Historical Ancestral Mansion at Cambados, Galicia, Spain

The Parador group in Spain is a collection of historical monuments converted into luxury hotels, run by the Spain government.  Here at the Parador in Cambados, heart of the Albariño vineyards in Galicia, we had the opportunity of staying at what was once an ancestral mansion.  Its squarish layout betrays its somewhat austere past, but its interior decor was charming and inviting.  

How did monks live? Try staying at a Monastery-Hotel. Asturias, Northern Spain

Ever wonder how monks used to live?  Well, I am not suggesting an ascetic lifestyle but at least we could put ourselves in their habitat - an 8th century Benedictine monastery, to be exact.  

The Monastery of San Pedro de Villanueva was founded during the reign of the King Alfonso I (693-757, reigned 739-757) in Asturias, the northern province of Spain.  Every Asturian will tell you the glorious history of the Reconquest, when King Alfonso I eschewed a luxury life of a king and waged lifelong battles against the Moors, retaking the entire Northern Spain that was, during his father's generation, conquered by the Muslims.  

Medieval Catalonia: Millennium-old town of Besalú

If you think Barcelona is all you are going see when visiting the northeast part of Spain, you are missing out on some of the most beautiful sights of the region.  The county of Catalonia traces back a thousand years, when many  market towns thrived along the important trade routes north and south of the Pyrenees mountains.  The town of Besalú was documented since the 10th century.  


At that time, Spain as a country has not yet emerged; a region called Marca Hispania roughly covers what is now Catalonia, and was a zone created by Charlemagne as a defensive line against the moors occupying Al-Andalus in the south.  Before that, the Muslim forces had conquered as far north as Narbonne (250km north of Barcelona).  

With Charlemagne taking control of the region, peace reigned

D'Berto - The Best Seafood Restaurant in Spain!

Spain is a country that has insanely good food almost everywhere you go, and to crown an establishment (not only by me, but by every food critic in the Iberian Peninsular) as the best seafood restaurant is a royal feat.  It has to boast not only the best cooking but also the best ingredients, and it is not a title born out of snap judgment.  Welcome to Restaurante d'Berto.

d'Berto would probably win the title of the most obscure fine dining location - in O Grove, Galicia, Northwest Spain, no less.  I first met Berto months before I visited his restaurant,

Bulnes, one of the remotest villages in Europe

Here's another suggestion for your next Spanish vacation: the province of Asturias.  After you've had enough seafood and beaches along the Mediterranean Sea or the Bay of Biscay, the breathtaking Asturian mountains will surely give you a whole new perspective of Spain. 

Almost parallel to the coastline of northern Spain is the mountain ranges of Naranjo de Bulnes (the Orange of Bulnes).  No idea why it alludes to orange as neither the colour nor the fruit is seen in the mountains, but Bulnes must be one of the most extraordinary destinations for tourists.

Several superlatives must be mentioned: Bulnes is one of the most remote villages in Europe, and it can now be reached by

Editorial Boileau - one of the greatest Spanish music publishers of all time

Editorial Boileau, or affectionately known simply as Boileau, has been and is still one of the most well-known and important music publishers in the world.  Based in Barcelona, it champions the publishing of Spanish music over the last 100 years. 

Pianists and musicians will not be foreign to its books with the signature light beige cover.  It is also one of the most easily readable and durable scores I have come across.  I have amassed a collection of its earlier publications as well as newer ones.  This past July, as an incentive to some

Cava tasting at Pere Ventura, Sant Sadurni d'Anoia

No visit to Barcelona is complete without a tour of the Cava vineyards.  The province of Catalonia, of which Barcelona is the capital, is a heaven for foodies and wine lovers.  The Spanish bubbly - or Cava - is as much the soul of Catalans as Champagne to the French, or Riesling to the Germans; and here in Catalonia, Cava making is regarded as a time-honed family-kept tradition, not a cut-throat branding war that are played out by conglomerates.  Here in the Cava country, families and traditions still matter, and pledging allegiance to a wine maker is no less a sport than picking a football team.

