A lifetime of encounters with Spain.
Posted in Corners of Spain on Jan 22nd, 2009
Jerez de la Frontera is an elegant town just about midway on the autopista between the glorious Sevilla of flowers and fountains, and the ancient port of Cádiz, the oldest city in Europe with its labyrinth of streets and wonderful seafood. Jerez has a charm all its own with its plazas lined with orange trees, [...]
Posted in Corners of Spain on Jan 22nd, 2009
Sanlúcar is a classic Andalucían coastal town that is pretty much the way it was twenty years ago. It is a short drive along the Atlantic coast from Cádiz to its site at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, which used to be navigable all the way to Sevilla. It is here that Columbus drew [...]
Posted in Amigos, Reflections on Spain on Jan 21st, 2009
It seems that when King Alfonso X re-conquered Jeréz de la Frontera from the Moors in 1264, Don Alonso Valdespino, Miguel’s ancestor, was one of 24 Knights of Jeréz granted land as a reward – mostly vineyards that were being cultivated by the Arabs at the time.
It was not until 300 years later that the fruit of the vineyards would become commercially viable. When the British fleet launched the Raid of Cádiz in 1596, the officers and men were delighted to taste a new type of wine from Jeréz, which they tried for the first time in their forages across the countryside. The British corrupted the Spanish word “Jeréz” or “Xerex” which became the English word “sherry”.
Posted in Reflexiones en Español on Jan 21st, 2009
El mes pasado mi amigo Miguel Valdespino nos describió cómo celebra junto a sus familiares unas navidades tradicionales. Permítame contarle algo más sobre él y su familia, la cual ha vivido muchísimos años en la misma ciudad. Yo pensé que vivir en la misma casa dieciocho años era ya algo extraordinario (y supongo que lo [...]
