And time again to tell you some news from Spain, and my beloved stories and places of Spain. There are still the sequels of covid19 but things are beginning to move on as life does. However, I must tell all a sad news. Alfredo Gonzalez the owner of over 50 yrs of El Brillante restaurants of Madrid kill himself due to debts over covid19 of his restaurants. I remember fondly his friendly approach while eating my calamares sandwich at the Atocha resto. RIP
Then, we move on as life is for the living.
The 800th birthday of the Gothic cathedral of Burgos and the Jacobean Holy Year, with the Camino de Santiago crossing three towns that host the exhibition Las Edades del Hombre. (the ages of men). And its motto is Lux (light), the light that the Gothic style provided, precisely introduced in Spain through the Camino de Santiago. Here we go folks :
The Cathedral of Burgos, in whose cloisters, high and low, is the main exhibition of the Las Edades del Hombre , is one of those human artifacts that overwhelms you. With the Camino Jacobeo ,although the same would have happened without it, possibly the Gothic style is introduced in Spain, which contributes, among other innovations, to lighten the stone walls with stained glass windows that give way to clarity. Hence also this year’s motto, Lux. Because there are things that must be seen: like the popular papamoscas (Flycatcher), a rather simple automaton-clock in the central nave; the tomb of the Cid and his wife, Dona Jimena, under the dome; the Golden Staircase; the monumental reliefs in the ambulatory; the grandiose chapel of the Constables, with a cornered Magdalene that some people attribute to Leonardo da Vinci… Thanks to the heap of exquisite altarpieces and sculptures, scattered among 14 chapels, one can overcome the feeling of being in a cemetery. Or in a pantheon of illustrious men, For logistical reasons (and prevention of covid), access to the Chapel of Santo Cristo de Burgos is out of the circuit. A miraculous image, with human hair (which grows, according to pious tradition) and animal skin, much loved in the city, and whose devotion even overflowed to the lands of America, The Museo de la Evolución Humana (MEH) or museum of human evolution. The set of 3 buildings was directed so that from the large windows you can see the cathedral, just opposite, on the other side of the Arlanzón river with a desirable sample of paintings and engravings of the cathedral of various artists, some as illustrious as Joaquín Sorolla. Between the Paseo del Espolón and the Plaza del Ayuntamiento a medieval knot of streets and alleys (some with no exit), squares, arcades … It is known as La Senda de los Elefantes or the path of the elephants,
The 90 km from Burgos to Carrión de los Condes can be done comfortably on the Camino de Santiago highway ,A-12. Also along the national road N-120, which strictly adheres to the pilgrims’ path but slower passing by many small towns, From Carrión were the villainous counts who, according to the Cantar de Mio Cid, would have married and then outraged the daughters of Don Rodrigo in the oak grove of Corpes. Apparently, all a fake to bad idea of Castilian against Leonese. The fact is that in Carrión, in the monastery of San Zoilo, is the pantheon of those counts and their family. The monastery, at the entrance to the town, is now a luxurious hotel with a large and well-shaded car park that should be taken advantage of, because in the urban area it is impossible to find a space. On foot, after crossing the Puente Mayor or bridge over the Carrión river, look for the Camino, which is none other than Calle Mayor that crosses the town from end to end. At the start of Calle Mayor-Camino is the Church of Santa María del Camino. And a little further on, on the same road, the Church of Santiago. Between both temples, and in the same street as Santa María, is the birthplace of the Marqués de Santillana, a warrior and writer of the 15C, one of our first humanists, author of some spicy Serranillas that anticipate the erotic lanterns of a Giacomo Casanova.
From Carrión to Sahagún, about 40 km, the landscape changes, softens. the cradle of that unique architecture of our country that is the Mudejar, Next to the Cea river stood the richest and most powerful monastery in late medieval Spain, that of San Facundo (hence the place name Sahagún). King Alfonso VI, who is buried in another nearby convent, made it head of the Castilian Benedictines and the engine of the Cluniac reform, which extended the Gothic style. Today there are barely a few roofed ruins and a large entrance arch, like a meteorite fallen from the sky. Next to it are the two headquarters of Las Edades del Hombre, the Church of San Tirso and the Hermitage of La Peregrina.
