Spanish Fans: Cooling it while fighting off bugs

By Ariana Maldonado

 Hand-held fans have been around since the 4th century when they were invented in Japan. They were popular also with the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, not mainly to stay cool but as the simplest way of fighting off insects. The primary use of the fan in European nations is noted in the fourteenth century in the Chronicles of Pedro the Primary of Aragon.

A feather fan was given as a gift from Christopher Colombus to Queen Isabella prior his first trip in 1492 to when he discovered America. As time went on, fans became not simply a delicate object associated with beauty, but they also took on important meanings.

Fans have been created from lace,feathers, made linen, palm fronds, fine silks, and alternative leaves. Today, marketplaces exist world-wide offering fans, and not solely are expensive hand-made fans available, but many less expensive options are for sale. The cheaper fans are normally produced of paper or cardboard with a plastic framework. Fans make an excellent memory and are available all over Europe from shopping malls, to gift shops, to Chinese dollar stores.

When I first went in the gift shop, my friends, and I saw the fans and thought it was so funny, but then we ended up falling in love with them. They were so cool, and also so pretty. I got a black and gray fan featuring Flamenco dancers on them. All the fans are different yet still all pretty, and very unique. They have them  in New York, but here they are so different. My friends, and I got similar ones. That way we can all match, and take fun pictures.

As the days went on, the fans became extremely useful as they kept us cool, were cute in the pictures, and were able to embrace the history of the fan because of the Flamenco dancers pictured on them, which shows how Flamenco(kind of dance)is important to Spanish culture. I think everyone should take the time to get a fan because you won’t be disappointed. I truly love it!

A Medieval Treat With A Side of History

The Parador de Santiago, known as the Hostel dos Reyes Católicos, is a mix of art, history, and tradition. It was the pilgrims´ ambition, an emblem of Santiago, and it marks the end of the Camino de Santiago.

Construction on the building was commissioned in 1492, which coincided with America's discovery. Prior to becoming the luxury hotel we have today,  the Parador de Santiago was originally built in 1499 and finished in 1509, and was used as a Royal Hospital for pilgrims traveling the El Camino de Santiago en route to the Catedral de Santiago.The Royal Hospital´s mission was to attend to the pilgrims that came to the Galician capital via the way of the Saint James pilgrimage.
The Parador has two main cloisters. One is named after San Juan (also nicknamed the "kitchen cloister" because the kitchen was located here,) which held the nursery as well as being a home to abandoned and orphaned children. In the San Marcos cloister the pharmacy was housed.

Two subsequent cloisters that many believe were made at a later date due to their Baroque style rather than Renaissance style are named after San Mateo and San Lucas, and are composed of two beautiful gardens within the walls.
The Paradores, luxury and historic hotels, were founded over 85 years ago. These fantastic hotels, located within castles, palaces, mountain lodges, mansions and provincial estates, guarantee stays defined by elegance, comfort and flawless service.
The history of Spain’s spectacular Paradores hotels dates back to the earliest years of the 20th century, when the Spanish Government took note of the significant lack of suitable hotel infrastructure throughout the country. Under direct orders of King Alfonso XIII, the Royal Tourism Commission began to scout the country for truly exceptional locations and in 1928 the very first of these new, luxurious hotels opened in the heart of the Sierra de Gredos mountain range.
It was Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco´s decision in 1954 to include Parador de Santiago in the Spanish Parador hotel system, and to renovate the Hostal into a world-class modern hotel.

Today, Paradores de Turismo de España offers a chain of Spanish luxury hotels.
The wild success of this first site led to the project’s expansion, with unique, historical buildings and sites of great natural beauty as the characteristics for future Paradores. With full support from the government, especially during a particularly busy period in the 1960’s, the Paradores network rapidly expanded as the nation’s infrastructure developed.

When in Spain, you are never far from one of the Paradores. Today more lodging choices exist than ever before, with more than 90 Paradores located throughout the Spanish countryside. In addition to unique and historical accommodations, the hotels also feature the best restaurants specializing in regional gastronomy accompanied by an amazing selection of local wines, and tarts.

In the province of Galicia one of the most popular pastry options is the St. James tart, a delicious almond cake with a remarkable history.

This delicious almond cake is named in honor of Santiago (St. James), the patron saint of Spain. Every July 25th, the feast day of St. James is celebrated nationally in Spain. His remains are buried in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia.

During the Middle Ages, the pilgrimage to Santiago was the most important pilgrimage of the Christian world. Today, many people still make the trip to Santiago not just for religious reasons, but as a cultural, historical or active vacation.

The cake’s origin is not certain, but it may have been brought to Galicia by a pilgrim and enjoyed by many who completed their journey to Santiago. 

