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Posts: 4530
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
Back from Spain - PICTURES!
Hola Amigos,
i just came back from my first trip to spain. I only had 8 days so i had to wake up very early every morning and went to bed very late at night to be able to see all the places which i had planned to see.
And i can tell you that this is the most beautifull country i have ever seen in my life.
My stations:
Madrid Cordoba Sevilla Granada
Here are some of the best pictures which i took in Granada and Sevilla. Please be patient. Some pictures are big and it will take time to load them. I will add more pictures as soon as i have uploaded them. Enjoy!
Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px
Posts: 4530
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
RE: Back from Spain - PICTURES! (in reply to Arash)
Yes, it was a very tough schedule ( 2 days Madrid, 3 days Sevilla , Cordoba half a day, Granada 2 days) but i prepared myself very good in advance so i managed to see many sights and 3 Flamenco shows and also a Bull fight in Sevilla!
But i have to admit that now i need to rest for 2 or 3 days to be able to walk again lol
I saw 1 flamenco show in Madrid (in Casa Patas which i think is the most famous tablao in Madrid) And 2 different shows in Sevilla (in Casa Carmen).
All shows were great with very good guitarists, singers and dancers. Unfortunately it was not allowed to film.
The guitarists in Casa Carmen were as good as some of the famous guitarists which we know and from which we buy the CDs!. It was really amazing!.
I also visited the guitar shop of Jose Lopez Bellido in Granada but i didnt like his guitars. I played on a blanca and a Negra and i didnt feel comfortable on his guitars. Dont know why.
The weather was great. In Granada it was a little bit cold at night only.
RE: Back from Spain - PICTURES! (in reply to Arash)
Hi Arash,
das ist ja schön, Dich hier zu treffen Ich dachte, Du hättest Dein Nick geändert und warst früher Ashram, der kam nämlich aus Hamburg. Wir hatten uns aus den Augen verloren.
Wie ich sehe, hast Du in Andalusien ein straffes Programm gehabt. Ich habe immer wenig Schlaf, wenn ich dort bin :-)
in Málaga is the small pub Onda Pasadena directly in the center near Plaza de Merced. Almost every night there was a flamenco concert with guitar and cante. Near the shore there is the tablao Rincón de la Victoria (or Gloria). Note: There is also a village on the way to Nerja that´s named Rincón de la Gloria. I always mismatch these names. In the village there is the peña El Piyayo where José Antonio "El Chaparro" gives lessons. He plays in style and niveau like Tomatito.
Also in the center there is the peña Juan Breva. It has a small bar where also tourists sometimes step in. They also have a big room and a small flamenco museum that is not mentioned to "outsiders" but interesting to see. About 10 minutes outside from the center by car there´s another tablao called Vista Andalucía. Around Málaga you may find Gabriél Cabrera accompaning cante. He´s also guitarist at the Juan Breva peña and was my flamenco guitar teacher. Although he only speaks spanish he is very easy to understand. He also knows where the events happen. So if you´ll meet with him, then please tell him "un abrazo de Bernardo de Fulda".
RE: Back from Spain - PICTURES! (in reply to Arash)
I made a similar trip a few weaks back . We left belgium the 7th september en we travelled, "backpacked" whole of andalucia. Valencia ( not andalucia i know), but then Cordoba, Sevilla, San Fernando, Tarifa, Algeciras, Ronda and then finally Granada. Personal highlight; Sevilla (NOT Granada)
Funny thing is, for sure the alhambra picture, that I have almost identical photos.:-) Backpacking Andalucia with 7 non- aficionado friends is a whole experience, but they respected my flamenco passion, but couldn't understand it, altough I tried to explain some of it.
Many great adventures, always slept under the stars (for example in Granada we slept in one of the outer gardens of the Alhambra until we had to RUN for the security guards who were eager to get us:-)), shoe-stealing-bums have nothing new for me know:-), also met lots of VERY strange people (especially in Granada):
What I learned from this trip is that Flamenco in andalusia is primarely "lived" by the very poor people. My image on flamenco was way to romantic. On several occasions I picked up the guitar from some dude, and they all were blown away by my toque-skills. I found that quite strange cause I didn't have any warm-up, I was way out of compas, the guitars SUCKED BIG TIME, but still they called me virtuoso or something like that. (I can asure you, I'm not....I primarely played solea and solea por buleria, and the alegrias(Chiceulo)). But it was very cool for me to have some people who truly live flamenco day in day out, acknowledge my skill/passion and for the first time in my life I could share flamenco with another human being. Other than this forum I have nobody to talk abot flamenco. and that's a shame cause flamenco is a very powerfull thing and sometimes I find it hard to carry alone.
I learned that altough compas is a necessary evil, "they"(flamencos) value the feel, the passion, the "duende" far more.
ps, Just like you I didn't find any guitarshop wich I liked....suckass guitars dammit. (But maybe they make the guitars affodable for the poor people who are plenty in Spain.)
RE: Back from Spain - PICTURES! (in reply to Arash)
oops, forget to mention, If you ever feel depressed in Sevilla, go to a square where there is a zara, a burgerking and a bit further a supermerado............in some strange way all the HOT GIRLS in seville have to cross it .... , never seen beauty's, butt off course.......I know it's all the inside that matters, no doubt they are wonderfull sweet caring persons as well....but damn hot:-)
RE: Back from Spain - PICTURES! (in reply to Arash)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Arash
I also visited the guitar shop of Jose Lopez Bellido in Granada but i didnt like his guitars. I played on a blanca and a Negra and i didnt feel comfortable on his guitars. Dont know why.
Hey Arash Did you get time to visit any other guitar makers? The bellido shop is quite commercial and many of the guitars that carry his label are not fully hand made but hand finished or made by other family members. The concert models made by bellido himself are by special order in person.The smaller makers who make hand made guitars from scratch are difficult to find. Most of them are hidden in tiny back streets around the realejo.
RE: Back from Spain - PICTURES! (in reply to Arash)
Great pictures! I went to Spain in July for 2 weeks - Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba, and Granada. Up early and walking around until very late. I enjoyed Sevilla most because I spent a full week there. I rented an apartment, and studied guitar at Taller Flamenco. My landlord was very cool, and invited me for meals with friends and family. I went out with friends I met at the school, and had a great time. My dancer companions even had me dancing (trying, really) Sevillanas in Triana at the "Sevillanas bar".
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