And back at you with my series of some news from Spain !!! thanks to you all. There is lots of things going on in my beloved Spain, and it is summer awesome as folks are coming back ! I am eagerly looking forward to be back too!! Let me tell you the latest tidbits of news chosen by yours truly, Enjoy it as Spain is everything under the Sun!
The heat wave continues: orange alert in 10 communities that will reach 42 degrees Andalusia, Aragon, the two Castillas, Extremadura, Galicia, the Community of Madrid, Navarra, La Rioja and the Canary Islands are on orange alert due to very high temperatures, In the entire province of Seville, the orange alert has been activated for temperatures of up to 40 degrees, as in Ávila, Salamanca and Ourense, They will have 39 in the Ribera del Ebro in Zaragoza, at points in Valladolid and Zamora; on the banks of the Ebro in La Rioja and Navarra and in the metropolitan area, south, west and Las Vegas in the Community of Madrid. In the Canary Islands, the orange alert is for maximums of up to 28 degrees at noon in Gran Canaria, while in the rest of the archipelago the warning is yellow for temperatures that will not drop below 34 degrees at noon and for force 7 winds on the coasts of the islands central and western. Castilla-La Mancha maintains a yellow warning activated for storms throughout the community, except in the province of Guadalajara, and for heat that will reach 39 degrees in the Guadiana valley in Ciudad Real, while in Galicia there is the same level of alert in points of Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra due to heat between 34 and 38 degrees. In the Valencian Community, the yellow alert is for maximums that at noon will be between 36 and 38 degrees in the province of Valencia. The AEMET (Spain weather service) warns that with the orange alert there is a significant meteorological risk, with a certain degree of danger for usual activities, and with the yellow there is no meteorological risk for the general population, although there is for some specific activity, Keep cool , easy in my dear Spain !
From Alto de Acevo to Santiago. Almost 170 km make up the Primitive Way, an itinerary frequented by the Asturian-Galician people during the 9-10C. In 2015 it was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, The Primitive Way is the first pilgrimage route and links Oviedo with Santiago de Compostela. It had its great moment in the 9C and 10C until León became the capital of the kingdom and the monarchs began to promote the French Way. Today, this route continues to be an alternative for pilgrims devoted to the collection of relics in the cathedral of San Salvador de Ovidio and Lugo, which enjoys the papal privilege of exhibiting the Blessed Sacrament day and night. The route goes from Melide, where they connect the Primitive Way and the French Way to Arzúa. A 14.5-km section that takes just under four hours , Starting from Melide, and after visiting its church, the route takes the pilgrim through Boente and Ribadiso, the latter being reached by crossing a bridge over the Iso river, next to the which is the hostel, one of the most beautiful on the French Way. From here, the pilgrim heads towards Arzúa, the land of cheese par excellence. In another way from Ourense in a clear example of that infinite beauty. In addition, one of the Caminos de Santiago passes through this province, which you have to do at least once in your life. We are talking about the Vía de la Plata or Camino Mozárabe, one of the oldest that allows the pilgrim to enjoy the wonders that exist from Andalusia to Galician lands. Enjoy it !!
