At the end of the first week we arrived at Malaga and had a chance to go into the city whilst the new passengers boarded. One of the places we looked forward to visiting was the Picasso museum. 
The Museo Picasso Málaga is a museum in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, the city where artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born. It opened in 2003 in the Buenavista Palace, and has 285 works donated by members of Picasso's family.
We decided to go by bus from the port, but again the map wasn't perfect and we finished up getting off a stop too late. In a way this proved to be a stroke of luck as we came across an interesting religious procession that was going around the town.

After watching this, we asked directions and then the museum was well signposted. Fortunately, the queue to get in wasn't  too bad. As with a lot of these museums abroad, there was an entrance  fee, but as this was a must see destination we were happy to pay. I'm sure that money could be raised in our country for important exhibitions, and this would help the running costs of the museum.

Having collected a recorder we set off to explore the artwork.
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From 14 Mar. 2017, the rooms housing Museo Picasso Málaga’s permanent collection are refreshed, and more visitor-friendly and informative about Pablo Picasso’s work. The new design is predominantly chronological, showing how the artist’s work stretched over a period of time. It also points out its intrinsic versatility and the cyclical nature of his artistic investigations, drawing attention to his constant vocation for exploring the expressive possibilities of any medium.

It was interesting to see how Picasso's work changed over the years and the different styles and materials used. You don't often see a lot of these works, as his most famous pieces are the ones focussed on in art books etc. There were sketchbooks showing how he explored the themes and some of the paintings seemed to be the initial work rather than the finished piece.
​You could see how his style developed through paintings and interestingly through sculpture.  Some of his small clay and ceramic sculptures proved to be a fascinating insight into his thought process and how he came across a broken bicycle and used the seat and handlebar to represent a bull's head was inspirational.

As an added bonus, there was also a Warhol exhibition on and for a small added fee you could visit this as well. It's interesting that as you visit different counties sometimes you find that you have already seen an exhibition or part of one. In this case, The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester had shown a few of his pictures. This exhibition was on a slightly different theme and included extra  examples of his work. 

Again, you seem to get an idea of an artist's work by the pictures they are famous for and it is a pleasant surprise to see other work by them. 

Warhol. Mechanical Art provides a complete and polyhedral journey that enables visitors to follow the creative development of this exceptional artist from his beginnings as a budding commercial graphic designer in New York City in the 1950s, to his death in 1987, by which time he had become a universal legend. The show highlights various aspects of Warhol’s work, such as the innovative way in which he applied the idea of processing to his multi-faceted serial work, the strong biographical links, his artistic production, and his originality and talent for transversally and cyclically combining different techniques, media and iconographic repertoires. He created representations that are canons, as they form part of the official history of Western art, and symbols, having become part of contemporary collective popular imagery.

Having viewed the exhibition, we even got a chance to have our own Warhol picture taken to put on the Facebook page. An enjoyable start to the day and not the end of our cultural experience.

On the way back we even stumbled upon the Centre Pompidou Malaga, which was a complete surprise. We had seen the outside on our bus journey into town and looked forward to exploring the   large cuboid coloured structure even though we didn't know what it was. 

By this time I must admit we were quite tired but did manage a quick look around. Again, we were surprised to find such a wide range of modern art and it was an impressive new gallery. A place we could visit again, as was the town of Malaga, which certainly had a lot more to offer.

 Arriving in Almeria, the main attraction seemed to be the old fortress sited on the hilltop.  This involved wandering the streets trying to follow the signs. This proved to be something of a challenge but it took our minds off the steep climb involved!

Arriving at the entrance, it was good to find that this was free to British people. As we looked around, we were immediately impressed with the gardens and the views from the battlements were also impressive. In the distance we could see the rest of the fortress. The site is still being restored and in a few years will be a must see tourist attraction.

As we wandered around the gardens and ruins we realised that they were also home to a litter of cats. These proved to be quite photographic and a small kitten even tried to get us to adopt it!
We were sitting eating a cake and it started to eat several crumbs as they fell. Feeling sorry for it, we filled a wrapper with water and  put it down. After drinking the water, it decided to eat the wrapper! We snatched the wrapper away and the kitten lost interest in us. Then the kitten moved onto another couple who were also having a quick sit down and a snack!

Going for a drink in local café, we asked one of the staff to show us the way to an art gallery we fancied visiting.

