España

Background on Spain• Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries

ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. The government continues to battle the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorist organization, but its major focus for the immediate future will be on measures to reverse the severe economic recession that started in mid-2008.

Government of Spain• chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent

Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968• head of government: President of the Government (Prime Minister equivalent)

Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004); First Vice President (and Minister of the Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004), Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Elena SALGADO Mendez (since 8 April 2009), and Third Vice President (and Minister of Regional Affairs) Manuel CHAVES Gonzalez (since 8 April 2009)

• cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president• note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the

government, but its recommendations are non-binding• elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of

the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 9 and 11 April 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president

• election results: Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO reelected President of the Government; percent of National Assembly vote - 46.94%

Legislative• bicameral; General Courts or Las Cortes Generales

(National Assembly) consists of the Senate or Senado (264 seats as of 2008; 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 56 - as of 2008 - appointed by the regional legislatures; to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; each of the 50 electoral provinces fills a minimum of two seats and the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla fill one seat each with members serving a four-year term; the other 248 members are determined by proportional representation based on popular vote on block lists who serve four-year terms)

Political Parties• Aragonese Party or CHA [Bizen FUSTER]; Basque Nationalist Party or PNV

or EAJ [Inigo URKULLU]; Basque Solidarity or EA [Begona ERRAZTI]; Canarian Coalition or CC [Jose Torres STINGA] (a coalition of five parties); Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN i LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA Gonzalez]; Initiative for Catalonia Greens or ICV [Joan SAURA i Laporta]; Navarra yes or Na Bai [Uxue BARKOS Berruezo] (a coalition of four Navarran parties); Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY Brey]; Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Joan RIDAO]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU [Cayo LARA] (a coalition of parties including the Communist Party of Spain or PCE and other small parties)

Juan Carlos

King of Spain

Prince of Spain

Prince of Asturias

• three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe

The Flag of Spain

Military

• Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force (Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA) (2009)

• 20 years of age (2004)

The Country Itself

Geography• Spain occupies 85% of the Iberian Peninsula, which it

shares with Portugal, in southwest Europe. Africa is less than 10 mi (16 km) south at the Strait of Gibraltar. A broad central plateau slopes to the south and east, crossed by a series of mountain ranges and river valleys. Principal rivers are the Ebro in the northeast, the Tajo in the central region, and the Guadalquivir in the south. Off Spain's east coast in the Mediterranean are the Balearic Islands (1,936 sq mi; 5,014 sq km), the largest of which is Majorca. Sixty mi (97 km) west of Africa are the Canary Islands (2,808 sq mi; 7,273 sq km).

History of Spain• Spain, originally inhabited by Celts, Iberians, and

Basques, became a part of the Roman Empire in 206 B.C. , when it was conquered by Scipio Africanus. In A.D. 412, the barbarian Visigothic leader Ataulf crossed the Pyrenees and ruled Spain, first in the name of the Roman emperor and then independently. In 711, the Muslims under Tariq entered Spain from Africa and within a few years completed the subjugation of the country. In 732, the Franks, led by Charles Martel, defeated the Muslims near Poitiers, thus preventing the further expansion of Islam in southern Europe. Internal dissension of Spanish Islam invited a steady Christian conquest from the north.

• Aragon and Castile were the most important Spanish states from the 12th to the 15th century, consolidated by the marriage of Ferdinand II and Isabella I in 1469. In 1478, they established the Inquisition, to root out heresy and uncover Jews and Muslims who had not sincerely converted to Christianity. Torquemada, the most notorious of the grand inquisitors, epitomized the Inquisition's harshness and cruelty. The last Muslim stronghold, Granada, was captured in 1492. Roman Catholicism was established as the official state religion and most Jews (1492) and Muslims (1502) were expelled. In the era of exploration, discovery, and colonization, Spain amassed tremendous wealth and a vast colonial empire through the conquest of Mexico by Cortés (1519–1521) and Peru by Pizarro (1532–1533).

