River and ports. La Lola

Writing the two previous posts on the Guadalquivir some more links popped into my mind and caused me remember there's a play worth presenting to an English-speaking audience that tackles the presence of the river in the lives of Andalusian people in its own way; namely, La Lola se va a los puertos (The Lola is going to ports; 1929) by Manuel and Antonio Machado.

Book cover. Image taken from a poetry blog

The Lola is a collaborative work by two writers who, though brothers, do no share the same ideological and philosophical viewpoint on the Andalusian reality, representing, in part, the flamenquismo (fondness for flamenco) of Manuel Machado and, at the same time, the religiosity and social criticism of Antonio Machado. In one way or another, this piece of literary composition can be understood in the context of the 1920's attempt to promote flamenco as high art. As stated by Juan C. Toledano in his article on the play (see the references), flamenco is the essence that God put in the world to fix it, and Lola, an Andalusian, has picked it up in her singing and takes it with her throughout the country to the south, as do the waters of the Guadalquivir.

Bridge of Carlos III over a tributary of the Guadalquivir at Alcalá de Guadaíra. Image taken from here

There are two film adaptations of the Machado brothers' play, the first of them being set 46 years before the other, but before I describe them shortly, I need to utter a few words about the storyline of the play. Lola is a beautiful flamenco singer (cantaora) from San Fernando (Cádiz), in the films acted by Juana Reina and Rocío Jurado. All men desire her, including a landlord Don Diego, who invites her to his premises in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where Lola meets José Luís, his son, who also wants to have her, but Lola rejects him for having set her life for singing. Her gift seems to demand that she keep away from love.

Juana Reina. Image taken from Emilio Jiménez Díaz's blog

Rocío Jurado. Image taken from Emilio Jiménez Díaz's blog

As discussed in the volume of essays on Spanish and Portuguese films edited by Alberto Mira (see the references), Lola is described as not just an interpreter of, but as the being of poetry that springs up from the people, expressed in the profundity of folk song. Lola is widely known and there is something bewitching in her singing that is considered to capture the imagination of everyone listening to it. Intriguing, right? Kindly hear what's available on YouTube, and, given there's a choice of two interpretations to her character, find something enjoyable in each of them!

Juana Reina as Lola in the 1947 film, directed by Juan de Orduña:

Rocío Jurado as Lola in the 1998 film, directed by Josefina Molina:

The Guadalquivir - Great River

The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in the Iberian peninsula and the only great navigable river in Spain. It begins at Cañada de las Fuentes in the Cazorla mountain range in the province of Jaén, passes through Córdoba and Seville and ends at Bonanza, a fishing village in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, flowing there into the Atlantic Ocean.

Reservoir of La Puebla de Cazalla. Image taken from here

Its name comes from the Arabic, meaning “The Great River”. In fact, the Quadalquivir was initially named by Phoenicians the Baits, then later (from pre-Roman times to the Al-Andalus period) it was called the Betis, and the Arabs changed the name to “al-Wadi al-Kabir” (giving the present-day pronunciation).

The Torre del Oro on the Guadalquivir River in Seville. Image taken from here

The Guadalquivir has never served as a defensive barrier in the event of hostilities or against any invasion from the south, but more as means of transport and communication, a route for trade. The Guadalquivir is currently navigable to Seville, but in Roman times it was navigable to Córdoba. Today, the Port of Seville, located 83 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port of Spain.

The Port of Seville, c. 1590. Image from wwwl.allposters.com

The life-giving springs of the Guadalquivir is an area of outstanding beauty situated at Cañada de las Fuentes near the village of Quesada in the foothills of Cazorla Mountains (Sierra de Cazorla).

Cañada de las Fuentes. Image taken from here

Watershed of the Guadalquivir includes not only the municipalities of the provinces of Andalusia (Jaén, Córdoba, Almería, Granada, Málaga, Sevilla, Huelva and Cádiz), but also some areas of Murcia, Albacete, Ciudad Real and Badajoz. 

