Experiences labelled with 'spain travel'
The reserved and resistant find it hard not to be swept up by the beat. Even the rhythmically inept, are unable to resist clapping along. And, just as the dancer and singer lock into a stare so intense you think one of them might explode, you yourself become helpless to take your eyes off of the stage. Flamenco dance, born in Spain, is at its best in Andalusia's capitol – Sevilla. The earliest records of flamenco dance are from as recent as the 1800s, but there is evidence that suggests this tradition goes back quite a bit further. Flamenco traditionally consists of three parts, toque – playing the guitar, cante – singing, and baile – the dancing. The percussion in the flamenco music comes from ...
Aside from being the birthplace of paella, there is only one thing that the Spanish city of Valencia is famous for – the delightful papier-mâché models, pageantry and fireworks that take over the town for the Las Fallas festival. Staged annually on March 19th, this centuries-old festival has become a four-day extravaganza that attracts thousands of domestic and international tourists to the city every year. The event traces its origins back to a custom of the city’s carpenters, who burned their scrap wood and utensils worn out from the winter in time for the feast of Saint Joseph – their patron saint – on March 19th. The “Fallas” were the piles of combustible materials gathered for the occasion. The modern festival took shape in the ...
Madrid has old churches and historic plazas, but it's all mixed in with the daily grind of the metropolitan Spanish capital. Many visitors choose to explore Segovia next door where you can see an aqueduct, a castle, and a cathedral all within the historic city's defensive walls. The Segovia aqueduct alone is worth the visit. Casting its shadow over the Plaza Azoguejo, this massive Roman structure stands straight and true after 2,000 years without a drop of mortar. And it still works, bringing Segovia much of its water from the Fuente Fría River in the nearby foothills. Passing among the arches, it's easy to get dreamy about civilizations long gone. Climbing the hill into town, examples of Moorish-inspired Medieval Catholic architecture line the streets made ...
A visit to the small Spanish town of Cuenca makes a great day trip from Madrid. Cuenca is famous for its “hanging houses,” and you will find in Cuenca an intact Medieval village hewn from stone and built onto a high bluff in the middle of a canyon. You can see traces of the Moorish culture that originally settled the area, and enough ruins, fortress walls and stone arches to ignite your imagination. The modern part of the village is a charming seat of local culture. The downtown part offers sidewalk bars and cafés, and all the friendly ambiance and semi-nocturnal social life you would expect from a Castilian town. But up the hill in the old town you'll find the real reason for your ...