The first reference to this tart dates from 1577, when Pedro de Porto Carrero began to prepare it. But at that time it was known as Torta Real and was served fragmented into two individual portions.

However, as such, the first recipe that receives the name of Santiago cake is found in the 1838 confectionery notebook of Luis Bartolomé de Leybar, from where it begins to spread in all Galician pastry books.

Although there are no almond trees in Galicia, the consumption of this dried fruit dates back to the Late Middle Ages, when almonds were imported from the Spanish Levant for gastronomic and therapeutic purposes. But they were only consumed by the upper class. In the middle ages, almonds were very scarce, so the ability to enjoy this dessert was related to economic power.

Although it is not clear yet what its precise origin is, it is well known why the silhouette of the cross of Santiago is applied on the cake. It is a story of 1924 when José Mora Soto, founder of the Compostelano Casa Mora, looked for a way to give a touch of distinction to the dessert, an initiative that was followed by all the proud Compostelanos and that until today remains, for which there is no cake from Santiago that does not carry it.

Years and years of disclosure of the dessert among the pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago have made it a tradition, and more than that, an inevitable gastronomic experience during this adventure, even taking its recipe outside the borders where it is known as a typical product of Galicia.

The tart includes only three main ingredients: Eggs, sugar and almond flour. To make the base, beat the egg with a spoonful of water, the sugar and add a little cinnamon. Gradually add the flour until it forms a mixture than can be kneaded. Roll it out with a rolling pin and line the bottom of a tin that has been greased and sprinkled with flour beforehand. For the filling, whisk the eggs with the sugar and the lemon rind. When it begins to froth, add the ground almonds and the cinnamon. Fill the tin with this mixture and place in an oven pre-heated to 180ºC for about 25-30 minutes. For the final touch, cut out a St. James cross out of cardboard, place it in the middle of the tart and dust the whole tart with icing sugar. When you remove the cross, the shape will remain engraved on the tart.

Although it is not clear yet what its precise origin is, it is well known why the silhouette of the cross of Santiago is applied on the cake. It is a story of 1924 when José Mora Soto, founder of the Compostelano, Casa Mora, looked for a way to give a touch of distinction to the dessert, an initiative that was followed by all the proud Compostelanos and that until today remains, for which there is no cake from Santiago that does not carry it.

Today the cake is sold all over Galicia, and is popular with tourists, as well as pilgrims completing their journey on the St. James Way. 

El Supermercado de Abastos, worth the hike

By Brianna Carolan

Today I had the pleasure of going to El Supermercado de Abastos. This was probably the most incredible supermarket I've seen being that it was all outdoors, and had a variety of options, including the option to order food and eat it there.

Now personally, I am not a fan of seafood, but if you are, this is one hundred percent the place for you. They had all fresh food that included clams, crawfish, lobsters, shrimp, snails and many more. It was amazing just seeing all the options that everyone was offering.

I left there wishing that I did enjoy seafood because everything just looked that amazing. The best part is that seafood was not the only option. Fresh meat, cheese, chicken, fruits and even “the world's best olive oil” were available for purchase.

Chicken and burgers are more my style, so seeing that caught my attention.

When we walked past the fruit section, my mouth started to water just from looking at the colorful options. Apples, oranges, cherries, plums, melons, and anything, you name it, and they probably had it.

Besides the fruits they also had fresh vegetables that included peppers, lettuce, carrots, onions and more. For all this being as fresh as it was, the pricing was nothing to complain about. I highly recommend going to experience this market because you have probably never seen anything like it. I know that as soon as I can, I'm going to be headed back there. Hopefully I will see you there, too!

Castro De Baroña offers magical adventure

For a magical exploration of a well-preserved Iron Age village in Galicia, a visit to Castro De Baroña, only discovered 86 years ago, is a must see.

The village was inhabited from the 1st century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. Fortified settlements of pre-Roman times, known as castros in Spanish, were shared among people and animals and had no windows. The family dwellings were round, surrounded by an enclosed wall, and covered by a thatched roof. The castros were built on hills for optimal defense. They were said to have magical dimensions as building higher was said to offer contact with the sky and beyond.

The Iron Age in central Europe started in 800 B.C. and ended in 375 A.D. During this period, which followed the Bronze Age, iron became the principle material for making tools. During the excavation of Castro de Baroña, fishing hooks and fishing tools were found. Around the 6th century the Iron Age spread westward through Celtic expansion.

Ariana Maldonado and Lucas Hahn take in the sights of the ancient fortress.

Galician's link their region to the Gael's (Irish) mythical hero Breogán, and will actually refer to the term "home" or "nation" of Breogán.

