Paris1972-Versailles2003

This is yours truly with another episode of some news from Spain!!! Lots of things going on so let me tell you my latest news chosen by yours truly, By the way CLX is old Roman numeral for 160, Hope you enjoy this post as I.

It was on April 7, 1999 and the metro had just inaugurated a new section to unite the district of Vicálvaro (Puerta de Arganda) with Arganda del Rey, about 28 km from Madrid. Line 9 went 18 km further to the east also reaching the town of Rivas-Vaciamadrid. (tried once but the car took over!) Four new stations were created a quarter of a century later, the purple route covers 29 stations that join the north and southeast of the region and adds a new section, which is born from the Paco de Lucía station, within the Mirasierra neighborhood. The route grows towards new directions beyond the M-30 in the southeast of the city new urban developments such as the Berrocales or the Ahijones already projected, and among the forecasts it is that this line also reaches the residents of Arganda del Rey ,They will not have to do any type of transfers ,and can go directly from their town to the end of the line, in Paco de Lucía. When that station is executed, the line 9b will be a line totally equal to the current Line 9 of Metro of Madrid, Webpage : https://www.metromadrid.es/es/linea/linea-9

Antik Almoneda, The fair that is a trip to the past and for all pockets, The reference event for decoration, art, antiques and collecting is celebrated until April 14, 2024 in IFEMA Madrid, The furniture of another era, old jewelry and jewelry, clothing, bags, lamps, carpets and even some piece of archeology , give life to this business that has resisted the recent economic attacks in the meeting can be seen from objects designed in the 40s of the last century until the 70s These days, the tables and decoration will be the focus of visitors, since the fair has a wide selection of high quality furniture: from a comfortable Louis Philipe dating from 1820 to creations of renowned designers. Attendees can see and acquire a wide variety of works of art from artists such as Eduardo Chillida, Manolo Valdés, Joan Miró, Xavier Mascaró, Ramón Casas Carbó, Darío de Regoyos, Menchu Gal and many more It will dedicate a day of open doors on Tuesday 9 April , with free access for all visitors. Webpage : https://www.ifema.es/en/almoneda

A ranking of the best secret destinations in Europe in 2024 prepared by European Best Destinations is led by Villajoyosa, an Alicante town that occupies first place in this list with eighteen destinations and is made thanks to the votes of travelers around the world, You will enjoy a pleasant microclimate and temperature throughout the year thanks to the fact that it is protected from the air of the North winds for the tops of the Aitana mountains, They are also so that the colorful houses of Villajoyosa were painted by the fishermen with the same colors of their ships and talk about their Baroque jewel, the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. They also mention their 3 km of beaches with dream names, such as playa Paradis beach., After this Alicante destination, in second position there is also another Spanish town. This is Ares del Maestrat, located in Castellón in the eleventh position is another Spanish town, this time from Cantabria, being our country that has the most presence in this ranking. We talk about Castro Urdiales, which is considers truly one of the best hidden jewels in Europe and one of the most beautiful secret destinations in Spain. Webpage : https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/best-of-europe/best-hidden-gems-in-europe/

The National Geographic trip experts have selected the 100 most beautiful villages in Spain this 2024 and among the top positions are towns of Cantabria, Segovia, the Community of Madrid, Guadalajara and Álava. Santillana del Mar, Cantabria as the most beautiful town of the hundred chosen by National Geographic is this Cantabrian town, 31 km from Santander, which you cannot miss. A place that preserves medieval path and physiognomy, with cobbled roads flanked by houses and some baroque palace. It highlights the Collegiate of Santa Juliana, a historical-artistic monument since 1889. Ayllón, Segovia with just 1,200 inhabitants, is classified as one of the most beautiful peoples in Spain since 2013. Of Celtiberian origin, it has a medieval bridge that reaches One of the arches of its wall, the only one that is preserved, and that is one of the symbols of the town, together with the Romanesque Church of San Miguel Arcángel, of the twelfth century, located in the main square. Buitrago de Lozoya, Community of Madrid a Madrid town bathed by the Lozoya River and with a walled enclosure of a very well preserved medieval era, from the time of Abderramán III. Inside is the Picasso Museum of Buitrago de Lozoya, which few know, with sixty pieces of the artist, and the church of Santa María del Castillo, a medieval temple founded by the Marquis de Santillana. Webpage : https://viajes.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/pueblos-mas-bonitos-espana_10107

The Museo Balenciaga de Guetaria museum relates in a sample sculptures and recorded with Haute Couture pieces Eduardo Chillida met Cristóbal Balenciaga in time, space and creation. Although they separate them 30 years, the admiration of one for the other is historic, You can see the spacious coat of black satin lined in ivory satin (1966), by Cristóbal Balenciaga. ‘Study tribute to Balenciaga. Iron ‘(1990),’ Tribute to Balenciaga on paper and rope ‘(1987) and’ Tribute to Balenciaga on paper, ink and rope ‘(1990), by Eduardo Chillida, Webpage : https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/current-exhibitions/chillidabalenciaga-plying-form.html

