And back to sunny lovely Spain we go in continuing with my series some news from Spain. Thanks to all for your readership over the years. Winter is back and temps do come down to minus celsius in next few days in my dear Madrid. Let me bring you up to date on some of my favorites tidbits; hope you enjoy it as I.
The last Yankee bullfighter. Many were called in that country, from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, thanks to the influx that Sangre y Arena and Hemingway fed, and Tijuana ,a Las Vegas of the early 20C burned, with its offer of gambling, alcohol, women and. .. bullfighting. There, many yankee matadors saw their first fight, as was the case with a boy named Robert Ryan. The Californian lives in Madrid, he is the last of that time, along with the killer Bette Ford. And the documentary 6 Yankee bullfighters 6, which opens on the 7th November at the Seville Film Festival, collects this story. Ryan (Los Angeles, 1944) is the survivor of all Yankee bullfighting, already practically settled, along with his countrywoman Bette Ford, a Hollywood resident, the beautiful model Bette Ford (Pennsylvania, 1927) ,then a supporting actress in Cheers, Falcon Crest o The Prince of Bel Air- fought for years in the Mexican arena with his diamond earrings, receiving creepy gored. The seed was sown by Ernest Hemingway with his Death in the Afternoon (1932), and the film by Tyrone Power, Anthony Quinn and Rita Hayword Blood in the Sand (1941). great figures. And there were no fewer figures on the line: Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Ricardo Montalbán, Jack Palance, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney, Marilyn Monroe, Ava Garner, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Kim Novak, etc. webpage: http://festivalcinesevilla.eu/en/films/6-yankees-bullfighters-6
At 1,693 meters above sea level, Valdelinares, located in the heart of the Gúdar mountain range, claims to be the highest town in Spain. In the Gúdar mountain range, next to the Javalambre and Valdelinares ski resorts, is Valdelinares, located at 70 km from Teruel, the highest town on the Iberian Peninsula, in a tough fight with Vilaflor de Chasna, (Tenerife) for the title of “highest in Spain”. The Tenerife town reaches 2,484 meters above the sea level, but its population nucleus is concentrated in the urban area, located at 1,414 meters, while the 87 inhabitants registered in Valdelinares usually live at 1,690 meters, with the church door at 1,962 meters.
Just look up from the four-poster beds that house the rooms of the Hotel Convento de Giraldo of Cuenca to contemplate through the balcony the unusual and rugged terrain that surrounds the gorges of the Júcar and Huécar rivers. In each room of this place located a few meters from the Plaza Mayor of Cuenca, it is easy to be imbued with the contrast of this 17C construction with modern decoration. But it is even easier to get lost looking at the rocky terrain covered with snouts. Small orchards that have traditionally been the base of the supply of fruits and vegetables in the area and that, even today, are the pantry of a land with high culinary culture. A food house 21 km from the city of Cuenca (see posts) is the first stop to check it out. The Nelia Inn is located in Villalba de la Sierra,(see post) a town nestled in the Serrania de Cuenca.(see post). Its menu exemplifies the flavors of the land and tradition. Field rabbit with mushrooms, arriero garlic, wine pairings with the native bobal grape or the famous serrano mojete made with onion, olive oil, pickled chicken and blunt tomato. We arrived at the town of Uña (see post). The Abarca brothers, Jairo and Sergio, truffle producers, suppliers and connectors of all those who supply Jesús Segura, together with Jose, the local herb expert, are waiting there. Wild strawberries, raspberries, thyme, hortiga, elderberry or rose hip, and seasonal truffles such as dried senderuela or genea, which he says has a “yogurt smell” moments after his sniffer dog finds one by scratching the ground. Back in the old town Cuenca, we visited the Raff San Pedro restaurant. There, his chef, José Ignacio Herráiz, highlights the roots of his menu to the land with a kitchen garden. Impossible not to see it in their black olive muffins or in the peas harvested that very morning to ensure traceability. More on these culinary delights The official Raiz Culineria de Castilla La Mancha webpage: https://raizculinaria.castillalamancha.es/restaurantes
There is a place in the comunidad de Madrid where you can visit, on the same day, the Parisian Eiffel Tower, the Berlin Brandenburg Gate, the Belgian Manneken Pis , the Roman Trevi Fountain, the Tower of London and that of Belém Lisbon. And so on until completing a total of 17 replicas of the most recognized monuments of the Old Continent. The place for this cultural tour is the Parque Europa park in Torrejón de Ardoz (see post). Spain has its quota, represented by Madrid’s Puerta de Alcalá. On the other hand, the park offers light shows and fountains, pony rides, children’s boats and trampolines. Free entrance. A wonderful family place off the beaten path away from Madrid city. webpage: https://parqueeuropa.ayto-torrejon.es/parque
In its 1,560 square kilometers of surface, Gran Canaria hides many surprises. Especially those in which natural spaces play a prominent role and lead this island located in the Atlantic to be considered a miniature continent in which to sign up for activities and experiences of all kinds.Acuario Poema del Mar or poem of the sea aquarium. Three zones (Jungle, Reef-Beach and Deep Ocean) make up a didactic visit in which, at times, it seems that we have moved to far corners of our planet thanks to blue-toned lighting. Also, icon of the island and third highest point , the Natural Monument of Roque Nublo emerges at 1,813 meters as a privileged area in terms of views. On clearer days you can see the peak of Teide, on the nearby island of Tenerife.The final stretch of this route leads to an imposing esplanade known as El Tablon, where the powerful figure of Roque Nublo emerges, which rises to almost 90 meters high from its base and was created from volcanic rock.
