of the musical. My two memorable plays were "Black Superhero" at the Royal Court and "For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy," an ensemble lyrical piece at The Apollo Theater in the West End. And my most memorable comedy is "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" at The Lyric Hammersmith Theater." 

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND 2023

 This was my second time visiting Manchester. But, unlike the first time, which was just for a couple of hours while doing some grocery shopping, this time I was there for three days visiting my dear friends Travis and Giovanna. 

Travis is an American and Giovanna is an Italian. Both of them are immigrants living in England. Travis teaches theatre and Giovanna works for an airline company. Travis used to work where I work. And the plan was that he was gong to marry Giovanna and she was going to move from England to the USA. But months before her wedding, the orange became president so she refused to make the move. Travis then had to leave his job and move to the UK. 

A couple of years ago they bought a house in Manchester, and I was due for a visit. This is my second time visiting them. The first time they lived in Liverpool and were renting. To tell you the truth, Giovanna's move to stay in England, is the best decision she could have made. 

I found Manchester to be a great city, full of life, culture, arts, and sports. After all, Manchester is, um, the home of Manchester United.  

Next: Theatre in London

BARCELONA 2023

I must start this entry by confession that I had never had the desire to visit Spain at any time in my life. The reason(s) are my own and I don't wish to disclose them. 

Yet, here I am, blogging about my visit to Barcelona, and the reason is simple: One of my closest cousins lives in Barcelona. She has been living there for more than 20 years. She went to visit her sister, who is a nun, and she ended up staying. She goes back and forth between Barcelona and Mexico City to visit my uncles (her parents) and her siblings (my cousins) at least once a year. My other cousin, the nun, now lives in Italy.

Because I never had plans to visit Spain, I never had the desire to research about the country, its cities, and what to do when visiting. And even now that I knew I was going to Barcelona, the only research I did was to find out where my Airbnb&B was located in relation to the airport. That's it. Everything else was going to happen in real time. 

The first thing I need to say about Barcelona is that it is a very clean city. I walked that city up and down and I did not find a piece of trash anywhere. Another fact about the city is that it is beautifully green, with long wide avenues and trees all over the place. The last thing I want to say is that Barcelona is very unique for you have the beach, the city, and the mountains and you can go from one extreme of the city to the other in a couple of hours. 

The time I spent in Barcelona was very enjoyable. I walked the city's streets, rode public busses, took the metro, went to the beach, hiking, expertly navigated the tourist areas, and ate food and desserts to my life's content. Of course, spending time with my cousin was the cherry on top of this trip, and also the main purpose of my visit. 

There were things I didn't do, mainly because by Day 3 of my visit I had decided Barcelona was a beautiful city and once I needed to come back with Miguel. So, I purposely left a few "city attractions" untouched, because for sure, I will be coming back. 

Next Stop: Manchester, England.