The Menéndez Pelayo University is ahead of the centenary of the generation of 27 with a course that analyzes its link with the bulls with a course focused on literature and its relationship with bullfighting. ‘The bulls and 27’ is the title. Held between April 9 and10 2024, at Plaza del Patio de Banderas, 9 Casco Antiguo of Sevilla, webpage : https://www.uimp.es/sedes/sevilla.html

125 years of dance in Spain, the Palacio de Longoria palace, current headquarters of the SGAE, will admit visits for free until the end of the month of April 2024 ; located at Calle Fernando VI ,no 4, corner with Calle Pelayo, those who wish can know its charms when visiting the free exhibition’¿Bailamos? 125 años de danza en España or do we dance 125 years of dance in Spain’, an exhibition composed of more than 200 works by authors such as Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies, Rafael Alberti, Mariano Benlliure or Herminio Molero. This shows, which is available from 16h. to 21h, tributes legends such as Tortola Valencia, Pastora Empire or Antonia Mercé ‘La Argentina’ (born at the end of the 19C) together with current figures such as Jesús Carmona and Rocío Molina. Javier González Longoria was the one who ordered it built between 1902 and 1904, this building that was about to become the maximum exponent of the modernist movement in Madrid, in 1912 the building was put up for sale and was reformed to house the Spanish Dental Company Subsequently, in 1946, it became the civil constructions company, who carried out another architectural intervention. Four years later it would be the General Society of Authors and Editors who acquired the property to turn it into its headquarters. To do this, they commissioned the reforms making the building distribution and current appearance, although in 1990 the restoration of the main facade was carried out, which was very deteriorated, as well as the rehabilitation of the interior , The constant reforms and hands changes made this jewel loose part of its original charm. The structure of the Longoria Palace is formed by two united rectangular bodies by means of a circular tower that unifies the facades where the access door and the main staircase are installed. This L-shaped distribution allows you to have an inner patio-garden in which the facades are formed by a porticue gallery on palm trees with semicircular pavilions at the ends , The interior architecture is its main staircase the most highlighted and spectacular, Not to mention the whole set inspired by French modernism and the works of Víctor Horta, it is a circular imperial model covered with an impressive dome of iron and featured glass with a star -shaped nerve structure supported by six foundry columns. The iron and bronze railing presents plant elements such as colored flowers and brass leaves. Madrid tourist office on the Palacio Longoria : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/palacio-de-longoria

Caravaca de la Cruz Holy City, as Rome or Santiago, every seven years, one million pilgrims go to it to win plenary indulgence, the forgiveness of all sins. This 2024 is a jubilee year, the one indicated to obtain and, incidentally, to know this town overflowing with history, monuments, sweets, parties and slopes, many slopes, because it is in the northwestern mountainous of the Region of Murcia, on a hill steep. Sanctuary of La Vera crossed Arab Alcazar, then Templar Castle and, since 1617, a temple that houses the lignum crucis, a piece of the wood in which they crucified Jesus, this sanctuary is cut at the top of the hill, with its baroque facade of marble and, right in front, on top of the old wall, a tremendous cross of caravaca, double arm, ubiquitous symbol , The legendary origin of the wine horses, the main party of Caravaca, whose culminating moment is the climb to the castle, the morning of May 2, when 60 quadrupeds of many other Peñas ride uphill, with four young mansids to the flanks, at a difficult speed to believe. In 2016, the Peña Caballista Artesano toured this hill of 80 meters and with a slope of 14%, making way among thousands of curious, in 7,713 seconds! It is not surprising that there is a museum dedicated to this feast. In the Plaza del Arco, the largest in the city, there are eight mansions to see. There are also the City/town hall (18C), on the arc that gives its name to the square, and, at the other end, a tourist information center, and the Church of El Salvador, jewel of the Caravaqueño and Murcian Renaissance ,Caravaca is surrounded by mountains, but this is Murcia: it rains little or never. Where, then, the 360 liters of water that sprout per second in the sources of the Marquis? They are two km west of the town center, suddenly forming a river that waters and monumental shadow plaintai trees,. Another prodigy of Caravaca. As if not to believe in miracles. Webpage : https://www.turismoregiondemurcia.es/en/caravaca_de_la_cruz/