Info on the Acuario Poema del Mar: https://www.poema-del-mar.com/en/
Info on Roque Nublo webpage: https://localguidegrancanaria.com/en/how-to-get-to-roque-nublo/
What to do in Olvera, the fashionable town of Cádiz province after receiving the title of Rural Tourism Capital 2021. Olvera, voted Rural Tourism Capital 2021 by more than 120,000 Rural Getaway travelers, is a white sea dotted by the Arab Castle and the Church of Nuestra Lady of the Incarnation.The Andalucia tourist board on Olvera : https://www.andalucia.org/en/olvera
The Olavidia cheese, from the Andalusian cheese factory Quesos y Besos ‘Artesanos de Sierra Morena‘, has been the winner of the final of the World Cheese Awards 2021 held this Wednesday in Oviedo (Asturias). The event is part of the program of the International Cheese Festival that is held these days at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Oviedo. Olavidia is made with goat milk from Malaga, it is a cheese that contains a mysterious black line, less than a millimeter, that crosses from side to side. A line of ash from olive bones in the province of Jaén that slightly modifies the texture The most important international cheese competition in the world has had the participation of 4,078 cheeses and a jury made up of 240 people arriving in Oviedo from different parts of the planet. After a first screening, the jury selected 88 cheeses, called Super Gold. The 16 supreme judges then selected the 16 cheeses that participated in the grand final. After more than two hours of deliberation, ‘Olavidia’ has been chosen with 103 valuation points, 5 more than the second classified. Results webpage : https://gff.co.uk/awards/world-cheese-awards/
The corner of the Plaza de Santa Bárbara, where the Santander Cafeteria witnessed so many events in the capital since it opened in 1967, has reopened at the hands of the Cañadío group (La Maruca, La Bien Aparecida). Now name Gran Café Santander, and after months of reform, it is presented with a menu where the tortilla skewer, squid rings and the cheese cake that so many joys have given place. Located in the wonderful the Plaza de Santa Bárbara, 4 webpage: https://grancafesantander.com/
Unfortunately, 1,000 Spanish monuments are currently at risk of disappearance, according to the ‘Red List of Heritage’ drawn up by Hispania Nostra, a non-profit public utility association whose purpose is to defend, safeguard and enhance the cultural and natural heritage of Spain. By autonomous communities and cities, Castilla y León leads the list with 356 monuments, followed by Andalusia (166), Castilla-La Mancha (115), Aragón (104), Extremadura (70), Galicia (63), Valencian Community (62 ), Murcia (47), Cantabria (44), Madrid and Asturias (30), Catalonia and Navarra (28), Basque Country (22), La Rioja (18), Canary Islands (13), Balearic Islands and Melilla (3) and Ceuta (2). In addition to the ‘Red List’, there is also the ‘Green List’, which includes the assets that have been removed from the first, as the risk they presented after having been intervened disappears. It currently has 181 monuments. On the other hand, there is also a ‘Black List’, which collects all the assets that have been removed from the ‘Red List’ because they have disappeared or their essential values have been irreversibly altered. There are currently 11 monuments on this list, which include, for example, the exterior surroundings of the Walls of Ávila or the garages of Cuatro Caminos. Webpage : https://listarojapatrimonio.org/
19C Spain imagined the history of the country as a great novel, with twists, sayings, tragedies, faces, humanity … To back up this story, the nation used a whole court of artists who glimpsed a past full of emotion and, incidentally, with the odd license. The Aragonese Francisco Pradilla Ortiz, who died just one hundred years ago, is responsible for some of the most iconic works that occupy the Spanish imagination. ‘Doña Juana la Loca’, who received the medal of honor at the National Exhibition of 1878, or ‘The Surrender of Granada’ are two of the most recognized works of a very prolific painter with a facet that goes beyond the historical genre. Thyssen museum of Malaga webpage: https://www.carmenthyssenmalaga.org/en/artista/francisco-pradilla-ortiz
There you go folks, another dandy tidbits of my contribution to the news of my dear Spain. Things are moving up, travelers are coming and places are beginning to be book solid. Be ready as Spain is everything under the sun! And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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