• The Spanish Hapsburg monarchy became for a time the most powerful in the world. In 1588, Philip II sent his invincible Armada to invade England, but its destruction cost Spain its supremacy on the seas and paved the way for England's colonization of America. Spain then sank rapidly to the status of a second-rate power under the rule of weak Hapsburg kings, and it never again played a major role in European politics. The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) resulted in Spain's loss of Belgium, Luxembourg, Milan, Sardinia, and Naples. Its colonial empire in the Americas and the Philippines vanished in wars and revolutions during the 18th and 19th centuries.

• In World War I, Spain maintained a position of neutrality. In 1923, Gen. Miguel Primo de Rivera became dictator. In 1930, King Alfonso XIII revoked the dictatorship, but a strong antimonarchist and republican movement led to his leaving Spain in 1931. The new constitution declared Spain a workers' republic, broke up the large estates, separated church and state, and secularized the schools. The elections held in 1936 returned a strong Popular Front majority, with Manuel Azaña as president.

• Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso, depicting the bombing of Guernica, Spain, by German and Italian warplanes at the bequest of the Spanish Nationalist forces, on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Republican government commissioned Pablo Picasso to create a large mural for the Spanish display at Paris International Exposition in the 1937 Worlds Fair in Paris.

• Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention.

Pablo Picasso• Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula

Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. Commonly known simply as Picasso, he is one of the most recognized figures in 20th-century art. He is best known for co-founding the Cubist movement and for the wide variety of styles embodied in his work. Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Guernica (1937), his portrayal of the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

• Picasso demonstrated uncanny artistic talent in his early years, painting in a realistic manner through his childhood and adolescence; during the first decade of the twentieth century his style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. Picasso’s creative genius manifested itself in numerous mediums, including painting, sculpture, drawing, and architecture. His revolutionary artistic accomplishments brought him universal renown and immense fortunes throughout his life, making him the best-known figure in twentieth century art. His fame has continued after his death, firmly establishing his status as one of the greatest artists in Western history.

Miguel Cervantes• Miguel de Cervantes

Saavedra[(September 29, 1547 – April 23, 1616) was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, often considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature and is regularly regarded among the best novels ever written. His work is considered among the most important in all of literature. His influence on the Spanish language has been so great, that Spanish is often called la lengua de Cervantes (The language of Cervantes). He has been dubbed el Príncipe de los Ingenios - the Prince of Wits.

• Don Quixote :fully titled The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha is a novel written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes created a fictional origin for the story based upon a manuscript by the invented Moorish historian, Cide Hamete Benengeli

• Published in two volumes a decade apart (in 1605 and 1615), Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature to emerge from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published.

• The novel's structure is in episodic form. It is written in the picaresco style of the late sixteenth century. The full title is indicative of the tale's object, as ingenioso (Spain.) means "to be quick with inventiveness".[2] Although the novel is farcical on the surface, the second half is more serious and philosophical about the theme of deception. Quixote has served as an important thematic source not only in literature but in much of art and music, inspiring works by Pablo Picasso and Richard Strauss.

• The contrasts between the tall, thin, fancy-struck, and idealistic Quixote and the fat, squat, world-weary Panza is a motif echoed ever since the book’s publication, and Don Quixote's imaginings are the butt of outrageous and cruel practical jokes in the novel. Even faithful and simple Sancho is unintentionally forced to deceive him at certain points. The novel is considered a satire of orthodoxy, truth, veracity, and even nationalism. In going beyond mere storytelling to exploring the individualism of his characters, Cervantes helped move beyond the narrow literary conventions of the chivalric romance literature that he spoofed, which consists of straightforward retelling of a series of acts that redound to the knightly virtues of the hero.

• Farce makes use of punning and similar verbal playfulness. Character-naming in Don Quixote makes ample figural use of contradiction, inversion, and irony, such as the names Rocinante (a reversal) and Dulcinea (an allusion to illusion), and the word quixote[4] itself, possibly a pun on quijada (jaw) but certainly cuixot (Catalan: thighs), a reference to a horse's rump. As a military term, the word quijote refers to cuisses, part of a full suit of plate armour, protecting the thighs.

• The world of ordinary people, from shepherds to tavern-owners and inn-keepers, which figures in Don Quixote, was groundbreaking. The character of Don Quixote became so well-known in its time that the word quixotic was quickly calqued into many languages. Characters such as Sancho Panza and Don Quixote’s steed,Rocinante, are emblems of Western literary culture. The phrase “tilting at windmills" to describe an act of attacking imaginary enemies derives from an iconic scene in the book.

