The Dominican Republic is not just the country with sun, sea and beautiful beaches, subtropical temperatures and merengue and bachata music. The Dominican Republic has more to offer. Besides the beautiful and highly varied landscape, the country also has several impressive festivals that are celebrated every year.

Hispaniola

The Dominican Republic, along with Haiti, is located on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea. The Dominican Republic is located in the center and east of the island and covers about two-thirds of the island. The capital is Santo Domingo and in addition to the island of Hispaniola, the country includes three other reasonably sized islands. The best travel advice for the Dominican Republic is from December to April. The months of June through November are hurricane season with the highest chance of hurricanes in the month of September.

Besides enjoying the sun, sea and beautiful beaches on the island, the country has much more to offer. Dominican Republic excursions are very diverse. The island has many mountain ranges including the Cordillera Central with the highest mountain in the Caribbean (3175m). Furthermore, the island has several waterfalls and national parks. There are also many lakes including Lago Enriquillo, the largest lake on the island and also the largest lake in the Caribbean.

Carnival in February and in August

The Dominican Republic is also known for its carnival. This feast is celebrated twice a year nahetmically in February and in August. However, carnival in August is celebrated somewhat less exuberantly than in February. In 1510, the first carnival was celebrated in the Dominican Republic, in La Vega, hence the name Carnaval Vegano. The celebration was organized by Christian who wanted to get the "wild" out of their slaves. Wanting to enjoy the feast themselves, they added their own influences to the carnival. The Haitian occupation caused costumes to disappear from the streets in the period between 1822 and 1844.

On Feb. 27, 1844, the Domincian Republic became independent. Since then, Carnival has been known for its colorfulness and the masks people wear. The masks are made by "carreteros" and are made of feathers, burlap and mostly paper maché. During the month of February, a parade takes place every Sunday in a different town each time. The big national parade takes place on the last Sunday of February in Santo Domingo, in honor of the country's independence. During these parades, all the "comparsas" (carnival associations) are dressed in costumes typical of their region. Every year more than 100,000 people from home, and abroad, descend on Santo Domingo's national parade. Since the Dominican carnival has expanded throughout the island, this celebration is called the "Carnaval Dominicano".

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Cuba is best known for its rum and cigars. Cuba is the number one country when it comes to cigar production. Rum and cigars are one of the island's main export products.

Cuban cigars

There are 180 million cigars produced in Cuba. Cigars have been produced in Cuba since the 15th century. The word cigar is derived from the Spanish verb turn "girar." Being one of the island's main exports, Cuban cigars are still very important to the Cuban economy today. There are 40 types of Cuban cigars and the most famous of them is Cohiba. Pinar del Río province is one of the most beautiful areas of the island and also the center of the Cuban tobacco industry. A cigar roller is called a "torcedor. A torcedor rolls an average of 120 cigars a day. While working, cigar rollers are allowed to smoke as many cigars as they want, are read to to combat boredom, and are allowed to take home two cigars each day.

Tobacco Plants

To make cigars, one needs tobacco plants. First, the tobacco plants are sown on a special bed where they must remain for 6 weeks. Then they are put in a field where they are given the opportunity to grow and after about 3 months the tobacco leaves have the right size and the leaves are picked. After these leaves are picked they are hung on long sticks for a period of about 7 weeks to dry. The final process is letting the leaves ferment in a dark room. Here, among other things, they are selected for color and packed per 25 leaves for the cigar factory. To this day, all work on the tobacco plantations is maintained manually, this is what makes Cuban cigars of good quality. It was a Cuban tradition to give cigars as business gifts. Only since the 1980s have cigars been available for sale to everyone.

Cuban rum

Columbus discovered Cuba. Already on his second voyage to the island, he brought sugar cane with him. The African slaves who were in Cuba had their own drink, "guarapo." When Columbus brought sugar cane to the island they started applying the same process to the sugar cane. This created the first Cuban rum. It wasn't until the 19th century that Cuban rum became a high-quality product.

There are three types of Cuban rum. The youngest type is the white rum, it is mostly used for making cocktails such as the mojito. The amber rum is about 3 years old and is usually drunk pure or used for exclusive cocktails. The oldest rum is the dark brown rum. This rum is as much as 7 years old and is almost always drunk pure or with a little ice, which ensures that the flavor is better released. The rum brand "Havana Club" is one of the most famous rum brands and dates back to 1878, the brand was nationalized in 1959.

