Madrid

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Parent Category: Travel Over There
Category: 2014 - Gap Year
Created: Monday, 23 June 2014 22:50

Madrid, SpainAfter our Vaughan Town experience we returned to Madrid for a week. We were tired and quite sick with a bad cold and so the first night we stayed in a hotel, resting. On the Saturday we moved to Empajores where we had booked a room on AirBnB that was quite central to what we wanted to experience in Madrid, but still spent most of the day resting and trying to get healthy for the party that night.

At Vaughan Town we had become fast friends with Soledad, a wonderful Interior Designer, who had invited us to her home for a dinner party. The party was attended by a quite a few of our new friends and we also met some of Soledad’s. That night we ate beautiful food, drank excellent wine and enjoyed the company of wonderful people. We also learned that Spanish women are brilliant dancers as we all danced the night away.

Madrid, SpainMadrid, Spain

On the Sunday, there was a street market 50 metres from where we were staying that our new friends had told us was great to visit. The Market stretched up Calle de Ribera de Curtidores to the Plaza Cascorro and filled out several side streets down to Puerta de Toledo. The market offered a range of wares from souvenirs to clothes to homewares with people flowing in every direction.

Madrid is home to the exceptional Museo National Del Prado. The Prado is one of the most densely populated galleries I have been to with almost every wall covered. There were a number of special exhibits including ‘La Biblioteca del Greco’ a reconstruction of Greco’s personal library and includes several books annotated by Greco as well a letter and five paintings. Another was ‘Rubens: The Triumph of the Eucharist’ and featured four of his Eucharist tapestries commissioned by Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia, the elder daughter of Philip II and Elizabeth of Valois, alongside six modelli (sketched panels for the tapestries) and same oil sketches. The modelli have been restored and the restoration notes also form part of the exhibit. The exhibit that thrilled me the most though was ‘The Furias: Political Allegory & Artistic Challenge’ which presented a number of pieces of Tityus (whose liver was pecked at by vultures), Tantalus (who served up his son at a banquet of the gods), Sisyphus (punished for revealing Zeus’ infidelities), and Ixion (who seduced Hera). The Furies, and Graeco-Roman mythology, were a popular source of inspiration for artists and this exhibit displayed some exquisite pieces that can be used to compare the theme as interpreted over the centuries and artistic movements. The rest of the Prado is literally packed with art covering eight centuries and dozens of different artistic movements as well as art from different regions of Europe. The Prado has art by Greco, Goya, Raphael, Rembrandt, Tiziano and more, and provides for a sensory overload. To truly appreciate the Prado, you need to visit several times and take it slow. We went through it in a day and were completely overloaded by the experience.

Toledo, SpainOn Tuesday we went to Toledo with another friend who had to travel there for work, and spent a morning walking the cobblestoned streets trying to find various museums and galleries. Toledo is a maze with dozens of switchbacks and alleys creating a maddening experience when you want something specific that isn’t immediately around the central cathedral due to the amount of construction and road blocks throughout the city. The most frustrating thing with trying to navigate Toledo was the tourism office and the poor service provided. They were unable to provide accurate information regarding any of the locations we wanted to visit. Toledo is a beautiful walled city, and according to the guide books has much to offer, and it is unfortunate that we weren’t able to visit more of it.

On Wednesday we caught up with another of our new friends and meandered the streets of Madrid with her, delighting in her company and that of the city.

We met another friend, Vicent, that evening for a home cooked meal and authentic Flamenco show featuring Juan Ramírez,  It was an impressive performance with singing, guitar, and dancing culminating in Juan Ramírez’s impassioned dance of such rapidity and precision that I felt sure the stage would collapse from the effort. Watch the video at the bottom of the article to enjoy some of the show for yourselves (Juan Ramírez starts half way through).

Madrid was a fun place to visit, and I look forward to exploring it further when in better health, but the true reason I enjoy the city, and actually Spain as a whole, is the people. In Spain I have met many wonderful and warm people that it is easy to enjoy.

