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This is yours truly with another episode of some news from Spain !!! Lots of things going on , and summer weather is very hot temps all over This is Spain, let me tell you my latest news chosen by yours truly, By the way CLXIIII is old Roman numeral for 164, Hope you enjoy this post as I.

Carmen Pacheco, the great Lady of Cante, born in Linares,so known as Carmen Linares, reached the flamenco at a time when she began to be less difficult for a woman to make a living singing her father was a railway and amateur guitarist. He discovered that the girl was good to sing and encouraged her with 10 years. The family moved to Ávila following the father’s work. Carmen’s mother wrote daily to a radio contest Madrid where they raffled a record player, until she got her. When she arrived in Madrid with 17 years, Carmen began to frequent the Tablaos and the Peña Charlot, She began singing for the dance in the company of Paco Romero, who would later be Antonio Gades’ first dancer. She made a tour of the United States with the company of José Molina, which was similar to that of Greco, where Paco de Lucía began in Madrid, worked at Café de Chinitas and Torres Bermejas, Now at 73 years her concert agenda continues to be hot, promoted again by the Princess of Asturias Award of the Arts she received in 2022 with the dancer María Pagés. In the ceremony of the Princess of Asturias Award, Carmen left these verses by Juan Ramón Jiménez on the stage of the Campoamor Theater, with Maria Pagés’s improvised dance: when she is with the roots / Call me with your voice. / It will seem to me that the sunlight enters / trembling. August 16 she was at the Santander Flamenco Festival, and since 21 August 2024 in the Jondo del Bailaor Eduardo Guerrero show in Madrid. A great one see her !

The hidden jewel of the Casa de la Villa’s house: Antonio Palomino’s baroque fresco, The historic headquarters of the Madrid City Council until 2008, is in the process of transformation. The frescoes that Antonio Palomino painted in the 17C will show off his chromatic fulgor and brightness. These paintings of the century of Baroque splendor, focused on the mystery of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, will recover their original appearance, once the restoration process is finished within few months. In the composition, biblical scenes such as the Blessed Trinity adorn the ceiling, as well as the dream of San Joaquín on one of the sides and the door of Jerusalem, on another wall. Although the most striking thing is that the artist’s mood while drawing, back in 1696, it is still a guess as you can see traces or even the shape of a supported arm. Official Madrid tourist office on Casa de la Villa: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/casa-de-la-villa

Coming over to my Madrid, see the Guardians of the Real Armería of the Palacio Real in Madrid, Do take a tour of the armor of Carlos V and Maximiliano I, as well as the swords of Felipe II or the Catholic Monarchs, National Heritage of Spain webpage : https://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/colecciones-reales/royal-armoury

The Ministry of Defense exposes at least 11 paintings seized during the Spanish civil war ,and today decorate the walls of the Army Headquarters, in Madrid (see post Palacio de Buenavista). The Ministry of Defense has not reported the inventory or location of the works in a public statement, However, it can be visited, The official min defense for reservation visits : https://ejercito.defensa.gob.es/palacio_buenavista/solicitud_visita.html

The most charming library in Madrid is in Lavapiés and is a 16C church, Located between the neighborhoods of Lavapiés and Embajadores is the one that is one of the most beautiful libraries in the city, a space that passes totally unnoticed for tourists, but also for many locals.The Pious Schools of San Fernando was the first school in the Order of the Escolapios in Madrid. Founded in 1729, this school had the mission of teaching children without resources, but it would soon achieve some relevance and notoriety thanks to its innovative educational techniques, such as the creation of the first school of deaf of Spain. Between 1763 and 1791 a church of Renaissance influence was risen with them in the place where there was previously a hermitage dedicated to the Virgen del Pilar. Carlos III, Carlos IV and other notable characters of the time, such as the Duchess of Benavente or the Countess of Atarés contributed their donations to the construction of the building. During the Spanish civil war both the school and the church were burned and looted,sadly, Although the complex had a second life as a nightclub in which the Red Molino party room was included. Between 1996 and 1999, after remaining more than half a century abandoned,it was rehabilitated as a university library of the center associated with the UNED (National University of distance education, largest public university in Spain) in Madrid, the temple presents a living room with side chapels, cruise cruise crucked with a large dome and nartex of income . The sculptural decoration shows the shield of the pious schools, still visible in the half -point arc to which a roundabout was accessed by eight striated columns with compound capitals. Official UNED Madrid : https://unedmadrid.es/bibliotecas-uned-madrid/

