From 27 April to 2 September

DALÍ SURREALISM AT THE REINA SOFÍA MUSEUM

With the spring arrives the most surrealist Dali at the Reina Sofia Museum of Madrid, in an exhibition organised jointly by this museum and the Centre Georges Pompidou of Paris, where it is being staged before coming to Madrid.
The show, which is comprised of 200 works, is one of the most comprehensive ever to have been organised to date on the artist from the Ampurdán region. It highlights Dali’s talents as a thinker, writer and creator of a peculiar world vision, in which he interprets and transforms reality through a paranoid-critical method. The show also takes a closer look at the narcissistic and megalomaniac personality of Salvador Dali, as his particular character had a definitive influence on his artistic manifestations, which are often dreamlike and delirious.
Among the works on view at the Reina Sofia Museum are “Girl at Window”, “The Great Masturbator” or “Rotting Donkey”. Undoubtedly a unique occasion to enjoy the work of one of the most transgressive artists of the 20th century, one that leaves few people indifferent.

Situated next to Toledo’s Hacienda del Cardenal

OLD BISAGRA GATE

The Old Bisagra Gate, also called Alfonso VI Gate, is one of Toledo’s best-known monuments. Built in the 10th century under Muslim domination and making use of a few Visigoth remains, for a long time it was the main entrance gate to the city of Toledo.
It fell into disrepair in the 16th century, when Carlos V decided to reform its neighbour, today called the New Bisagra Gate, transforming the old Arabic gate into a renaissance one. This meant that tax collection (tolls) ended for the Old Bisagra Gate and transferred to the new one.
As a consequence, our protagonist was bricked up and remained like this for almost four centuries until in 1905 the Marquis of Fuensanta de la Palma took an interest in recovering and restoring the monument. It was at this time that it began to be called Alfonso VI Gate, making reference to the historical event in which the Christian king snatched Toledo from the Muslims.

One must go with the times…

BOTÍN, No. 2 ON THE SOCIAL NETWORKS

Everyone is aware of the importance that the social networks have acquired in today’s world: Facebook or Twitter are words to which we have all become accustomed in our everyday language.
Recently, then, an independent consultancy has published a list in which Casa Botín appears in the number 2 spot of Spanish restaurants and reflects their presence on the social networks. Specifically, we are second on Facebook, second on Twitter and fourth on YouTube.
The list has been published in January 2013 and will be updated quarterly with client proposals and contributions.
Currently Botín has accounts on a variety of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Minube, Linkedin, Foursquare, Instagram, etc. We work with them on a daily basis, posting news items of interest and answering queries and comments from our friends, thus strengthening Botín’s link with all its followers. To do this, we count on the inestimable collaboration of José Alfonso González, a publicist belonging to Room Comunicación and community manager of Botín.

A historic dish for a historic place

MADRILENIAN STEW IN TOLEDO

For centuries, the stewpot has been a staple of Spanish cooking.
Pottage, stew, mulligan… they all originated around the 15th century as a Christian version of the Adafina, a Jewish Sabbath recipe cooked with chick peas, noodles, beef, boiled eggs and chicken.
During the 17th and 18th centuries it was a dish for noble folk. It was the favourite dish of Carlos I and was of course never absent from the tables of the Cardinals’ banquets. It became popular in the 19th century and began to be served in inns and taverns. However, the upper classes ceased to eat it and viewed it as a coarse, low-class and old-fashioned dish.
Today, with the boom of the Mediterranean diet and the recognition of its goodness, the Madrilenian stew is again taking up the place of honour it deserves on Spanish kitchen ranges. This is why the Botín Group has decided to incorporate it into its cuisine at the Hacienda del Cardenal.
It is cooked in the traditional way, in individual clay pots on a very low heat for several hours. The soup is served first, followed by the chick peas with the meat, poultry, pork offcuts and chorizo, all of it accompanied by sautéed cabbage… Yummm, we can already smell it.
What a delight for the palate!

They arrive in mad bad February

STRAWBERRIES

There are many varieties of strawberries: Camarosa, Tudía, Cartuno, Carisma, Fragaria, Rosa Linda, Sweet Charlie, Elsanta, Driscoll, Ava, to name just a few.
Originally from America, it seems inconceivable that it was not cultivated in Spain until the 19th century when it was brought over by some settlers from Virginia, given that the temperate climate of some of our provinces provides the ideal setting for growing them.
The quality of the Spanish strawberry is very high and is in great demand among our European neighbours, especially the varieties grown in Huelva.
This intensely red fruit provides innumerable benefits for our organism. We list some of them. Strawberries are good for:
-Bones
-Liquid retention
-Intestinal transit
-Hypertension
-The nervous system
-Uric acid
Given all this, do not hesitate to eat strawberries. Take advantage of their current abundance, because with the arrival of the early summer heat they will be hard to find in the market.

INNOVA Prize organised by Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
GOOD MORNING JOURNAL, A GOOD-NEWS PUBLICATION

How often, when watching the news or leafing through a newspaper, do we say: “This is dreadful! There is nothing but bad news!”. But now three young students from the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria appear to have found an alternative to all the negative information that bombards us on a daily basis.
It is unlikely that everything that happens to us is bad. To demonstrate this they have created the Good Morning Journal, a social network that is accessed by invitation and that only features good news provided to a large extent by the collaboration of the citizens.
The people responsible for this positive project are Ricardo Morales, a Journalism student; Iñigo Urquía, an Advertising student and Victor Muñoz, a Law and Administration & Business Management student, all of them at the UFV.
In November, the initiative of these three young men won them the INNOVA Prize, which comes with a purse of 2,300 euro and is organised by the UFV and sponsored by our house, the Botín Restaurant.
The prize-winners were recently interviewed on the programme La Aventura del Saber (The Adventure of Knowledge), which is broadcast by Spanish Television’s Channel 2. During the interview, the creators of the project acknowledged the collaboration of Botín Restaurant and the support and education they are receiving from their professors. They also explained how it was that they were driven to launch the Good Morning Journal and how they have taken the project forward… a project that is now a reality filled with good vibrations.
Good luck boys!