This isn't my first time to Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, the capital of Cava making.  I have paid numerous visits to different wineries and vineyards, but one stood out among the rest:

Artisan Glassmaker Gerard Välvet

Right outside of Barcelona are three Cistercian monasteries that form a well-trodden pilgrimage route called the Cistercian Triangle.  The three monasteries, Santes Creus, Poblet, and Vallbona de les Monges are each planted in remote small towns steeply rooted in history and agricultural excellence.  While visiting Vallbona de les Monges, a town of less than 400 inhabitants, I stumbled across an interesting workshop across from the monastery.

Situated on the "main" road that looked to have been dug and paved in the Middle Ages, the high wall of the monastery

Tête-à-tête with Luis Aragunde, Mayor of Cambados, Galicia

My two concert trips to Cambados in Galicia (northwest Spain) had me totally convinced: not only is this truly an Albariño wine capital, it is also a seafood heaven. 

I also had the good fortune of making some new friends here, among them the honorable mayor of Cambados.  He was one burly, imposing man only countered by a gentleness and humour rarely wonted from a man of his stature.  His quiet manners masked the deep love he has for his hometown. 

Pontevedra, a quinessential Galician town

My summer performances had brought me to Galicia, northwest Spain, where I based myself in the pretty town of Cambados for a few good days.  Exploring the region is easy, with quick connections to the regional motorway (or autovia in Spanish) and scenic country roads.

20 minutes southeast of Cambados is the ancient town of Pontevedra.  Situated at the mouth of a river, there had been intense trading activities since antiquity.  It later became one of the main ports of Galicia.  It is a popular myth that Greek

Cambados for foodies

Starting from my base in Cambados, I began exploring the culinary delights of this beautiful Galician town and its neighbours.  Here in the southern part of Galicia, bordering Portugal and with a long coastline, the main focus is no doubt about seafood.  A glimpse of the morning activities in Cambados will pretty rule out any doubts.

我來到西班牙西北部的坎瓦多斯 (Cambados)，除了是為了漂亮的風景外，亦是為了那裏的美食！坎瓦多斯位於加利西亞省的

Cambados - wine capital of Galicia

I was fortunate enough to be invited to perform at the beautiful town of Cambados, situated in the northwest corner of Spain an hour away from the Portuguese border.  Everything about it is typically Spanish - there is no other purposes of coming here except to enjoy life. 

Except it isn't just Spanish, and there are more than a few reasons to come here.  Unlike the rest of Spain, northwest Spain - or the province of Galicia - was never really conquered by the Muslims in the 8th century, and its distancing from the rest of Spain meant that it has preserved its own language, Galego, and even a people and culture of a unique character. 

Cambados is a town of about 14,000 inhabitants who thrive on being the capital of the Albarino wine, one of the most famous Galician exports.  And good wine is inevitably paired with good food, and the bay and rivers of Cambados provide lots: lobsters, clams, cockles, mussels, razor clams, crabs of all shapes and sizes, as are a blinding array of fishes. 

The town is also salted with beautiful Pazos, or manor houses; one of which is now the luxurious Parador hotel.  Bordeaux might have its chateaux, but Galicia will rival with its Pazos. 

My first visit was in February 2014 and was followed by another concert in July.  In typical fashion I visited the numerous historical sights, wine bars, restaurants, and the bay.  There will be a series of blogposts on restaurants and vineyards of Cambados, including interviews with the mayor (pictured below) and the manager of the Parador.  Stay tuned!

Two airports serve daily flights from Barcelona: Santiago de Compostela on the north and Vigo on the south, both less than an hour's drive on beautiful scenic roads to Cambados.  Check out budget airline Vueling. 