Other stories from Spain:

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Yecla - Nuestro Mes de la vida en España

Australia FlagYecla - Gastronomy

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Spain Flag Yecla -Voluntariado

 

 

Yecla - Working without a common language

Details
Parent Category: Travel Over There
Category: 2014 - Gap Year
Created: Thursday, 12 June 2014 06:51

Spain FlagClick Here for Spanish Language Version

An Olive Orchard, Yecla, SpainWhile we were in Yecla we worked with a local Organic Association. We worked mostly with Jesús, a few days with Paco and one afternoon with Elie.

Jesús is a retired criminalista and a talented carpenter who owns a country house near the Sierra Salinas. Our second day in Yecla we were met by Paco and Jesús and driven to the country house. Jesús and Paco could not speak English and we were furiously typing on our phones to understand what we were doing and where we were going. Jesús and Paco shook their heads, I assume in bewilderment over how this would ever work not being able to even communicate.

An Olive Orchard, Yecla, SpainSoon we found ourselves pulling into a house where we connected a trailer and loaded bags of worm humus (lombris). We then drove further on and stopped next to a field of olive trees. We disembarked and unloaded the trailer. Paco proceeded to fill buckets with the soil and gave us each one and showed us what to do with it: pour it evenly around the base of the tree approximately one metre from the base but not beyond the reach of the branches. We did this for 70 trees gradually working out a rhythm that had Paco continuously pouring soil into bucket while the three of us made rings. It worked so well that Paco ended up telling us to take smoke breaks to slow us down. Once complete we went to Jesús’ country house and while Paco prepared lunch, fertilised another 30 trees.

After lunch, Jesús asked us philosophical questions, in Spanish, which we had to answer, in Spanish. He asked Rina “What is liberty?” This is a difficult question of most people but we sat a while and discussed it in our poor Spanish. He asked of me “What is it to love a woman?” Once more a difficult question but he accepted my answer once Rina confirmed it to be my truth.

Another day we were greeted by Paco and Jesús and revisited the country house to plant Garbanzo (Chick Peas). Rina and I planted the seeds while Paco and Jesús loaded olive branches into the trailer. It was an excellent day that left us wanting rain so that our seeds could grow. There was a little rain but we don’t know if it was enough. We had lunch with Paco and Jesús again, and once more had a philosophical discussion.

Elie met us one afternoon after lunch and we accompanied him to his orchard where he is building his home and also uses to educate his class about organic gardening. With Elie we planted a field of tomato seedlings, covered them in plastic and a fine mesh to protect them against the cool spring nights and ran irrigation for when it was needed.

Planting Tomatoes, Yecla, SpainPlanting Tomatoes, Yecla, Spain

The best work experience we had during our time in Yecla though was with Jesús on Elie’s house.

Working on the house, Yecla, SpainOur first day on this project we had no idea what was wanted of us. Paco had walked us to the house to meet Jesús. At the house there was a lot of toing and froing as we assembled our tools. We had no idea what the Spanish word for the tools were but helped as best we could. We had a jig saw, clamps, hammers, drills, wood panels and beams, varnish and brushes, chisels and more.

The first day was the most difficult due to the limited language we shared. Thankfully Jesús was incredibly patient with us, often times trying to help us make the connection between words, objects and actions. Each day brought improvement in our understanding of what was required and what we could do. Whether it was measuring and cutting panels, cutting and assembling frames, drilling concrete, or varnishing, we improved and on the final day of work, we had installed the wood panel ceiling and the job was complete.

Installing a ceiling, Yecla, SpainInstalling a ceiling, Yecla, SpainInstalling a ceiling, Yecla, Spain

That day, looking on our completed work, Jesús told us that he was glad for our help, efficiency and initiative. I have rarely felt as proud as that day with this man, our friend and foreman, giving us thanks.