Many Celtic traditions exist today in Galicia including folk music traditions which almost identically replicate Irish jigs and Brenton waltzes, as well as the common use of bagpipes. In fact, Galicia became the seventh nation in the Celtic League in 1986 aside Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and The Isle of Man ... but after political outrage and protests Galicia was removed from the Celtic League one year later in 1987. Nevertheless, the Galician language holds dozens of Celtic words and every year communities around the region celebrate the arrival of the summer solstice with bonfires, parades and the collection of herbs.

Guimares, Portugal, Torture Exhibit Haunts Visitors

By Carlos Martinez


We first arrived on a rainy morning to Braga, Portugal, where we took in some historical sites. After leaving the city, we took a  bus ride along similar winding roads that are found in Spain. These roads reach high elevations, and put travelers in contact with nature rather than cutting through the environment as the interstate system in the USA tends to do. These views allow for the traveler to get  lost in the sights and wonder how the country was before the cities came about. However, even with the modern buildings, the landscape still adopts the old houses that could’ve been used centuries ago.
    Our next destination was the city of Guimaraes, which has an impressive castle and is the birthplace of the first King of Portugal. But, something else caught the attention of the men on this trip, and that was a special  torture exhibit.

     This exhibit had actual devices and a miniature guillotine which was an accurate representation of what the real ones looked like with the basket at the base where the person was laid and the executioner standing by the lever. There was the Iron Maiden, a standing noose that would lift the poor soul in the air, and the rack which stretches its victim across some rollers with spikes until the blood loss from the spikes would kill them or literally cause them to be pulled apart. People were extremely gruesome just three to four centuries ago.  "I felt demonized after this exhibit." Kevin Centeno, fellow traveler, said.
    After this, we finally made it to the beautiful city of Porto where we were taken on another tour across the city and we ended up at this gorgeous boardwalk to relax and collect ourselves before going to our hotel and enjoying the night. This boardwalk break helped us relax and just take in the views from the river.

Students enjoyed a day on Porto's Doro River.

All and all, the cities in Portugal were fantastic and it’s an experience that won’t be forgotten.

A Traveler Looks at Porto, Portugal

By Faiza Hameed 

     Porto, Portugal, (the second-largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon) was established by
the Celts on the mouth of the Douro River. The history of Porto, Portugal, is that it was later occupied by the Romans in the fourth century. The Romans added a port called “Portus Cale,” which
resulted in giving the nation its name: Portugal.

     This Saturday I had the opportunity to travel to Portugal. The first city that I visited in the country was Braga, the second was Guimares, and lastly, Porto. Porto was one of my favorite cities because it has a rich history that predates to the beginning of time. Another reason is that it's a city that never sleeps.
     The city has life along so much to offer; such as restaurants, parades,  bars, and opportunities for enjoying an amazing walk along the Douro River. The port is huge and definitely a sight for sore eyes. Where I’m from there aren't any enormous ports, and this one has a long history.
     The food in Porto is absolutely astounding. The flavors for their pastas, pork, and steak are rich with exotic flavors that tempt you to ask for more from the menu.
     In addition to the many things that Porto has to offer, almost everything is in close proximity. And, for once, I don't have to worry about parking. I can simply walk to wherever I want to go.
      It is also a diverse city, where one can see so many people from different parts of the world.
      A fellow traveler who spent time in Porto Portugal summed up the vibe on Portugal. "It was too much fun," Emily McGhee said.

Enjoying a visit to Bom Jesus do Monte

By Meaghan Hannon

This weekend we were  privileged to journey through a few different areas in Portugal, located on the Iberian Peninsula, where we experienced a number of historic sites as well as the city of Porto. We also spent time in Braga and Guimaraes.

In the city of Braga, Portugal, we saw many beautiful churches. Along with all these churches the main site we visited was a beautiful cathedral on the outskirts of the city called “Bom Jesus do Monte,” which roughly translates to “Good Jesus of the Mount.” This sanctuary lies on top a hill beautifully overlooking the city of Braga. The cathedral is surrounded with beautiful statues, monuments, gardens and even a very interesting grotto-like building. 

The stairs are known as “The Sacred Way,” where pilgrims walk up the zig-zagged 577 steps on their knees to repent of their sins. The stairs within the sanctuary were made with granite. Each staircase represents the five senses (hearing, smell, taste, touch and sight) complemented by a different fountain at each of the five staircases.  Nicely settled on top of a hill is a gorgeous gazebo within a grotto which was stunning to look at.

Overall our trip to Portugal was a wonderful experience on its own. Other than the “Bom Jesus do Monte” there were many great attributes we experienced.