Photo by artofmanliness.com

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Argentine cuisine is known for being mostly meat-based. Residents of Argentina eat an average of 65 kg of meat per person per year. Besides the delicious cuts of meat, there is much more food and drink available in Argentine cuisine.

• The large group of immigrants has allowed Italian, Indian, French and Spanish cuisine to have a major influence on Argentine cuisine.
• Argentina is among the top five countries in the world with the largest wine production.
• In Argentina, eating is a social event; eating alone or on the road on a bus or train does not happen at all.

Argentine cuisine consists of influences from all over the world. Immigrants who came to Argentina have had a great influence on Argentine cuisine. Influences from Spain, Italy and France, among others, are well reflected in the cuisine. In addition to these influences, Argentina uses many local products such as beans, zucchini, corn, peppers, squash and sweet potato.

Meat dishes

Argentina is the country for meat lovers. Per year, residents eat an average of 65 kilograms of meat. This mainly involves beef. Argentine food is often prepared on a barbecue or grill. Eating in Argentina is quite a social happening. Eating alone is rare, and eating while on the train or bus is completely out of the question. On Sundays, the whole family often gathers and barbecues on a huge barbecue. Some typical Argentine dishes include asado (food prepared on a large barbecue), milbrillo (jam made from cultured pears, which are similar to hard apples) and locro (a hearty stew).

Breakfast in Argentina is only a light meal, often nothing more than toast with some jam or a croissant with coffee or tea. Lunch is more substantial and can vary greatly. Often lunch consists of a hearty sandwich or a hot meal. Breakfast and lunch take place at about the same time as dinner in the Netherlands. However, dinner does not take place before 9 pm. At dinner a good piece of meat is the basis of a dish. On the coast or in other fish-rich areas, fish tops the menu.

To bridge the long period between lunch and dinner, Argentines often eat minutas. These are small snacks or meals that can be made quickly. Some examples of minutas are coripan (hot dog), tostada (sandwich) and a chivito (a hearty sandwich topped with a juicy piece of meat).

Maté tea

Food in Argentina is often shared. If a pizza is ordered, it is eaten by all. Maté is also shared. Maté is the national drink. It is a kind of tea made from yerba (spicy leaves). To drink maté you need a special cup, yerba leaves, hot water and a bamboo straw. Yerba is put into the cup, the straw is inserted into it and then hot water is added. The creator of the drink tries the drink first and then people alternate between drinking and enjoying this national drink.

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Carlos Ruiz Zafón was born on Sept. 25, 1964, in Barcelona. He is one of the best-known Spanish novelists. All the books written by Zafón are set in Barcelona. He became famous with his first novel "La sombra del viento," the shadow of the wind. All of Zafón's books have been translated into Dutch, by Nelleke Geel.

Until today there are 7 books by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Including 3 novels and 4 juvenile novels. All his novels have been published in more than 40 countries in 30 different languages. Ever since Carlos was five years old he has wanted to be a writer, working at a large advertising company until the 1990s. But then quit this to focus fully on his passion: writing! In his own words, Zafón's novels are a biography of his own life.

The shadow of the wind

His first novel was the 2001 book "La sombra del viento," which in Dutch means "the shadow of the wind". This was also the book that brought him great fame. This book is about the main character, Daniel, who one day is taken by his father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Daniel gets to pick one book and chooses the book; "The Shadow of the Wind. From that day on, the book changes his whole life, and even seems that the people Daniel meets in his life from then on are part of a game in which the book is the centerpiece.

Juvenile novels

In 1993 Carlos released his first book, a juvenile novel called 'El príncipe de la niebla' (the mist prince), this was a mystery horror novel. In 1994 he released his second juvenile novel called 'El palacio de la medianoche' (The Midnight Palace). His last juvenile novel was "Marina," which he released in 1999. After this, Zafón began writing novels for adults.

The Spanish Civil War

Besides 'La sombra del viento' Zafón released two other novels. 'El juego del angel' in Dutch is called 'Het spel van de engel' this book was released in 2008 and in 2011 he released the book 'El prisionero del cielo', 'The prisoners of heaven'. The remarkable thing is that all these novels are set after the Spanish Civil War in Barcelona. Consequently, there are several individual and group tours available in Barcelona that visit all the locations from the books. Carlos has mentioned several times that his three novels are part of a four-part series, "the quartet of Barcelona. So it is only a matter of time until his next novel comes out and his four-part series is complete.