The Gelateria Véneta was named the fifth best artisanal ice cream in the world and only a few steps from the Puerta del Sol ! The World Ranking 2024 festival that rewards the best ice cream of traditional Italian style, more creamy and with less fat, has published its list with the best artisanal ice cream shops in the World and one of them is in the center of Madrid. This is the famous local Véneta , named in honor of Venice, the hometown of the renowned teacher Maurizio Melani, which has three venues in Valencia
and for a year he landed in the heart of Madrid , specifically on Calle Carmen 15 off Puerta del Sol. In its exhibitor, up to 40 flavors can be found, among which are the iconic grandmother’s cookie, pistachio, dulce de leche, cookie with nutella, blood orange, fresh mint, Catalan cream or the most recent incorporation, cotton of cotton sugar. Gelato Festival, this is the most complete world classification of individual ice cream shops, promoted by Gelato Festival World Masters, Carpigiani and Sigep Italian Exhibition Group. In this way, the running ice cream shop has become the fifth best in the world and the first in Spain . Among those awards,to this ice cream store are the third best ice cream shop in the world in 2020, the prize for the best ice cream in Spain in 2013 and 2015 with grandmother’s cookie, as well as the best ice cream at the Festival America Gelato in 2017 for its Sicily Orange Sunrise, made with fresh mint, blood orange and cardamom. Not to mention the title to the best ice cream in Europe in 2019.
Official Gelateria Véneta : https://heladosveneta.com/

Let me suggest some wonderful spots to see in my dear Spain, of course these are just a few of my favorites over the years,

Garachicho (Tenerife), located northwest of Tenerife, Garachico is those colonial corners in which the taste of other times still feels. Among its attractions, the Castle-Fortaleza de San Miguel, one of the town’s enclaves, just like the parish of Santa Ana or the Plaza de la Libertad. With it we start the route through some of the most beautiful (coastal) towns in Spain, selected by the Escapada Rural website I use a lot , since they also maintain the rustic essence of yesteryear.

Tapia de Casariego (Asturias), we continue our tour of one of the most flirtatious coastal towns of Asturias. The place has managed to maintain a quiet and cozy atmosphere, so it is perfect for a disconnection getaway. In addition, Asturian cuisine is famous for its wealth and flavor. And Casariego Tapia is no exception. Authentic.

Charco Azul (Valencia), its color gives name to the first of the natural pools that we propose in this tour of the Spanish geography. The so -called Chulilla Blue Charco, in Valencia, is a prodigy of nature that has its own wooden platform to launch into the water. Or take a picture, since it is a destiny of the most instagramerable. Located among the Turia River canyons, it is one of the essential aquatic escapes in the region.

Río Verda (Granada), in the Natural Park Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama, in the province of Granada, is located Río Verde, an original interior beach topped by the blow of natural pools of an emerald photogenic. There are much more: limestone ravines, water jumps, hanging bridges, platforms … and everything, in the middle of the wildest nature at half an hour of Almúñecar, on the Costa Tropical or tropical coast.

Chorreras de Cabriel (Cuenca), the following proposal takes us to Castilla-La Mancha and, specifically, to the province of Cuenca, where the Chorreras del Cabriel are located. These are pools suitable for any type of audience, Very memorable spot,Enjoy it

Lagunas de Ruidera (Albacete and Ciudad Real), we return to Castilla-La Mancha. This time, to the provinces of Albacete and Ciudad Real, that the domains of the famous Ruidera lagoons are distributed, belonging to the natural park of the same name. Created by the accumulation of calcium carbonate, we are facing a landscape of turquoise waters that surprises with its incredible flora, being one of the most spectacular wetlands of the Iberian Peninsula. Not only can they be traveled in kayak, but there is a good handful of hiking routes in the area.

