Bottle label which changes colour

 

The bottle label changes colour when the bottle is the right temperature.

The label tells you lots of interesting things. 

Firstly, it is 11% alcohol. So, not too alcoholic, easy drinking.

From La Mancha, south of Madrid, the capital of Spain.

The grape is Albarinyo.

The wine is called Pazo de Mirasoles, meaning place of suns. Bottled by famiglia (family) Parra. Parra means stalk. The company was founded in 1993 by 3 brothers.  Writing this post in 2026, that was 33 years ago.

The business is big. It sells 4 million bottles a year. That sounds like lots of bottles and crates. It is Europe's largest organic winery.

Website 

parrafamilyorganic.com

https://www.instagram.com/richmondwineagencies/

https://vinoshop.co.uk/products/pazo-mirasoles-alnbarino-2025

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Glass Bottom Bridges And balconies

 Madeira

I went to the glass floor lookout point in Madeira. It was at the end of an interesting shopping and snack complex and we stopped there on an island tour. 

Our stop was brief. Just time to step out and take a quick hoto. It was hard to get the perspectiveof the balcony and the area below, especially with others trying to cross or take a photo.

Other Glass base Bridges and Balconies by Country (alhabetically)

China

r

Sunyiming

The Chinese versions of the glass floor are not just balconies, viewpoints, but long bridges. 

My friend Samantha from Toastmters Internaitonal in Singapore put a series of stunning photo on Facebook showing hersssssself in assorted dramatic poses. Some looked like she wassidewayor upside down. What a great photo opportunity. I thought I would check were was the bridge, then found China had several of them. Here are some picures of the best.

Photo of bridge in China from Samantha's page.

America has one over the Grand Canyon, Madeira has one, Spain has one. Chine has several. 

Singapore

An overhead crosswalk on Orchand Road near Smerset station MRT has a partially visible glass floor.

Madrid, Spain

USA

Grand Canyon Skywalk

Lookout point, USA. Grand Canyon. According to one account, you have to leave your cameras behind and buy photos. 

If you cannot get near these exciting views, many glass sided lifts on the outides of buildings such as shopping malls and hotels offer a thrill.

Useful Websites

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Gaudi's Cathedral and Another Eccentric Cathedral by Martinez in Spain

Martinez

Gaudi's cathedral is not yet finished. He is buried inside it. Gaudi's cathedral is one of the great attractions if you visit Barcelona on the East coast.  The name Gaudi has been given to the street alongside another eccentric Cathedral  The man, the monk, who constructed another cathedral, east of Madrid, without planning permission, from waste materials, has just died. On Sunday November 8th 2021. Aged 96. He, too, like Gaudi, wanted to be buried inside his cathedral. 

He was a Trappist monk. His name was Justo Gallego Martinez. How do you remember his name? As I suspected, Martinez means son of Martin. Wikipedia explains:

'Martínez is the most common surname in the Spanish regions of Navarre, La Rioja, Cuenca and Murcia. ... It originated as a patronymic surname, meaning "son of Martín" (English: Martin).' 

Justo is a Spanish and Portuguese name. It is derived from the Latin Justus. It means, just, honorable or upright. His middle name, Galego, means Galician.

 When he was ill with tuberculosis, he prayed for recovery to 'our lady'. He promised that if he recovered, he would build a cathedral in her honour. He duly recovered. He kept his word and built an extraordinary building.

He had no architectural knowledge or plan. He drew the outline, in his family's field, on the ground. He copied various elements of VIP buildings. The Italian dome of the Vatican. The American lobby of The White House (the one with the neo Greek Portico).

Although he was donated bricks by a nearby brickworks, huge amounts of the building were constructed from recycled materials. Bits of old bicycles. Broken glass. Oil drums for the pillars! Amazingly, the building has been declared architecturally sound, by a recent survey. 

At first, family, friends, and the Catholic church, and local people and VIPs, thought he was ridiculous. Then they had to admit that his building was successful, if odd. 

However, now that recycling is all the rage, his building may be taking it place on the tourist circuit, and amongst buildings which are not just weird, but admired, and to be emulated. 

More pictures and text shortly

Useful Websites

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eccentric-dies-with-his-115ft-upcycled-cathedral-unfinished-99jlk92nq

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justo_Gallego_Mart%C3%ADnez

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Justo_Gallego

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-12088560

About the author

(About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury)

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts. 

WHERE TO SEE MULTI-RELIGIOUS SITES in Spain, England and worldwide: Madrid, Seville, The Alhambra, The Alcazar

At many airports there are prayer rooms but one airport has a multi-faith prayer room.

