Portrait: Salvador Dalí, world renown Spanish surrealist

22 December 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  9 minutes

Salvador Dali with his pet ocelot Babou in 1965 © Library of Congress - Roger Higgins

Salvador Dali with his pet ocelot Babou in 1965 © Library of Congress – Roger Higgins

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquess of Dalí of Púbol was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work. Born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain, Dalí received his formal education in fine arts in Madrid. Influenced by Impressionism and the Renaissance masters from a young age, he became increasingly attracted to Cubism and avant-garde movements. He moved closer to Surrealism in the late 1920s and joined the Surrealist group in 1929, soon becoming one of its leading exponents. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931, and is one of the most famous Surrealist paintings. Dalí lived in France throughout the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) before leaving for the United States in 1940 where he achieved commercial success. He returned to Spain in 1948 where he announced his return to the Catholic faith and developed his “nuclear mysticism” style, based on his interest in classicism, mysticism, and recent scientific developments.   read more…

Sagrada Família in Barcelona

1 September 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Basílica de la Sagrada Família (Spanish: Basílica de la Sagrada Familia; ‘Basilica of the Holy Family‘), also known as the Sagrada Família, is a large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), his work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.   read more…

Seville Cathedral

10 February 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Ingo Mehling/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Ingo Mehling/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María de la Sede), better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies. It is the fourth-largest church in the world (its size remains a matter of debate) as well as the largest Gothic church.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Oviedo

30 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  17 minutes

Parliament building of the Principality of Asturias © flickr.com - vicenmiranda/cc-by-2.0

Parliament building of the Principality of Asturias © flickr.com – vicenmiranda/cc-by-2.0

Oviedo (Asturian: Uviéu) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located approximately 24 ;km (15 mi) southwest of Gijón and 23 km (14 mi) south of Avilés, both of which lie on the shoreline of the Bay of Biscay. Oviedo’s proximity to the ocean of less than 30 kilometres (19 mi) in combination with its elevated position with areas of the city more than 300 metres above sea level causes the city to have a maritime climate, in spite of it not being located on the shoreline itself.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Langreo

29 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Astur1

© Astur1

Langreo (Asturian: Llangréu) is a municipality and town of northern Spain, province of The Principality of Asturias. It is the 4th largest town of Asturias with 43.000 inhabitants. Langreo is located in the centre of Asturias, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-east of Oviedo. It was an important mining and metallurgical center. In the neighbourhood fruit and cider are produced, and there are still important coal mines, foundries, and factories for the manufacture of coarse cloth. The largest town is Langreo (43,000 inhabitants), formed by the most important districts: La Felguera (20.000), Sama (10.000), and Riaño, Ciaño, Lada and Barros.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Corvera de Asturias

28 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Elmolin

© Elmolin

Corvera de Asturias (Asturian: Corvera) is a municipality in the principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It shares a boundary to the north with Avilés and Gozón; to the east with Carreño and Gijón; to the south with Llanera and Illas and to the west with Castrillón. Its capital, Nubledo, has a population of more than 300 residents.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Avilés

27 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Calle Galiana © flickr.com - Ángel M. Felicísimo/cc-by-2.0

Calle Galiana © flickr.com – Ángel M. Felicísimo/cc-by-2.0

Avilés is a town in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main cities in the Principality of Asturias. The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than 140 metres. Situated in the Avilés estuary, in the Northern Central area of the Asturian coast, west of Peñas Cape, is its national seaport. Avilés is mainly an industrial city. It is close to popular beaches like Salinas. It also has important churches like St. Thomas of Canterbury. Avilés has the Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre (in Spanish: Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer).   read more…

Portrait: Juan Carlos I, King Emeritus of Spain

27 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  14 minutes

Abdictation of King Juan Carlos I © Ministry of the Presidency. Government of Spain

Abdictation of King Juan Carlos I © Ministry of the Presidency. Government of Spain

Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from November 1975 until his abdication in June 2014. In Spain, since his abdication, Juan Carlos has usually been referred to as the Rey Emérito (“King Emeritus“).   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Pola de Siero

26 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Anual/cc-by-3.0

© Anual/cc-by-3.0

Pola de Siero (in Asturian and as official name La Pola Siero, and also known as La Pola colloquially) is a town in the autonomous community of Asturias on the north coast of the Kingdom of Spain. It is the administrative capital of the municipality (concejo) of Siero. Pola de Siero is located in the centre of Asturias, approximately 16 km east of the regional Capital Oviedo and 16 km south of Gijón.   read more…

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