The Las Presillas of Rascafría (Madrid), for those who are left in August in Madrid, here is a proposal ,take a bath in the natural pools of the Presillas de Rascafría, in the El Paular Valley. Not only can one enjoy a dip in the pools left by the channel of the Lozoya River, but the views of the Peñalara peak are incredible. Many families come in summer to set up a Pícnic, since it is a very pleasant landscape with good facilities. Nice natural area enjoy it

Again, something refreshing in my dear Madrid where to enjoy a wonderful moment and away from the heat of Summer, Some of my favorites and then others,

Between sculptures and a story library in a corner with more than 1,000 free loan books, it is possible to have a good time in the sculpture courtyard of the building that houses the Juan March Foundation (Calle Castelló, 77). Without making noise, it is one of the most active centers in the city, with exhibitions, concerts and conferences. In the noble neighborhood of Salamanca, 1,700 square meters of patio. The surprising thing is its bronze doors with membranes.

The Santo Domingo Hotel, located in the beton square that gives it its name, at a step of from Callao. Its night lighting attracts all eyes. Also its sophisticated “hydroponic” pendant garden 20 meters high, with 2,500 green incrustations formed by 260 varieties of small trees, shrubs and plants in flowery flowers along its route. It is located in an inner courtyard of vertigo and travels from top to bottom a waterfall that carries recycled water from the bathrooms and showers of the hotel. Also from its ventilated restaurant in the roof, with a view to the towers of the Plaza de España. This “Eco-Arte” project, 850 meters from the surface, inspired by the Babylon Jardines, the space holds a 2011 Guinness record to the world’s largest vertical garden. Nice !

Near the Puerta del Sol and in front of one of the large shopping centers, there is another new luxury accommodation of 200 rooms, The Madrid Edition (Plaza del Celenque, 2), on the fourth floor Oroya hides ,a Peruvian restaurant with Diego Muñoz menus, conceived as a greenhouse, with steel structures and climbing plants between colored panels. An orchard that invites recess. annex is The Roof, the great and leafy neighboring terrace with Solarium and DJ sessions, such as Sunset Lovers. They serve cocktails, ice cream and snacks

In the bucolic courtyard of the Brownie Women’s Youth Fashion chain (Calle Hermosilla, 26), without leaving the Salamanca neighborhood, one feels in Paris. To the patio and the store is accessed by a green passage. It hosts a house with hammocks and a bench where to take some of the original cafeteria located on the top floor of the store, while the purchases are lengthened. Brownie is the specialty, and there is coffee, tea or lemonade.

The hotel gardens in the capital are not a new invention. There are with Solera: from Relais & Châteaux Orfila (Calle Orfila, 6) to the Santo Mauro hotel (Calle Zurbano, 36) or that of Mandarin East Ritz (Plaza de la Lealtad, 5), next to the Prado Museum. You have the Palacio de Linares (Plaza Recoletos, 2), the famous palace nestled in the Plaza de Cibeles. It hosts the Casa de America ,and also the Raimunda restaurant, where to taste Latin fusion dishes with flavors of the two roof continents hang ferns and the place is chaired by an exotic fresh from a Latin woman between plantations. The best thing is the beautiful furnished annexed terrace, with natural vegetation, beyond, to the Puerta del Sol, other landscaped corners are those of the Salvador Bachiller Molletas Building (Calle Montera, 37), with two restaurants and a beautiful roof, the Salvador Bachiller Garden, for dinner or taking an exotic cocktail. Also in the center, it is a good idea to approach a beer in the courtyard of Tita Rivera (Calle Pérez Galdós, 4), corner with the commercial Calle Fuencarral. In the neighborhood of Almagro another secret inner courtyard is hidden, which is part of its charm. It is oriented to events and has an attached cafeteria with traditional breakfast. They also serve menus in the restaurant. Among the classical structures, which include a balcony to one side and the other, the front wall that gives the auditorium and the great exhibition hall, the courtyard of the Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos or College of Engineers of roads, canals and ports (Calle Almagro, 42) seduces with two beautiful kilometer trees height.

