Once again, we had a wonderful trip to explore more of Spain. This time the area of the Costa Brava, based in Roses.
So much in only a few days. Find the highlights of our trip
From Roses we headed inland to Besalú. This is an unspoilt medieval town, with a very picturesque bridge. We had a guided tour and learned about the history of the town and the Jewish population.
We can’t visit Spain without visiting a bodega, this time we went to Perelada. This pretty little hilltop town has more though. In the town is a museum dedicated to the original family here, founders of a forgotten marque of cars, very successful in its day, it has been revived with some impressive electric sports cars. The Bodega is a new building, mostly underground, and also experimenting with new techniques and materials, producing some very enjoyable wines.
We then went to Cadaqués, to see the home of Dali, an artist with a very strong connection to the region. Our experience was reinforced with a visit to the Dali Museum in Figueres, his place of birth. Here we were given a tour, giving insight into Dali´s works.
At this time of the year calçots grow in the countryside, therefore we ate calçots with romesco source, a typical Catalonian dish. We learnt how to deal with them.
On our way back to the airport, we called into Barcelona to visit an iconic building, designed by a unique architect, the Sagrada Familia. We were all impressed by the airy spacious design inside, built to resemble the trees of a forest. We also visited the Gothic Quarter of the city, just to tempt us a1ll back.
For our latest gathering we were inspired by the Mexican festival of Dia de los Muertos. We had a quiz to test our knowledge of the festival and Mexican food.
The Day of the Dead is about honouring dead loved ones and making peace with the eventuality of death by treating it familiarly, without fear and dread. It is a big celebration in Mexico, also observed to a lesser extent in other areas of Latin America and in the United States. It is celebrated on November the 1st and the 2nd. In 2008, the Day of the Dead was declared a World Heritage by UNESCO because of its traditional relevance and representation of each Mexican region along with their own cultural variations.
The Day of the Dead originates in the Mayan tradition of Hanal Pixan, which is celebrated in the Yucatan Province in Mexico. Hanal Pixan originated in the old Mayan festivities dedicated to worshipping the goddess of death – Ixtab, and other ancestors. Mayans believed the soul was immortal and that deceased loved ones were present in their homes. The indigenous communities shifted their worship of the dead to the christian calendar, which coincides with the end of the corn harvest, the main food harvest in the country.
Many families build altars, called ofrendas, in their homes, using photos, candles, flowers, and food, with the aim of persuading their loved ones to return for a family reunion. Dishes such as tamales and mole are presented to honour loved ones. The aim is to delight the senses of the visiting souls with the trail of delicious aromas. El pan de muerto or bread of the dead is traditional from the pre-hispanic ceremonies. This bread is currently baked with wheat flour, sugar, egg and yeast, and it is decorated in the shape of crossed bones with a dusting of sugar. A portrait of the deceased loved one, which is often hidden, in a way that it can only be seen through a mirror, symbolises their presence as well as their absence. Candles represent the light of faith and hope, and they symbolise the connection between alive and dead. Their warm light illuminates the altar and guides the souls of the dead in their return to the living.
Went to Galicia, in the North West, with its rugged Atlantic coastline, the food, the wine, the people. What a treat!
Our first stop was in Sanxenxo, overlooking the Ria de Pontevedra, where, from the hotel, we were able to watch the dolphins disporting in the water.
The Rias Biaxas are home to one of Spain’s iconic white wines, albariño. We visited Pazo Rubiales to sample the wine. Even after many visits to wine producers, there are new details to learn. The vines this area of Galicia are grown high to protect from the damp.
This Pazo also has an important botanical collection, and we learned many interesting facts about the collection and the history of the estate.
We spent a bit of time in Combardos, the centre of Albariño production. With a small unspoilt centre, this town was a pleasant place for a stroll and a glass of wine or a coffee.
Another unspoilt coastal villa is Combarro. This was a small fishing village and still has a large collection of horreos and cruceiros.
From here, we took a cruise around the Ria, accompanied by mussels and albariño.
We were shown the platforms where mussels, scallops, and oysters are farmed.
The high point of this boat trip was almost certainly the dolphins swimming around the boat. The boat crew was proud that we enjoyed the trip in the full glory of Galician weather, rain!
The afternoon was dedicated to swimming in the sea and pool for the brave few, with a session in the spa to warm up again.
We now looked inland and, going via Ribadavia, where we visited a thermal bath, we relocated to Ourense, our gate to the Ribera Sacra. Here, we spent a day exploring this town founded by the Romans due to the hot springs and gold to be mined nearby. Crossing the Miño river are both the old and new; the Puente de Velas and the Puente Milleneo.
With better weather, we ventured to the cañon de Sil, heart of the Ribera Sacra. A boat cruise took us up an impressive gorge, equally spectacular from above.
From the boat, we were able to see the small patches of vineyards on the steep slopes. known as viñeras stoicas, all the work, including carrying the harvest, is done by hand. Having sampled the wine from the rias baixas, we had to do the same for this spectacular region. After a hair-raising drive along narrow mountain roads, we arrived at the Bodega Alma das Donas, one of the viñeras stiocas. The owner showed us how to reach the vines on the narrow terraces before we sampled the wines on a veranda overlooking the river Sil, a view so spectacular it almost distracted from the wines!
Our last day saw us being “peregrinos” as we visited Santiago de Compostela. First stop was Monte del Gozo. This is the point where the various pilgrim routes all meet for a view of the city before the final walk to the cathedral. After the pause here, we went on to the cathedral, where we went to see el Portico de La Gloria, having a view of el botafumeiro swinging during the mass.
