explorespain.org

This is a work in progress, at least the narrative part. I will write about my memories as they emerge.

I went to Spain at the end of January of 2005. My first and longest stop was Sevilla. The criteria for deciding where to go was the heat/cold factor, and Seville, of the reasonable warm locations was, at least in my mind, the most attractive cultural center. It happened to be one of the coldest winters in years. That shaped my first few weeks.

I had a camera with me, but I delayed using it, because I didn’t have the habit of taking pictures. The feeling was as if I had to talk, but I didn’t know the language. I think I had to deal with the fear of a new experience. It took days before I decided to take a picture. Even if the pictures are not good according to professional standards, I want to show them on the website as a document of lived time. There are pictures which look identical but I know they are different because I took them at different times

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Alicante is a town of approximately 300, 000 people, the second largest town on the Mediterranean shore in the Valencia region. Long and narrow, the town stretches down the coast near the sea. There are beaches, marinas, extensive broad streets with shops, restaurants and areas for cultural activities. One has the impression that everything happens by the sea. I spent three days in Alicante in July, roaming through town and visiting places of interest. Lucentum near Alicante is a location of an ancient Roman town.

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Barcelona, capital of Catalonia, in the northeast section of Spain, near the French boarder,is a beautiful city with a long and complicated history. It was founded by Carthaginians at the beginning of the 3rd century B.C. Later it was conquered by the Romans, Muslims and Franks. Artifacts from these different civilizations are abundant in El Museo Arqueológico. One of the most important museums is Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. It is the most cosmopolitan city in Spain.

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Cadaques, a couple of hours from Barcelona, located on Costa Brava, is a small town of whitewashed houses; it is a popular summer spot, made fashionable years ago by Salvador Dalí.

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Cadiz, an elegant port city with largely 18th and 19th century architecture, is located on la Costa de la Luz. It has a long history, dating from Phoenician times, as a trading post. It flourished during the 18th century because of trade with the Americas. Conil de la Frontera, near Cadiz, is a coastal town with beautiful architecture and beaches; it is a popular summer resort.

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Córdoba is now a town of approximately 300,000 in Andalucía. It was the center of the Muslim state in Spain between 711-1492, and is well-known for its mosque, La Mezquita. It was built by the end of the 8th century on the site of the Visigothic church.

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I saw corrida at Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza in Seville. It is one of the oldest bull-fighting rings in Spain; its building started in 1758. Bull-fighting is very popular; one can get season tickets! But once seated, you feel like a sardine because the seats are small and close to each other.

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In the 16th and 17th centuries, Crosses of May (Cruces de Mayo) were widely celebrated. This celebration was one of the most important in Seville and was celebrated until the beginning of the 20th century. Slowly it was losing its former importance in favor of Holy Week and April Fair. Crosses of May were popular spontaneous celebrations for the masses. Typically, in the neighborhoods, towns people decorated their houses and erected a cross and an altar on a neighborhood patio. The people would sing and dance around the cross. In the 80’s this celebration was revitalized by the emergence of numerous bands of drums and bugles as well as the rising interest of community organizations and the township.

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· Santiago de Compostela is in Galicia in northwestern Spain, located above Portugal. It has been a famous pilgrimage site since the early Middle Ages

· Oviedo is the capital of Asturias in northern Spain

· Pamplona is the capital of Navarra.

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April Fair starts most often on the third or fourth Monday in April. It takes place at the Real de la Feria (fairgrounds). Each year there is a different design for the fairground gates whose illumination marks the official beginning of the fair. During that week women and girls are dressed in elegant and colorful flamenca dresses, and people parade on horses and in carriages about the feria grounds as well as the streets of Seville. Much of the action takes place in casetas, private as well as public casetas which are open to everybody and where there is ample food and jerez (sherry). Rich people, groups of friends, and business companies rent the casetas (rooms) for their celebration. There is a long waiting list to get a caseta. It is a matter of personal pride to participate in the festivities. People employ singers and bands to entertain them and accompany them in their dancing and singing. They dance sevillanas, traditional folk songs which have taken on some features of flamenco. I was lucky to be invited by a young woman who was about to graduate from a conservatory in Seville and who got a job to sing in one of the private casetas. Each day she dressed in a different flamenca dress with matching peineta (ornamental comb).

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A book fair is held in May at La Plaza Nueva across from the Townhall. Major Spanish publishers are represented, among them the most popular writers and literary critics. In the Spring of 2005, a best-selling author, Javier Cercas, discussed his opus.

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Figueres is the birthplace of Salvador Dalí. It is about two hours from Barcelona. In the 60’s and 70’s the surrealistic painter built Teatre-Museu Dalí, the major attraction of the city.

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