Museo Casa de Cervantes: The Former Home of Don Quixote’s Father

Museo Casa de Cervantes (House of Cervantes Museum) is a museum dedicated to the life and work of Spain’s greatest writer, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

Don Quijote cover — "Oh yeah...the guy who fought the windmill!"

The museum is the former home of Cervantes who lived in Valladolid with his family from 1604 – 1606. He completed his masterpiece, El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, here and published it in 1605. Monarch Alfonso XIII and Archer Huntington, then-president of the Hispanic Society of America, purchased the property in 1912 and later donated it to the State. The building was officially inaugurated as the Museo Casa de Cervantes on April 12, 1948.

Take a brief phototour of the museum after the jump. As always, all photos can be found on my Flickr. Continue reading “Museo Casa de Cervantes: The Former Home of Don Quixote’s Father” →

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.

Continue reading “A Visit to Museo Nacional Colegio de San Gregorio (St. Gregory’s College National Museum)” →

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 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!

El Guincho: Spain’s Favorite Son and his Space-Age Exotica Creations

El Guincho (real name Pablo Diaz-Reixa) is a solo artist originally from the Spanish Canary Islands (near the coast of Africa) and currently living in Barcelona whose popularity continues to skyrocket with every release thanks to his trademark sound: Space-Age Exotica, a potent cocktail mix of Electronic, Tropical, Bossa Nova and Pop music.

El Guincho y la palma de amor! — El Guincho. Photo courtesy Thomas Williams via The Guardian

Let’s dive in immediately with the song and (nsfw) video that made El Guincho the talk of the town last year:

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Capsula: The Best Live Band You Haven’t Seen

Search for Capsula on the internet and you will find stories by music critics who all make the same observation: Capsula puts on a hell of a live show (as anyone who has been to SXSW these past three years can attest to).

The band, featuring vocalist/guitarist Martin Guevara, vocalist/bassist Coni Duchess and drummer Ignacio Villarejo, is a Garage/Psychedelic Rock group based in Bilbao, Spain who came together in 1998 in their hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina with the intent of following in the footsteps of their favorite musicians of the 60’s and 70’s: David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Pescado Rabioso and Manal.

Continue reading “Capsula: The Best Live Band You Haven’t Seen” →