Other stories from Spain:

Australia FlagGranada

Australia FlagVaughan Town

Australia FlagYecla - Our Month Living in Spain

Spain Flag

Yecla - Nuestro Mes de la vida en España

Australia FlagYecla - Gastronomy

Spain Flag

Yecla - Gastronomía

Australia FlagMadrid

 

Yecla – Gastronomy

Details
Parent Category: Travel Over There
Category: 2014 - Gap Year
Created: Tuesday, 10 June 2014 15:02

Spain FlagClick Here for Spanish Language Version

Gastronomy, Yecla, SpainOne of the best experiences a traveller can have when visiting a new culture is exploring their food. Spain is renowned across the world for its dishes and it is a joy to discover them. Personally, I think one of the greater joys comes in discovering the regional variations of these dishes.

Yecla had numerous variations and a few unique dishes that really enhanced our appreciation for the region.

To start with, it’s a wine producing area with the primary variety being Monastrell (Mourvèdre), a red wine, and the results are highly variable. We tried over a dozen of Monastrell’s while in the region and while no two were alike aside from being red and having an earthy flavour to them, some were highly enjoyable whilst others tasted terrible, and a few fell into the ‘drinkable’ category. The most interesting thing about this range is that they were all in the €3-7 price range in the supermarket. Check out http://www.yeclavino.com/ for more information on the areas wines.

If you are going to drink the wine you should probably eat a few dishes along the way and Yecla has some great variations.

One such dish is Yeclano Gazpachos. Traditionally Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup served in Andalusia, in Yecla however it was stewed meat (rabbit & quail or chicken) and vegetables served over a fried tortilla. First you eat the stew then eat the tortilla with either honey or anchovies. It was delicious.

Gachasmigas, Yecla, SpainAnother is Gachasmigas. Migas is a highly variable dish and it all depends on where you are as to what you get, although for the most part the primary ingredient is bread. In Yecla it is a pancake made from oil, flour, water and garlic cooked over an open fire. It takes more than an hour to make and the final product is a grey doughy mass that you eat by scooping it out of the pan with bread! A very interesting meal.

And then comes the world famous dish Paella. According to http://dictionary.reference.com/ Paella is ‘a Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings.’ Paella originated in Valencia and is usually eaten at lunch. We have been told that to get the true Paella, you have to go a Valencian home and have it made by a local, everything else is rice with meat and vegetables. We tried three paellas when we were in Yecla – a vegetable, a chicken and rabbit, and a squid ink. For the vegetable paella, some of the ingredients were par cooked separately, then the rice was cooked with cold stock and the vegetables added later. The chicken and rabbit was again multi staged with the vegetables cooked first then set aside, followed by browning the meat before putting the vegetables back in. Then water is added to the combined ingredients and once boiling, rice was added until the meal was ready. The squid ink we only saw the finish of when they added the ink once everything had been combined. Each of these dishes was wonderful to eat and cannot be compared with the other as the flavours were quite different and highlighted the regional variations.

Paella, Yecla, SpainPaella, Yecla, SpainPaella, Yecla, Spain

A unique food we found in Yecla was Libricos. Libricos are a wafer biscuit with either a honey or chocolate filling made to a secret family recipe that is passed to the first born male of each generation. They are a delightful snack that are much better than the ingredients imply. If you find yourself in Yecla these are a must have. Visit http://www.libricosyecla.es/ for more information.

Yecla is a wonderful gastronomic destination, with a passion for food and life. Whether having Tortas Fritas for breakfast, Paella for lunch, or Gazpachos for Dinner followed by Libricos, there are some wonderful ways to eat your way through a day.

Yecla, Spain

Other stories from Spain:

Australia FlagGranada

Australia FlagVaughan Town

Australia FlagYecla - Our Month Living in Spain

Spain Flag

Yecla - Nuestro Mes de la vida en España

Australia FlagYecla - Working without a Common Language

Spain Flag Yecla -Voluntariado

Australia FlagMadrid

 

 

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