We had with us a map that we had been given on the ship. Going back to an earlier post, even being a local, she struggled to understand it! However, we followed her instructions and came across a statue of John Lennon. Apparently it was whilst filming here that he wrote Strawberry Fields Forever,
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Unfortunately, the gallery was closed by the tine we arrived there, and feeling quite drained by the afternoon heat, we decided to make our way back to the ship for some shade. ​

Our next stop was Ceuta, although being a very pretty town was not one that a lot of cruises stopped at. Because of this it was quite different and not very 'touristy'. There was a very good shopping area and some interesting buildings such as the one with dragons on top. It was actually a pet store! Unfortunately, they seemed to be all sold out of dragons!

A sculpture garden was advertised but on arrival this proved to be a type of waterpark, in the grounds of a casino and one  that you had to pay to enter. Instead, we walked across the town and found a more or less deserted beach. This was a surprise considering the beautiful weather.

On arriving back towards the ship, my recent visits to the gym paid off, where I was able to stop Hercules destroying the pillars!

An interesting couple of towns that we hadn't encountered before. They were not part of the usual tourist routes, and were well worth visiting, although possibly not for a long stay.  

As well as having busy visits to towns, cruises also give you a chance to relax in the sun. We are not great sunbathers now but do enjoy short times sat out covered in suntan cream!

We have sailed a few times now and the first time we went on the Spirit, there was very little sunbathing area. Over the years they have added these and it is much better now. You still have the problem, as with a lot of ships, that there are not enough sunbeds for everyone. Some days we arrived back on the boat early from a visit and were able to get a bed, on other days, we found a nice quiet area on the sport's court where we could sit on benches to read and relax.

Not being smokers, however, we did have a gripe that one side of the sundeck was for smokers and if this happened to be the side that the sun shone on, it meant that we couldn't sit there. Also one of the best places to relax was the upper area above the pool, again this was a designated smoking area, which restricted where we could sit comfortably. 

​On the lower deck, around the pool area at the back of the Spirit, there were tables and chairs to sit on if the sunbeds were full. This gave me a chance to sketch some of the holiday makers as they relaxed. 

​This was a pleasant area where you could sit in the sun or shade and had the advantage that it was next to the restaurant and snack area. As the afternoon sun moved into early evening, we met a few interested couples who wanted to find out about my work and we enjoyed spending time talking to them.  Some of the 'waiting-crew' stopped by too and it was nice to receive positive feedback on my quick sketches. 

We have visited Ibiza a couple of times in the past, usually catching a bus from a nearby resort. This time we took the shuttle bus from the port, which  approached from a different direction. Deciding to go to the old town, we walked through the shops and found an entrance. Although we were reasonably confident of our sense of direction, it was quite disorientating to come in from a side street.

In the last two towns we had an idea of places to see, including the art galleries, but here we were content to just wander along the narrow streets. To our surprise the first large building we came across was the art gallery. If nothing else there is always a good restroom and air conditioning, as well as a chance to take in the culture of the area.

As the building was set on three levels, we climbed to the roof first and were impressed with the views, which I had a chance to sketch before my back started to burn!

On entering the gallery, we were struck by the spacious, light and airy feel to the rooms. The paintings were spaced out and as the gallery leaflet says they "reflect the personality and character of the gallery".

​Abstraction was the dominant theme and there was a range of work on show. The quiet atmosphere allowed visitors to take their time viewing the work and really appreciate them. Although, not all of them were to our taste, it was a joy to relax and view the work.

The top floor was the work of one artist, and everything was produced in white, from pottery to sculptures. It was a conceptual display and  unfortunately didn't resonate with either of us. The only connection that we could make from his colour palette was that Ibiza is known as the 'white island.'

As we proceeded  downstairs, we entered the lower gallery that had a partial glass floor and underneath you could see the ruins of the old town. You walked over these to see the artwork and this was quite a surreal experience.  As well as seeing the paintings hanging on the walls, they were reflected on the floor, which enhanced the experience, To the side was a room where children could create there own artwork. We love the idea of galleries having space for children to produce their own pieces, in connection to the art that they see around them.

A fascinating building and unexpected find in this town. After a drink, we continued to explore more of the old town. The views from the citadel were impressive as were the narrow alleyways. A lot of climbing but well worth the effort. There didn't seem as many small shops as we remembered but it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.  

Our next port of call was Tarragona. Here we needed a coach into town and as we stepped off the bus were greeted with a superb view of the towns old ruins of a coliseum.

One criticism of the cruise shore excursion staff were the maps provided. These were often difficult to follow, not always to scale and at times the places of interest were in Spanish or Portuguese. We had planned to visit the art gallery, which we had read about but it took us quite a while to actually find it. However, in our search we did come across some impressive buildings with lots of small alleys and interesting areas to explore. One of the highlights was the magnificent cathedral.  We sat on the steps, which led to the main entrance  to eat our lunch.

