Beyond its touristic spots - that we British are very familiar with seeing, and hearing of, and visiting - Spain has MANY MORE exquisite secrets.
We (British) feel we know much about some Spanish cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, and we probably have heard of Granada, Seville, Cadiz, Valencia also - which have significant touristic attractions.
And the Islands of The Canaries and the Baleares.
In addition, however, there are a score or more towns and small cities that are not really touristic, other than within Spain and southern Europe.
These are separated by wonderful landscape varying from hundreds of miles of flat plains (the rain in Spain etc), farmlands and then beautiful mountains.
Jenny and I, for example, have loved visiting Toledo, Gerona, Salamanca, Cordoba and many others, often several times.
These are quieter places, set back in time from Spain's glorious century.
Often they are very Roman and Moorish in flavour (The Moors occupied Spain for 800 years from 711!).
There are walls and battlements galore, plus cobbled alleyways and squares.
IT TAKES TIME
Jerez is one such sleepy Jewell.
It has touristic events surrounding horses and motorsports but remains small and local, and largely unspoiled at its centre.
As with all Spanish cities at its centre stands its Cathedral high on a mount and below its amazing Bishop's Palace - and unique to Jerez are the remnants of was at one time a huge town centre Sherry 'industry' - which though it has largely moved its wine-making activities to stainless steel vats in modern hangers that are out of town, the original and very distinctive single or two-story - sprawling - 'bodega' buildings.
And the alleyways that wind between these beautiful relics of the height of the Sherry trade echo with Flamenco. Many many bars in the town include free flamenco hours in their weekly timetables. On top of which there are a number of bars whose sole purpose is flamenco. Mayormente gratis. Mostly free. Sometimes involving a fee at the door or for a seat at a stage front table.
On top of which there are Flamenco festivals, and Flamenco extravaganzas held in places such as its old Alcázar, or fortress (The Alcázar de Jerez).
Alcazar comes from Arabic, al-qasr and defines a group of buildings, surrounded by walls, which formed the seat of political and military power.
Fortress-palace with autonomous functionality. A tiny city was the seat of power that governed the city and its surrounding territory.
The Jerez Alcázar was built in the 12th century. It is one of only a few examples of Almohad architecture that exist in the Spain peninsula.
Jerez in these bygone times was one of the most important cities of southern (Baja) Andalucía. Which explains the size of its fortress and the extension of its walls that could contain a population of 16,000 inhabitants.
IT TAKES TIME
I make the recordings simply by hand holding my iPad or iPhone. Sometimes propped up on a table. So they are 'rough' - for sure.
And then I have to find the time to stitch the several separate songs and events together.
It is a slow job - but - the site will one day comprise only of single recordings that are compilations of the parts.
Simon Harris
