Farsighted Fly Girl

Wine may be the highlight of Spain's Ribera Del Duero wine region but this cultural landmark, which stretches through four provinces, offers many stunning vistas besides vineyards and sloping hills. The Castle of Curiel De Duero  perched on the hilltop pictured above was one of the first sites that caught my eye. The ancient fortress overlooks the area's vineyards and wineries and reminds visitors of the area's impressive history that dates back to the 11th century. This charming spot is part of the terrace for Molino de Palacios restaurant in Penafiel, which was converted from a 16th-century flour mill. The spectacle of the Duero River  flowing through the town of Castronuno immediately grabbed my attention. This is the river that fortifies the region's vineyards and it's one of the longest rivers of the Iberian Peninsula. This monument to the local cantareras,  the women who traditionally carried jugs of water from the river to the towns, was m...

Surrounded by a pine forest and the Duero River, Finca Villacreces winery offers a bucolic vision of traditional Spanish winemaking. Founded in the 13th century by Franciscan monks, I explored the estates 171 acres of vineyards that supply Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes.  As the region’s biggest organic winery, Villacreces doesn’t use sulfates and it employs butterflies, ladybugs and birds to eat insects instead of insecticides. The grapes are harvested by hand to preserve the quality. Strolling and biking through the sandy and rocky terrain, I learned about the fermentation process that produces the wineries signature Pruno wine, a  deep burgundy, fruity wine created with Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  I sipped Pruno at the elegant picnic that was laid out for a scenic wine tasting among the twisting vines. Gourmet cheeses, charcuterie and regional dishes blended with the wines to create savory flavors. A visit to t...

Spain is noted for quirky traditions and festivals but Valencia's Las  Fallas Festival probably ranks up there in terms of overall quirk. During Fallas every March, the city's streets are filled with firecrackers, gunpowder and towering monuments called ninots. The celebration welcomes spring and honors St. Joseph's feast day on March 19 with a daily fireworks show, locals dressed in traditional Valenican costumes and setting the handcrafted art of the ninots  ablaze all at once, on March 19. Ninots are created by neighborhood teams who spend months and sometimes the entire year, designing  the monuments from papier mache, wood, plaster and cardboard. They are usually satirical or fanciful figures and out of the 350 odd ninots  created, one, the ninot indultat  (pardoned figure) is spared the fire by popular vote.  The saved monuments are displayed in the Fallas Museum  and walking through its halls is like wandering around an animated wonderland...

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and known for it's pretty palm-tree lined streets and mix of old world and modern architecture. But I was most excited about Valencia's other claim to fame as the birthplace of paella. If you're like me, you've enjoyed countless pans of paella and eagerly order it whenever you see it on a menu. Well, I took two cooking classes in Valencia (I'll explore the details in later posts) and what I quickly discovered is that what passes for paella in the U.S. is rarely the real thing. There are so many details that are needed to create authentic paella but the most significant is an open fire of orange wood. That's right, paella is a rural tradition and it is cooked in front of  baraccas  or small country houses. I visited the small farm and restaurant of   Barraca Toni Montoliu . I picked the vegetables that you see Toni cooking over the orange wood in the video. The flavor that the open fire and orange wood gives to paell...

Valencia is a very pretty Spanish city filled with palm trees, marble streets and a startling mix of medieval and modern architecture. I found the city's overall atmosphere to be charming and festive although a lot of the latter characteristic had to do with the upcoming Las Fallas festival.  The fest dates back to the Middle Ages and welcomes spring with fireworks, huge handcrafted monuments that are torched at the end of the fest and locals flaunting traditional Valencian dress. These ladies were roaming through the crowds as we prepared to watch the fireworks display, called the mascleta. I loved seeing the intricacy of their costumes and their  casual attitude about wearing medieval finery in the middle of gobs of gawking people. I will be sharing several posts about Las Fallas but this is my fave pic by far.

I love Spanish culture and especially the lovely coastal cities that wrap around the Mediterranean so I'm thrilled to be headed to Valencia , Spain. As the third largest city in Spain, Valencia is filled with ancient structures, avant guarde architecture and lots of culture. I'll be viewing the start of the annual Fallas Festival , which features bonfires, fireworks and huge art pieces that will be set afire at the end of the fest. And since the hearty dish of paella was invented in Spain, I'll be attending a paella cooking class and learning about the city's  many cooking traditions. Look out for posts, pix and videos on the trendy restaurant scene, beaches and museums next week!