As we wandered the streets, we kept bumping into this same old lady. It was almost ghost like the way she kept appearing, either that or we were going in circles.  Sitting for a drink  gave me a chance to observe the locals and do some sketching.

Eventually, we found the art gallery we had been looking for and were immediately impressed by the building and art on show. For a relatively small town the quality of the paintings etc. was exceptional.
As well as featuring local artists, there was work by well known painters including a piece commissioned by Joan Miro.

As we wandered the corridors, the wide variety of work continued to surprise us and we spent a good couple of hours viewing the exhibits before catching the coach back to the boat.

Another impressive town and only the second one we had visited. This holiday was exceeding our expectations and we couldn't wait for what the next day would bring!

,With the first day being at sea it did give us a chance to find out more about the ports we were visiting. One way we did this was to look at the organised trips available in a brochure and by attending a presentation in the theatre. One thing we have noticed is that these trips have slowly risen in price so we decided to prioritise the ones we wanted and in other ports find our own way around. 

The first port being Roses offered a chance to visit the Salvador Dali museum.
Inaugurated in 1974, the Dalí Theatre-Museum rises on the remains of the former Municipal Theatre of Figueres and is considered to be the last great work of Salvador Dalí. Everything in it was conceived and designed by the artist so as to offer visitors a real experience and draw them into his unique and captivating world.
The Dalí Theatre-Museum's collection allows the visitors to capture the artistic journey of Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) through a broad spectrum of works. The route around the rooms allows visitors to capture his first artistic experiences, surrealism, nuclear mysticism and his passion for science, guiding them to the works of the last part of his life.

As an artist this seemed too good an opportunity to miss and being in the morning we would have chance to look around Roses on our return. Unfortunately, we were late arriving at the port, possibly because of the strong headwinds on the way there. This meant we were late arriving and had to go straight back to the ship.

On arriving at the museum you are immediately struck by the huge geodesic dome, the large eggs on the roof and the loaf decorations on the walls. We were informed, by our excellent guide, that these two icons were symbols for life; the egg representing birth and the bread being the staple of life.

As you enter the square you again see his sense of fun with figures wearing diving costumes on the balcony.

On entering the building, the first impressive sight is the centre courtyard where a car in stands the middle of the entrance with a statue on the bonnet and large boat on a plinth above  it. All around are weird sculptures in the windows. As   you look up onto the stage on the far side you see a picture, made of thousands of pixels, that changes when viewed through a camera from a nude to a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. 

As you go from room to room there are various surprises. When I hear someone talk about of Dali, I usually think of his iconic melting clocks so it  was interesting to see his more traditional paintings along side his more surrealistic work and to see another side to this artist.

​One of the most interesting finds was  a three-dimensional anamorphic living-room installation with custom furniture that looks like the face of Mae West, when viewed from a small staircase and looking through a lens. Dali's original and famous work of the 'red lips' couch was part of this installation!

Another fascinating room had a ceiling painted by the artist where the bottom of the feet gave the impression of two giants standing above you. He based this particular painting on Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting.

A fascinating insight into Dali's work and fascinating talk by the guide. It was interesting how his career had progressed and how he was fortunate to arrive in America just as they were ready for an eccentric character such as him. It was interesting to see such a wide range of his work, and not just the well known pieces. 

The Museum was developed from a theatre that he had known as a child which he rebuilt and left to his home town as a memorial. When he died he was buried here and many visitors paid their respects at his crypt.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to go on a cruise visiting ports in Spain and Portugal. Because of preparing for my exhibition, this is the first chance I have had to put down some of my thoughts and observations.

We arrived at Manchester early in the morning and were surprised by the long queues to get through customs, as well as the chaos caused outside the airport, where cars were stopped to drop people off to avoid the new charges. The flight though was without incident, although the guy next to me was a little large for his seat!

On arriving at Malaga, there was a very long wait for the cases before we set off for the port. Having booked the holiday for some warmer weather, it was a shock to arrive to heavy rain. After boarding the ship, we waited for our cases only to find that one of them was soaked through. When we opened it, we were fortunate,  as my jacket had taken the worse of it. Another couple, we spoke to, had to send half their clothes down to be dried out in the laundry room. It seems silly these days that a simple plastic sheet couldn't be used to protect the cases.

The next day was spent at sea, sailing to our first port of call. This gave us a chance to relax into the cruise and get our bearings. We thought about sunbathing but although sunny it was very windy. 