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Citytrip Valencia

Arriving early in the morning at the airport of Valencia, I can't wait to start my day with a freshly squeezed zumo de naranja á la Valencia. Instead of a hotel in Valencia, we opted for a hostal right in the center. Drop your bags and then quickly into town! From the airport you can very easily take the metro to the center of Valencia. So we did. The subway takes us straight to our hostal. This hostal is located at the "Plaza Ayuntamiento" from where you can easily walk to the other two squares of Valencia (Plaza de la Reina and Plaza de la Virgen). The temperature gauge in the square reads 34 degrees. Fortunately, there is a constant wind blowing through Valencia, so it is perfectly bearable. Valencia is the^3rd largest city in Spain, but this does not feel like it at all. It has a quiet center with not too much traffic, where you can stroll through the many narrow streets.

Thinking about tasty snacks for tonight, the so-called pinchos, we first have breakfast. As we walk towards the first square we see that you can sit on the terrace of Horchatería El Siglo in the sun. This is definitely the place where we want to have breakfast and catch the first rays of the Spanish sun. On the menu is horchata de chufa (almond drink). According to the camarero, this is something typically Valencian you must have tried. You drink this local thirst quencher ice cold and eat fartons (stems of croissant dough) with it. The waiter manages to seduce me anyway so, in addition to the zumo de naranja, I order the horchata with fartons. The horchata tastes like a slightly sweet milky drink and is wonderfully refreshing. The combination with the fartons completes it!

To explore Valencia properly we´all Dutch´re going to explore the city by bike. Everywhere you can rent bikes, but on the recommendation of our hostal we rent them at ´Solution Bike rental´ at a great price. Very nice is to cycle through the 10 kilometer(!) long city park ´Jardines del Turia´ in the old river bed of the Turia. This park runs right through the city like a green strip. I have never seen such a versatile park with playgrounds, work-out machines, playing fields and beautiful picnic areas!

After an active bike ride through Valencia, our stomachs begin to growl again and we look for a restaurant where locals enjoy the almuerzo. We plop down at restaurant ´Taberna Española Pasodoble´. Like the valencianos do, we order the daily menu. This is a complete 3-course meal for about 10.00 euros. Very tasty and a cheap solution that can fill you up well.

What you must have tasted when in Valencia is the paella. This cocina típica de Valencia, is available everywhere. Just outside Valencia, in Albufera, you can visit the rice fields. We decide to eat paella on the beach of Valencia in the evening. It is easily accessible by metro from the city center. We were told that the most famous restaurant is "La Pepica", but that "L'Estimat" serves the best paella and that it is surrounded by Valencians. That is the best tip: eat where the locals are sitting.

We end the evening at the ´Café de las Horas´ with Valencia´s most famous cocktail, Agua de Valencia. The alcoholic version of Valencian oranges, mixed with cava brut (Spanish champagne) and cointreau.

Before we go home again, I go to the Central Market in the morning to buy something for home. This market with its food stalls of fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and meat makes your mouth water. This is also where all the restaurants in Valencia get their fresh produce. On the side of the ´Mercado Central´ I quickly buy paella rice and a paella pan so that later I can try to make the real paella Valenciana at home.

Valencia, with about 1500 restaurants, is a delight for culinary lovers. It is a versatile city where you can fully enjoy Spanish life in all its facets. I will definitely come back here!

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The Argentine tango

Tango originated in Argentina more than 100 years ago. To be precise, at the end of the nineteenth century in the working-class neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. Like flamenco, tango is not only and dance style but also a music style and a poetry style. There are two types of tango, Argentine tango and ballroom tango.

Argentine tango originated in the late 19th century when many European men went to Buenos Aires for a better life and work. These different nationalities all had their own input into tango. For example, the Spanish brought influences from flamenco and the descendants of African slaves knew the candombe, but Italians, Russians and other nationalities had also had their influences on tango.

All these influences created a confident, restrained, emotional and challenging dance. The most important thing in tango is the connection between the dance partners. Argentine tango is known for its improvisation. This ensures that no two dances are the same. The tango contains many tempo differences and sharp footwork. Because there is so much improvisation, making a mistake is not a problem as long as you improvise together with your partner. The basic steps of the tango are la caminada (the basic step), el paseo (the same basic step but with the partner together while moving) and la cadencia (the same as el paseo but without moving).