The Guadalquivir River Basin. Image taken from here

Between Seville and river mouth, there lies a large wet area, the Guadalquivir Marshes (Las Marismas del Guadalquivir). The irrigation of the Guadalquivir allows to give a significant proportion of Spain's agricultural production (sugar beet, cotton, rice, corn and other cereals, vegetables, strawberries, olives, citrus and other fruits) and favours the development of processing industries, such as oil, sugar and cotton mills, dairy factories, meat processing plants, canning, woodworking and furniture construction. There are also many dairy and fighting bull farms in its watershed.

Miura bulls. Image taken from Antonio Coronado Román's blog

If you are planning on looking for some refreshing entertainment or recreation in the riverside areas, there's actually lots on offer. It's a river that gives life to the wetlands in Doñana, the most spectacular natural reserve of Europe being not only its ecological, but also its water heritage. You can visit this site, to begin with. Then, you can just go swimming, fishing or boating, or practise rowing, kayaking, canoeing and sailing.

Arc bridge over the river at Andújar, c. 200 BC. Image taken from here

Away from the water, the options seem to be endless; from hiking, hunting, horse riding and cycling, to motorised activities, such as off-road dirt bike racing (see the motocross race calendar), etc. For mountain bike enthusiasts there's downhill mountain biking (Descenso en Bici del Guadalquivir) with some “official” routes and events, e.g. from Córdoba to Palma del Río or from Seville to Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

River running through and separating Seville into two. Image taken from here

Nature-inspired poetry. The Guadalquivir

Andalusian people have always been awed about the magnificent river of Guadalquivir among the other manifestations of nature and many poets in these lands have also been inspired by those same waters. A Cordovan poetess, Concha Lagos (1909-2007) has written the lines I love most using a language so simple, crisp and plain, yet so deep and bottomless. Here you go.

Al Guadalquivir	To Guadalquivir
¡Qué pequeño naces!, niño, río, amor, ¡Qué grande te haces!	Born so wee, boy, river, love, you grow so big!

Concha Lagos with Vicente Aleixandre and other poets. Image taken from I.E.S. Carbula website

Note that this piece is very much in line with how the common people feel about their beloved river, the one that wines and dines and comforts them. You can read the same spirit in the work of Sevillian playwrights, Quintero brothers (Serafín, 1871-1938; Joaquín, 1873-1944). Here are extracts from a poem by the two, as it's set in stone near a bridge (namely, Puente de las Herrerías) in the sources of the Guadalquivir River.

¡Detente aquí viajero! En estas peñas nace el que es ya Rey de los ríos, entre pinos gigantes y bravíos que arrullan su nacer ásperas breñas.  /.../ Él se ensancha entre olivos y trigales cruza pueblos de hechizo y de poesía y al mar corre a rendirle sus cristales.  /.../	Hold on here, wanderer! On these rocks is born the king of the rivers, between the giant wild pines that lull the rugged badlands to sleep.  /.../ Between olive groves it widens and wheat fields, through spellbound souls and verse folks it goes and runs to the sea that its crystals now wields. /.../
Verses, as they appear here, taken from a blog

Quintero brothers. Image taken from Poesía Hispánica website

See, a river in these dry, heat-beaten lands is pretty much an Alpha and Omega, the first and last, for it gives if honoured and protected and carries the dreams of many thousands good and honest Andalusians. Now, a poem by Antonio Machado that sums it all up for me; let it touch you, too!

LXXXVII	LXXXVII
¡Oh Guadalquivir! Te vi en Cazorla nacer; hoy, en Sanlúcar morir. Un borbollón de agua clara, debajo de un pino verde, eras tú, ¡qué bien sonabas! Como yo, cerca del mar, río de barro salobre, ¿sueñas con tu manantial?	Oh Guadalquivir! I saw you born in Gazorla and dying today in Sanlúcar! You were clear water bubbling beneath a green pine. What a fine sound you made! Like me, as you near the sea, river of brackish mud, do you dream of your springs?
	Translated by Alan S Trueblood (see the references)

Antonio Machado. Image taken from here

Sandwich science

Coming from a linguistic and cultural background other than Spanish, it has been a bit of a headache for me to have breakfast out as in my mother tongue there's one word for “tostada”, “sándwich”, “bocadillo” and “montado”. So I haven't changed my breakfast preferences much staying at home in the mornings. Nevertheless, I have studied the science of the types of bread and the ways they are typically used by Andalusian people. It's not relying on your vocabulary, or dictionary using skills, it's learning the basics right.

