Category Archives: Spain

Spain

Telefonica museo

We went to the Museo Telefonica which is located inside the beautiful national Telefonica building in Madrid.

National Telefonica building in Madrid

The entrance which was free is at the side of the main building. We went into a lobby area which had a small model of the Telefonica building on display.

Shelley beside the model of the telefonica building

We took an elevator up to the top floor and explored the exhibit which was a history of the phone company in Spain.

Display of different phones that were used over the years.
Ornate telephone used in early 1900’s in Spain

There were exhibits of different pieces of equipment that was actually used in Spain.

Telegraph decoder of morse code which was used until 1950.

The telegraph decoder was used in Spain beginning in 1875 and was in use until 1950. The importance of the telegraph decoder was its ability to instantly decode into printable and readable text messages from morse code. This particular telegraph decoder was used to send news of the movement of Spanish soldiers during war.

Breaker switches and circuit wall which was in actual use at the telefonica company
This switchboard was used in connecting different customers manually.

After exploring the history of the telephone in Spain we went to the third floor to check out the digital exhibit. This exhibit was truly unique and very enjoyable. It is divided into three different parts. The first section called “Black Waves: Lost, Immersed, and Reborn” which is the largest part of the exhibit. When we entered the exhibit it was truly spectacular. There were large digital waves throughout several different large rooms.

View of the digital waves throughout the exhibit.

We walked through the rooms and were immersed into the 3D digital art.

Shelley and Ray in the 3D digital exhibit

The telefonica museum was an interesting spot and the 3D digital exhibit was very enjoyable.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un buen dia”

Spain

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia

It was a rainy day in Madrid so we decided to go to the National Museum of Art to see some of the exhibits which included Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and H.C. Westermann.

Entrance to the Museo Reina Sofia

We explored the museum which had many different exhibits. We explored some of the ones which were of interest to us. The first one we went to was the cubism exhibit which featured some famous Spanish artists, including Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.

Bust and Pallet, (1925) Pablo Picasso
Face of the great masturbator, (1929)- Salvador Dali

Some of the exhibits were quite unique and interesting, in particular we enjoyed the Horace Clifford Westermann exhibit.

Ray looking at some of the HC Westermann exhibits

He is known for his folkloric sculptures and works on paper with playfulness and humour,

We saw some interesting pieces that were very unique including the “Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea,”

Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea, HC Westermann

We looked at the different pieces and some where quite interesting while others were simply strange.

Antimobile (1966) HC Westermann
Shelley “just missing the bullseye”
“In God we trust” HC WEstermann
Robot by HC Westermann

The Museum was well worth the visit and we enjoyed seeing the different styles of art on display.

Ray in mirror art

It was a great way to spend a rainy day in Madrid.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un gran dia”

 

Spain

The Chicote museum

We went to check out one of the iconic and original cocktail bars in Madrid called the “Museo Chicote”. It is located on the Gran Via and was formerly known as Perico Chicote bar. It opened in 1931 by Pedro Chicote, who was a former barman of the Ritz Hotel.

The outside of the bar was unassuming and had a modern look.

The facade of Museo Chicote bar in Madrid

We went inside and immediately it felt like we had stepped back in time. The inside of the Museo Chicote had some interesting features. On the right side were small booths with moulded chairs and in the centre tables and chairs.

View of the interior of the Museo Chicote bar in Madrid

The rear of the bar had some red velvet curtains with an old style pay phone mounted on the wall.

Pay phone at the rear of the bar

We sat down at one of the booths and took in the decor as we enjoyed a cocktail.

Shelley sitting in one of the booths.

The Chocote bar was one of the first cocktail bars in Madrid. It is known for the many famous people that have spent time in the bar. On the wall behind the bar there were pictures of some of the famous people who visited the bar.

Photos on display behind the bar

We took a closer look at some of the photos and came across some famous people including, Salvador Dali, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Sofia Loren, Earnest Hemingway and Many more.

Picture of Rita Hayworth (top) and Bette Davis (below) in the Chicote Bar
Some of the pictures of celebrities in the Chicote bar.

It was a wall full of Celebrities from all parts of the world.

There is even a Spanish TV series called “Arde Madrid” which features the story of Eva Gardner when she was living in Madrid.

Throughout the series there are many scenes involving the Chicote Bar. In 2004 the Chicote bar received an award as one of the best bars in Europe.

It was a great experience being in the Chicote Bar. We enjoyed a cocktail at one of the historic and iconic bars in Madrid. We even took a selfie picture of us with the Chicote Bar.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

AlcalĆ” del JĆŗcar

We spent some time in the small and quaint town of AlcalĆ” del JĆŗcar with a population of only 1, 321. It is located in a narrow valley in the province of Albacete.

The view from the top of the valley

The view from the top of the valley is beautiful. The drive into the town follows a road that winds along the rocky walls of the steep valley.

The view of the town of AlcalĆ” del JĆŗcar

Bellow is a short video of the drive down the valley.

We went for a walk and explored the town of AlcalĆ” del JĆŗcar. The town is quiet and slow paced. We enjoyed walking slowly along the quiet streets admiring the architecture and scenery. We came across some interesting and beautiful spots along our walk.

The view from one of the streets in town
Ray near the arched bridge in the town
A man sitting on a chair on the middle of the street

Along our walk we came across a gentlemen sitting in a chair in the middle of the street. He was enjoying the sun and seemed surprise to see us.

There were caves carved out of the side of the valley walls where people lived. We could see the caves in many different areas.

Caves made into houses

Shelley explored a cave house which was converted to a museum. The inside of the cave was spectacular with features that would rival any home.

View of one of the main rooms in the cave house
One of the rooms in the cave house in the town of AlcalĆ” del JĆŗcar

The town even had a castle which was perched above the town.

The castle in AlcalĆ” del JĆŗcar

The castle provided a great view of the town and surrounding area.

The view from the castle of the town of AlcalĆ” del JĆŗcar

AlcalĆ” del JĆŗcar is very quaint and special town. It has great has great character and we enjoyed exploring the town.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

A tour of the Bodega La Cepa De Pelayo

We went for a tour at a winery called “Bodega La Cepa De Pelayo”Ā  which is a new Bodega located in AlcafĆ” Del Jucar, Spain.

The tour was very detailed and took us through the entire Bodega.

Ray at the start of the Bodega tour

Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained the entire process in detail.

Tour guide explaining the processes of the wine making in the Bodega

We began with a tour with the extraction process, known as “debourbage”and how the grape is separated from the juice.

The vats used to ferment the wine

The juice is then transferred to different vatsĀ where the alcoholic fermentation starts.

Shelley and Ray in front of the fermentation vats

We then went to the barrel storage area where the wine is aged.

Wine aged in oak barrels at the Bodega.

Finally we went to a large hall set up for the wine tasting. We found our seats and learned about the etiquette of wine tasting. Our tour guide was very good and explained everything very clearly.

Tour guide explaining the wine tasting etiquette

We learned about the colour of the wine, the smell, look, texture and taste. We were taught how to swirl the glass to release the aromas of the wine.

Shelley at the wine tasting

We tried several different wines including a white, rose and red.

Ray tasting a white wine at the Bodega

The wine tasting was very entertaining and a lot of fun.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un gran dia”