When I last posted, I was enjoying a retreat just outside of Sevilla. Refreshed from that break, I headed 97 kilometres south to JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA.
You can check out this lovely little city at:
The name 'Jerez' comes from the Moorish name 'Xeres', and yes, that translates to the English word 'sherry'. There are a half million barrels of sherry maturing in underground cellars in and around Jerez de la Frontera at any given time! Naturally, a good activity to enjoy in Jerez de la Frontera is a bodega (winery) tour. I chose the home of Tio Pepe, the Bodega Gonzales Byass for my tour, which cost about 15 Euros, and enjoyed some delicious tapas with my tasting. You can check out this winery at:
NOTE: the above is a fabulous website! If a prize were to be given for a great site, this one deserves first place. Don't be put off by their request for your birthdate ... it's well worth the visit!
Sherry has a long and fascinating history. The British developed a taste for Jerez de la Frontera sherry back in the 1500s when their Sir Francis Drake seized 3,000 barrels of the stuff. No doubt the Spanish Armada ... the intended recipients of the 3,000 barrels ... were not impressed. The Tio Pepe brand of sherry was established in 1849. Tio Pepe was a real person, one Jose Angel, uncle of the Bodega Gonzales Byass founder Manual Maria Gonzales Angel. Pepe is a Spanish nickname for Jose.
Now ... let me tell you something about sherry and tapas. Take a few prawns, brush them with a bit of garlic-infused olive oil, fry them quickly, then sprinkle them with a pinch of coarse sea salt. Then take a glass of ice cold Tio Pepe fino sherry. Heavenly!!!
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| "How many stitches was that? Wait ... how many knitting needles do I have?" |
Flamenco music is probably a fusion of gypsy music from Northern Africa combined with medieval Muslim music found in Andalucia. While there is modern flamenco music today that incorporates blues, jazz, Portuguese fado, Moroccan beats, even pop and rap, the REAL flamenco is cante jondo, or 'deep song', the anguish of marginalized people. It is duende, or passion, and a talented flamenco singer, dancer or guitarist will leave your hair standing on end from the depth of that passion! The Spanish poet, Federico Garcia Lorca, wrote:
"La guitarra, hace llorar a los suenos.
Ell sollozo de las almas perdidas, se escapa por su boca redonda.
Y como la tarantula teje una gran estrella para cazar suspiros,
que flotan en su negro aljibe de madera."
Roughly translated:
"The guitar, it makes dreams cry.Flamenco is said to be the anguish of marginalized people. To get a wee sample of that raw anguish, go to http://www.youtube.com/ and check out Spanish Gypsy Flamenco Song. There are plenty of flamenco examples on Youtube, but you might want to have a look at the city of Jerez de la Frontera and the traditional flamenco scene there by going to http://www.youtube.com/ and checking out Ciudad del Flamenco (Jerez de la Frontera).
The sob of lost souls escapes its round mouth.
And as the Tarantula weaves a great star to hunt sighs,
you float in its black cistern of wood."
Jerez de la Frontera is also the home of Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre, the Royal Andzlucian Equestrian School. This school is located on the grounds of a 19th century palace. You can check them out at:
For around 25 Euros, you can enjoy the show "Como Bailan los Caballos Andaluces" (Dancing Andalucian Horses). These beautiful white horses are a cross between native Andalusian workhorses and Arabians. Riders wearing 18th century riding costumes make dressage and jumping look like an art form.
Between horses, sherry, tapas and flamenco, I could have stayed in Jerez de la Frontera, but my goal for the week was to reach the coast by July 16 for feast of la Virgen del Carmen (feast of the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel), the patron saint of Cadiz and many coastal Spanish communities, as well as the patron saint of mariners, fishermen, and scuba divers. Early in the evening, the statue of la Virgen del Carmen is carried out of the cathedral on a beautifully decorated platform, and paraded through the streets and accompanied by marching bands. She is also taken for a voyage around the bay on a flower-adorned boat and accompanied by a small flotilla of fishing boats. It's a festival complete with night-time fireworks! Go to http://www.youtube.com/ and check out the first part of this year's procession at "Virgen del Carmen Coronada" -Cadiz 2012 -Salida- by mangla.avi
Cadiz, population around 130,000, is about 150 kilometers south of Sevilla and surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean. You can check the city out at:
The city has a long and colourful history. It was founded by Phoenicians around 1100 BC. Hannibal lives there for awhile. Julius Caesar held public office for the first time there. Christopher Columbus set out on his second voyage of discovery from there. Cadiz became the capital of "New World Trade" during the late 1700s, thanks to Columbus, and evidence of all that gold and silver from the Americas is still evident in Cadiz Cathedral (and on the statue of la Virgen del Carmen).
The Old City looks Moorish. You will find the Torre Tavira and Torre de Poniente, 150 foot high watch towers from where ship owners used to watch for their fleets. Close to 130 such watch towers still exist in the city. There is a delightful "camera obscura" up each of these towers, and for about 5 Euros, you can enjoy an amazing birds eye view of the City and bay.
After the excitement of the festival in Cadiz, I decided to end my week 10 kilometers north of Cadiz at El Puerto de Santa Maria. Yes, Santa Maria as in the name of Christopher Columbus's ship the Santa Maria. There is a square in the centre of this city (population 85,000) named for old Christopher ... in that part of the world, he was known as Cristobal Colon ... because he once lived in a house in that neighbourhood.
El Puerto de Santa Maria is a little quieter ... and I heard it had fabulous marisco bars (tapas bars specializing in seafood tapas)! You can check it out at:
Until next time ... tejer feliz!
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