Passion
In Puerto del Sol, Madrid
The wild break dancer
Spinning
On his back
His shoulder
Lithe
Strong
Passion for the night
Passion
The dancer
In the Flamenco Cave
The flashing of the legs
The swirling of the skirts
The staccato beating of the feet
Hard on the floor
Driving the beating of the heart
The Dance of Passion
Looking forward to visiting Spain again to indulge the passion
Sitting below the Sierra Nevada and above the fertile plane of Granada
is The Red
Alhambra
The site chosen by the Romans for a fort
Bought to its glory by the Moors as Christian Europe languished in its Dark Ages
Magnificent architecture
Mosaics
Gardens
Bought into flourish by the Nasrid Sultans over 700 years
Then occupied by Ferdinand and Isabella
Driving Islam out or Spain and establishing themselves as the Catholic Kings
In the Palace, Isabella signed the orders for Columbus to sail in search of the Americas
The dawn of the Golden Age
The centre of old Granada
Overlooking the Albacain, the Arab quarter
Ransacked by Napoleon’s troops in 1882
Alhambra still stands magnificent even though losing its former glory.
Cadiz
3000 years old
Inhabited by
Phoenicians
Romans
Goths
Moors
Through to
the Spanish “Golden Years”
Flourishing
Gold and other trade from the Americas
Trading through its port
Building a flourishing city
Grand Cathedral
Filled with the silver and gold
flowing from the Americas
Now a coastal tourist city
Port of ferries, cruise and cargo ships
old town and new
new ways and old
The wonderful passion of spain
I saw the Dutch as having a stoic inner strength as a result of the battle the with external forces.
The Spanish temperament is shaped by the battle with their own wild passion.
Separatists in the Basque country and Catalonia seeking their own expression.
Civil ways
Anarchists
Communists
Capitalists
Living in the shadow of Spain’s “Glory Years”.
“Glory Years” that spread Spanish culture to the Americas, Africa and distant corner so the world.
Especially in the Americas where the Hispanic culture is still strong.
As it shows on the Hispanic Day parade from Plaza de Mayor of the Hispanic groups.
So the passionate Spaniards celebrate with parades of national days and saint days.
With a 100 or more buglers and drummers leading the parade of the patron saint of Cadiz
But in many ways the flamenco dance captures the raw passionate energy of Spain
The wild swing or the body
The rapid fire stamping of the feet
The dancer lost in the raw energy of the moment
The wild expression of the inner passion.
Parked outside the 12th century airbnb near Olot that was home for a couple of nightsThe mountains of Catalonia are home to beautiful villages dating back to medieval times.
Villages built across Clifford tops
Still with ancient paths and trails through the forest
Ancient churches
Villages that have stood millennia
Holding in their stony edifaces the history of Catalonia
The tale goes that James the 1st carried a golden shield when invading Catalonia
He was killed in battle
As he died his fingers dragged down shield leaving four bloodied stripes
The Catalonia flag four red stripes on a gold background.
Ps.
Thanks Judith and Juan for being wonderful hosts and Juan for sharing the tale of the Catalan flag.