It starts in the renovated Plaza de España, La Estival, with a varied cultural offer. Outdoor cinema, music and gastronomy will liven up the days in the center of Madrid. The program includes the screening of titles such as The Artist, The Day of the Beast, Cinema Paradiso or Back to the Future, as well as concerts of film soundtracks such as Amélie. In the enclosure there will also be food stalls, gazebos and rest areas to create the perfect atmosphere for summer, webpage : https://www.laestival.com/
The Almadén bullring in Ciudad Real, Castilla La Mancha, which was completed in 1765, is linked to the San Rafael Miners Hospital and the men who worked in the mines, This is the only hexagonal bullring in Spain, one of the oldest and currently houses the Hotel Plaza de Toros, the Tourist Office and the Bullfighting Museum, and for having a wide cultural heritage. It is currently a third category plaza and has its own bugle calls, including that of death. Webpage : https://www.turismociudadreal.com/patrimonio-cultural/18/plaza-de-toros
The ship Antonio de Ulloa crosses the waters of the Canal de Castilla again ! The Canal de Castilla, the only navigable one in Spain today, was born in the 18C, in the time of King Fernando VI and the influential Marquis of Ensenada. The latter proposed to the monarch a network of navigation channels to transport the grain produced by the plateau. Its innovative system of locks was designed to bridge the unevenness of the river and allow cereals to be transported to the northern ports at a time when land communications made this task very difficult. Thus, those who travel on the back of the Antonio de Ulloa enter a short section of the route that barges traveled years ago, pulled by mules that walked along its banks. In addition, the branches of the canal also cross the provinces of Palencia and Burgos, with their own tourist options. There is , also, a combination with the Canal Tren de Castilla or Castile Canal Train. This tourist initiative proposes the complete plan: a round trip by train from Madrid (or Segovia) to Valladolid to enjoy a day of leisure, culture and gastronomy until December 4, one Sunday a month. Webpage : https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/countryside-nature/boat-trips/antonio-de-ulloa-boat
More on the RENFE train boat webpage : https://www.renfe.com/es/es/experiencias/trenes-tematicos/tren-canal-castilla
A bullfight, three Novilladas and a bullfighting (rajonero) show for the month of August 2022 in Las Ventas, Madrid, The Plaza 1 company, which will repeat another four years as concessionaire of the Las Ventas bullring, has scheduled a total of five festivities for the month of August in the bullring of Madrid, among them the one on August 15, celebration of the Virgen de la Paloma (a big festival of Madrid, not to miss). That of this traditional date will be the only bullfight of the month. Webpage : https://www.las-ventas.com/actualidad/proximos-festejos-plaza-toros-las-ventas
The Puerta de Alcalá offers from July 30 to October 2 (July and August: Saturdays and Sundays) the opportunity to visit it and get to know it from a unique point of view. Heritage emblem of the city of Madrid, (and need to say it again lived not far from it!) it is immersed in a restoration project that will take place between 2022 and 2023. The platform used to carry out these studies allows you to climb to the cornice of the monument, accessing through one of the modules of scaffolding, while a specialized guide explains the keys and master lines that will guide the process of intervention in the Puerta de Alcalá. Lasting 50 minutes, each visit is made up of a group of 18 people over the age of 18. Built between 1769 and 1779, designed by the royal architect and engineer Francisco Sabatini, it is a solid construction with five openings, the three central ones point and the two sides with lintels and of lower height., More than 200 years of history with five interventions that have always kept the traces of the war events that took place in its vicinity: the entry into Madrid of the French army on December 3, 1808 during the War of Independence( or Peninsular War) ; again the access of a military contingent in the city on May 23, 1823, the One Hundred Thousand Sons of San Luis, and a tank battle in 1939. webpage : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/puerta-de-alcala
More info on restoration webpage : https://reservaspatrimonio.es/275-visita-guiada-abierto-por-restauracion-la-puerta-de-alcala
The brotherhood between the creators Joaquín Sorolla and Mariano Benlliure serves as a precise metaphor and fine-tuned plan for this month of August 2022. While in the Chamberí museum, where the painter lived, you can still visit the Sorolla and Benlliure exhibition. A friendship, two artists, about the brotherhood that personally and creatively nurtured these prolific Valencians and their families, in the streets of Madrid you can also see multiple figures chiseled by the sculptor, such as the equestrian statue of Alfonso XII that watches over the Retiro pond , one of those popular beaches in Madrid, so longed for and frequented in summer when municipal regulations allow it ; the closeness and deep admiration that began to forge from their adolescence in Valencia and that even linked their artistic careers: although Sorolla was slow to obtain the recognition that Benlliure had garnered before, such as the honorable mention at the National Exhibition in Madrid, between 1890 and 1901 they worked tirelessly and