When I lived in Rickville, Maryland, in the USA, two Christian and Jewish commnities saved money by having the same building. As the rabbi left at the end of the service on Saturday, having locked away the Jewish signs and symbols in the cupboard, he swivelled the sign at the from from saying synagogue to saying church reading for the wormshippers on Sunday.

The same was done in North West London, when a new Jewish community needed a building and were offerred the opporuntiyt to hire a church building for one day a week.

Over tin the eST

Spain
In Spain there's a fabulous whole ring of cities around the capital, central Madrid and more further south near Malaga: Segovia, Avila, Toledo and further south Granada and Seville. Plus Jerez de la Frontera, for sherry. Tours will take you to the major landmarks, the cathedrals and palaces. A surprising number have monuments and motifs sacred to more than one religion.

Granada. Alhambra.Court of the Lions

Court of the lions, Alhambra, Spain.

Granada - Alhambra
In Granada you see the Alhambra, which means red fort. (Al is the in Arabic.) A muslim stronghold with fabulous fountains in the gardens, and elaborate architecture, arches and intricate stone lacework and mosaics.


Alcazar, Seville, Spain. Roof showing eight point star.

Seville - Alcazar
In Seville you can visit the Alcazar. Cazar means castle (from Latin Castum) or palace. This is where my family recently saw a six point star. The guilde told them it was Christian, Moslem and Jewish symbol. The Alcazar of Seville was used as a setting in the film (movie) Lawrence of Arabia.

Something of multiple religions. Even a building which is a mosque and cathedral in one. (Cordoba?) And a synagogue converted into a different religious building. (Segovia)

Maimonides
In Catholic Cordoba, Spain, see the statue of Maimonides, medieval sage, revered by both Muslims and Jews. He wrote in Arabic. He travelled from Spain to the Middle East where he was the physician to the Kuridsh Moslem 'king', as well as treating Jews, and the poor, from morning to midnight, or at least sundown.

Across the Mediterranean, in Morocco, at Fez, you can see the house where he lived.

In Tiberias, Israel, you can see his monument and tomb.




TOLEDO
The synyagogue converted into the church.
Santa Maria La Blanca. (Website in Wikipedia listed below.)


The Six point Star - Easy to Draw
As a child I was delighted to discover that if you can draw a triangle, you can add a second one upside down over the first to create a six point star.

Israel and Jewish

Later I discovered that a star with six points is a symbol which you see on synagogues and the Israeli flag and souvenirs from Israel, ranging from ashtrays and ornaments to ear-rings and necklaces..

Having digested this information, I was surprised to see the symbol again in India, on buildings which were not Jewish. I learned that Muslims call the six point star the Seal of Solomon.

Recently, members of my family were in Spain, and saw a six point star which they say was a Christian symbol as well as being Muslim and Jewish.

1. Star in Seville, Spain.

My family Let's look at the history of the star. Then I shall show where you might see it on your travels. In order to keep track of countries, I shall list them alphabetically.
See next post for more information on stars on buildings.

Other well-preserved, pre-expulsion synagogues in Híjar, Córdoba, Barcelona and Tomar.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synagogue_of_Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_la_Blanca
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/07/what-to-see-in-gibraltar.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Gibraltar
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar
https://wikitravel.org/en/Gibraltar
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Gibraltar
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/SmartDeals-g187510-Gibraltar-Hotel-Deals.html
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/gibraltar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synagogues_of_Gibraltar

OK, so you can go. Which airlines will take you?
https://www.skyscanner.com.sg/flights-to/es/airlines-that-fly-to-spain.html

About the Author, Angela Lansbury

I and my family have lived in the UK, Spain, the USA and Singapore. I am a travel writer and photographer and teacher of English A level and English as a foreign language.

Please come to a Toastmasters International Club where the English clubs have a language evaluator or grammarian.  We also have French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil and other language clubs based in Singapore and many more online around the world which because of Covid-19 are now meeting online.

I am President of Braddell Heights Advanced, meeting the first Wednesday of the month, Usually on Zoom. But the other Wednesdays have workshops on app learncool.sg

Incoming president Faith from Wed July 15th 2020 change dates and platforms so please contact the club.

Latest is only two meetings each month.