Vive el camino or live the way from the Galician newspaper La Voz in Spanish : https://vivecamino.com/camino-de-santiago-desde/camino-santiago-desde-burgos/
Sagunto is a hodgepodge of Iberian, Roman, Andalusian, Jewish and two towns in one. The town, at the foot of the castle, and the port, which enters the Mediterranean through a very long jetty, The Avenida del Mediterráneo runs parallel to a beach whose dunes and the view of the very long jetty are the main attractions. A 1,652-meter jetty that was once a mineral loading dock. Following its route, inland, you reach the Old Hospital. Construction from the beginning of the 20C whose English heritage architecture, in addition to the hospital services of rigor, housed offices and houses for engineers. The people who reside in the building today do not have to be. The General Workshops Warehouse, dating from 1919. Inside boilermaking work, locomotive repair and foundry and adjustment tasks were carried out. Right in front of it is Horno Alto nº 2, a metallic structure almost 65 meters high whose restoration in 2012, by the architects Carmel Gradolí and Tato Herrero, received the Europa Nostra Award. Steel was produced in its dull guts, and it now houses a museum. Very close to it, on Calle de la Fundicion (foundry), is the Warehouse of Effects and Parts, a huge warehouse that, it is hoped, will house the Museum of Industrial Archeology of Sagunto. The company’s engineers and managers frequented the Recreational Casino, which is still in operation today. Some and others coincided, yes, inside the Church of Nuestra Señora de Begoña, but they did not mix; there were assigned seats for superiors and others for peons. The same thing happened on the beach. A visit to Puerto de Sagunto is not complete if you don’t go to its beach, with fine golden sand and dunes. A Mediterranean canvas as long as the jetty, with which it forms a right angle, and that few dare to see up close while walking on the breakwater that partly protects it. Those rocks are also a peaceful place to bathe. Sagunto tourist office: http://www.saguntoturismo.com/sagunto/web_php/index.php
When it comes to big towns this is one of my favorites in my beloved Spain, San Sebastián is much more than a gastronomic tourist destination. It is a place that combines everything that is sought when traveling in summer: beach, good food and a wide cultural and artistic offer. Along the Paseo de la Bahía de La Concha, with the now famous white railing, you will find some of the most emblematic places of the city. Right in the area that divides the two beaches of the city, La Concha and Ondarreta, is the Miramar Palace, a building built by the Spanish Royal House in the 19C during the reign of Isabel II. Continuing along the promenade leaving the Ondarreta beach behind, you will reach another obligatory stop next to the coast, El Peine del Viento, which marks the end of the San Sebastián promenade The area also has some wind and water that allows pedestrians to connect with the sea in a special way when the waves are strong. Right at this point where Ondarreta beach ends and El Peine del Viento is located, you can access the mountain that offers the best panoramic view of the city, the Igueldo. It is reached by funicular and once there, although the main attraction is the views, you can enjoy the historic Monte Igueldo Amusement Park, with ferris wheels, mountains and old-looking carousels that evoke nostalgia and from which you can appreciate unique sea and mountain landscapes. Art lovers will be able to find in the old area with all the architectural styles that give San Sebastián such a picturesque aspect. On the one hand, the Catedral del Buen Pastor or Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, of neo-Gothic style and whose towers can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Right at the other end of the old town, the Basilica of Santa María del Coro, with a façade that could be framed between the baroque and the rococo. And it is that, although it is obvious, it never hurts to remember that going out for pintxos (tapas) in San Sebastián is another of the things that must be done no matter how brief the visit is. The old part of the city has such a density of bars that you can enjoy a stroll through its streets with all kinds of snacks, from the classic Gilda ( a pintxos of anchovies and veggies concoction) to other more elaborate meat and fish pintxos. And to top it off, a portion of La Viña cheesecake, one of the local recipes that triumphs all over the world. Leave out the film and go for the old town and the beach me think !!! The San Sebastiàn tourist office: https://www.sansebastianturismoa.eus/en/
This is the latest on a movie of a Spanish poet I follow all my life, and have a unique post on him in my blog, I, also, of course, follow Ian Gibson, In his latest Ian Gibson travels to the precipice where memory ends, The Cans festival premieres the film in which the Hispanicist returns to the scene of the murder of Lorca and to the towns of Las Hurdes where Buñuel filmed ‘Tierra sin pan’, The documentary Donde acaba la memoria or where memory ends is directed by the professor of the University of Vigo Pablo Romero-Fresco, has been the premiere that the Cans film festival at O Porriño, province of Pontevedra opened this past Thursday, and if it is not a biographical story, it is a semblance of all that life of the Irish researcher dedicated to unearthing the memory of Spain. A country in which he was not born, but which he feels with “deep love and anger”. In Where memory ends, Gibson reveals the sound recording in which he recorded, in 1978, the explanations of the gravedigger of the poet from Granada at the scene of the execution. He also visits the Residencia de Estudiantes or Student Residence, that European cultural paradise in which the three stars Lorca, Dalí and Buñuel lined up to whom the writer has consecrated his research vocation. In addition, he shows his refuge in the heart of the Lavapiés neighborhood, Madrid, the place where he feels like in the womb and where he ended up with his family after the 19 moves that he carried out in Spain after leaving Dublin, Ireland.
The film premiered in the Cans festival ,which celebrates its 18th edition until Saturday 4 September, today), with a subsequent debate with Gibson and Romero, and will continue to visit some Galician cinemas and festivals until arriving at the Cineteca de Madrid on October 4 2021, Romero-Fresco accompanied Gibson to Granada to present the latest edition of his book on the murder of Lorca, in one more attempt to find the remains of the poet. The film could only end where it all began, the place where Gibson arrived 50 years ago to write his first work, which was banned by the Franco regime. The passion for Federico García Lorca made an almost adolescent Ian Gibson (Dublin, 82 years old) an Irishman with a Spanish soul. In 1978, with his book El asesinato de Lorca or the assassination of Lorca under his arm, he came to Madrid without knowing where to keep the blankets that he brought as basic luggage. For years he has lived in Lavapiés, which for him is the most beautiful capital in the world. In the book he writes what Garcia Lorca felled for his land, as he said « I love the land. I feel linked to her in all my emotions. My most distant memories as a child have a taste of earth ». There is a place, beyond Fuente Vaqueros y Asquerosa (town change name to Valderrubio since 1943), that treasures the first literary inspirations of Federico García Lorca, a flat land, abundant in water, neat in crops and memory where the poet’s childhood passed, where he accepted his link with the landscape, discovered the lysergic power of narratives, the strength of words and the way to convey inspiration. La farmhouse of Daimuz, in the heart of La Vega from Granada, captures the same light of happiness that the poet knew.
