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Museo del Greco

A Repentant St. Peter c. 1600 Domenikos Theotokópoulos or El Greco was born in Crete in 1541. He moved to Toledo in 1577 after years of apprenticeship in Venice and Rome. El Greco's paintings have raised many questions as to why his subjects are elongated. Some theorists believe this is a result of an impaired vision. Others advanced that El Greco was merely using his own painting fundamentals to create what he envisioned as natural beauty. Nonetheless, El Greco left an enduring body of works. Many of the paintings on view at the Museo del Greco belong to the later period in his career including the Apostolate series. He died in Toledo in 1614. In the painting above, a repentant St. Peter is portrayed with tears in his eyes. St. Peter is begging for forgiveness after denying Jesus Christ three times.  The theme of repentance was common in the late 16th century.  St. James the Greater (Zebedee) Oil on canvas, 1608-1604 "It is only after years of str

Toledo

Alcázar Though I've traveled extensively, once in awhile I will do things without preparation. So I find myself in unfavorable situations and there's no one else to blame but me. Now I know never to walk around the walled city of Toledo without a map unless my plan is to happily get lost along its narrow and winding cobblestone streets. The Castilla region was also experiencing an extraordinary heat wave during my visit. So there  I was walking in circles when the temperature was roaring past the 100° F mark.  Calle Commercio A friendly cashier at the Burger King on Plaza Zocodover* informed me that the El Greco Museum is past the Cathedral but that it was quite a distance away. Armed with my cold drink, I followed the main street to the spire of the Cathedral of Toledo in hopes of finding the museum. (*What's in a name? Zocodover means place of animals and originates from the Arab word, suq ad-wadābb.) Tympanum of the Puerta del Reloj Cathedral of T

Alcala de Henares

Calle Mayor The Roman Empire found its way to Spain in the first century BC and they built a settlement in Alcalá de Henares. They called it, Complutum. The Visigoths drove the Romans away and they in turn were given the boot by the Moors in 711. The Moors named their new conquest, Al-Qal'at, which means citadel. Alcalá de Henares means citadel on the river Henares. Alcalá was recaptured from the Moors in 1118 and became part of the bishopric of Toledo. It was in the early 16th century when Cardinal Jimenez de Cisneros conceived the idea of a univeristy town and laid the groundwork for a university with the specific purpose of training students as administrators for the church and the state. For years the Universidad de Alcalá was the center of higher education in Spain until it was moved to Madrid in 1836 and Alcalá was left to languish. Thanks to the forward thinking group of citizens called the Sociedad de Condueños (Society of Joint Owners) who bought several of the u

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida

"I  hate darkness. Claude Monet once said that painting in general did not have light enough in it.  I agree with him. We painters, however, can never reproduce sunlight as it really is. I can only approach the truth of it. " Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida Mother, 1895 Joaquin Sorolla (1863-1923) was a prolific Spanish painter from Valencia. He has been dubbed "the painter of light". His works include portraits, landscapes, historical and monumental themes. He left behind some 2000 paintings and there is a good representation of his oeuvres at his former home which is now the Museo Sorolla. In the painting, Mother , Sorolla portrays his newly born daughter, Elena, with his wife who looks lovingly at her daughter. It's difficult to use white paint without overwhelming the subject. But Sorolla meticulously works with gradations of white. The white wall is a different shade from the white pillowcases and the white bedcover. He works with the curves of

Buying Pasteles from Cloistered Nuns

Enter through this door Years ago I had been to one of the convents in Madrid hoping to buy their pastries but alas, they were closed. It wasn't until recently that I finally had the chance to try one of their delectable cookies. The Monastery of Corpus Christi is on Calle del Codo which is off the popular Plaza del Conde de Miranda.  Buzz the nuns at the door to let you in.  The second buzzer is for the monks which you can ring if you wish to go to confession. Once you're inside you pass a courtyard to a short corridor before you enter an open door where you can ask the nun in attendance what you'd like from the list posted on the wall. It is possible they may only have one pastry available (as on the day I went). If they have different items available, they will put the boxes of pastries or cookies on the lazy susan and you can put your money on top of the box you wish to purchase. Your change and box of sweets will come around shortly.  Put your mo