For meetings learncool it is quicker to type and easier to remember: 

 tinyurl.com/BHACOOL

Useful Websites On Speaking and Languages

https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
translate.google.com
duolingo.com

https://www.duolingo.com/enroll/vi/en/Learn-Vietnamese

https://www.facebook.com/groups/polygotcommunity/

Other Useful Posts By Angela Lansbury Author

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogs
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/04/how-to-say-thank-you-in-several.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/05/introducing-yourself-in-english-spanish.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/01/second-set-of-portuguese-words.html 

Please share links to your favourite posts

Don Quixote and Cervantes Immortalised In Statues

Bronze statue of Don Quixote nd Sancho Panza in Madrid, Spain. Photo from Wikipedia.

Faint heart ne'er won fair lady, said Cervantes, author of Don Quixote. Don Quixote was famous for 'tilting at windmills' which he thought were the enemy. He imagined they were giants.

Cervantes' book was an instant success, in Spain, Europe, South America, all over the world. It is considered the father of the modern novel. (A rival claim is made for French author Proust who wrote Temps Perdu (in English Memories of Times Past) and the English author of Pamela.  

Cervantes book was a series. (So was Proust's. So was Alice in Wonderland. So was Sherlock Holmes.) The public demands more. The publisher is on to a good thing. The author finds it easier. He already has the charcater and setting and just needs more incidents.

The interesting things about the plot is that originally novels were like series of short stories strung together by a chief character, a place, or a journey. Think of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. 

The new waves of modern novels have the central character as the protagonist (hero or villainchief actor, who changes and learns and reflects, like the link person in a play.

I prefer this photo of the statue.

Statue of Cervantes in La Mancha, Spain.

Useful Websites For Armchair Travellers

Don Quixote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote

Cervantes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes

Quotations from Cervantes
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#/media/File:Quijote-argamasilla.jpg

Spain
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Spain

About the Author, Angela
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer and trainer of speakers. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Where to See Statues of Cervantes, who wrote Don Quixote

Faint heart never won a fair lady. So he said.

As you might expect, statues of Cervantes are most abundant in the land where he was born, Sapain, and because he wrote in Spanish.

Spain

Bust of bearded Miguel  Cervantes with a fine ruff collar, erected in 1905 in Burgos. Spain
Photo by HCPUNXKID in Wikipedia.

Statue of Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) at the entrance of the National Library of Spain, Madrid. White marble statue sculpted in 1892.

Statue on pedestal at the harbour of Naupactus, Lepanto. Photo by Viahos Vaggelis.
 to be continued

He was buried at the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid, Spain.
Photo by Bocachete.

(I tried to load up the photos but Blogger seemed to be having a problem. Go to the article in Wikipedia.)

About the Author.

October 12 - Columbus Day, Spanish National Day, For Spanish Speaking Countries and people worldwide

Problem
Where can I go and what can I do to celebrate on October 12th?

Answer
Columbus Day is celebrated in Spain, the USA and several other countries. It is also called Day of Spanish, and is celebrated as day of the Spanish Military.

In Madrid the King and the Queen watch a military parade, the usual thing, with colourful uniforms and marching bands. My favourite item is the goat which is the symbol of the Spanish legion. I've seen pictures of a white goat with a red fancy blanket over its back, as well as a black-faced goat wearing a blue covering.

Spanish fly-past

Spain.

Statues of Columbus include one in Barcelona.

The Monument to Columbus in La Rambla, a major street in Barcelona, Spain.

Miniature of the Columbus monument in the garden miniatures, about 17 miles outside Barcelona, Spain.

At the opposite end of the scale, the biggest Columbus monument is in Puerto Rico. It was turned down by several cities in the USA but welcomed by Puerto Rico where it is hoped it will regenerate tourism.

The Columbus statue, called Birth of the New World, in Puerto Rico, seen close=up.

The Columbus monument in Puerto Rico from a distance, showing the scale and surroundings.

If you wish to travel around Spain I recommend staying at the Paradores, hotels built by the government in converted historic buildings to encourage tourism to and develope areas in all parts of the country. The Paradores are good value and the restaurants serve regional food. I have stayed in several on more than one trip. My favourites were the one in Seville and the one on the frontier with Portugal. If you can't afford a room, or they are fully booked, try to book a meal. 

Portugal has a similar system of Pousadas. 

To learn Spanish for free, start by using Duolingo.

Spanish speaking countries

Over in North America many cities are called Columbus. 

Statues of Columbus are in New York's Central Park and Providence, Rhode Island. The statue in Central Park has been desecrated with the words Say No To Hate, which seems ironic. A statue in New England was also desecrated.

