In my new life as retiree my blog is my biggest entertainement and before anything else, I like to thank everyone of my readers and followers to stay with me over the years since November 26 2010 !!! Thank you !!! Especially my first likes from former travel forum friend Jeannette I decided to trim some of my older posts in my series Some news from Spain and condense them as not to lose the most important parts, me think, of them, Therefore, this is my new work, the condense news of my dear Spain, Hope you enjoy it as I.
Some news from Spain XLIII June 9, 2017
Bilbao is one city that is cross by the route of txacolí, the local wine that guides the visitor back to this area. You come to the area of the two denomination of it, the Txacolí de Álava , and the D.O Bizkaia. As you continue walking you will find the city/town hall and nearby the theater or teatro Arriaga, next to it you will be in the old town or casco Viejo one of the best areas to taste the local gastronomy with the favorites pinxos and txacolí. The local go from bar to bar in what is locally known as the «ir de poteo». Under the beams of the square or Plaza Nueva you will find some of the bar of pinxhos best known and visit a bodega of Txacolí. The closest one to town is Magalarte and it is in the municipality of Lezama offering guided tours and tastings while looking at the valley or valle de Asúa
Florida Retiro (my place since early teen and now reopen again) This is a great place for a happy hour ,after works, apéro or the first drinks of the night It has several terraces and one in the upper level ! with great cocktail presentation. It is inside the Retiro park by street or Paseo República de Panamá, 1. Open from 20h30 to 24h and drinks cost from 10-12€ . La Terraza. Located in the roofstop of El Pabellón, lower roof and surrounded by garden where one can enjoy the sunrise with drinks and the shades of the trees in the Retiro park
Back to the arts, to see until July 9 in Granada ,Centro Cultural Caja, Puerta Real the show Maestros de la Pintura; or master painters.the jewels of the late renaissance and baroque of the historic collection of the family Lladro will be shown. Some of the artists represented will be from the 16C to 17C such as Juan de Juanes, Alonso de Berruguete, El Greco, Herrera el Viejo, Sanchéz Cotàn, Juan Ribalta, Zurbaran, José de Ribera, Rubens, Valdés Leal ,and Claudio Coello
The Pablo Picasso diferente, or a different Pablo Picasso will be shown in the Fundacion Canal on the exposition Picasso y el Mediterràneo that allows to appreciate the influence of the sea from his childhood. There are about 91 portraits coming from the Fundacion Picasso-Museo Casa Natal de Málaga One example is the painting El taller de Picasso (1955), a lithograph of his working place in Cannes where you can see the palms thru windows that reminds him of his native Malaga and his youth in Barcelona, it has engraving done between December 1945 and January 1946 such as El Toro or Página de toros . This shows the great international project of Picasso-Mediterràneo a wide network of expos where more than 60 museums from South Europe to the North of Africa promoted by the museum or Musée Picasso of París in which it has been added the Fundación Canal. Showing until August 15
The museum of Prado has added to its showing the work ‘Retrato de Felipe III’, a portrait of Philip III recently credited to Velázquez. The portrait was donated William Jordan to the institution American Friends of the Prado Museum ,and can be seen on a temporary collection with extention. This is a portrait in preparation of the corps of king Felipe III that the artist did on the composition of the expulsion of the moors or ‘La expulsión de los moriscos’, dated in 1627 , and that was destroyed in the fire on the Real Alcázar de Madrid in 1734, only the written description was known Again Velazquez will be exhibit next to the painting of Tiziano ‘Felipe II offering the heaven to the infant Don Fernando’,that was recently restored. Carlos Saura: España. Años 50, is about hundred photos that the filmmaker did to showcase the mosaic of the villages and people of that period. Photos done by him in the 50’s while traveling in the country Under PhotoEspaña2017 until September 3 2017 in the museum or Museo Cerralbo, calle Ventura Rodriguez 17
Something nice historical and seldom seen, in Toledo. The convent or Convento de Caballeros de Calatrava next to the synagogue or Sinagoga del Trànsito houses the Jewish history in Spain; the Museo Sefardî .The permanent exposition contains about 1253 works illustrating the origins of the Jewish people, its historical and geographical context in the old Middle East as well as cultural items. You can see mesophotamic objects, coins, marriage contracts, judeo Arabic jewelry, coffins such as that of Pileta Trilingue of Tarragona, the box of Torah and items in gold ans silver. Also, an excavation in the patio of the convent . Located in the calle Samuel Levî, s/n