• Because of its widespread influence, Don Quixote also helped cement the modern Spanish language. The opening sentence of the book created a classic Spanish cliché with the phrase de cuyo nombre no quiero acordarme, "whose name I do not want to remember."

• In a place at La Mancha, which name I do not want to remember, not very long ago lived a country hidalgo, one of those gentlemen or hidalgos who keep a lance in the lance-rack, an ancient shield, a skinny old horse, and a fast greyhound."

• Alonso Quixano, a retired country gentleman in his fifties, lives in an unnamed section of La Mancha with his niece and a housekeeper. He has become obsessed with books of chivalry, and believes their every word to be true, despite the fact that many of the events in them are clearly impossible. Quixano eventually appears to other people to have lost his mind from little sleep and food and because of so much reading.

Goya• Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

(30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and as the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown and a chronicler of history. The subversive and subjective element in his art, as well as his bold handling of paint, provided a model for the work of later generations of artists, notably Monet and Picasso.

Barcelona• As the capital of Catalonia,

Barcelona houses the seat of the Catalan government, known as the Generalitat de Catalunva; of particular note are the executive branch, the parliament, and the Supreme Court of Catalonia.

Galicia

• Galicia is known in Spain as the "land of the 1000 rivers". Those rivers cross all the region from the mountainous inland to the coast, where they form the characteristical "Rias". The coast itself offers great contrasts, from the smooth beaches of As Mariñas to the dangerous cliffs of Costa de la Muerte, the "coast of death".

• The first cultures which left their tracks in Galicia were Celtic, while Romans left as a legacy the walls of Lugo, the bridge of Ourense, and the Tower of Hercules. Middle Ages were marked by the discovery of the tomb of the Apostle Santiago (Saint James). Thousands of pilgrims made their way to the cathedral of the newly founded town Santiago de Compostela, and the world-famous Way of Santiago (also known as Way of Saint James or Camino Jacobeo), which is flanked with numerous churches, monasteries and chapels of high historical-artistical value, was formed.

• Galicia's folklore clearly shows its Celtic and Gaelic origins, and the most characteristical musical instrument is the Gaita (bagpipe). Regional gastronomy is of great reputation for its excellent fish, Empanada Gallega (a typical pie of fish or meat), traditional sweets prepared in some monasteries (where the recipes are kept in secret jalously), and the Ribeiro wine.

Major Attractions• Santiago de Compastole

The capital of Galicia and final destination of the famous pilgimage way is certainly among Spain's most beautiful cities.

A Coruña This city, of high economical importance, is located at a peninsula. Major attractions include the Romanesque churches, the synagogue and the old quarter which offers an interesting contrast between almost fragile buildings and massive stone palaces.

VigoGalicia's most populated city, with the most important port. The historic quarter is very charming and well preserved.

LugoLugo is surrounded by Roman walls which are perfectly preserved, and has a beautiful Romanesque cathedral.

Ourense Located inland, also has a beautiful Romanesque cathedral.

PontevedraThis province is said to be one of the most beautiful of Spain, thanks to the marvelous landscapes of Rías Baixas. The city itself offers an outstanding monumental center.

Flamenco• Flamenco is a passionate and seductive art form, a

mysterious and misunderstood culture that has been burning in Andalucía for nearly five hundred years, and today flamenco has thousands of aficionado’s worldwide.

• Flamenco has been shrouded in mystery for many years, and it has only in recent years become known to, but not fully understood by, the rest of the world.

• Many people witness flamenco in some form during their summer vacations in Andalucía, especially on the Costa del Sol, where there are flamenco Tablaos in abundance, these though rarely show the true flamenco.

• Most people will not see a connection between these glossy theatrical shows that are misleadingly labelled authentic gypsy flamenco, and cante jondo, a song-form deeply rooted in the tradition of flamenco, and born in small Spanish villages, such as Lebrija and Utrera and there is, indeed, little connection, but both are named flamenco.