We decided to find a place to sit and it gave me a chance to do some sketches. Having had a long day travelling to the port, quite a few passengers soon closed their eyes to catch up on their sleep on the settees whilst others read or played card games etc.

A relaxing day and a chance to plan what we wanted to see over the next few days.

We enjoy cruises because we can go to bed at night and in the morning we are in a new port or country and have the opportunity to explore the sights and culture.

We were all inclusive as well, which helped with holiday financing! With a buffet-style eating area and a 'sit down and be waited on' restaurant, we have the best of both worlds and as cruises are now much more relaxed in 'dressing for dinner', this type of holiday offers us  a  relaxing combination of style and comfort. With onboard entertainment included, we were now set up for an enjoyable two weeks!

When I started to write this blog, I was just going to put down my thoughts about the first three days of my exhibition but as my writing progressed I realised that there was much more that I wanted to mention.

After setting up the exhibition, I have to admit to feeling nervous when I opened the doors to the public, not knowing what their response would be.  

We opened early on Friday 5th and immediately had about eleven people through the door. A lot of interest and a few cards sold. Whew! My nerves settled!

 There was then a lull as people arrived for lunch at the café. Eventually, numbers picked up by mid afternoon and I managed to sell one painting to a couple, who had already  two of my paintings from previous exhibitions in their collection. This was a football scene for the husband. I also took a deposit for another painting and sold a few more cards. For quite a rainy dull day this was a good start.

Saturday arrived with much better weather and although sales of cards continued and the person came in to finish paying for the painting from the day before, numbers were not as good as expected considering the people milling around.

On Sunday, we arrived early and as there was an Apple Festival in the park, numbers increased considerably, as did visitors to the exhibition. Another football picture was sold as well as some prints and cards. 

A successful start in many ways. Some excellent feedback from the public; a chance to chat with other artists and friends who came along to support me; all of which I appreciated very much! 

The only slight complaint about the venue is that some visitors had difficulty finding the room, as it is advertised as the farmhouse and some went into the café instead. Apart from this it is an excellent venue in a superb setting.

This leads me on to my second topic. Whilst talking to the organiser, we were discussing the fact that cutbacks were effecting galleries, such as my own local one Salford Art Gallery. We saw this as a bad thing but were surprised when he said there had been some good outcomes from these cutbacks. 

He explained that as a venue, they now had to look at other forms of income and this had led to the inclusion of all sorts of activities at the park and the gallery. 

We have recently visited Whitby and noted that the town now offered several themed weekends to encourage people to visit. This had made the town even more popular and an all year round destination.

We noted that Astley Hall and park was organising several such events. On Sunday was Apple Day, where stalls were set up and local growers and societies provided activities for families. You could buy apples, press your own juice or try for the longest peel. A local choir sang and a wicker workshop took place allowing members of the public to have a go!

Also this month they have arranged a Pumpkin day on the 27th October and a Fright Film Night on the 31st, where they intend to show  horror films in the old hall. 

​Activities such as these encourage the community to keep coming back and also raise money for the upkeep of the buildings.  

In the park there is an historic old house, walled garden and room featuring World War 1 history, several activity rooms and of course a superb café. The Gallery is part of a community hub and has only been refurbished four years ago. It contains an art gallery, community gallery and local history hub where people can come and research their family history.

Looking at this and talking to some of the visitors with Salford connections, we all thought of the mansion in Buile Hill park. Here is an excellent site for a similar hub. The Mining museum could be refurbished and the other rooms used for a wide range of activities. The gardens could be replanted and activities organised to bring the local people in, as well as extra funding could be arranged from grants. This once great park could be restored to it's former glory with a little foresight by the council.

I realise that Ordsall Hall offers some of these things and Peel Park has had money spent on it, but Salford has a great heritage site just waiting to be developed and at the moment it is falling into ruin just like Monk's Hall, which was a fantastic building in the past.
​Greater effort should be made to get grants to do this work, I personally can't see that the small market town of Chorley is more financially sound  than Salford but what they have achieved at Astley Hall should be an example to other authorities.

A busy day hanging all my paintings in the Farmhouse Gallery. It was a shame we weren't open as a few large groups arrived at the café.

There was a very good hanging system, which made the task easier. I just underestimated the number of paintings needed so will be busy tonight preparing more. 

The gallery is set in a beautiful park. There is a 17th Century house that is open of a weekend, as well as a walled garden, pleasant walks  and an excellent café. For families there are several activities on at weekends, starting with an Apple Festival this Sunday the 7th and Pumpkin Day on the 27th October. 

Something for all the family and an exhibition to view as well. Who could ask for more?