Other impregnated spaces of culture are the romantic coffee of the Institut Français ( Calle Marqués de la Ensenada, 12; reopens on August 28 2024), which opened the ban on interior coffee shops and offers breakfast and menus. Or also the Goethe-Institut (Calle Zurbarán, 21; reopens on August 19 2024) with the Berlin cafeteria and a mini jungle. The delicious Sorolla museum (Calle General Martínez Campos, 37), dedicated to Joaquín Sorolla, the Valencian artist “Garden architect”, according to the Pinacoteca. Since 1911, it was his family residence and hosts in Chamberí a repertoire of his Mediterranean works in an urban frame. They are also worth their landscaped areas, created by him and inspired by the Alcazar of Seville, the Generalife of the Alhambra and the Roman Domus. It is convenient to delight with its sculptures, columns, tiles, trees (orange and almond trees) and flowers (roses, lilies …). Other leafy interiors are those of the Modernista Palacio de Longoria (Calle Fernando VI, 4; headquarters of the SGAE, with the patio dedicated to the posthumous film director Ana Diosdado or the Casa Museo de Lope de Vega (Calle Cervantes, 11), between beads of the playwright of the Golden Age. In the
Circulo de Bellas Artes (Calle Alcalá, 42) a “climate refuge” has sprouted until September 8 2024 in its dance hall. It has Basurama furniture, retirement stove plants, acts and workshops, Wonderful epic Madrid !!!

As every two years, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has delivered the food awards of
Spain on the best 2024 hams. On this occasion, the award in the serrano ham modality has been for
Jamones Perfecto (perfect hams), of the denomination of protected origin ( DOP) Jàmon Teruel
ham, while in the Iberian acorn category, recognition has been granted to Juan Manuel Grand Selection 2020, of the DOP Guijuelo. Castelfrío de Cedrillas, Jamones Perfecto hams has been recognized for its homogeneous and balanced mass that the cut shows a red, intense and bright lean, with a shiny white-rodic uniform and grease. The jury has also highlighted its characteristic smell of healed and old ham, with a balanced flavor. For his part, Juan Manuel Grand Selection 2020, of the company Juan Manuel Hernández S.A . From Guijuelo (Salamanca) has been awarded for his elongated piece of fine cane and homogeneous mass. For this category, the jury stressed that, to the cut, the lean is intense, homogeneous and bright cherry red, with shiny white-rod uniform and bright white fat. In addition, its smell of cured and old Iberian ham has been valued, with a slightly salty flavor, sweet and intense notes of aged.

I take you now to an up and coming City for visitors in my dear Spain, this is Bilbao or Bilbo, The Biscayan capital is more beautiful and interesting than ever. Beyond Guggenheim, there are many excuses to discover it. This year, the ASTE Nagusia (its big party) is celebrated from August 17 to 25 2024 to (re) discover it from top to bottom, because its architecture, its cultural life and, of course, the gastronomic proposal has long place this city ​​at another level. We lose ourselves through the seven streets (Somera, Artecalle, Tendería, Belosticalle, Carnicería Vieja, Barrencalle and Barrena) ,and its more than 200 bars of pintxos of the old town. It is also highly recommended to visit the Ribera market, where there is always excellent atmosphere to take the snack or, if preferred, make the purchase. The skewer bars are the most tempting. Before, along the way, you can stop at the Arriaga Theater, a whole symbol of the city. Bilbao’s alhóndiga has become a culturet claim. This old wine warehouse built at the beginning of the 20C has been reconverted in an avant -garde cultural center, which has a cinema and various exhibition halls. Monte Artxanda from there contemplates the new San Mamés or the bridge of La Salve. The most advisable way to arrive is with the funicular -there are three minutes of journey -, which is taken in the square of the same name (near Castaños Street) Suspended bridge presumes to be the first transboper bridge of metal structure built in the world and was made to connect the towns of Portugalete and Getxo. From the catwalk, located 45 meters high, a beautiful panoramic view of the estuary is contemplated. In 2006, the bridge was declared by UNESCO as world heritage. The official Bilbao tourist office : https://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/en/tourists

