Spain News – May 2013

MAY 2013
España
Sorolla Route in Valencia!
Sorolla Route in Valencia!
“The painter of light”. This is how Joaquín Sorolla, one of the main figures in the history of Spanish art and one of the most internationally famous painters of his time, is known. Because this artist was able to capture light and movement in his paintings like none other. You’ll find rural landscapes, fishing customs from the Mediterranean coast, social scenes, portraits… The best way to understand Sorolla is to travel to Valencia,the land he was born in and the scenery that inspired most of his work. This unique painter was born in 1863 into a humble family and trained at the Fine Arts School. A stroll along the beaches in the area (and in other towns in the Region of Valencia, such as Jávea) will help us understand the reflections and the combinations of blue and white hues that painter managed in scenes of women on the beach, children playing, fishermen…
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Andalusia, a location for legendary films
If you are thinking of travelling to Andalusia and you love cinema, you have another great reason to come: to discover the locations for great films such as “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Doctor Zhivago”, “007 Die Another Day”, “Talk to Her”, “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”,”Star Wars”….and that´s just to name a few!! Become James Bond or Indiana Jones for a day and discover spectacular landscapes in the south of Spain. Ready? Action!
 
Andalusia, a location for legendary films
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Madrid Tennis Open!!
Madrid Tennis Open!!
The stars of international tennis come together in Madrid for this thrilling tournament. Nadal, Federer, Murray, Nalbadián and Agassi are some of the recent winners. Who will be the next? Almost 200 professional tennis players, including many international stars, with one common goal: to be king or queen of clay. This is the aim of male and female participants alike. A guarantee of the best, most exciting tennis that makes the Madrid Open one of the biggest events on the calendar. Have you got your ticket yet?
Cordoba patios festival!!
Cordoba patios festival!!
The Courtyards Festival will reveal Cordoba at its most festive, where the streets are filled with the sounds of flamenco and the scent of jasmine and orange blossom. During the days of the Festival, the residents of the old part of Cordoba proudly throw open their courtyards, specially decorated for the occasion with pots of geraniums, carnations and jasmine hanging on the whitewashed walls. You can visit them practically all day, and you’ll always be given a warm welcome by the hosts, as well as a chance to enjoy flamenco shows and to taste Cordoba’s delicious tapas and the Montilla-Moriles wine. The Festival lasts a week, and the most attractive courtyards are selected at the end. You can also visit every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from April to June.
Bonfires of San Juan in Alicante
Bonfires of San Juan in Alicante
Alicante celebrates the coming of summer with the bonfires of San Juan. In a spectacular display of music, colour and fireworks, thousands of people throng the streets to experience this fiesta which pays tribute to fire. To celebrate the arrival of summer, the people of Alicante would traditionally flock to the countryside on 23 June for a festive dinner: they feasted on typical products, and at midnight they would light bonfires and dance around them, set off fireworks and go swimming in the sea. This custom endured over the years, and in 1928 the fiestas of the Bonfires of San Juan were formally constituted. For several days, Alicante celebrates this great homage to fire, where the stars of the show are genuine works of ephemeral art: the bonfires and the enormous cardboard and wooden figures which go up in flames on the night of San Juan.
El Saler Parador: classic paella and world-class golf!!
El Saler Parador: classic paella and world-class golf!!
Located in the heart of the Albufera National Park, The Parador of El Saler is actually located where the first ever paellas were sizzled into being. Work up an appetite with a round on the 18-hole golf course, where the 2013 Spanish Open is being held, and then duck inside to savour the special. This features the local ‘bomba’ rice, tomatoes, green and white beans, chicken, rabbit, snails and saffron – all ingredients that would have been readily available in and around the surrounding Valencian paddy fields.
 
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Dalí: All of the poetic suggestions and all of the plastic possibilities
Dalí: All of the poetic suggestions and all of the plastic possibilities
Dalí the thinker, writer and creator comes to the Reina Sofía National Art Museum in Madrid with his own particular worldview. Around 200 works from major institutions and private collections from all over the world are on display in one of the most comprehensive exhibitions held so far on Salvador Dalí. The exhibition focuses mainly on Dalí’s most fervently surrealist period, and pays special attention to the paranoid-critical method developed by the artist as a mechanism for transforming and subverting reality. “The persistence of memory”, “Soft construction with boiled beans” and “Metamorphosis of Narcissus” are just a few of the major works present in the exhibition. Runs April 27 to September 2, 2013
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