I spent 2 weeks in Ireland and 3 weeks in Spain in fall 2011 painting people and soaking in the cultures...
I had 5 weeks between USA fetivals in september-october 2011 and decided to go street performing in Europe. I wanted visit either Spain or Ireland, and my travel agent suggested that I could do both if I fly on Air Lingus to Barcelona with a transit stop in Dublin. When I was researching lodging and events in Spain I found out that I will be there for the biggest festival in Barcelona - La Merce, and - what a coincidence! - they will have St.Petersburg, my hometown, as a guest city for La Merce 2011 with performances by Mariinsky ballet, St.Petersburg circus and "Licedei" pantomime theatre. I was extatic about this syncronicity! I had amazing time on this trip, except for miserable weather in Ireland - I was there during a hurricane, so I only had a chance to work one weekend in Galway. I am posting a mix of face-painting and travel shots. I was so busy during La Merce that I could not even take pictures while working...which I deeply regret now. Another regret I have is missing Irish national football championship in Dublin - next time I go to Ireland in september I will make sure to be a part of this madness!
Ireland
Here's a collage of pictures of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Blarney castle, Hill of Tara, Newgrunge, Cliffs of Maher, Fairy Circles, and Irish countryside. Kissing the Blarney Stone was the wildest adventure, as it turns out it is on the very top of the Castle in the wall opening and you have to lean all the way back to kiss it, while a couple of lads are holding your legs so you do not fall down. It is pretty scary, but there's a non-stop line of people willing to do it to gain the gift of eloquence...Galway is a mystical-magickal town, very similar to New Orleans in lifestyle and abundance of all kinds of music and booze, street performers, hippies, punks and other local and traveling characters - and beutiful architecture and lots of art everywhere! I also went on the Celtic history tour to Hill of Tara and Newgrunge, the oldest observatory in the world...
SPAIN
I was in Barcelona for LA Merce 2011 and really loved the festival - the giant puppets "gigantes", human towers, fireworks and of course the famous corrifoc - " the running with the devils", quite dangerous parade of hellish creatures spewing fireworks into the crowds. I painted faces at Plaza Catalunia and in Ciutadella Park near the Zoo. Spanish kids want the same things as American - Spiderman, Batman, princesses and buterflies...no requests for any devils...After the festival I stayed in Spain for 10 more days and visited Madrid and Toledo, and went on a daytrip to Figueres for Dali Museum. And I spent a lot of time on the beach - it was really hot and humid in October, beach was the best place to be!