今年夏天很榮幸地被邀請到坎瓦多斯 (Cambados) 這個美麗的小鎮演奏。坎瓦多斯位於西班牙西北部的角落，距離葡萄牙邊境大概一小時車程。這個充滿純西班牙風情的小鎮絶對是享受美好假期的天堂！

要了解更多這個漂亮小地方的風土人情，必需先明白到她的歷史背景。不像西班牙的其他地區，當西班牙在公元八世紀被穆斯林人攻打的時候，坎瓦多斯所屬的加利西亞省 (Galicia) 從未被征服，這段獨有的歴史使她可以保有自己的語言以及許多當地獨有的文化，令她成為今天一個充滿西班牙原産風情的地區。

 

加利西亞是一個出産葡萄酒的地區，而主要出產 Albarino 萄葡的坎瓦多斯是加利西亞的釀酒中心，好像波爾多市是波爾多地區的首領一樣。Albarino 萄葡酒是加利西亞其中一個聞名世界的出口產品，它造就了一萬四千個坎瓦多斯居民的完美生活。有美酒當然不少得佳餚去配襯，坎瓦多斯一帶的河流就正正地為這個地區提供了源源不絶的海產，不論是龍蝦花甲青口，或是螃蟹蟶子鮮蝦，你都可以在這裏找到，難怪當地所有人都成為饞咀的食家！

歐洲很多地方都保有許多莊園大宅的古老建築，坎瓦多斯亦不例外，但跟她獨特的歴史一樣，她的莊園建築有她獨有的名字，叫做 Pazos，就像在波爾多把城堡叫做 「chateaux」一樣。而主要把酒店開設於具有歴史意義的古老建築的 Parador 酒店集圑亦把這裏的其中一座 Pazos 改建為酒店，成為我這個旅程一個很好的落腳點！

 

自從我第一次來到坎瓦多斯後，我已深深地愛上了這個既悠閒恬靜又多姿多彩的小鎮。經過今年夏天的第二次到訪，我認識到更多當地的加利西亞文化，亦到訪了更多的歴史遺跡、美麗的海灣，並品嚐過更多餐廳酒吧的地道美食。我將會撰寫更多關於加利西亞的旅遊點，當中包括 Parador 酒店經理的採訪，請密切留意！

坎瓦多斯附近的兩個機場(北面的 Santiago de Compostela 及南面的 Vigo)每天都有班機從巴塞隆拿前往，從兩個機場出發都只需少於一小時的車程，沿途更可欣賞醉人的田園風光。機票價格及時間可瀏覽廉航伏林航空的網頁：http://www.vueling.com/es。

Official website (in English) 坎瓦多斯官方網頁(英語): http://www.cambados.es/eportal/portal/index.php?id_seccion=16.

200,000 Palm Trees, 3000 years of history. Elche, Murcia.

On the south-eastern coast of Spain, where it was once ruled by the Muslim empire, is the city of Murcia.  The scenery of the region stands at a stark contrast from its northern neighbours, Valencia and Barcelona (Catalonia): miles of pale yellow sand and barren mountains toasted under the relentless sun.  Olive and palm trees peppered the landscape, but none of the green pasture we are so used to seeing in Catalonia is to be found here.  Even to Spaniards, this is an unspoiled region with little promotion of tourism and industrialisation.

60km northeast of the city of Murcia is the town of Elche.  This is a town that must warrant a day trip from Murcia, or even an overnight stay.  The main attraction is the cathedral, called Basilica of Santa Maria, and the UNESCO Heritage Site of the Elche Palmeral: a garden of 200,000 palm trees that trace its origin to the Phoenician in 1000BC.  It is a stunning sight to behold.

The Palmeral refers to a thick cluster of palm trees that were planted all over the town, which was founded by Greeks and later settled by Phoenicians (modern day North Africans from Tunisia).  Palm trees produce edible dates, and are indigenous to North Africa.  During the Muslim conquest of Iberia Peninsular (modern day Spain and Portugal) the Arabs started cultivating palm trees, perhaps to remind them of their home and to provide a source to one of their favourite foods.  The original spread of the palm grove was believed to be much larger; due to industrialization a lot of trees were cut down and preservation began in the 1920s.  Its inclusion into the UNESCO sites answer to the following criterion: "a remarkable example of the transference of a characteristic landscape from one culture and continent to another, in this case from North Africa to Europe".