•

• There is a huge difference between cante jondo and the flamenco performed in the tablaos and commercial venues of today.

• Flamenco is presented in many different varieties, and the colourful polka-dot dresses, castanets, and mellow tones of the acoustic guitar have become emblematic of Andalucía, but these do not represent the authentic side of flamenco.

• Castanets are not part of true flamenco, they are an element that has been added to enhance the finger snapping.

Andalucia• The common image of Andalucía is one of colour, romance,

and passion, and the lone figure of the matador in the bullring, cape and sword in hand beneath the burning afternoon sun, and the equally gypsy art of flamenco seem to somehow go hand in hand.

• Andalucía has a reputation for fiestas and celebrations that are overflowing with music and dance, women in colourful gypsy style dresses, silk shawls, and hand painted fans in an array of dazzling designs. The old men, faces scorched and cracked like the bark of an olive tree, their fraying straw hats an emblem of their past, and the courting couples dancing the most dramatic sevillanas are symbolic of life in this wonderful part of southern Spain.

• Andalucía has always been a very musical land, and the Moors that occupied Andalucía for nearly eight hundred years, have contributed greatly to its unique music and exotic dances.

• Andalucía is a land where strange ritual celebrations occur during the Easter week, when scenes of the Passion parade through the streets, trumpets blaring, drums and cymbals crashing, and people casting themselves before the pasos, sobbing uncontrollably.

• It is a land of fiestas and celebration, where one week of the year, every town has its feria. Another week of dressing up in traditional costume to parade the streets during daylight, and to party at the fair into the dark hours.

• Andalucia is also a land where music and dance is just part of everyday life, and the Andalucians express themselves beautifully with the dance, and especially with the flamenco dance.

• Andalucía is a place that burns with life, colour, and romance. It is a place of music and dancing, of plucked guitar strings, and the snapping of fingers, clicking castanets, and the stamping of feet, all of which mould together to create this wonderful culture we know as flamenco.

Toledo• Toledo is one of the Spanish cities with the

greatest wealth of monuments. Known as the “city of the three cultures”, because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together there for centuries, behind its walls Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. This great diversity of artistic styles makes the old quarter of the capital of La Mancha a real open-air museum, which has led to it being declared a World Heritage Site.

Madrid• The capital of Spain, located in the

heart of the peninsula and right in the center of the Castillian plain 646 meters above sea level, has a population of over three million. A cosmopolitan city, a business center, headquarters for the Public Administration, Government, Spanish Parliament and the home of the Spanish Royal Family, Madrid also plays a major role in both the banking and industrial sectors. Most of its industry is located in the Southern fringe of the city, where important textile, food and metal working factories are clustered. Madrid is characterized by intense cultural and artistic activity and a very lively nightlife.

Valencia

• The province of Valencia is the largest of the three that make up the Valencian community. It is situated in the centre of the Spanish Mediterranean coastline while overlooking the spacious Gulf of Valencia and is skirted at the back by a group of medium-high mountains and rolling plains leading to the lands of Aragon and Castile-La Mancha. It is opposite the Balearic islands and equidistant from the country's two major decision-taking centres: Madrid and Barcelona.

• This is a place identified with the Mediterranean Sea because the culture deriving from the old Mare Nostrum is manifest in its patterns of social behaviour.

•Furthermore, Valencia city is the administrative capital of the Valencian community and the centre of the region of L'Horta. The city is the most densely populated town in the Valencian community as it is encircled by a wide belt of medium-sized municipal districts with an average density of 1,600 inhabitants per square kilometer which form an unbroken built-up area.

Gypsy Flavor• The term "Gypsies" is used by outsiders to label an ethnic

group the members of which refer to themselves as Rom and speak a language known as Romany. No one knows exactly how many Gypsies there are, either in general or in Spain in particular. Estimates of the Spanish Gypsy population range as low as 50,000 and as high as 450,000, and other estimates place the world Gypsy population at between 3 and 6 million. Correct estimates are made difficult by the nomadic life-style followed by a portion of the group, by their cultural isolation, by the sense of mystery surrounding them and their origins, and by the division of the population into a number of distinctive subgroups.