Despite the crisis

POSITIVE BALANCE FOR FITUR 2013

The crisis was a portend of storm clouds for the thirty-third edition of Fitur; however, and fortunately, these dark predictions have not been fulfilled and the International Tourism Fair has closed with a positive and encouraging balance.
120,000 professionals have visited Fitur, 1.3% more than last year. And of the industry professionals, there were 4% more from abroad. As for the attendance of the general public, it remained stable or even rose slightly in comparison to 2012.
As regards Fitur’s repercussion on the social networks, it has been a great success: the Fair was a worldwide trending topic on the day of its inauguration and remained at the top of the search lists nationally for 6 days. 7,100 journalists from 60 countries were accredited, and 30 tourism ministers visited Fitur.
Lastly, and most importantly, exhibitor satisfaction has been quite high, as the business expectations placed on Fitur 2013 have been met. In our case, the Botín Group shows a very positive balance. We believe that we have more than met what was our fundamental objective at this edition, to promote our novelties: El Cardenal del Alcázar, the Botín route on Segway and the paella cooked on firewood and the cocido stew in Toledo.
It has required an effort from Spanish businesses and many days of hard work from the professionals, but we believe it has all been worth it because Fitur is one of the showcases of world tourism and our presence was a must.
Once again, as always, Fitur has underlined the fact that tourism continues to lead the way for the battered Spanish economy. This is why, more than ever, we have to look after it. We are doing our bit…

With the novelty of QR codes

THE ARMY OF FLANDERS AT THE ALCÁZAR

Since 18 December, the west wing of the Alcázar of Toledo, the current headquarters of the Army Museum, is staging an exhibition on the Army of Flanders that, under the title “The Army of Flanders, Garments and Armament” is showcasing the entire itinerary traversed by Spanish soldiers on their way to Flanders, the garments worn by the musketeers and harquebusiers as well as the weapons of the era.
The Spanish infantry of the 15th and 16th centuries set forth from the ports of Barcelona and Lisbon, reached Genoa and from there had to travel an extremely tough road of more than 1000 kilometres to their final destination in Namur and Brussels.
This temporary exhibition is located on the upper floor of the Museum, in premises known as the “covachuelas”, attics, built in the time of Carlos V. The pieces on display form part of the permanent collection of the Army Museum but belong to their reserve rooms, and so are being shown at the Alcázar headquarters for the first time.
As the main novelty, the Army Museum has incorporated the new technologies into its exhibition project through the QR codes that allow information to be downloaded immediately.

The Botín group will be present with its own stand

FITUR, ENCOUNTER WITH WORLD TOURISM

For some time now Fitur has consolidated its position as one of the most important tourism fairs worldwide. On 30 January, the fair opens its thirty-third edition with some very clear objectives. According to the event’s director, Ana Larrañaga, Fitur 2013’s objectives, as is habitual in any Fitur edition, are to gain the highest number of exhibitors through an international tourist offering from all companies, organisms and institutions that form part of the tourism sphere, thus also attracting and gaining the highest number of professionals here as well, in order to promote these commercial encounters that will later see results in the form of entrepreneurial agreements and alliances and in additional business.
The Fair will boast a comprehensive programme of conferences, sessions, talks by experts and related activities to improve competitiveness in tourism activities at all levels. As always, the first 3 days, from 30 January to 1 February, Fitur is aimed at professionals from this sector, while on the weekend, 2 and 3 February, the fair opens to the general public.
For the second consecutive year, the Botín group will be present at Fitur with its own stand, in which our three spaces will be represented: the Botín Restaurant, The Hacienda del Cardenal and El Cardenal del Alcázar. We will be delighted to attend to you at Pavilion 9, stand 9ª05, next to the Madrid stand.
We await you!

A great way of getting around the capital
MADRID BY SEGWAY
The Segway is a convenient and eco-friendly vehicle that has been increasingly gaining devotees in recent times. This is an individual two-wheel mode of transport, lightweight, electric and silent, with computer-controlled self-balancing. The driver directs the vehicle by leaning towards the direction he or she wants to take (forwards, backwards, left or right). The computer and motors situated in the base of the Segway always keep it horizontal. The first Segway was presented on 3 December 2001 by its inventor Dean Kamen.
Botín and the company Segway Trip have reached an agreement to organise tours around the city on Segway, travelling around the historic districts of Madrid and the Barrio de las Letras, the District of the Letters, ending in a lunch at Botín Restaurant, the oldest in the world according to the Guinness de los Records.
The tour’s objective is not just a tourist visit; rather, it seeks to show the visitor something of the city’s essence: history, monuments, anecdotes, culture and, of course, gastronomy. The package includes:
- Introduction to the handling of the Segway
- Civil liability insurance
- Tourist guide in Spanish, English or other languages when previously requested by the client
- Protective helmet
- Typical Madrid neckerchief, visor or fan
- Meal at Botín Restaurant.
The approximate duration of the tour is 6 hours, including the lunch, beginning at 10 in the morning and ending around 4 in the afternoon.
Once more tradition and modernity come together, on this occasion leading to a pleasant way of becoming acquainted with a beautiful city like Madrid, filled with history and charm, and of tasting some of the most typical and venerable dishes in Spanish gastronomy such as roast suckling pig.
An experience to remember.
Information: Segwaytrip
Info@segwaytrip.com
Tel: 91 541 35 58/ 637 263 886