Sonnet of Sweet Complaint - Federico Garcia Lorca

Lorca's house in the outskirts of Granada Today I gave a travel presentation at work about Spain and I included this sonnet from one of Spain's greatest poets/playwrights, Federico Garcia Lorca. It's full of visual imagery which not only gives the reader the ability to see what he's written but it also leads the mind of the reader in search of meaning. Sonnet of Sweet Complaint Never let me lose the marvel of your statue-like eyes, or the accent the solitary rose your breath places on my cheek at night. I am afraid of being, on this shore, a branchless trunk, and what I most regret is having no flower, pulp, or clay for the worm of my despair. If you are my hidden treasure, if you are my cross, my dampened pain, if I am a dog, and you alone my master, never let me lose what I have gained, and adorn the branches of your river with leaves of my estranged Autumn. The original Spanish version below is from http://www.poesia-inter.net/fglso107.htm Soneto

Memories of Palma

Pastel of Salmon dish at La Bodeguilla It was drizzling when we arrived in Palma de Mallorca and the temperature was way lower than in Seville where we had spent the last several days roasting under Andalucian skies. And it rained for most of the time we were in Palma. That sort of dampened our visit but we discovered several places of refuge to while the time away. Off the main shopping street we found two restaurants, both under the same management. El Burladero is a casual taberna on Calle Concepcion where we kept dry and ate a late, late lunch after a long day of sightseeing. As it was late afternoon and some of the staff were on lunch break themselves, we had the opportunity to get acquainted with them and find out about island life. The following day we had an early dinner at La Bodeguilla , an upscale restaurant with several dining rooms. We tucked ourselves in a niche with a big glass window overlooking Calle San Jaime. It was a pleasure to linger over dinner and drinks. I ha

Wonders of Spain

The Alhambra in Granada, the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia, Gaudi's Casa Mila and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Valle de los Caidos, are just a few of the many treasures of Spain. In May, we stared with wondrous eyes and mouths agape at the beautiful, harmonious and mystical Mezquita in Cordoba. That was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. May is also the month of festivals in Andalucia. Cordoba celebrates its Festival of the Patios in early May as does Jerez to the south with a grand parade of horses in the Feria de los Caballos . Check out Cordoba now. Spain never ceases to amaze. * * * Photo by Rosario Charie Albar

Comemos! España

Madrid La Barraca - Calle Reina, off Gran Via Best place for authentic paella. Beautiful dining rooms and private rooms available for groups (There were 7 of us). Miau - Plaza San Angel Great tapas bar. Try their selection of canapés. We thought we overordered but ended up finishing everything but the torta de patatas which was too much for 5 people. Meson de la Guitarra - Calle San Miguel Good selection of tapas. Receives quite a crowd. Guitarist plays all evening but we also were entertained by guest diners who brought their own guitars. Cave setting. La Mallorquina - Puerta del Sol Selection of pastries from 1 euro. I particularly like the hojaldre and neapolitana (with choice of fillings). Segovia Meson del Candido - in front of the aqueduct The roasted suckling baby pig is the house specialty. It is moist and tender. Quite tasty. Sevilla El Alabardero - Calle Zaragoza Best dining in Spain. Loved the arroz in langoustine sauce, marinated skewered fish, and pastel of white asparagu

Month of Festivals

We are in Madrid during the height of the bicentennial celebrations of the city. Concert stages have been erected in various plazas and we had the chance to listen to rehearsals at Plaza Mayor while dining at an outdoor cafe. There are people everywhere especially at Puerta del Sol where it´s nearly impossible to get around without running into someone. There´s music in the air courtesy of street performers. We´ve listened to mariachi bands and Peruvian groups as well as classical violinists. We´ve stopped to watch human statues that suddenly move when you place money into their pots. A sexy lady will sway her hips and raise her skirt when she receives a little dinero and a cowboy all in black will swing his gun for the ladies. We´ve enjoyed the tapas bars with the array of hors d´ouevres like chorizo, queso de manchego, oliva, croquetas de jamon, torta de patatas and so much more, washed down with sangria or vino dulce while the men drink draft beer. We ate the best paella at La Bar

Imagenes del España

More on Spain: http://www.travelswithcharie.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html * * * Images by Rosario Charie Albar

Spain - Live the impossible dream!

Just returned from Spain where temperatures were muy bajo and snow blanketed the sierras from Madrid to Granada. And with the perseverance of a Don Quixote, I didn't let anything stand in the way of exploring Madrid, Granada, Segovia and Avila. The bitter cold, the rain, the snow, the wind and jetlag couldn't keep me indoors. What's more I found the family crests of my paternal grandmother and that of my great grandmother. I felt a real connection with Spain after reading the history of my forefathers and the role they played to reconquer Granada. And talk about wardrobe malfunction! Wearing layers of clothes is alien to me blessed as I am to live in the California sunshine year-round. Thank goodness though for long coats, few people saw me pulling my runaway hose back in place. Whew! More on Spain when I've had some sleep and rest. Hasta luego! * * * Photos by Rosario Charie Albar