enjoyed success and recognition at the same time, such as the gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900. Until both reached the Olympus of history: one, as a master impressionist and luminist; the other, as the last 19C realist. Thus, as a tribute to the 75th anniversary of Benlliure’s death, the Sorolla museum adds eight sculptures that for the first time, and until October, 2022 are gathered in this same enviable garden space at any time of the year, together with letters, drawings and photographs that testify to the creative symbiosis. In fact, if today the oil painting Boys on the Beach (1909) can be seen in the Museo del Prado along with 22 other canvases that the art gallery conserves, it was thanks to Benlliure preferring that Sorolla donate this gift that he offered to his dear friend. And the other way around: the limestone statue that has welcomed the public in the Sorolla museum’s garden since 1932, with a Sorolla brandishing a palette and brush in the sunlight, is the fruit and gift of Benlliure. Also the plaster Study for the monument to Velázquez (1900), never before exhibited before to the visitor. In the Chamberí museum you can also visit the exhibition ‘Sorolla in black’, inaugurated last month, which brings together up to 62 works by the artist, some unpublished -such as ‘Maria painting’ (1911), which have been selected from the collection and loans from institutions and individuals. Another point of view on the master who portrayed the light of the Mediterranean without equal. The Sorolla Museum presents the darkest exhibition of the Valencian: a compilation of more than 62 works belonging to his beginnings, in which he used brown and black tones. The original sample represents the opposite of what one expects to see from the painter, known for his paintings full of light and color. Among the paintings that can be seen are the Portrait of Manuel Bartolomé Cossío (1908), which is exhibited for the first time in Spain for decades, Portrait of Juan Antonio García del Castillo (1887), recently acquired by the Ministry of Culture and Sports for the Sorolla Museum, or S.M. Queen Maria Cristina. Study for La Regencia (1903-1905), restored for the exhibition, Shown until November 27 2022, Museo Sorolla museum, Paseo del General Martinez Campos, 37, webpage : https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/msorolla/inicio.html
Last April,2022, the Repsol Guide launched the Soletes de Carretera, a list with more than 300 bars, restaurants and cafes that recognizes the quality of these establishments located on the busiest roads in the 50 provinces of Spain, Some of my known and visited are :
AUTOVÍA A-1 : Restaurant Area Boceguillas (A-1, km 115, Boceguillas, Segovia , and the El lagar de Milagros (Autovía N-1, exit km 146, Milagros, Burgos,
AUTOVÍA A-2 : Area 103 (Autovía A-2, km 103, Almadrones, Guadalajara, and Area 280 (A-2, km 281 Calatorao, Zaragoza
AUTOVÍA A-3 : Bar Venta San José (Autovía del Este, km 124, Villares del Saz, Cuenca; and Las Bairetas (Ramón y Cajal, s/n, Valencia
AUTOVÍA A-4 : Hostal El Amigo Restaurant (Ctra. de Andalucía, km 57, 200, Ocaña, Toledo
AUTOVÍA A-6 : La Magdalena de Combarros (N-VI, km. 335, Combarros, León,
Therefore, if you are on the roads of Spain, you know where to stop and get a full of Spanish service, friendliness and good food !
As usual by me lately some wine suggestion to try at home or when visiting Spain, En vino veritas !!
Finca Rio Negro Nº 5,The most exclusive reference of this winery (Finca Rio Negro) that is committed to high-altitude wines at 1,000 meters, next to the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara Natural Park in Castilla La Mancha. Made using artisanal methods with the Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties, it is a wine for aging with a long and careful process of at least five years, destined to continue improving in the bottle for many more years. The result is a red wine with an intense, elegant and complex aroma, where notes of ripe black fruit predominate, combined with notes of new wood, spices and balsamic. On the palate it is fleshy, persistent and balanced.
Monte Real de Familia Reserva, Iconic brand of Bodegas Riojanas. Classically made, it incorporates innovative elements to extract the varietal aromas, the polyphenols and the ripe tannins that reside in the skin. This Tempranillo born in the heart of Cenicero (in Rioja Alta) is aged in oak barrels for at least 12 months and then refined in the bottle for a minimum of 6 months. Ripe fruits, strawberries and liquorice are perceived on the nose, while on the palate it is subtle, tasty and with a long finish.
Conde de San Cristobal, Reserva Especial 2018, The Bodega Conde de San Cristóbal, located on the so-called golden mile of Ribera del Duero, in Pago de Valdestremero, signs a limited edition red wine (with a production of 12,976 bottles) made with Tinta Fina, from a plot located at about 900 meters altitude. Characteristics that make this reference the most exclusive of the brand. After aging for 18 months in French oak barrels, the result is a balanced and fine wine with a deep, complex, tasty and powerful aroma on the palate.
There you go folks, another dandy tour of my beloved Spain ! Summer is here with all that heat wave as well. Time to enjoy sunny Spain once again, and we are gear up for it! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
And remember ,happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
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