The tango in Europe

In the early 20th century, many members of wealthy families from Argentina came to Paris. This caused the tango to become popular in Europe. In Europe, however, the tango had many opponents. People considered the dance vulgar and vulgar. It even went so far that in 1923 the pope banned the tango in Europe! This caused the ballroom tango to emerge. You could think of the ballroom tango as the corrected version of the Argentine Tango. The ballroom tango was characterized by its tight music and the tango dance of this dance style was much tighter and less improvisation took place. This, together with the entrance of other music and dance styles, was the reason why the tango became less popular in Europe.

However, in the 1980s Argentine tango became popular again in Europe. This time there were no opponents of the dance and since then it is impossible to imagine Europe without it. In every major city in the Netherlands you can find a tango dance school.

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Increasingly popular, also in the Netherlands, are the Spanish dances. Flamenco and salsa, we have all heard of them. But where do these dances come from, are they real Spanish dances or did they originate elsewhere in the world?

Flamenco is one of the most complex dances in the world. Flamenco originated in the second half of the nineteenth century in Andalusia, southern Spain. When people think of flamenco they often think of flamenco dance, but flamenco is more. Flamenco is a combination of baile (dance), toque (guitar playing), cante (singing) and palmas (hand clapping). It is a spirited, expressive and powerful dance and is characterized by its footwork, rhythms, attire and castanets. Today flamenco is one of Spain's most important cultural exports.

Another dance thought to be Spanish is salsa. In the Netherlands, salsa dancing is very well known and therefore there are many opportunities to learn this dance. Salsa is a collective name for different types of dances and rhythms such as son, mambo, guaguancó, cha-cha-cha and the dázon. The rhythm of the dance consists of 8 beats divided into two times four beats, where of every four beats one beat is rested.

When you dance salsa, you don't have to memorize complicated choreography; you can certainly improvise as well. So you don't have to be a professional dancer! With the right rhythm, basic steps and turning technique you will come a long way. The footwork is fortunately not complicated, with these you make the basic steps and the rest of your body does the remaining (dance) work, such as graceful arm movements that are characteristic of salsa.

Salsa is found both in Spain and in the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America and is a melting pot of different cultures of peoples who came to Cuba, each bringing with them their own music and dance style. African slave music and Spanish singing were especially influential in the creation of salsa. Today some 15 million Latin Americans dance salsa.

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Spanish culture

Sports are very important in Spanish culture. The most important Spanish sport is soccer. But besides soccer, tennis, motor sports and golf are also very popular in Spain. Spain has many athletes who have performed well at the international level.

Spanish soccer

Soccer is the national sport of Spain. Soccer has been played in Spain since the last decade of the nineteenth century. The Spanish clubs, national team and national league "Primera División" are among the best, strongest and most famous in the world. Spain's all-time top scorer is David Villa. Also, the Spanish national team became world champions a total of once in 2010 in South Africa, and European champions 7 times.

Golfing in Spain

Spain is also the perfect country to play golf. Spain has the ideal climate to play golf, for example, it is 18 degrees in the south of the country in the winter and 20 degrees in the summer in the north. Spain has a total of 250 golf courses that together provide more than half a million hours of golf a year. Robert Trent Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Severiano Ballesteros and José Maria Olazábal are some of the famous names in the golf world associated with Spain's golf courses.

Motor sports in Spain

Besides soccer and golf, motor sports are also very popular in Spain. Spain has several circuits for motor sports. But the most famous are the circuit of Catalunya where the Formula 1 race takes place every year, and the circuit of Jerez de la Frontera where the moto GP takes place every year. One of the most famous Spanish racing drivers is Fernando Alonso. Fernando Alonso is and two-time world champion and in 2005 he was even the youngest world champion ever. His success has caused "Alonsomania" in parts of Spain. Fernando Alonso is still active in Formula One and currently drives for Ferrari.

Spanish tennis players

Finally, the sport most famous in Spain besides soccer, tennis. Spain has many professional tennis players who are very highly ranked at the international level. These Spanish tennis players owe their success in part to the tennis courts and schools they have had at their disposal in the past. Rafael Nadal is the best-known Spanish tennis player and is currently ranked No. 4 in the world. His nickname is the King of Gravel, many experts consider him the best gravel player of all time. Nadal has won 11 Grand Slam titles, including Roland Garros 7 times. He achieved his best position in 2008, at which time Rafal Nadal was the No. 1 player in the world.