You can catch a bird's eye view of the town and the Palmeral from the top of the church tower (2€ entrance and 166 steps).  The Palmeral, as mentioned above, spreads over the entire town; you can find the main park next to the Tourist's Information office.  A tourist bus (4€) takes you around the town in about an hour, with narration in Spanish only.

UNESCO: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/930

Murcia 位於西班牙東南部的沿岸，曾經被穆斯林帝國統治。Murcia 一帶的景色與其毗鄰的加泰羅尼亞省有著天淵之別，離開加泰羅尼亞省驅車南下後，綠油油的景色已經不再出現，佈景版上所換上的，是一片又一片的黃沙土地，以及遠處在烈日下暴曬的光禿禿的山脈。即使是對一般的西班牙人來說，這裏仍是一片未受污染的寶貴自然地帶，連在當地可以找到的旅遊資料亦不多。

從 Murcia 出發向東北走大概六十公里，便到達另一個不能錯過的小鎮 Elche。Elche 擁有一個屬於UNESCO世界文化遺産的棕櫚樹花園，這個花園的起源要追溯到公元一千年前，人們開始在這裏種植棕櫚樹。期後在羅馬大帝國統治西班牙地區的時期，來自非洲的摩爾人更將棕櫚樹花園擴大，希望把非洲家園的景觀移到歐洲。這個花園一直保存到現在，並植有二十萬棵棕櫚樹。

 

Elche 小鎮最初由希臘人建立，其後腓尼基人 (現今北非的突尼斯) 在這裏落地生根。棕櫚樹花園其實是指在包圍整個 Elche 小鎮的一羣一羣的棕櫚樹。這些棕櫚樹生産可以食用的棗，是北非的土產農作物。當穆斯林佔領伊伯利亞半島 (包括現今西班牙和葡萄牙的半島) 時，阿拉伯人已開始在這裏種植棕櫚樹，去緬懷他們的鄉愁之餘，亦給他們提供土產食物。本來這個棕櫚樹花園擴展得比現在的更大，但是由於工業化的關係，一部份的棕櫚樹已被移除，二十年代起政府才開始保育的工作。這個棕櫚樹花園景觀完完全全地把北非特色的景觀及文化轉移到歐洲，這正正符合了要列入聯合國教科文世界文化遺産的條件。

想飽覽整個棕櫚樹花園景觀，你可以到小鎮中央教堂的塔樓，付出兩歐元再走一百六十六級樓梯，你便可以從小鎮最高的建築物眺望這個令你畢生難忘的景觀；如果不想跑樓梯的話，你亦可以到花園門口的旅遊服務中心門口乘搭小火車，只需四歐元，小火車便會載你遊覽整個小鎮及棕櫚樹花園。小火車於每小時的正點開出，全程大約一小時，小火車上有西班牙語的講解。

UNESCO 網頁的介紹：http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/930

 

Tickling the ivories in Barcelona

Piano: Fazioli

Looking back at the past 4 years of playing concerts in Barcelona, I have to say that performing for the Catalan audience is one of the most enjoyable experiences.  They arrive at the concert on time; they fully appreciate every musical work (and you know how obscure some of the stuff I play); they are very vocal about their opinions (which, thank god, are mostly praises); and they drink.  

Let me be very honest here: there is nothing more inviting to a concert pianist than an enthusiastic audience and a bottle of wine after the concert.  Nothing.  Not the money, not the hotel, not the anticipation of the next concert the next day at the next destination. 

回顧過去四年在西班牙巴塞隆拿擧行的演奏會，我可以說這裏的樂迷是一群很值得讚的粉絲。他們除了準時來到音樂會，欣賞每一首演奏作品，當中更包括一些很不普及的作品，而且他們更會毫不吝嗇地給我寶貴的意見及對音樂會的看法！而更重要的是，他們在演奏會後都會跟我去把酒談歡！

 

我可以很老實的跟你說，對一名演奏者來說，世界上没有一樣東西比一班熱情而又真誠的樂迷來得更珍貴！

Piano: Steinway & Sons

Piano: Fazioli

 

Piano: Bechstein