• It is generally accepted that Gypsies migrated out of India into Europe as early as the eleventh century. There are records of their having arrived in Spain as early as 1425 and in Barcelona, in particular, by 1447. At first they were well received and were even accorded official protection by many local authorities. In 1492, however, when official persecution began against Moors and Jews to cleanse the peninsula of non-Christian groups, the Gypsies were included in the list of peoples to be assimilated or driven out. For about 300 years, Gypsies were subject to a number of laws and policies designed to eliminate them from Spain as an identifiable group: Gypsy settlements were broken up and the residents dispersed; Gypsies were required to marry non-Gypsies; they were denied their language and rituals as well as well being excluded from public office and from guild membership. By the time this period had drawn to a close, Gypsies had been driven into a permanently submerged underclass from which they had not escaped in the late 1980s.

• Spanish Gypsies are usually divided into two main groups: gitanos and hungaros (for Hungarians). The former, in turn, are divided into subgroups classified by both social class and cultural differences. In the late 1980s, the gitanos lived predominantly in southern and central Spain. Many of them took up a sedentary form of life, working as street vendors or entertainers. Although poor and largely illiterate, they were usually well integrated into Spanish society. The hungaros, however, are Kalderash, one of the divisions of the group from Central Europe (hence the name). They were much poorer than the gitanos and lived an entirely nomadic lifestyle, usually in tents or shacks around the larger cities. They made their living by begging or stealing, and they were much more of a problem for Spanish authorities. Many gitanos denied the hungaros the status of being in their same ethnic group, but outsiders tend to regard them all as basically Gypsies. In any case, whatever common ethnic consciousness they possessed was not sufficient to make them a significant political force.

• Under Franco, Gypsies were persecuted and harassed, as indeed they were throughout the areas of Europe controlled by Nazi Germany. In the post-Franco era, however, Spanish government policy has been much more sympathetic toward them, especially in the area of social welfare and social services. Since 1983, for example, the government has operated a special program of compensatory education to promote educational rights for the disadvantaged, including those in Gypsy communities. The challenge will be to devise programs that bring the Gypsy population into the mainstream of the country's economic and political life without eroding the group's distinctive cultural and linguistic heritage.

The Moors• It would not be inaccurate to say that

the Moors helped reintroduce Europe to civilization. But just who were the Moors of antiquity anyway? As early as the Middle Ages, and as early as the seventeenth century, "The Moors were," according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "commonly supposed to be mostly black or very swarthy, and hence the word is often used for negro." Dr. Chancellor Williams stated that "The original Moors, like the original Egyptians, were Black Africans."

• At the beginning of the eighth century Moorish soldiers crossed over from Africa into Spain, Portugal, and France, where their swift victories became the substance of legends. To the Christians of early Europe there was no question regarding the ethnicity of the Moors, and numerous sources support the view that the Moors were a black-skinned people. Morien, for example, is the adventure of a heroic Moorish knight supposed to have lived during the days of King Arthur. Morien is described as "all black: his head, his body, and his hands were all black." In the French epic known as the Song of Roland the Moors are described as "blacker than ink."

• William Shakespeare used the word Moor as a synonym for African. Christopher Marlowe used African and Moor interchangeably. Arab writers further buttress the Black identity of the Moors. The powerful Moorish emperor Yusuf ben-Tachfin is described by an Arab chronicler as "a brown man with wooly hair."

• Black soldiers, specifically identified as Moors, were actively recruited by Rome, and served in Britain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. St. Maurice, patron saint of medieval Europe, was only one of many Black soldiers and officers under the employ of the Roman Empire.

• In AD622, an Arab named Muhammad preached that an angel had visited him. The angel told Muhammad that he was the last of a long line of prophets that included Moses and Jesus. Muhammad called on people to renounce all other faiths and to submit to the will of Allah. Allah is an Arabic word that means God. He called the new faith Islam, which means “submission to Allah”; the people who practice Islam are called Muslims (sometimes spelled Moslems). The faith spread quickly through the Middle East and across North Africa, eventually reaching people in northwest Africa that the Romans called Moors.