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Spanish food culture

Spanish food culture has many typical Spanish dishes. Including tapa dishes and the Spanish paella. Tapas and paella are the most famous dishes of Spanish cuisine. These dishes are both easy to make yourself at home.

Tapas

Tapas is a collective name for all small tapas appetizers that are eaten in Spain mainly in bars and cafes. Spaniards often eat these tapas between their breakfast and lunch or between their lunch and dinner. In Spain, people have lunch around 2 p.m. and most people don't have dinner on the table until around 10 p.m., so you can imagine that a tapas in between is delicious.

There are as many as a hundred different types of tapa. Almost every region in Spain has its own specialties. An example of a well-known tapa in northern and inland Spain are "pintxos. These are small slices of bread topped with anything and everything. Some other examples of tapas are patatas bravas (baked potatoes in spicy tomato sauce), tortilla de patatas (potato omelet), shrimp, melon and ham and pinchos.

Tapas appetizers are fairly simple snacks and are easy to make at home. Tapas are also ideal as a snack during a party. With one of the many tapas recipes available online, you can have a table full of tasty appetizers in no time.

Paella

Another typical Spanish dish is paella, which is an originally Valencian dish. Paella is a rice dish that has a different method of preparation per region. The advantage of paella is that there are so many different varieties that almost everyone likes paella. The main main ingredient is the rice, and according to your own preferences, you can then choose to use fish and shellfish or chicken and rabbit.

Paella is also a Spanish dish that is easy to make yourself at home. As told, you can choose the ingredients yourself. The only other important thing is the ratio of rice to liquid. Paella rice is usually cooked in fish or chicken stock to create a stronger flavor. The rule of thumb is that 3 parts broth equal 1 part rice. But even this varies with each variation of the dish.

Tapas and paella are just two of the many Spanish dishes that are easy to prepare yourself at home, and you don't have to be a professional cook to do so!

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Calixto and Melibea

Calixto and Melibea park is a beautiful garden in Salamanca. It is the garden of the house where Melibea lived in the story, La Celestina. La Celestina is a love story with a tragic ending. The story is the Spanish version of the story of Romeo and Juliet.

The garden is located in the old town of Salamanca. The garden was opened on June 12, 1981. The garden is 2,500 square meters and is built on part of the old city wall, offering a beautiful view of the Río Tormes with its Roman bridge. On the other side, the garden offers a view of the old town and the beautiful old cathedral. The garden has a great variety of colorful flowers, plants and fruit and nut trees. And is an ideal place to relax and enjoy the tranquility, the view and the romantic atmosphere of the garden.

La CelestinaThe garden is the setting of the love story between Calisto and Melibea in the book "La Celestina" by Fernando de Rojas. Therefore, the name of the park refers to the two main characters of the story, Calisto and Melibea. The park is also home to a statue of Celestina, the matchmaker between Calisto and Melibea.

The story is about Calisto, who is an employee of Pleberio, Melibea's father. Calisto falls in love with Melibea and enlists the help of a matchmaker. The matchmaker, named Celestina, also owns a brothel. Celestina matches Malisto and Melibea by telling Melibea that a man is seriously ill and can only be cured by Melibea's attention. Celestina arranges an appointment between the two in Pleberio's garden.

Calisto's two servants do not trust Celestina, so they try to convince Calisto not to accept her help. However, when the servants find out that Calisto cannot change his mind they decide to make a pact with Celestina. They decide to help her in exchange for some of the money Celestina receives from Calisto. On the night of the meeting, however, the two servants find out that Celestina has no intention of sharing part of the money with them. At this, the servants go to Celestina's brothel and kill her, however, they are caught and the two servants are also executed by one of the prostitutes.

In the meantime, another tragedy takes place in Pleberio's garden. In desperation, Calisto tries to climb a ladder to get to Melibea's window, but Calisto falls off the ladder and dies. Melibea, however, cannot live without him, so she tells her father the whole love story between her and Calisto. After telling him this, she robs herself of life by jumping off a tower.

La Celestina is considered one of the most important and well-known works of Spanish literature. This book is also marked as the end of medieval literature and the beginning of the literary renaissance in Spain.

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