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After sailing the Guadalquivir from Seville , from the Cadiz Sanlucar de Barrameda came out the 239 men and the five naos who managed to give life to the first circumnavigation of the Earth commanded by Fernando de Magallanes and Juan Sebastián Elcano and now celebrates its V centenary . Three years minus 14 days and 14,000 leagues later, only 18 lucky ones returned.
Its history is reflected in the acts that this town located at the mouth of the so-called Rio Grande (Guadalquivir) dedicates "to what is considered the greatest maritime feat of all time," as the San Juan Juan Marín, vice president of the Board of Directors of Andalusia and Tourism Advisor. "To celebrate it, there is no need for a replica of nao Victoria, " he adds. This September 20 will dock again in Sanlúcar, recreating that mythical exit of the port of Bonanza, less than 30 kilometers from Cádiz capital and 100 from Seville. In addition, free visits can be made on the 21st and 22nd of this month.
To the list of tributes are added exhibitions with flavors that crossed the oceans or Sanlucar de Barrameda, the Guadalquivir, Seville. Beginning and End of the First World Tour .
The Playmobil of discovery
A series of Encounters with the V Centenary are also being held; a space of 1,200 m2 that stages the Sanlúcar market and the loading and boarding area of the time or a route of "monumental landmarks" that runs through the key places related to circumnavigation through commemorative plaques. Some of them: the parish of Our Lady of the O , where the chapel of the Virgen de la Antigua, patron of the Discovery; the Palacio de los Guzmanes, a family that promoted overseas commerce; or the Legua Cero equatorial clock on the Bajo de Guía promenade , which shows the point of departure of the expedition .
The equinocial band built in iron marks the hours drilled in Roman characters. Not missing a kind of photocall as a ceramic mural with two faces. On the one hand, Magallanes appears with the five ships about to leave and, on the other, Elcano with a recreation of Sanlúcar from 1519.
As if that were not enough, the famous Playmobil dolls have also paid their peculiar tribute to the anniversary with an exhibition that takes us back to that time. You can enjoy it in the cultural center La Victoria, where the clicks of a lifetime embody Columbus, Magallanes, Elcano, the Catholic Monarchs, merchants and sailors through five models made by the editor and collector of Playmobil Chesco.
The dioramas appear distributed according to the chronological order of the circumnavigation, from the departure of the ships from Seville, the arrival in Sanlúcar, the passage through the Strait of Magellan and the death of the captain of the expedition. The fifth is reserved for an event as sanluqueño as horse racing on the beach.
A gastronomic tribute
This year the 174th edition took place, in which 80 thoroughbreds participated, and they are already preparing for next summer. "In addition, we organize tournaments, competitions, riding lessons and a good number of activities throughout the year, so we never stop," says Juan Francisco Pavón, director of the Royal Horse Racing Society , created in 1845. From Then, Sanlucar is part of the national racing circuit on the beach next to Mijas, Sevilla and San Sebastián. Of course, the Cadiz are the oldest.
But Sanlucar gives for much more: colonial architecture, gastronomy of scandal (those prawns ...), a rich Muslim legacy , centuries-old wineries (starting with the mythical Barbadillo ), a lot of Flemish history ....
Within the obligatory route you have to approach the side facade of the municipal library, the old City Hall, an 18th-century building that presides over the Plaza del Cabildo. Different tiles appear in it that recall the history of the discovery of America. Magallanes and Elcano are the undisputed protagonists, but you can also see old maps of the time.
Already on, whoever passes by to remember that time has to give himself a gastronomic tribute based on fried foods, stews and tuna tartare in emblematic restaurants such as El Mirador de Doñana , with great views of the national park. Another classic is Casa Mustache, where you have to ask yes or yes the prawns (sign of culinary identity of Sanlucar as we said) with ... mustache, of course, synonymous with fresh and not frozen. Hence the name.
The gourmet route is not complete without a stop at patisseries like La Rondeña , also based in Jerez and Seville, although the factory and the original store (founded in 1961) are here, in Sanlucar. When Christmas is approaching, they cannot cope with the production of mantecados, nougat marzipan and polvorones. But, meanwhile, you have to get your mythical Masa Real, a blunt round cake stuffed with angel horse whose mark they have registered and that everyone knows as the rondeñas.
More information
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On the website of www.andalucia.org and sanlucarprimeravueltaalmundo.com.
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