Spanish is widely spoken in North America. You will see Spanish signs in many public buildings. The name Columbus is popular for cities and towns, in Ohio, Georgia, and Mississippi and more. 

I looked at the city of Columbus, Ohio and noted that it had a German quarter which would be a good place to visit for Oktoberfest next September-October. I was looking for a statue of Columbus and came across something amazing and amusing, what I think of as the basket building, headquarters of the Longaberger building in Newark, Ohio. As a keen photographer, I would put that on my list of places to visit on my next trip around the USA and Ohio.

Building in Columbus, Ohio, USA

A giant statue of Columbus, named The Birth Of The New World, has been installed in Puerto Rico and is predicted to increase tourism. That statue is gigantic, taller than the one of Christ the Redeemer in Rio, and taller than the Statue of Liberty. Several cities in the USA rejected it but the Puerto Ricans are delighted to have it.

If you can't get to any of these, you could celebrate Spain at home with a trip to a Spanish restaurant or a meal at home with Sangria or a Spanish wine such as Rioja or a c a v a, a sweet white wine, the Spanish equivalent of Champagne.

Useful Websites

www.visitusa.org.uk

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain

http://www.spain.info/en_GB/

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Cooking The Best Truffles and Truffle Hunting: interviewing dog trainers and marketing people

"Italian truffles are the finest," claim the Italians in Umbria. I don't doubt them.

The Truffle Kitchen Chef
Their Italian factory kitchen certainly had the finest cook and we were amazed at the number of ways you can serve up truffles. Angelo Maria Franchini, chef di cucina, lives in Spoleto nearby. We can't compete with the dishes of truffles we enjoyed. We are still talking about trying to copy his dessert of creme caramel to see if we can make it as well as he did.

But, let's get back to the truffles which are the signature dishes of the company which exports and promotes all over the world, from Italy, and has a factory office in New York near Columbus Circle.

Growing Truffles
"Why don't you grow truffles, like mushrooms, in an artificial environment?" I asked.

"It's very difficult to grow truffles. You plant and hope. Plant trees and seeds nearby and irrigate. It's a high risk investment."

"What kinds of trees?"

"Oaks, hazels, pine, poplar, hornbeams. The important thing is the PH of the soil. It needs to be alkaline."

Hunting With Dogs
"Why hunt with dogs - because they are friendly and companions? Why not pigs?"

"Pigs eat truffles and rough up the soil. A dog doesn't dig too roughly."

"What kind of dogs?"

"Terriers - they have stamina. Very tough dogs, and smart. Terriers were originally aggressive, but they've been bred or trained to be obedient.

Training Dogs
How do you train Dogs?

To train dogs you reward them, with pats, voice and a treat to eat. "You train a dog by hiding truffles under the soil."

Selling Truffles
Is it easy to sell truffles, which are so expensive?

"It's a developing market, in Spain, selling fresh truffles, for example to San Sebastion chefs, also around Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia. (In a good year) in the US we sell to Casa Tua in Miami, and hotels in New York and London and Paris.

"Our Italian factory also buys truffles from France and Australia."

So where can you taste truffles? Many restaurants in Umbria.

www.cipriani.com
www.angelofranchini.com
http://urbanitartufi.it
umbriatourism.it

Photos by Angela Lansbury Copyright. November 2016.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
See more by and about Angela Lansbury, author, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Amazon books, Lulu.com . Please share posts. More articles and photos on Italy and Umbria is other posts.

Bargain Shopping in Spain with Dealz - and some handy Spanish words

My family and friends are taking holidays in Europe. I was wondering what they should do if they go off without their water bottles or plastic boxes for snacks and take away food. (In the US one says take out.)

I am on the mailing lists for several UK discount stores such as Poundland. I have been sent an email from Poundland about the Spanish version of their discount store. It is called Dealz. You can find Dealz stores in Madrid and Malaga region (Torremolinos in the Malaga region), Alicante and Benidorm. (I remembered M and M and A and B.)

The website is deals.es . The es stands for Espana which is Spanish for Spain.

I shall keep adding translations of words from their website during the day.

Glossary
correo electrónico - email address (literally mail electronic)
de - of
dias days
excelente - excellent
information - information
mas - more
molinos - mills
pagina - page
precio - price
Productos - products
subscribir - subscribe
temperada - season (temp as in time or time of year)
todos - all
torre - tower
Torremolinos (tourist town named after the windmills or tower mills)
tu - your
visita - visit
y - and

More Information from
dealz.es (watch out for the spell checker which keeps turning the z to s in my text and labels)
poundland.co.uk

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.