And why not come over to Logroño not far and indeed worth the detour, Logroño is, for many pilgrims, the entrance door to La Rioja, the starting point of the Camino de Santiago. The illustrious Pilgrim Gotelasco, Bishop of Le Puy, passed through it, in the 10C, and is referenced in the Codex Calixtinus of Americ Picaud, the medieval guide of the road. King Sancho Garcés I, in the 10C, and King Alfonso VI of Castilla, in the 11C were the monarchs that converted Logroño, Nájera and Santo Domingo de la Calzada on axes of the road. Since then, pilgrims, walkers and travelers save the Ebro River through the Puente de San Juan de Ortega bridge called Puente de Piedra or Stone bridge,according to the tradition built by the saint builder in the 10C, rebuilt in the 19C symbol of the city and reflected in its shield to enter the city on the illustrious Calle Ruavieja street, which maintains the medieval layout. In this street is the hermitage of San Gregorio, the Chapel of del ‘Sanador de Campos’ or field healer, built in the place where the Holy Bishop lived and died who arrived in La Rioja from Rome to help the Riojans of the lobster pests, teacher and companion of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Together with the municipal pilgrim hostel is the imperial Church of Santa María de Palacio, with its majestic pyramid and octagonal tower, known as Aguja or the needle. Temple built on the former palace of King Alfonso VII and the Romanesque Church of Santa María la Antigua They venerate the Christ of Arnao – the Christ of the Ánimas – and to the virgins the ancient and the Ebro, both Romanesque, the last marked by the legend, since it appeared floating in the waters of the Ebro in the 19C. The Plaza de Santiago, called plaza del Juego de la Oca, since it treasures a gigantic mosaic of the go of the goose, unique in Spain, which shows the magical relationship between the game and the road. Next to it, the Fuente del Peregrino or Pilgrim’s fountain, of the 17C, where for centuries the concheiros have satiated their thirst, and the Church of Santiago el Real UNESCO, thanks to the priest José Ignacio Díaz. From here the Jacobean route continues along Calle Barriocepo Street, through the headquarters of the Parliament of La Rioja, and the Torre de la Antigu The city crossing the Arco-Puerta del Revellín and Cubo , the remains of the old medieval walls. And, in Logroño, where the Camino de Santiago begins in La Rioja, we undertake a path marked by history, art, traditions, customs, nature and legends. Awesome !! La Rioja tourist office on Logroño : https://lariojaturismo.com/en/poblacion/logroo/b7d10bba-9e65-4a1f-9209-69d736283607

And last but not least a new finding on a popular subject ! Atlantis is that magnificent remote place, present in Plato’s dialogues, which for thousands of years has made explorers from all over the world. The philosopher said that it was beyond the columns of Hercules, which was presumably larger than Libya and Asia Minor together, which managed to conquer Europe and North Africa and was defeated by a cataclysm not specified in less than one day. Nobody knows for sure if Plato spoke of a real place or an allegory, but just in case the ruins of Atlantis have wanted to see in many different places, from Dwarka in India to the Great Rift Valley. The concrete discovery was made at the end of July,2024 by a research team coordinated by the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC), of the Higher Council for Scientific Research, and to be more exact it is three new submarine volcanoes in an area located north of the Canary Islands. Some of these volcanoes (which have been baptized with Atlanteans names) located east of Lanzarote, could be related to the eruptions of Timanfaya and others are believed to be islands in the Eocene, between 56 and 34 million years ago. Once the volcanoes stopped erupting, the lava solidified and became denser, which caused the islands to sink into the ocean ;some of the beaches are just 60 meters below the surface of the ocean. During the last ice age, when sea levels were much lower than today, inactive volcanoes would have become islands again. When sea levels rose at the end of the ice age, they sank again. More discussion …..

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 !!!