In the Jálama Valley, in the beautiful Sierra de Gata there is San Martín de Trevejo, a flirty town of just 800 inhabitants to discover in a weekend getaway. Throughout its history – it is believed that its foundation occurred around the 4C, has been part of the province of Salamanca, of the Diocese of Ciudad Rodrigo and has been the focus of bloody battles, which led to the son of King Alfonso VII repopulated the area with inhabitants of the kingdoms of León and Galicia in the 12C, The historical center of this villa presents a popular architecture-with three-level houses, the porticaded main square is, without a doubt, its heart, here highlight its bell tower, a construction that became a prison and which retains the coat of arms of weapons of Carlos V who gave a very ‘noble and loyal’ title to the town, and a source of the late 19C located in the center. The Parish Church of San Martín de Tours, a temple that is characterized by being the only Baroque and its interior its preserved portraits of Luis de Morales ‘El Divino’ the Divine of the 16C, as well as two baroque altarpieces , The Ermita de la Cruz Bendita, Hermitage of the Blessed Cross, original of the 13C but rebuilt in the 18C, that of the Ojesto or the Palace of the Encomienda. Between the essential visits of the area is the castle of Trevejo, located in the town of the same name, a district of Villamiel its origin dates back to the 12C, at which time in which it is raised a Muslim fortress that served as the basis for its subsequent construction on the commission of the Order of the Temple (15-16C). Throughout his history he changed hands through the orders of Santiago and Alcántara, as well as the Knights of S. Juan de Jerusalem to finally be destroyed during the French invasion around 1808. In this day, part of its wall and the tribute tower has barely survived, as well as a series of anthropomorphic stone tombs located at the foot of the construction, next to the parish of San Juan Bautista (16C). The Convent of San Miguel, the only one that is preserved standing throughout the Sierra de Gata dating from the 15C and whose foundation is attributed to San Francisco de Asís. Today this convent has been rehabilitated as regional tourism hostel. It is one of the only three locations in the province in which ‘A Fala’ is spoken, a romance language that is halfway between Galician and Portuguese. Each of them also has a local variant being that of San Martín de Trevejo el Mañego, a term with which its inhabitants are also known. Webpage : https://www.turismoextremadura.com/en/organiza-tu-viaje/Oficina-Municipal-de-Turismo-de-San-Martin-de-Trevejo/

The holiday rental portal Holdu has just elaborated a study to know in which city of Spain the best pizzas are eaten. To demonstrate it, Google Maps data from cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants have been taken and the number of pizzerias has been taken into account with an average assessment of 4.5 or more stars per 100,000 inhabitants. The keyword “Pizza” was used to collect data from both pizzerias and food services to carry each city. These are in order the 10 Spanish cities with the best valued pizza. Granada Palma de Mallorca ,Santa Cruz de Tenerife León Valencia Lleida, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Cádiz Tarragona, Gijón Sevilla, Malaga, Almería, Barcelona and Alicante, webpage : https://www.holidu.es/magazine/mejor-pizza-espana

Arzábal, the most famous tavern of Retiro park, will also open within the new Bernabéu stadium !! Arzábal has taken the last restaurant pending awarding the powerful gastronomic offer that Real Madrid CF has designed for its reformed stadium. It will be located at the North Fondo, at Puerta 33, with a powerful 500 m2 place and a forecast close to 100 diners. Two floors, a super reserved, charcuterie zone, high tables, the undisputed bar .They have a tavern in the Retiro park, in Reina Sofía museum, at the airport and in the Mercado San Miguel market. Only needed to be in the field of the Real Madrid with a 90 meters of glass given a unique background to space, which will be open to the entire public every day that has not a game, when it will become a VIP area of the club, with its seats for watching the match. Of course, the catering will be from Arzábal. The brand new Santiago Bernabéu stadium, converted from now on much more than a football:soccer stadium thanks to its retractable deck and the system for storing the grass, which makes it the largest indoor enclosure in Europe. In Arzábal, as in the rest of its establishments, something can be taken from the first hour, strengthening that concept of bar/tavern open to all audiences and tastes. The new Santiago Bernabéu stadium completes its gastronomic panel with a 99 Sushi Bar restaurant, Puerta 47 (La Machine Group), a market positions and the spectacular Sky Bar, the world’s largest VIP box, which wants to be open for the next Madrid-Barcelona game, on April 21. The classic will be the appetizer of the event indicated as an informal inauguration of the renovations with the concerts of Tylor Swift, on May 29 and 30 2024, Webpage : https://www.grupoarzabal.com/espacio/arzabal-retiro/

The official Real Madrid CF on the Santiago Bernabeu : https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/bernabeu-stadium

Juan Carlos Beca Belmonte has died at age 76 by April 7, 2024, born in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in August 1947, became a bullfighter in that same summer month in 1968. The alternative took place in Santander, sponsor by Antonio Ordóñez and with Miguel Mateo ‘Miguelín’ as witness. Cubano bull, from the livestock of Carlos Urquijo was called to the ring. He would marry with Belén Ordóñez, Carmina’s sister, the first woman of Francisco Rivera ‘Paquirri’, which made both bullfighters (and brothers -in -law) had a close relationship. So much that he would be a direct witness of the tragedy of Paquirri of Barbate in Pozoblanco where he lost his life while married to singer Isabel Pantoja, Juan Belmonte, dreamed of being a bullfighter, although his family tried to give up: first, with high school studies in Madrid under the reins of the Marianists; Then, sending it in summer to Switzerland. But his love for bullfighting was stronger and in 1968 he made his debut. His confirmation of an alternative was in May 1970, in the middle of San Isidro festival, with a sponsor Antoñete and with José Fuentes as witness in front of the bull Peneitero, by Moreno Yagüe. He would know greater glories before the withdrawal to then devote himself to business matters. He served as manager in the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, Madrid where he met mainly Ramón Calderón, then President of the Real Madrid CF ,and whose hand would make the leap to Bernabeu during his term in the presidency, RIP

There you go folks, another dandy tour of my dear Spain.  It is time to enjoy my some news from Spain once again, Remember, Spain is everything under the Sun ! Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.

And remember ,happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!