Program 515a: Artists of Spain; Being Welsh; Being Bosnian

On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we look at the top sites to visit, to experience the art of Spain, and witness the groundbreaking contributions of Spain's greatest artists.

Plus, guides from Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina share what it means to them to be Welsh and Bosnian.  It includes enduring a blustery climate for the beautiful landscapes of Wales, and knowing how to use humor to defuse the thorny history of life in the Balkans.

• Federico García Barroso, tour guide based in Madrid
• Gene Openshaw, art and history specialist, and co-author of "Rick Steves Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces" and "Rick Steves' Europe 101"
• Martin de Lewandowicz, tour guide/historian from North Wales
• Sanel Marić, tour guide and educator from near Mostar, in Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Amir Telebecirovic, journalist and tour guide based in Sarajevo

• Gene rates the top sites for viewing art in Spain as the Prado museum in Madrid (which includes Velasquez' painting "Las Meninas"), Picasso's Guernica in Madrid, The Alhambra in Granada, and Gaudi's modernista work-in-progress, the Sagrada Família church in Barcelona.
• Tour guide Federico Garcia Barroso offers customized tours of Madrid and surrounding areas of Spain.
• Rick and Gene present European art history in their six-part "Art of Europe" TV series.
• The "We Learn Welsh" website offers alternatives to saying "iawn" to express how you feel in Welsh.
• The Mt. Snowdon Mountain Railway steam train begins its season in April. The Bodnant Garden near Conwy is open year-round.
• More about Martin DeLewandowicz.
• Rick writes about the symbolism of the historic bridge in Mostar.
• The Bridge on the Drina is the best-known work by Nobel-prize winning author Ivo Andrić.

• "As a recent graduate with my Bachelor and Master degrees in Art History, I was thrilled to visit Madrid and Barcelona a few years ago during a backpacking trip around Europe. One of my most memorable moments was viewing Diego Velasquez's 'Las Meninas' at the Prado Museum in Madrid, and then going to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and viewing the 44 interpretations of Velasquez's work that Picasso painted."  (e-mail from Mandie in Morgantown, West Virginia)
• "We visited a home that Antoni Gaudí designed in the northern Spanish city of Comillas, Spain. The design of the home was beautiful art itself. Of course Gaudí is well known for his cathedral in Barcelona. Are there other famous Spanish architects and buildings in Spain that you can recommend visiting?"  (Thomas in Colorado Springs)
• "My wife is a painter, and she has been accepted to the Stiwdiomaelor artist residency in Corris. My young son (8 mos.), mom, and I are joining her to visit northern Wales off the beaten path. How can we make the most out of our time?" (Jon in Cleveland)
• "Our family genealogy leads us back to Wales. What would be a good one week itinerary to see the Castles, villages, cemeteries etc. associated with our namesake Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd?" (Joanne in Seattle)
• "I am a native of Nashville and my husband is originally from Bosanski Brod, in Bosnia. We are living here in Nashville and have one 6-year-old boy.  As he gets older, what is the conversation about where daddy is from? I know my husband's perspective (which will likely be our main one), but what do young people know of the conflict? What would you tell a young boy about where half of his family is from?" (Elizabeth in Nashville, Tennessee)
• "I have been fascinated by Bosnia ever since I read Ivo Andric's novels in my late teens. I finally had a chance to visit in 2015 on a tour, followed by three days in Sarajevo. Can you recommend authors and books and other media available in English that give insight on contemporary Bosnian society and people?"  (Alan in Voorheesville, New York)

• Ensemble de'Medici, "Fantasia Number 27," The Renaissance Album (collection) / Windham Hill
• Divanhana, "Grana od bora," Bilješke iz Šestice / RSG Radio (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Cincinnati Pops, Erich Kunzel, cond., "Malagueña (Lecuona)," Bella España (collection) / Telarc
• Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Jesús López-Cobos, cond., "'The Neighbor's Dance (Seguidillas)' from 'The Three-Cornered Hat' (Manuel de Falla)," Bella España  (collection) / Telarc
• Christopher Parkening, "Spanish Dance No. 1 from 'La Vida Breve' (Falla)," The Great Recordings, disc 2 / EMI
• Songhai, "Pozo del deseo," Songhai 2 / Hannibal Records
• Christopher Parkening, "Intermezzo, for guitar (arr. Goyescas)," The Great Recordings, disc 2 / EMI
• Aaron Rosland, "La Oracion del Torero (Turina)," Dalí: Musica Surreal (collection) / Museum Music
• * Tommy Emmanuel, "En Aranjuez con tu Amor," KKSF Sampler for AIDS Relief vol. 5 (collection) / (custom-out of print)
• Ar Log, "Y Gwr a'l Farch - Pant Corlan Yr Wyn," Gorau Gwerin - The Best of Welsh Folk Music (collection) / Sain
• Martha Clancy, "The Ash Grove," A Hundred Thousand Welcomes / Darach Records
• The King's Singers, "Ar Hyd Y Nos," Annie Laurie: Folksongs of the British Isles / EMI Classics
• Pendyrus Male Choir, "Cwm Rhondda," The World of Wales in Song (collection) / Decca
• Gwenno, "Tryweryn," Celtic Crossroads (collection) / Putumayo
• Julie Murphy, "Calennig," Christmas Music Through the Ages (collection) / Saydisc
• Edmonton Symphony, "John Field Suite:  Rondo  (Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty)," Orchestral Suites of the British Isles / CBC Enterprises 
• Skep, "Nadolig Llawen Cymru!," Sgep / Dockrad Records  (Wales)
• * BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Murray Gold, "Fish Custard," Doctor Who, Series 5 (soundtrack) / Silva Screen
• Balkanika, "Korana," Buddha Bar VIII (collection) / George V Records (France)
• Embrace, "Refugees," Embrace / Cooking Vinyl
• Balkan Transit, "Bulko Erinko," Balkan Transit  / Gega  (Bulgaria)
• Divanhana, "Goranine, cafanine," Bilješke iz Šestice / RSG Radio (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Hari Mata Hari, "Sreća (Guitara)," Sreća / Hayat Production (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 

• At 25:45, Martin tells Rick that men's choir practice sessions in local pubs is a thing of the past, but adds that the Welsh language remains a vital part of the culture, and is spoken by 95% of the people where Martin lives in northwestern Wales. He then reports that 20% of people throughout Wales speak Welsh, while only 1% of people in Ireland or Scotland speak their Gaelic language.
• Rick opens segment C saying "it's been a generation" since the war in Bosnia  (April 1992-December 1995).  He adds that you can still see some signs of the conflict in the lingering damage on some buildings. 
• In an updated reset at 52:18, Rick says "it's been nearly 30 years now" since an end to the inter-ethnic Balkan conflict was negotiated.