Segovia, Spain: Romans, Goths and Catholics

I wonder if History teachers in Spain toss their written materials out the window and book a field trip for their students in place of a lecture. It wouldn’t surprise me if this were the case considering the amount of living history and architecture contained, for example, in a city such as Segovia.

Segovia is home to many pieces of architecture that hold a significant spot in history, so much so that UNESCO declared in 1985 that a portion of the city to be a World Heritage site.

Segovia’s most notable piece of history is a Roman aqueduct that is nearly 2,000 years old and erected without the use of cement or mortar. The city is also home to a large Alcázar (castle) where various monarchs including Alfonso X El Sabio (Alfonso X The Learned/Wise), Los Reyes Católicos (The Catholic Kings), Felipe II (Phillip II) and Carlos III (Charles III) lived and exercised their power.

There is also an enormous Gothic cathedral that contains 23 chapels built in 1525 at the behest of Emperador Carlos V (Emperor Charles V).

Below are a number of photos of these monuments as well as other photos from my time in Segovia. All can be seen on my Flickr.

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A Visit to Museo Nacional Colegio de San Gregorio (St. Gregory’s College National Museum)

A highlight of my stay in Valladolid, Spain was my group’s trip to the city’s nationally-recognized museum of religious sculpture at Colegio de San Gregorio. The museum hosts an incredible collection of religious sculptures and paintings from the 15th – 18th centuries. Highlights from my visit are below and, as always, all photos from my visit (nearly 200!) can be seen on my Flickr.

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Wednesday in Salamanca, Spain

I spent a long afternoon with friends in the city of Salamanca last week. We covered most of the city but I wish we could have stayed longer to enjoy more of it.

Here is Rick Steves with a wonderful introduction to Salamanca followed by my photos (full set also on my Flickr):

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A Weekend Jaunt to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls (Fiesta de San Fermin)

The Fiesta de San Fermin is an annual festival held in Pamplona, Spain most famous for the daily encierro a.k.a. the running of the bulls. The event was thrilling and tiring (my friends and I slept on a patch of lawn outside the bullring alongside hundreds of others without accomodations) but well worth it. I’m definitely going to return to Pamplona a few more times while I’m still able to. Some of my favorite photos are below. You can see the entire set on my Flickr.

75 Years Ago Today: Francisco Franco’s Fascist Conquest of Spain Begins

It was on this day in 1936 when Francisco Franco (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde, 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) led Spanish military forces in the Canary Islands in a coup d’etat against the Second Spanish Republic, Spain’s government at the time.

Franco & company — His Excellency, Generalisimo Francisco Franco (center, marching)

The coup failed and launched the Spanish Civil War were right-wing groups (Bando Nacional, FE de las JONS, CEDA, Carlistas) led by Franco fought and eventually overthrew the left-wing government of Spain (Frente Popular composed of PSOE, PCE, POUM, Banda Republicana) in 1939.

Spanish History Channel documentary La España de Franco (Franco’s Spain).

Franco then ruled Spain as dictator until his death in 1975.

Franco’s burial.

A Brief Tour of Valladolid, Spain

I have lived in Valladolid for nearly two weeks now and my time here so far has been incredible. The city is small enough to cover by foot which I’ve grown accustomed to. Most streets are small and, today, I realized that I have yet to see a pickup truck, Escalade or other large vehicle in the city. The buses are the largest vehicles here.

Anyway, enjoy the photos below and make sure to see them all on my Flickr page.

The Only Adventure Left was Death: Ernest Hemingway’s Suicide

It was fifty years ago today that author/journalist Ernest Hemingway committed suicide in his home in Ketchum, Idaho with the aid of one of his shotguns. Depression, alcoholism and a number of head injuries broke him into a state of disrepair.

Hemingway was infamous for his zest for life (or, rather, danger and excess). He was an avid athlete in high school and maintained a lifelong passion for boxing. He was also an avid sportsman who enjoyed fishing (re: Big Two-Hearted River, The Old Man and The Sea), hunting and the outdoors.

He volunteered for the Red Cross near the Italian front in the first World War where he suffered injuries from shrapnel, witnessed the bombing of Smyrna during the Greco-Turkish war, worked as a war correspondent in Spain during that country’s civil war where he wrote The Fifth Column in Madrid during the Siege of Madrid and was at the D-Day Landing and liberation of Paris in World War II. A bout of pneumonia kept him away from the front lines at the Battle of the Bulge. A few of these experiences formed the basis of his most famous novels A Farewell to Arms and For Whom The Bell Tolls.

Man vs. Wild — Hemingway on one of his many safari excursions. Courtesy of http://www.jfklibrary.org

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The First Stamp on my Passport: Valladolid, Spain

Today is the big day:

Photo by marcp_dmoz

I am currently sitting in the airport (barring any issues) and am about to board my flight to Dallas – London – Madrid. From there, it’s a bus ride to Valladolid where I’ll be living/studying for the next month.

I am beyond excited…this is my first time visiting Spain as well as Europe in particular. I have a few trips within the country planned. I wish I had more money to see more of Europe but that’s a trip for another time.

I have a few posts scheduled to post automatically as well so this page won’t be too quiet while I’m out eating tapas and wine.

Nos vemoz en Españia!

Tera Melos live at The Echo

Here are some old shots of Tera Melos at The Echo earlier this year (click any picture to see the full set):

Electronic Sounds via Analog Instruments: Getting Funky with Telephunken

There isn’t, unfortunately, much known about Telephunken, the Funk/Electronic trio featuring Ernesto “DJ Telephunken” Sanchez, bassist/VJ Sergio Zamavirde and drummer Fernando Parrilla.

la banda! — Para hacerte bailar! Photo courtesy of heraldo.es

The trio was once an Indie-Pop group from Zaragoza who later moved to Madrid and morphed into a Latin-Funk-Dance machine. The group has a handful of releases most notably Antibalas and Que Viva El Ritmo!!! Other than that, there’s not much else. I’ll have to pin Sanchez down in Madrid to learn more.

Watch the band’s short documentary on their trip to SXSW 2010: