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Goodbye Jerez, goodbye Spain
After enjoying a week with some cooling breezes and day-time temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s range, the days were again getting hotter as our stay in Jerez and Spain were coming to an end....so for the last 2 or 3 days with temperatures hitting 40 and above, and with the area under a heat warning, we “went indoors” a little more than usual.
We visited The Carriage Museum one hot afternoon, enjoying its cool interior. Unfortunately no photographs are allowed inside the rooms of this museum. The first room we entered was lovely - with high ceilings and dark wooden floors. Display cabinets of the same dark wood and glass were filled with the outfits and costumes of the carriage drivers. Summer and winter alternatives were shown along with the accompanying hats, boots and gloves that the drivers would wear...both Spanish and English styles were represented.
The second room - the oldest building in the complex - was full of carriages from places such as London, Paris and Madrid - all were from the 18th and 19th century. It was noted that one of the mail carriages from London would have needed 4 strong horses to pull it and to carry the load - plus a driver who had experience and knowledge of the roads.....an armed assistant would also have been needed to deter any potential robbers! The carriages are truly works of art - in colours ranging from pale yellow through beige, shades of browns and reds, plus black. Different configurations for the horses were explained, with examples of the harnesses used for single, twos, threes and four horses. There was also a large range of seating arrangements with tooled leather and cushioned interiors. The English carriages were mostly enclosed with windows.
The third and last room of exhibits has some interactive activities for children plus even more beautiful and historic carriages. Embellished with coats of arms that are fit for royalty....displayed here is the carriage used for the wedding of the current King of Spain - King Felipe and his wife Queen Letizia. Another one was used by King George IV of England, with a wider and lower entrance adapted especially for him to accommodate his obesity. Another carriage was Hungarian, another Russian plus we saw an example of what we think of as an English carriage - The Hansom Cab - which was, apparently, adapted from an earlier French model.
We ended this museum - which sounded as though it might have been somewhat uninteresting - but wasn’t - with a visit to the stables. The horses housed here, between the ages of 3 to 23, are all beautiful animals - they’re very well taken care of, with immaculately clean stalls - the only smell is of fresh hay. Training had just been completed, so they’d all been brushed down and were hungrily munching away - most of them just ignored us, but one huge white horse presented us his side for a scratch and a pet. We were looking forward to seeing some of them in action - we’d booked an afternoon show at The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art for the following day.
Comparable to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, this institution is well known for shows starring its ”dancing stallions” - in Jerez, Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre, is also devoted to educating and maintaining all aspects of the classical traditions of Spanish riding, coach-driving, blacksmithing, saddlery and conserving the Andalusian horse and it’s abilities - which includes preparing the horses and riders for international dressage competitions.
The school is in the grounds of an historic 19th century Palace - The Palacio del Recreo de las Cardenas, which is now home to its Foundation. Designed by Charles Garnier, who also designed the Paris Opera House and the Monte-Carlo Casino, it is classically Andalusian in style. After entering the gates of the complex and prior to the shows, visitors can stroll through the large gardens, which contain a wide variety of exotic plants plus a large fountain at the centre. A few of the downstairs reception rooms are open for public viewing and we admired the ornate style, the small chapel and a scale model of the building as we passed through and entered the grounds at the back, where some horses were being put through their paces. The last stop before the show was a “repair shop” for saddles and harnesses.
We were lucky enough to get great seats in the 3rd row, centre section, of the oval arena, which seats about 2,000 people. At one end there are arched gates through which the horses and their riders enter.....no photographs are allowed during the show which lasts about 90 minutes with a 10 minute intermission. There’s a short commentary before each section of the show outlining the upcoming display.....although (as expected) it’s in Spanish, it’s not too difficult to figure out!
The first horse and rider, gave a very traditional display with matching music......it was skilful and full of pride. The second section - my absolute favourite - had two horses, one ridden by a man and the other by a woman - again with matching music, they danced a flamenco - horses and riders in close proximity and in perfect unison with each other....it was breathtaking!
The next section was informative, showing trainers putting a group of horses through some of their “moves” ......one part, which obviously did take a lot of skill and patience, we found a little “circus-like”......some of the horses reared up onto their hind legs, while others “jumped,” kicking backwards - all 4 legs leaving the ground at the same time. The first half closed with 2 carriages - one English-style and the other Spanish - displaying their skills - which included some very tight circles and difficult manoeuvres. The grand finale, with 10 riders and their horses, was magnificent - giving the audience a full display of the difficult turns and “dancing” skills of the horses. Throughout the show the accompanying music really enhanced the whole performance.