Lesson 1. Toast

Toast (tostada) can be had, topped with anything imaginable from simple olive oil and garlic, or olive oil and tomato, to a richer topping, like cheese, ham and cheese, loin of pork, grilled meat, tongue, chicken, tuna, cod, salmon, anchovy, blue crab, prawns, lobster salad, surimi, egg, Spanish omlette, mushrooms, kidney beans, lard with paprika and other spices, or something sweet instead, such as honey, hazelnut chocolate spread, etc. One could have their toast with just about anything, hypothetically speaking, but in reality, the few popular toppings for a toast - in addition to olive oil, garlic and tomato, of course - are some good cheese and cured meat cuts (ham or pork loin).

Toast with ham and cheese

It's a question of taste, for sure, but the bread that makes the best toast is probably a soft round white bread called Mollete de Antequera.

Molletes de Antequera. Made and photographed by Marichu

Toast with olive oil and tomato. Image taken from another food blog

Lesson 2. Sandwich

Sandwich (sándwich) is made with sliced bread (pan de molde) that is not toasted. White bread, very soft in texture, baked in rectangular loaves that are suitable for making even slices (rebanadas), is the most popular for a plain sandwich. But bread for this breakfast treat can also be baked in round or oval loaves, better for making some firmer, butter lovers friendly slices (trozos).

Sandwich with crustless bread. Image taken from a blog

Lesson 3. Filled baguette

For filled baguette some good crispy fresh bread is used. They can be made of longer stick loaves (then, called bocadillos) or of shorter ones (called montados or montaditos as such). Size makes the difference here, and matters - these filled baguettes can be brutally large. Check out the guide of large baguettes from the province of Cádiz, otherwise you won't believe me.

Small cured ham baguettes. Photo from a blog

Small pork loin baguettes. Photo by Luzcarrion

Large pork loin baguette, cut in half vertically. Photo by Tulipán

How to dance Sevillanas

My plan is to enjoy the next Seville Fair to the fullest, but I have a slight problem - I can't dance Sevillanas. I'd like to join the people dancing in the stands and streets. I'm not sure about the dress yet (whether or not to use an authentic, though modern one), but I want to go for longer hair and smoother dance moves.

Grace of Sevillanas. Image taken from ABCdesevilla.es

Sevillanas is an Andalusian folk dance made up of a series coplas (verses), each one with a different choreography, the first of them being considered the easiest. Each of the four coplas the Sevillanas consists of are split up into three sections (partes) and last approximately 1 minute to 90 seconds depending on the tempo, making the entire dance 4-6 minutes long. The music and cante (song) can vary in each copla, but there is a traditional structure that remains the same for all four coplas. This dance is never improvised, however, Sevillians tend to vary the choreography of it. Luckily, its unique and clear structure allows dancers who have learned different styles to perform Sevillanas together. 

For me, the starting point to get the "ball rolling" and make the learning more effective is to visualise its composition. Here you have a scheme from a study assist website (sorry about not translating this).

The structure detailed as follows applies to whatever versions of Sevillanas. For starters, before the actual dance steps there is an entrance (salida) and cante introduction followed by an opening pose (or vuelta normal). The first section of each copla includes standardized steps and choreography, particularly pasos sevillanas and is followed by the first pasada that consists of a series of short steps in which the dancers pass each other, front to front or back to back, switching places as they do so. In traditional versions of the dance, the pasada always ends with one paso sevillana. The second section has different steps than the first one, but lasts the same number of beats, followed by the second pasada. The third section differs from the first two and ends with the cierre, which can include a final turn or a closing dance gesture that is a highly stylized and personalized series of steps ending with the bien parado - a traditional pose. 

Watch out some videos on YouTube to learn:

 

If you find the videos provided very confusing and not helpful, below is an explanatory table (by Marisa) showing the steps in each copla (named, respectively, in Spanish: Primera Sevillana, Segunda Sevillana, Tercera Sevillana, Cuarta Sevillana). Hope it does the trick!