Having completed our religious duties, we separated to find lunch. Some of us found ourselves at el mercado de abastos, where we could have some delicious tapas. The traditional drinking cup in this part of Galicia is the cunca. Our last work was to track down bars that serve in these dishes.
Having successfully achieved our pilgrimage through the rias and cañones of Galicia, it seemed only right to award ourselves the vieira of the pilgrimage!
Once again we visited the regions around Jerez de la Frontera, the land of Sherry. We stayed in El Puerto de Santa Maria, one of the corners of the “Sherry Triangle” the area where the wine must be aged to gain the demarcation of “Jerez DO ( denominación de origen)”.
Of course, this area has much more to it than vino de Jerez. Ever since the Phoenicians founded Cadiz across the bay El Puerto has, thanks to its sheltered waters, been an important trading centre – up to and beyond the conquest of the New World. Even before this the number of archaeological sites show how important this area has been with various tin and copper mining areas.
We learned all this on a tour of the town which visited several patios, the internal courtyards that houses in Andalucia traditionally have as cool, shady, lightwells inside the houses rather than external gardens. These are an important part of the culture and El Puerto, like Cordoba, has an annual Fiesta de los Patios where the owners plant flowers and decorate the patios and create performances in them.
A tour in the area of Jerez wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a bodega or two and so we went to Osborne and Tio Pepe. If you have travelled in Spain you know Osborne, even if you don’t think you do. All over Spain the iconic bulls, visible from the autovias on the hilltops, started out as an advert for the brand of Osborne and still represent this sherry house. On these tours we learned about the “solera” system which is used to refresh the oldest wine and allow every bottle to be consistent every year.
Despite the importance of el Puerto de Santa Maria in the trade with the new world, Cadiz has the fame and so a visit to this compact peninsular city was a must. Cadiz was, as said, founded by the Phoenicians but continued as an important Roman town. This was because it combined two important resources. The coast at this point in Spain was an important tuna fishery, but was also a major salt producer. This meant that it was possible to ship salted fish around the empire from here. Another product of the fisheries was garum, a fish sauce that was a direct ancestor of sauces such as worcester sauce and was the Roman ketchup. In Spain.
While Cadiz looks back to prehistory and the romans, much of Andalucian history is connected with the Moorish era. A visit to the alcázar in Jerez shows an interesting combination of the importance, in the history of this area, of olives oil and Muslim culture as the olive press and the baths are both present. Here, as well as in the Alcazar of Sevilla which we visited the next day, we can see the Christian dilemma of accepting the Moorish styles as the apogee of art and culture at the time with trying to remove it as a sign of reconquest and a signal that those times had passed.
Our whirlwind tour of the area finished in the Plaza de España in Seville, where for the Iberoamerican exhibition of 1929 plaques of all the regions of Spain were produced.
The way to see the Grand Canal is from the water and so we had a cruise along by vaporetto. From this view we could see all the palace frontages, the four bridges and the way that the life revolves around the canals. The bridges each have their own styles from the original, the Rialto, to the newest, the Calatrava bridge, which is very modern in its style and construction.
Venice is a charming city and, like all tourist destinations shows its charm as soon as you are more than one street away from the tourist routes. Our first destination was, of course, Piazza San Marco. Here we were able to get a glimpse inside the Basilica and see the Ponte dei Sospiri.
We went in Carnavale and in Venice it is the thing to go in costume, but not any costume. Piazza San Marco is the place to be seen in your absolutely stunning costume. People parade around and are happy to have their photo taken. Masks is the other thing. There are a couple of traditional designs but along with these people wear anything from a lacy domino to harlequin style and anything in between. We ended up trying a couple of options.
We did take costumes, courtesy of the Catherine of Aragon group of Ampthill. Even if these were not as flamboyant as most, we still found ourselves an attraction, with people wanting our photo, as with the masks.
On our day of aquatic tours, we visited the island of St George, just across the water from the Piazza San Marco. Here we found that all the costume wearers visit for a session of photography with the view of San Marco as the background.
One of the “must do” trips in Venice is a tour out to Burano and Murano. Burano is traditionally the fishing and lace making island and is famous for the painted houses. The reasons for the latter are lost in the mists of time with a variety of implausible theories now available. Murano is famous as the source of Venetian glass.
The way to see the Grand Canal is from the water and so we had a cruise along by vaporetto. From this view we could see all the palace frontages, the four bridges and the way that the life revolves around the canals. The bridges each have their own styles from the original, the Rialto, to the newest, the Ponte della Costituzione, also known as the Calatrava bridge, which is very modern in its style and construction.
After two years without our traditional Paella Rally … we are back. Getting together, tutors, students and friends is a great way to start our summer break.
Watching films is a great way to learn about a country and a language. A group of our students got together to watch the film Todo sobre mi madre directed by Almodóvar. It was a very social evening, it gave us the opportunity to meet and have a drink. Before the film we did activities to know about the plot and the characters. A day after the film we had a get together to talk about the film. Many thanks to all the students and tutors who attended the screening. Many thanks to @theplacebedford and the Young Film Programmers for inviting us. Everyone enjoyed the outing and the film. Gracias.
As lessons have finished for 2021 we would like to wish tutors, students and friends all the best over the festive break.
Bedford Language Centre is back in the New Year with new language courses, cultural activities and social get togethers when possible. Many thanks for your support and see you in class in January.
Hope you and your families are doing well in these uncertain times. We are approaching Christmas and we would like to invite you to our pre Christmas celebrations.
Please join and enjoy our Advent Calendar Adventure.
Each day we will open a new window on our learning.
Each day we will have a little activity to get us into the Christmas spirit.
If you would like to join in the Advent Calendar Experience, please follow the link.