After the show we took a quick break for a drink and a little tapas of “Chicos Fritos” (strips of fried cuttlefish) before spending the remainder of the afternoon doing something very different, but equally special to Jerez, a tour of a sherry bodega. Located across the street from the Equestrian School are the premises of the famous Sandeman brand, so that seemed like the perfect place for us to go! Tours which are combined with a variety of tasting options, and in different languages, are available throughout the late morning and afternoons. On the tour we learned the history of the Sandeman brand and the process of sherry making, in general.
Due to the combination of soil (chalky, crumbly and moisture-retaining) and the climate (the most hours of sunshine), plus the thousands of years of knowledge and expertise, sherry can only be made in the so-called Sherry Triangle - the area lying between Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria and San Lucar de Barrameda.....and It is a very strictly regulated industry. No air-conditioning is allowed in the areas where it is pressed or stored, windows and doors must face in the direction of the nearby ocean in order to catch its natural breezes and no irrigation or watering of the vines is allowed (the soil has the unique ability to store moisture from the rainy season). When harvested, the grapes are still cut by hand.
A young Scot, George Sandeman, founded this company in 1790 - funded by a loan of £300 from his father. An innovator from the beginning, he was the first to brand casks, thus guaranteeing its quality. The company was also the first to use labels and to advertise their products. By the early 18th century with offices in London, Jerez and Porto, their wines were already being shipped to Europe, Africa, North & South America. Also the first to use a “logo” - the “Sandeman Don” was created in 1928 by an artist George Massiot Brown, who combined the traditional black cape of the Portuguese student with the equally traditional Spanish broad-brimmed hat.....the artwork was bought by the winery for 50 guineas and became a world-famous symbol of its quality.
Along with the skill and many other technicalities of the sherry-making process we learned of the grapes used, the pressing, the flora, the oxidization and the aging in white oak barrels, which are the only ones allowed to be used. These barrels which are not discarded, are kept and repaired - reaching ages ranging from 50-100 years - before being sold, for up to €1,000, to whiskey making establishments in Scotland, who then use them for their own aging and storing processes.
Differing from regular table wines, sherry is matured using a system called Solera.....a fractional blending. Barrels or casks are arranged in groups (criaderas, or nurseries) where each group contains wine of the same age. When wine is bottled from the oldest group (usually starting at around 3 years of age), the casks are topped up with wine from the younger group (usually stacked above).....a height of 3-5 barrels is the norm. By law, only one third (at most) of the sherry can be removed 2 or 3 times a year, so the barrels are never emptied and consistency is ensured.....but after touring the premises and expanding our knowledge, it was finally time for tasting!
We sat at tables, in small groups, determined by the number of glasses to be sampled that were included in the cost of the tour chosen....we were moderate and picked the smallest number of 3 - the highest being 8 (only 1 man from California had the “strength” for that table!). We tasted a bone-dry, but smooth “Fino” (the driest), a strong and velvety smooth “Oleroso” and finally a sweet, cream sherry. Sharing our table was a lovely family from Denmark, who owned an apartment a few miles away in Malaga, and who like us enjoyed the opportunity to learn about and taste the sherry - plus dress up as “The Sandeman Don!” One other irrelevant, but interesting sight at this bodega, are two stork nests which sit on top of the chimneys here.....a place for the returning birds (and their families?) since 1910!
Our last day in Jerez was low-key - with a visit to the cathedral, which larger than expected has Gothic, Baroque and Neo-classical architecture. Without crowds, it was a peaceful way to spend and hour or so looking at the various chapels and artwork. It also has a small courtyard with orange trees. With temperatures once again above 40C we had mostly a lazy day of packing up, before heading out for our last night of drinks at our favourite bar in town - which has been a source of many pleasant evenings in Jerez.....not to mention giving us a chuckle when a tapas plate that had been translated into the English menu offered “cats in tomato?!” Having tasted the more rustic versions of sherry here, we realize that it’s not even necessary to drink the local brew to enjoy this lovely city in Andalusia. With orange and palm trees lining the streets, we’ll miss its appeal - a mix of both elegant and “scruffy/down-at-heel” - and we’ll miss the constant buzz of voices at adjoining tables in cafés, restaurants and bars...actually the buzz is everywhere in this vibrant city that lies between Seville and Cádiz!
- comments
Linda Laughlin Rebecca would enjoy Jerez and its sherry. I will tell her about the history of Sandeman. Great descriptions!
Glynis She would love it, for the sherry, for sure - and it’s a great town! Thanks, Linda for your support of my writing! X g
Marjie Fabulous, sweetie. Enjoy your next stop
Glynis Thanks Marjie - will do...hugs x g thanks for reading!