Aranjuez, the summer palace of the Spanish royalty

03/03/202210/12/2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Aranjuez is just south of Madrid and home to the summer palace. It was built in the second half of the 16th century under Phillip II. The town was originally inhabited only by the court but now is a small but vibrant town dominated by the tourists who visit the palace.

The main entrance is through a gate that leads onto a large courtyard.

Palacio de Aranjuez pen and ink, (5 x7″, 12.7 x 17.8 cm- to purchase see bottom)

Visitors would have entered through the doors to be confronted with a magnificent marble staircase and a ceiling high above. Nowadays visitors enter through a much smaller entrance in the Renaissance style wing. This style features a rather flat presentation, with pediments of various sorts adoring the windows. Here you can also see the Romanesque arches, rounded versus the sharper edges of the Gothic style.

The interior visitors access is limited to two floors. Once you climb the main staircase there perhaps a dozen rooms. Some are more what you might expect in terms of high and painted ceilings, luxurious furnishings, and rich colors. Others are intensely decorated with ceramics:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Aranjuez interior

The palace sits on the conjunction of two rivers, the Tagus and Jarama. The rivers feed numerous fountains and maintain the extensive gardens.

Nearby is the Palcio de Sivela, built in 1860 and completely restored in 1988. Here is my impression of it

Video: Paintings and Drawings Done at Palau de la Musica

16/01/202022/06/2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

The paintings and drawings in this video slide show were done at Palau de la Musica, Valencia. They explore the state of mind we experience as music transports us to a semi dream-like state. The paintings and drawings in this video slide show were done at Palau de la Musica, Valencia. They explore the state of mind we experience as music transports us to a semi dream-like state. The music is Arco de Noe by Oscar Navarro, a Valencian composer. He was in the audience the day we heard this piece.

Palau de la Musica Small Stage

02/01/201711/06/2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Another in the series of paintings based on drawings done at the Palau de la Musica in Valencia, Spain. The audience waits expectantly as the musicians arrive. Valencia has a long and powerful tradition of symphonic bands and offer many free concerts each year. This is a smaller hall and here you can listen to more traditional music.

Palau de la Musica Small Stage 18 x 24 — Palau de la Musica Small Stage 21″ x 26″, 52 cm x 66cm

Palau de la Musica Small Stage, detail

Palau de la Musica Small Stage, from a drawing made at the Palau in Valencia, Spain — Palau de la Musica Small Stage, detail

Two Fiddles at the Palau

02/01/201704/06/2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Two Fiddles at the Palau

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Contrabass at Palau de la Musica- available as prints

Two Brown Bass Fiddles at the Palau

02/01/201704/06/2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Two Brown Bass Fiddles at the Palau

This started life as a drawing at Palau de la Musica. I enlarged the original, a tiny 2 x 4″ and put it on the canvas board, then painted in with acrylics. See also Two Fiddles at the Palau, a version of this based on the very same drawing.

Cáceres: you could shoot a medieval movie here and wouldn’t even have to remove the cars

15/05/201607/05/2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Cáceres has an old walled town in its center. Walk around and you are in the middle ages, given the buildings, the stone streets and total absence of cars. There is a blend of Roman, Moorish, Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture, not to mention the stork nests. There are thirty towers from the Islamic period still standing.

Humans have inhabited the area since prehistoric times. Evidence of this can be found in the caves of Maltravieso, with cave paintings dating to 25,000 BCE. The city was founded by the Romans in 25 BC and is a Unesco World Heritage Site, quite justifiably so.

Cáceres is in the part of Spain called Extremadura. I always thought that the name Extremadura referred to the extremely hard (dura) quality of the soil and life there but more accurately extremadura is from Latin words meaning literally “outermost hard”, the outermost secure border of an occupied territory. During La Reconquista it was the westernmost holding of the Christians.

Singer, Drummer, Sax, Clarinets, Singers

24/05/201730/04/2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

From my music series, Singer Sax Drummer is based on a drawing done at the Palau de la Musica in Valencia. I have included the drawing below. It is done in acrylics. There are two distinct planes. You see two instrument playing muses, one kicking her leg up. This painting is a fusion of automatic drawing and an abstract background with bright and strong colors.

Cuenca, Spain: City on a cliff

06/12/201623/04/2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Cuenca, Spain: City on a cliff

Cuenca is situated northwest of Valencia and southeast of Madrid, just an hour from either on the AVE, the fast train. It is known for the houses perched on the cliffs and for the Júcar and the Huécar, two rivers (well, streams is a better word) which encase it. The town was first settled by the Moors, who sought to take advantage of its natural fortress qualities. Nonetheless they lost it in 1177 to the Christians.

The area offers an interesting cuisine, which I will comment upon below the photos.

cuenca bridge — Looking at the town from across the bridge

13051596_10154168775298331_2776704917126771407_n — Some of the famous cliff side residences

13043738_10154169598503331_9073303365152680531_n — Whoa!

12994548_10154169631793331_2775750632472865573_n — View from Restaurante el Secreto, Cuenca

The Cuisine

There are a number of interesting dishes, mostly tapas.

Ajo arriero, cod, potato and garlic, can be spread on bread
Morteruelo, pâté made from hare, partridge, hen and pork or some combination
Pisto manchego, tomato, pepper, courgette/zucchini fried in olive oil. Very thick.
Mushrooms, harvested in the forests near Cuenca. Níscalo is common, but other species, such as boletus (long and large with a cap).
Mojete: traditional salad made of tomato.
Alajú an Arab cake made of honey, almonds, nuts and grated orange rind.
Resoli is an after dinner alcoholic beverage made from grape must, cinnamon, anise.

We had lunch at Restaurante el Secreto. The Guide Routarde sign for multiple years including 2016 attracted our attention. The Guide has served us well through the years and it did not disappoint us. This restaurant has many game offerings. Peg had the venison, which was superb- even I thought so. The wine was very good, local and reasonably priced, as was the entire meal including my ceviche trout.

The decor is worth a look! Ceramics floor to ceiling.