FIRST COPLA
1st section	2nd section	3rd section
5 sevillana steps 1 pasada	1 sevillana steps 4 esquinas 1 pasada	1 sevillana step 4 pasadas 1 vuelta (left)
SECOND COPLA
1st section	2nd section	3rd section
1 sevillana step 3 rond de jambe 1 vuelta (left 1 pasada	1 sevillana step 6 pas de basque 1 vuelta (left) 1 pasada	1 sevillana step 8 pas de basque (circle) vuelta
THIRD COPLA
1st section	2nd section	3rd section
1 sevillana step 1 vuelta (left) + mark 1 vuelta (right) + mark 1 pasada	1 sevillana step 3 zapateados 1 vuelta (left) 1 pasada	1 sevillana step 1 pasada + mark 1 pasada + mark 1 vuelta (left)
FOURTH COPLA
1st section	2nd section	3rd section
1 sevillana step 1 double spin (left) 1 sevillana step 1 double spin (right) 1 sevillana step 1 pasada	1 sevillana step + double stamp 1 careo 2 pas de basque 1 careo 1 vuelta (left) 1 pasada	1 sevillana step + double stamp 4 careos 1 vuelta (left)

Dance terms that can be read from the table are commonly undestood with the meanings given hereunder:

• Careo - type of passing step used in the fourth copla only
• Esquina (corner) - side to side step
• Pasada - passing step, changing place with your partner twice in each copla
• Sevillana - basic dance step performed in Sevillanas that includes a front and backward stepping pattern
• Vuelta - regular (i.e. vuelta normal), upright, pivot turn; or stepping turn (i.e. vuelta de paso), similar to a slow chain turn in ballet
• Rond de jambe and Pas de basque (basque step, a waltzing, 3-count step) - steps from ballet, used in the second copla
• Zapateado - stamping footwork

It'll do, I guess. I wish those of you who choose to get there too all the patience. See you at the 2014 Fair in about ten months!

Jacaranda - A herald of spring

In Seville the blooming of Jacaranda trees is welcomed as a sign of spring. They have already been in bloom for long. Now that it's hot, Jacaranda time is almost over here. No biggie, though, I have always liked having them around. These trees are real beauties and have some calming effect on my mind. Seeing them I know life is a flower after all. 

Jacaranda trees in full bloom. Photo by Maria Dolores Garcia Garrote

Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family of Bignonias found throughout the Americas and Caribbean and has been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, India, Fiji, Portugal, Spain and Africa. Jacarandas are large trees ranging in size from 20 to 30 m tall. Their flowers are produced in conspicious large panicles, every single one of them having a five-lobed purple-blue corolla. Jacaranda fruit is a flat and woody capsule opening at maturity and containing numerous slender seeds.

A fallen flower. Photo by Laurie Wilson

Jacaranda fruit. Photo by Linda De Volder

Jacarandas have been a source of inspiration for many kinds of artists and crafters all over the world as shown from the following pictures.

Cut-paper Jacaranda flowers by Cecilia Alonso Esteves

Jacaranda tree tattoos by Cynthia

 

 

Socks by Holly, made of May Chameleon Colorworks Jacaranda Yarn

Sport in Seville

I happened to pass a local martial arts gym today and it reminded me of the good old days when I practised TaeKwonDo in Tartu (Estonia). I quit after half a year of training and not because I didn't like it, I very much did, but I felt it wasn't for a good reason. I must admit, I'm not exactly a sporty girl myself not having much need for workout, and you know, you can hang around the most handsome guys in the town (that those taekwondokas most certainly were) working their butts off at the same gym with you, but sometimes it's just not enough. I'm telling all that since it's a popular sport here too - Spanish athletes even won 3 olympic medals in TaeKwonDo at the last Summer Games in London. Here, how do I admire the people who have all the spirit and sweating readiness! So how do the Sevillians do in this respect? They do more than good in fact. They're great! Marina Alabau Neira has actually been quite powerful for a number of years at the Windsurfing World and European Championships and won a gold medal in Women's sailboard at the 2012 Summer Olympics. And she's Andalusian, born in Seville. For more achievements, see here.

Marina working on it. Photo taken from www.zimbio.com 

Being on cloud nine. Photo taken from spanish.news.cn 

At the Closing Ceremony. Photo taken from www.sydsvenskan.se