It's a thrilling experience to watch flamenco dancing . The rhythms, the dramatic flourishes and chants capture you immediately. I climbed the steep cobblestone hills of Granada, Spain to watch a flamenco performance in the famous caves of Sacromonte . Formed around ravines and supplying striking views of the Alhambra Palace, this historic neighborhood is worth a visit even without flamenco but the dance and the music is closely tied to the area. The area was settled by Roma, Moors and Jewish people fleeing persecution. The derogatory term of gypsy is still used but Roma is the preferred name for these nomadic people who arrived from India in the 15th century. It's said that elements of Indian dance can be glimpsed in flamenco as well as Moorish and Jewish influences. What I recognized was the strong connection between cultural expression and systematic oppression. Many of the movements and phrasing reminded me of American blues culture and I think that there are many histo...

It's been a wild and wonderful year and I can sincerely say that I'm sad to leave all of the year's experiences behind. I've made some great connections and created unforgettable memories. Here are just some of my favorites: Exploring the rich and enchanting culture of Andalusia,Spain. The photo above shows a lovely courtyard building in Granada. Beauty was everywhere I turned in Southern Spain. The intoxicating charm of Martinque will always remain with me. The image above reveals just a glimpse of the island's magic, from the top of the famous town of St. Pierre. I was thrilled to visit Asia for the first time and Macau was a fascinating introduction. The people, the culture, the history and food supplied me with nonstop excitement. I think I'm still calming down from that trip. Montreal will always be a favorite city and I was as enchanted to visit this year as I am every time I go. I was lucky enough to catch the city's Caribbean pa...

I've discovered that when it comes to travel photos and experiences, it's the unexpected that leaves the strongest impressions. Strolling the cobblestone streets of Granada, Spain, I spotted this little boy in his doorway. He's playing with silkworms, an especially symbolic past-time because just steps away from his doorway, the legendary Granada silk bazaar or Alcaiceria unfolded on several streets during the 15th century. From the 15th through the 19th centuries, the Moorish tradition of silk production supplied the Alcaiceria  with fine fabrics that filled hundreds of small shops that dotted the labyrinth of streets and alleyways. The original Alcaiceria  burned down from a fire that raged for eight days in 1843. By that time, silk trading was firmly entrenched in Japan and China and the Spanish silk trade never recovered. But remnants of that history, like these silkworms stored in a shoe box with holes, can be glimpsed if you keep your eyes and mind open.

Andalusia is noted for its distinctive culture and aside from the eye-popping beauty, that's my favorite thing about the region. On the sunny Costa Tropical, the cultural delights continue. This beach in Salobrena , about 45 minutes from Granada, enchanted me with mountain views, pristine waves and the smell of sardines grilling. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of sardines but I was excited to see this chiringuito or beach bar, with an authentic boat used as a grill because it's a hallmark of Andalusian beach culture. Fresh, just caught fish are a specialty with espetos de sardinas  or sardine skewers, the most essential. My excitement must have been obvious because I was quickly invited to learn how to skewer the sardines for grilling. The bamboo sticks are pushed through the body of the sardine for even grilling and it's probably easy to do for more spatially refined people but unfortunately, not for me. I mangled a handful of silvery fish before I...

Andalusia's dreamy Costa Tropical, a collection of beaches and resort towns that hug the Mediterranean coast, captivates all who venture into the area's sunny landscape. For a water reveler like me, the salty air and cerulean sea felt like a European version of tropical paradise. Our first stop was the hilltop town of Motril , which boasts a colorful port filled with fishing boats, lounging  locals and this mermaid. She was the first thing I spied in the port which is fitting, since she seems to be waving a graceful greeting to all soon-to-be-mesmerized visitors.

The breadth of the beauty and the richness of the culture that I experienced in Andalusia is overwhelming. I took 732 photos on my DSLR, 200 on my point and shoot camera and 100 on my phone. It was hard to decide what to share first so I thought about the essence of Spanish culture. I observed a great respect and value for family, food and music. So I decided on one of my most memorable experiences, listening to live flamenco in the garden patio of Alcadima Hotel , in Lanjaron. It's a family run hotel that sits surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in the Alpujarra region. We were treated to a nine course dinner prepared by the owner himself and served by his son.The lush gardens that encircled the patio are tended by his grandmother. He invited a local flamenco guitarist who was accompanied by his mother, who danced the stomping rhythms along with his playing. If you can imagine the heady sensations of a striking landscape, rich food, warm hospitality and hypnotic music a...

I'll be exploring the mountains, caves and cobblestone streets of  Andalusia, the independent province of Southern Spain, for a jam-packed week. Courtesy of a media trip sponsored by Turismo De Granada  and Iberia Airlines , I'll witness the splendor of the famous Alhambra Palace, pictured above, as well as other Andalusian cultural hallmarks, including flamenco dancing in caves, tasting fresh fish in chiringuitos, the beach bars that line the Costa Tropical coastline and visiting the white-washed mountain villages of Alpujarra. I'm especially excited about tracing the presence of the Moorish rulers from north Africa who ruled the region for seven centuries and left their mark in the architecture, pottery, food and art. Please stay tuned for lots of posts and photos in the coming weeks!