Walks in Madrid with My Fiancée Kay Killian Balun, The Best Girl in the World, Febuary 2019

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Kay Balun in the lobby bar at The Palace Hotel, Madrid

Kay at España Cañí tapas bar, Plaza del Ángel, 14, in the Literary Quarter (Barrio de Letras), España cañí (meaning "Gypsy Spain" in Spanish) is a one of the most often heard and stirring of pasodobles you might hear at a bullfight. It is an instrumental piece written around 1923 by by Pascual Marquina Narro (1873-1948). The song was first recorded in 1926. The images on the tiles are taken from paintings by the great Córdoban artist, Julio Romero de Torres.

At Villa Rosa, now a flamenco show venue, but once a house of excellent repute. Madrid is famous for its tabernas, bars and restaurantes with hand-painted tiles. Villa Rosa has famous depictions of Sevilla, Granada, Málaga, Córdoba, Granada and Madrid on its exterior walls and more superb tile scenes in the interior. 

 

At the Oso y Madroño monument in la Puerta del Sol. A bear eating the fruit of a strawberry tree, arbutus unedo, is the symbol-mascot of Madrid. 

 

At Kilometer Zero, the symbolic center of Spain in La Puerta del Sol. This kilometer marker is the point from which the national roads (N-1 to N-6) radiating from Madrid are measured. When you see K-323, etc. on one of the national roads, it is the distance in kilometers from this point. 

The plaque is situated in front of what used to be the Post Office, the Real Casa de Correos, whose clock, according to urban legend, was the official time clock of Spain. This building now houses the offices of the President of la Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid is also a province). In any case, la Puerta del Sol is the Times Square of Spain and this clock tolls the hour at midnight to the throngs packing the plaza (and to the rest of the country) on New Year´s Eve.

The plaque was originally installed here in 1950 and, during some renovation work in 2002, it was re-installed 180 degrees, basically turned around so the map of Spain was upside down geographichally. During more work on la Puerta del Sol in 2009, the plaque was replaced again, this time installed in its original intended position.

 

Kay comes from St. Louis and Steak n Shake, founded in my home state in Normal, Illinois, used to be big in the Midwest (there is now one in New York), so she wanted a picture in front of the Steak & Shake, the only one I have seen in Spain, in the Plaza de Cañalejas, near la Puerta del Sol.

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Shall deeds of Caesar or Napoleon ring   

More true than Don Quixote's vapouring?

Hath winged Pegasus more nobly trod

Than Rocinante stumbling up to God?

 

Poem by Archer M. Huntington inscribed under the Don Quixote on his horse Rocinante bas-relief sculpture by his wife, Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington, in the courtyard of the Hispanic Society of America’s incredible museum at 613 W. 155th

Street, New York City.

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In 2019, again ranked in the Top 50 Gastronomy Blogs and Websites for Gastronomists & Gastronomes in 2019 by Feedspot. (Last Updated Oct 23, 2019) 

"The Best Gastronomy blogs selected from thousands of Food blogs, Culture blogs and Food Science blogs in our index using search and social metrics. We’ve carefully selected these websites because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information."  

36. Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel
 
Gerry Dawes

"My good friend Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless crisscrossings of the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially American food professionals—to my country's culinary life." -- Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter 2019

Gerry Dawes was the Producer and Program Host of Gerry Dawes & Friends, a weekly radio progam on Pawling Public Radio in Pawling, NY.

Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés. 

". . . That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.

Pilot for a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain  

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com

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