• The Visigoths had ruled Spain until 711, when the Moors crossed into Spain from North Africa. For the next three centuries, the Moors controlled most of Spain by establishing a “caliphate,” or religious center, in Cordoba. Spain enjoyed a “golden age.” The Moors were able administrators who built Spain into a thriving center of culture and scholarship. The Moors were Muslims, but they were generally tolerant of the Christians and Jews who lived in Spain. Spanish Jews benefited from the tolerant policies of the Moors. This enabled them to have one of the most prosperous periods in their history.

• Christian kingdoms in northern Spain and France slowly began the Reconquista (or reconquest) of Spain, a struggle that lasted almost 500 years. Quarrels among the Moors led to the overthrow of the caliphate of Cordoba in 1031. The Moors remained in Spain until King Ferdinand of Aragon, and Queen Isabella of Castille merged their kingdoms and forced the Muslims and Jews to leave Spain.

Fiesta de San Fermin• La Fiesta de San Fermín originated in 1591 when 3 festivals

- the San Fermín festival, town fair of Pamplona and a celebration of bullfighting were combined in to one.

• Saint Fermín was a Pamplona bishop who travelled far and wide converting people to Christianity.

• However his views were not shared by everyone and he met his bloody end in Amiens, France where he was beheaded.

• The Pamplona locals have since honoured him with a festival in his name. Everyone dresses in white, with a red bandana, and red sash, in memory of the blood shed by the martyred Saint.

The Running of the Bulls• Every morning, during the La Fiesta de San Fermín festival

week, the bulls are let loose in the streets and run from various points to the bullring.

• Thousands of (mainly) men however, run the streets with the bulls. It is absolutely amazing to watch, and every few years one of the intrepid runners ends up dead.

• Certain streets are boarded up so that the bulls are channelled eventually to the bullring. And everyone is welcome to run along with.

• The spectacle of thousands of sprinting men pouring in to the bullring followed by a couple of dozen rampaging bulls was one of the most hilarious sights I've ever seen!

San Fermin Photos

The Pyrenees

Sites of Spain

La Alhambra

Castles of Spain – To the left – Salgrada (Gothic - Moorish architecture). To the right – Andrade – still lived in as of 2009. It is very drafty and has none of the modern immenities we are accustomed to. The bottom picture are the remains of Alcazar.

Gazpacho• Today, the Spanish-style soup we call gazpacho most

nearly resembles a sort of chunky liquid salad, with lots of fresh, uncooked vegetables suspended in a broth of puréed tomatoes or tomato juice and chicken stock. In the summer when all of the vegetables are at their finest, this simple, modern soup is full of refreshing good flavor. It is a distant cousin, however, of this peasant fare as it first developed. Farther still from the original are the more complex contemporary versions that include everything from clam juice, lobster, and shrimp and to raisins, walnuts, mangos, and melon. Many chefs adopt the word to describe any uncooked, chilled soup. It began as another thing entirely, and to forget its genesis is to loose the subtle elements which make today's gazpacho an evocatively refreshing summer meal.

• The word gazpacho is, in colloquial use, a synonym of ´mixture´.

• The basic peasant staples of bread, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar evolved in several ways that remain with us today. In Italy, we find both bread salad and bread soup, historical cousins to the Andalusian soup featuring the same ingredients, the many variations of which came to be called gazpacho. Although the exact origin of the word is unknown, most sources suggest that it refers to fragments, crumbs, remnants of food—primarily, stale bread and breadcrumbs—that were combined with vinegar, water, oil, garlic, and other seasonings and served at room temperature. Today, gazpacho remains true to its spiritual, if not culinary, roots in that it is one of the finest uses for too many ripe vegetables that might otherwise go to waste. And the original ingredients, especially vinegar, olive oil and garlic, remain essential to a successful gazpacho.