Some news from Spain XLIIII June 16, 2017
El Anciano Rey de los Vinos Calle Bailén, 19 , Metro: Ópera . The magnificent across from the Cathedral or Catedral de la Almudena, and nearby the Royal Palace or Palacio Real. Many stories here since 1909, one of them is that King Alfonso XIII arrived here by a secret tunnel that connect it to the Royal Palace. Here the vermù is serve by draft and with hose serve on a short legged cup and with a tapa. If you want something more hearty go for the regalito de torito ( a brick paste filled with oxtails of the toro and piquillo pimentos), ohh yummy! Taberna de Antonio Sànchez , Mesón de Paredes, 13 ; Metro Tirso de Molina ; It is named after the bullfighter that founded the tavern in 1830. It is decorated with heads of bulls and a wooden counter cover in zinc. At the extreme of the bar counter the brass drafts runs the vermù a bit sweet taken with a tapa of anchovies or sausages , croquette or oxtails bulls meats. The mythical and come back favorite Café Comercial ,Glorieta de Bilbao, 7; Metro Bilbao ; This was the oldest café in Madrid and last March reopened the doors with new ownership. The mythical bar counter in marbre stays here to try the vermù in draft done in Reus with ice cubes in an old fashioned glass; you can take a bottle home for 18€. To munch potatoes in garlic sauce, olives, mussels, croquettes of ham ,salads and iberian ham sandwiches.
Noches del Botànico, from June 22 to the 29Th, with Tony Bennett, Bryan Ferry, Franco Battiato and Giorgio Moroder. Others are here too Rubén Blades, Ub40, Jamie Cullum, Pablo Milanés, Anastacia, Madeleine Peyroux, and José James etc. In the Real Jardin Botànico Alfonso XIII Starlite from July 13 to August 26 , main features will be Elton John, Joaquín Sabina, Miguel Bosé, and Eros Ramazzotti. Others will be Juan Magán, Anastacia, Art Garfunkel, Juan Luis Guerra, Manuel Carrasco, Pretenders, Luis Fonsi, Ben Harper, Malú, and The Cranberries. At Marbella, Malaga, Auditorio la Cantera de Nagüeles;
One of my spots for this coming summer will be at the Chateau or Castillo de Belmonte ; it is said that it took its name from the beauty of the countryside; for many years it was named Bellomonte,or beautiful forest. Here Don Juan Manuel, nephew of king Alfonso X El Sabio,ordered built in the 14C a palace and the first ramparts walls of the city. It is right in the Route of Quijote and birthplace of the poet Fray Luis de León. At the extreme of the city you have the other important spot the Church collegiale of Colegiata de San Bartolomé and the castle or Castillo de Belmonte. In between you have the nice architecture of the old town. Many movies were done here in the Castle such as El Cid, with Sophia Loren and Charlton Heston in 1961. From the Church in about 500 meters you will find the windmill or Molino de El Puntal, an impressive example that preserves all its machinery and open to the public with exhibitions of its work, and tiles
The museum or Museo Arqueologico Nacional (MAN) has revealed its secrets finally! The museum preserves four momies, three Egiptians and one Guanche (Tenerife my people!!!). They have undergone a strict studious tomographic that has allow to discovered more of them. The main discovery is that one of the momies that of Nespamedu was indeed a priest of Imhotep and doctor of the pharaoh that ruled in Saqqara or Alexandria and had about 50 yrs old when he died. The real surprise was what It had in the wrapping, it was shown to have decorations like collars, bracelets, pulses, and up to 16 plaques of charms that have been identify as sets of plaques of four sons of Horus one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities ; thise momie came to Madrid from the Cairo museum in 1925 donated and was initially identify as a women. It was ,also ,reveal two other momies were women. The first one arrived in 1887, and it was a young women between 20-35 yrs old of the intermediate third period between the 9C and 7C BC. The other momie a women too was given in the same year of a women around 40 yrs old of the ptolemic period who had Arthrosis and a bad dental health as well as remains of the heart, as the old Egyptians conserve the heart inside the momies as for them it was the organ where the mind and feelings lie. The Guanche momie is one of the best preserve of the ones still existing from the period. It comes from a funeral cave in the canyon or Barranco de Herques in Tenerife. It arrived in Madrid in 1764 and the new analysis have reveal that the Guanches did not extract the organs n the process of embalment of the dead as the Egyptians did. The Guanche momie preserve all its organs as well as a perfect denture.
