Flower Power Party at Pacha Ibiza: fun music from the 60s And 70s

I lived in Ibiza for almost 3 years and every summer I did everything possible to go to this party. It was the best party I have ever been, to hippie ambience with people dressed from the period, the entire club decorated with flowers, attractive gogos inviting everybody to dance, amazing performances, the smell of incense permeating the entire room and above all, the great music.

Here is a list of the greatest hits that cannot be left out at a Flower Power Party at Pacha Ibiza:

• Simon & Garfunkel-Mrs. Robinson.
• The Byrds-Mr. Tambourine Man.
• The Mammas & The Papas-Califronia Dreaming.
• Scott Mckenzie-San Francisco.
• The Shirelles-Will you love me tomorrow?
• Del Shannon-Runaway.
• The Chiffons-He´s so Fine.
• Bob & Earl-Harlem Shuffle.
• The Beach Boys-Do it again.
• Dion & The Belmonts-The Wanderer.
• Bruce Channel-Hey! Baby.
• Dion DiMucci-Runaround Sue.
• Eddie Cohran-Come on Everybody.
• Chubby Checker-Let´s Twist Again.
• Jerry Lee Lewis-Great Balls of Fire.
• Los Lobos-La Bamba.
• Little Eva-The Locomotion.
• The Monkees-I´m a Believer.
• The Beach Boys-Wouldn´t it be Nice.
• Sonny and Cher-The Beat Goes on.
• Roy Orbison-Oh, Pretty Woman.
• Tommy James & The Shondells-Money Money.
• Manfred Man-Do Wah Diddy Diddy.
• Sly & The Family Stone-Dance To The Music.
• The Supremes-You can´t Hurry Love.
• Lulu an the Luvvers-Shout.
• The Troggs-Wild Thing.
• Free-All right now.
• T.Rex-Get it on.
• The Spencer Davis Group-Keep on Running.
• Steppenwolf-Born to be Wild.
• Deep Purple-Smoke on the Water.
• James Brown-I got you.
• The Four Tops-I can´t Help Myself.
• Jr. Walker & The All Stars-How Sweet it is.
• Arthur Conley-Sweet Soul Music.
• Edwin Starr-War.
• Wilson Pickett-Mustang Sally.
• The Animals-Don´t let me be misunderstood.
• The Temptations-Papa was a Rolling Stone.

Apart from the fact that the club is always crowded and you must go early in the night if you want to avoid huge lines, you cannot miss this party if you are on the island during one of the six Tuesdays that the party takes place during the summertime.

From the time you pass the gate, you get involved in this unique hippie ambience, as the gogos give you a bouquet of flowers and a "heart" lollipop, while some others paint hippie symbols on your body. The club is transformed into a 60s commune with places to buy bracelets, hippie clothing...as the mythical Dalias Hippie Market moves to Pacha with its bohemian sellers, so that the whole atmosphere breathes the 60s.

Inside the club you can find five different musical enviroments interlaced by stairs, doors and "secret" corridors of an historic country house from 1973, and even a great terrace with sea views!!

When you get into the main rooom (where the real show takes place) you feel surrounded by a variety of styles and generations, from the mythical hippies of the 60s, to the young residents of the island, to foreing tourist who are only passing through Ibiza. Suddenly a real Harley Davidson appears roaring into the room, John Lennon and Yoko Ono slip through the crowd in a love nest, a yellow submarine goes round the hall making people from a huge line behind it...a party full of surprises!!

The party ends very early in the morning with the sounds of John Lennon´s hit "Imagine" and everybody joins together with sparklers in their hands, a truly emotional ending...

http://youtu.be/XxeP2YibT6I 

Gajito

Travelling around Argentina

In January 2012 I made the trip which I have liked the most, to Argentina. It was 16 days of taking planes, waking up early, suffering sudden temperature changes, but despite that, the experience was beautiful.

We arrived in Buenos Aires on a sunny summer day, when Madrid was almost freezing, and the metropolis instantly captivated us. The sounds of the Tango, the smell of roast meat and the ever-present “yerba mate”, the Argentinian accent...the Porteño atmosphere and the people enchant you completely.

Beginning with the hotel where we were staying, which was located in downtown Buenos Aires, and was a typical beginning-of-the-century building, with its high ceilings and its courtyards that provided abundant light, the entire visit to the city was amazing.

We visited La Casa Rosada (Cristina Fernández de Krichner´s palace), the cathedral, Café Tortoni (the oldest café shop in the country), La Boca (the humblest but most colourful and charming neighbourhood in the capital), Recoleta Cemetery (probably with the most elaborate tombs that I have ever seen, and where the popular leader Eva Perón was buried-), and the San Telmo neighbourhood, with its old houses, markets and sidewalk restaurants. It’s definitely a city that is worth spending nearly 13 hours on a plane flying to it from Madrid!

After visiting the capital, we took a plane to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. It was amazing just thinking of being 1000 km from Antarctica!! But the weather reminded you...Although It was summer time, at sunset (around 11 p.m.!) you felt really cold. In Ushuaia we went trekking around Tierra del Fuego National Park and as well as canoeing in Beagle Canal, where the Andes meet Drake´s Sea, probably the most dangerous sea in the world, because of its strong currents.