Red Gazpacho• Red Gazpacho• Serves 4—6• This full-bodied version of contemporary gazpacho is best at the peak of harvest, when all of the vegetables are

dazzlingly ripe. And on a hot day, there is nothing more refreshing.• 4 or 5 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped • 1 serrano pepper, minced • 5 cloves garlic, minced • 2 lemon cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced • 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced • 1 ripe but slightly firm avocado, peeled and diced • 4 cups light beef stock or chicken stock • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 2 tablespoons medium-acid red wine vinegar • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsely • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro • kosher salt and black pepper in a mill • 1/2 cup best-quality extra-virgin olive oil • Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the stock, lemon juice and vinegar and stir very briefly. Stir in

the fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill the soup for at least one hour before serving. Remove from the refrigerator, stir, let rest for 15 minutes and then pour the olive oil over the soup and serve.

Golden Gazpacho• Golden Gazpacho• Serves 4—6• Certain varieties of golden tomatoes have a rich, velvety texture; this soup

highlights that luscious quality.• 4 or 5 ripe golden or orange tomatoes • 3 cups homemade chicken stock • 1 small red onion, minced • 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic • juice of 1 lime • kosher salt and black pepper in a mill • 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced • 4 tablespoons best-quality extra-virgin olive oil • 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives • Peel the tomatoes and gently remove their seeds. Chop the tomato flesh very

finely or pass it through a food mill (do not purée in a blender or processor) and place it in a large bowl. Stir in the stock, onion, garlic and lime juice. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the avocado and chill the soup for at least one hour. Remove the soup from the refrigerator, ladle into soup bowls, and top each serving with a generous tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkling of chives.

Paella

Paella Recipe• The Real Paella Recipe • This is an authentic, absolutely TRUE paella recipe. • Ingredients for about 4 hungry persons • 1 medium chicken • 1 medium rabbit (can be omitted) Substitute kielbasa• 2 medium ripe chopped tomatoes • 165 grs. wide green bean ( spanish-bachoqueta) • 130 grs. large white lima beans ( spanish-garrafon) • 1 level teaspoon of saffron • 3 cups of spanish rice • 8 cups of hot water or ( even better chicken broth) • olive oil ( enough to cover the bottom of the paella pan) • salt ( to taste) • 1 level teaspoon of sweet red paprika •

• First, heat the oil and when it is hot enough, add the rabbit and chicken (lightly salted ) and fry unitl lightly browned. Then add the white and green beans and cook them together with the meat. While they are cooking, make a clearance in the middle of the paella pans and fry the chopped tomatoes until they look a little pasty, quickly adding the paprika, stirring quickly and immediately adding the hot water or broth until it is almost to the top of the paella pans edge.

• Cook all the ingredients for about 20 minutes over a high fire and tasting for salt. After 20 minutes we add the rice, distributing it evenly, making sure the rice is covered with liquid. The fire should be fairly high, not interrupting the boil. It takes about 20 minutes for the paella rice to cook. Do not stir the rice once you have added it to the paella pans, just change its position so that the fire gets to all patrs equally. All the broth should be absorbed when finished. Take the paella off the fire and let stand for about 10 minutes covering the top with newspaper. If the rice has been cooked correctly, the rice grains should be loose, not clumped together or having a mushy texture.

• For a fantastic table presentation, small wedges of lemon can decorate the border and branches of romero (aromatic herbs) in the middle. Now you are ready to dig into your paella with wooden spoons and eat directly from the paela pans!

Chicken and Shrimp Paella• Typically, paella is made with medium-grain rice like Arborio or Valencia, which can absorb the

flavors in the broth without overcooking. Saffron, the exotic spice with a distinct, earthy flavor, gives this Spanish dish its characteristic yellow hue. It's a bit soupy when first prepared but quickly absorbs the liquid.

• Yield• 6 servings (serving size: 1 chicken thigh and about 1 cup rice mixture)• Ingredients• 6 chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), skinned • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil • 1 (4-ounce) link hot turkey Italian sausage • 1 cup chopped onion • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper • 1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio or Valencia rice • 1/2 cup diced plum tomato • 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika • 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed • 1 garlic clove, minced • 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth • 3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined • 1 cup (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus • 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

• Preparation• Preheat oven to 400°.• Sprinkle chicken with rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black

pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm.

• Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring to crumble. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Add rice, tomato, paprika, saffron, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan. Add broth and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Wrap handle of pan with foil; cover pan. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp, asparagus, and peas. Cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until shrimp are done.

Wine and Oils of Spain