Some news from Spain XLV June 23, 2017
Some of the best of the Valencia region: this is Alzira with its Arabic walls and part of the Route of Monasteries near the natural site or Paraje Natural Municipal La Murta, previously known as the Valley or Valle de los Milagros. This valley has medicinal properties due to its flora to make plant medicines. Now there is a walk path of about 9 kms that takes you to some of its better sites such as the monastery of Santa María de la Murta, finished in 1401. You go to the fountain of the baths or Fuente de los Baños, in Montanejos, known since Arabic times. The Moorish king Zeit-Abu-Zeit was aware of the medicinal properties of the waters of the river Mijares , and according to legend it ordered built the baths for the women in the harem to kept young and beautiful. These properties of the waters keep a year round temperature of 25C and has been for centuries. Now it is part of health tourism. Reaching Vilafamés, of Arabic origins where you still find some ruins such as the foundation of the castle on top of a hill where the town rises. Even if the early remains of the town goes back to Paleothic Superior, found in the cave or Cueva Matutano. Also, in the cave cavity of El Tossal de la Font you find remains of Homo Sapiens of 80.000 years old, while in the basement of the castle and the rocks or Rocas de Mallasén you find remains of rustics paintings You continue on towards Villena old town is to go back to the Middle Ages. The Castle of Atalaya built by the Arabs in the 12C reign over the town. It is one of the oldest construction of its type in Spain with a tower of square ground and two bodies as well as Almohades tombs. In the small coastal town of Canet d’en Berenguer just a few km from Valencia and next to Sagunto. You have some of the vestiges of the Roman period. In the 14C the town was known as Canet d’en Berenguer and went to the power of Francisco Berenguer, and his descendants from which the town takes its name. Here you find the beautiful beach of Raco de la Mar with a blue flag rating and a lighthouse of 30 meters high with a reach of 25 miles dating from 1904. The particularity of this lighthouse is that is located 300 meters inland surrounded by orange trees.
At Pamplona ,the old town is party time especially along the streets of Estafeta, San Nicolás, Calderería ,and Navarrería. However, there is another historic area where you have artists shops and designers next to bars such as the streets of Curia, Compañía, Merced ,and Dormitalería with its own bohemian style on the shadow of the gothic Cathedral of Pamplona. The fluvial park of Arga next to the old ramparts with green spaces such as those of Vuelta del Castillo,and Taconera,surrounding the defensive walls in the time of king Felipe II. These spaces are the scene for the Marathon of San Fermin and the running of the popular running of the ramparts or Las Murallas.
There you go folks, a big task but a work of love to keep the best, me think of these wonderful older posts over the years, These are what I think worth keeping of my older Some news from Spain series, and I thank you, Again, hope you enjoy this post as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 