The official Cans film festival on Gibson/Garcia Lorca: https://www.festivaldecans.gal/gl/o-historiador-ian-gibson-e-xose-manuel-beiras-protagonizan-mana-a-segunda-xornada-do-festival-de-cans/
The history of Daimuz began a long time ago. Federico García Rodríguez, the poet’s father, had been born in Fuente Vaqueros in 1859. In 1880 he had married Matilde Palacios who died fourteen years later. With the money he had raised, he acquired good estates near Fuente Vaqueros. The most important of all was Daimuz, a kind of fertile land sandwiched between the Genil and Cubillas rivers. Converted into a landowner and one of the wealthiest men in the region, he met the teacher Vicenta Lorca Romero with whom he married in August 1897. Nine months later, on June 5, 1898, the poet was born in the family home of Fuente Vaqueros. One of the first memories that the poet cherished in the Daimuz farmhouse was his mother’s reading of Victor Hugo’s novel « Hernani ».But what forever changed his way of seeing the world was that afternoon his mother arrived from Granada with a puppet theater. He had acquired it that day at La Estrella del Norte, the best toy store in the city, located on Calle Reyes Católicos. It is not surprising, therefore, that, already consecrated as a poet, he maintained: “Andalusia is not a country of joy and tambourines , but the country of sentimental melancholy, of the internal currents of the spirit “. Yes he was the greatest poet of Spain, and still is, follow his trail.
And the end but not really, the best of the gastronomy of Spain! love these, hope you visit them and let me know your thoughts.
La Casa de Campo (see post) is very much in vogue, with interesting openings such as Villa Verbena and now El Taller, the sports house that this green lung full of families and athletes was needed, A mix of brewery and social and sports club with countless activities: from running club to nutrition talks, children’s activities like weekend workshops and summer camps. Its strong point is 20 types of beer from all over the world. In addition, its cuisine around the globe is based on coal and fire, and allows family or friends to celebrate any occasion and achievement after having done sports. Because apart from the gym, there is ñam, which is what it burns for. The terrace has capacity for 400 persons. Location at Paseo de María Teresa, 3. Lago de Casa de Campo. Hours: from 17h45 to 00h00, Average ticket: 25 euros. No webpage yet.
In a short time its name, Berria has become a must for lovers of the world of wine, thanks to its 1,600 references and its 80 wines by the glass that are renewed several times a month. But in this wine bar you also eat, and very well, thanks to a cuisine based on first-class raw materials. Both in the living room and on the terrace -with spectacular views of the Puerta de Alcalá ! Great !! location Plaza de la Independencia, 6. Webpage: https://www.berriawinebar.com/en/berria/
The center of Jerez de la Frontera, the Tío Pepe wineries (González Byass group) are a journey through time in which to discover the origins of Jerez wine. Not to be missed is the Real Bodega de La Concha, whose architecture is attributed to the engineer Gustave Eiffel, the boots signed by celebrities or the small ladder resting on a wineglass on the Bodega La Constancia, all arranged for the mice to taste the fragrant wine. Location Calle Manuel María González, 12 ,Jerez de la Frontera,province of Cádiz Webpage : https://www.tiopepe.com/
The Marqués de Riscal red was my first taste of wine ever over 50 yrs ago , given by my maternal grandmother Amparo of Tenerife!! The oenological complex known as La Ciudad del Vino de Marqués de Riscal is made up of several facilities, including two wineries and a five-star hotel with a spa. It is worth stopping at the original winery from the 19C where the bottling that stores the oldest vintages, some from 1862) ,and at the hotel, the impressive titanium construction by Frank O. Gehry Location at calle Torrea, 1 ,Elciego , province of Álava). Webpage :http://www.masquesderiscal.com/
The Bodega Santiago Ruiz was created in 1984 by Santiago Ruiz, one of the Albariño parents and a pioneer in the renovation of the Galician vineyard, it is a peaceful winery in the O Rosal area. A delicious house-museum of the 17C surrounded by gardens and old vineyards in the traditional style where you can discover how local wine was made (and is made) and Galician hospitality from the hand of Rosa Ruiz, daughter of the founder and continuation of the legacy of her father. Location at Rua do Vinicultor, Santiago Ruiz, s / n, San Miguel de Tabagón,province of Pontevedra). Webpage : https://www.marquesderiscal.com/
There you go folks, a dandy some news from Spain ! Hope you enjoy the reading and do visit these wonderful places, recommended by yours truly, And remember, happy travels, good health ,and many cheers to all !!!
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