The next step was flying to El Calafate (southwest Argentina), and the Perito Moreno Glacier. This was probably the highlight of the trip. When you get on the boat, approach the glacier and start hearing 80-meter ice blocks falling into the water, while the small vessel is rolling, the feeling is incredible!

The following day we rented some bikes and went to see the largest glacier lakes in Argentina. Their crystal blue water, is without a doubt the most beautiful water that I have ever seen, with nothing to envy the Caribbean for.

As we wanted to see more of Los Glaciares National Park, and we were at the border with Chile, we took a four-wheel-drive coach to reach Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, located on the Chilean side of Los Glaciares National Park. We spent some nights there and the hotel we stayed in was simply gorgeous, as it had extraordinary views of the Grey Glacier.

Scattered about the lake were many icebergs from the glacier breaks and we went kayaking among them. This was one of the best experiences that I have ever had. Icebergs are really wonders of nature!

Our last stop in Argentina was completely different from the other places. We took a plane to Puerto Iguazú (northeast Argentina), home of the popular falls. The Puerto Iguazú River is a natural boundary between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and you can visit the falls from the Argentinian side and also from Brazilian one.

At Puerto Iguazú the weather was warm and humid, and it was very hard to bear, but we took a dinghy to the falls on the Iguazú river, where you got completely wet and refresh, as the driver took you right under falls! We also visited Puerto Iguazú Park, where there are numerous species of wild animals that you can see from a convertible truck, as it’s forbidden to visit it by yourself because it could be dangerous due to the leafy scenery.

So this is a short brief of my Argentinian experience, a land of a thousand countries which I strongly recommend visiting, but you’d better save some money first…I’m warning you…

                                                                                                                                                        Gajito

A traditional Spanish restaurant and winery: Restaurante Los Chopos and Bodegas González Lara

I would like to introduce you to one of the best traditional Spanish restaurants in Valladolid, my grandparents' restaurant, Los Chopos.

The restaurant was opened almost fifty years ago with my grandpa serving meals and my grandma “over the fires”. At the moment, my mom and one of my uncles manage the kitchen while my aunt and my other uncle serve meals. 

Here is a map of its location:

                        

The restaurant menu consists of:

 

1.- STARTERS

  
(All cold meat comes from Guijuelo, a village very well known for its production near Salamanca): 

•  Iberian Ham

          

•   Iberian Loin

         

• Iberian Chorizo (pork sausage)

         

•  Cheese (from Mucientes, a village near Valladolid)

        

•   Iberian platter

          

• White tuna belly with peppers

         

• Bonito fish in salad 

         

 2.- FIRST COURSE

•  Hors d'oeuvres

         

• Homemade scramble

        

• Garlic shrimp

        

• Clams in pan

         

• Squid

         

• Plain salad

         

• Mixed salad

        

3.- SECOND COURSE

a) MEATS 

• Roast lamb cooked in traditional wood oven 

       (Only milk-fed lamb is used)

         

• Lamb chops 

         

• Beef steak

         

• Grilled beef

         

• Beefsteak

         

• Grilled tenderloin 

         

• Stewed squab

         

• Oxtail stew

         

b) FISH

• Grilled sea bream

         

• Hake fillet roman-style

         

• Hake casserole 

                                     

                                                 

• Grilled hake

          
                                     

• Grilled sea bass

                                                                    

• Grilled turbot

                                         

• Grilled grouper

                                         

4.- HOMEMADE DESSERTS

• Lemon mousse

                                          

• Chocolate mousse

                                                                                       

• Fried milk

        

                                             

• Rice pudding

                                           

• Egg flan

       

                                                 

• Custard

                                             

• Lemon sorbet 

                                                    

In addition, it's possible to accompany the meal with one of the homemade wines from my grandpa's winery. Bodegas González Lara is a family winery located in Mucientes, a village near Valladolid, and belonging to Cigales Designation of Origin. The wine is obtained from the family's vineyards in Trigueros del Valle and Cigales, localities of the provinces of Valladolid like Mucientes.

 

 

Here it is the web site of the winery: www.bodegasgonzalezlara.com and a map of its location:

                                        

You can enjoy four types of Bodegas González Lara wines:

-         Tinto Joven Fuente del Conde

      

             
This is a young red wine, dry and fresh with very smooth sweet tannins.

-         Tinto Crianza Fuente del Conde

             
This one is a crianza red wine, it offers roasts, marmalades with hints of resin and vanilla.

-         Rosado Fuente del Conde

           

This one is a rosé. Its's clean and fresh, well-structured with a carbonic bubbling that makes it a lively, harmoniuos and full-bodied wine.

-         Rosado Viña Zapata

           

The last is also a rosé wine, dry and slightly acidic, which gives it freshness and full taste on the palate.

And these are my family's businesses. As you might imagine, a liking for the products of our region is a fundamental aspect in our nutrition and we would love to share our passion for good food and good wine with you wherever you like. Valladolid is waiting for you!!                                        

  

                                                                                                                                              Gajito