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Samuel Dodson
Samuel Dodson

Samuel Dodson

9 カ国を旅行しました もっと詳しく
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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Flying home from Rome via China

    2018年7月30日, 中国 ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    On Sunday morning, 29 July, we rose early to clean our Airbnb apartment, pack our bags and head for the Airport. We had to walk to the tram stop, catch the number 8 tram to the Trastevere Station, then catch the train to the airport. Then checking into China Southern Airlines was relatively painless. We were at our boarding gate in plenty of time. We needed to have one last Roman coffee and a final croissant before boarding and admitting that it really was time to leave Europe.

    The first leg of our journey from Rome, leaving at 11:30am, took us to Changzhou in about 11 hours flying time. In Changzhou, we had a three-hour layover. Then our second flight took us about 10 hours to Sydney, arriving at approximately 7:45pm on Monday night, 30 July.

    We have taken nine flights in the last month. We have visited nine counties and four continents, not including Australia. We have enjoyed a northern summer with temperatures in the high thirties degrees Celsius. We have swum in the Meditteranean sea. It has been enriching in so many ways. There are so many memories that have been created.

    It seems incredible that a month has passed since we first left Sydney on our European adventure. We have seen so many wonderful places and shared some amazing experiences. We are thankful for the opportunity, Sam and I, to travel this journey together. What a blessing.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure
    1

    Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum

    2018年7月28日, イタリア ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After visiting the Colosseum, we went for a walk up the Palatine Hill and through the ancient Roman Forum. This was the centre of the city in ancient Roman times. The forum was where all the main city squares, Temples and Administrative buildings were located. There are huge areas being excavated and they are uncovering more archaeology all the time.

    In this area, we saw the Arch of Constantine, the famous arch of Titus celebrating the victorious siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the arch of Septimus Severus. We also climbed Palatine hill to see the amazing view the emperor's of Rome had from their palatial location on the top of the hill. We also saw the location of the Temple of Julius Caesar, his burial location, in the centre of the forum area.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    The Colosseum

    2018年7月28日, イタリア ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The main attraction of the ancient city of Rome would have to be the Colosseum. This really is an amazing structure. The scale of this building takes one's breath away. Even today it is a huge theatre. The incredible thing is that it was built 2000 years ago. It was built using the Jewish money and Jewish slave labour the was taken from Jerusalem in the successful Roman siege of Jerusalem in AD 70. Some cheeky New York Jews have been known to make the point that it really should be regarded as a Jewish building given that it was built using Jewish money, labour resources and expertise.

    The Colosseum was Nero's gift to the Romans to entertain them and buy their support for his rule and policy. He opened the theatre with a festival which went for 100 days during which spectacles were held every morning, midday and afternoon. It was gladiators versus animals in the morning. It was executions during lunchtime, often involving criminals being thrown to wild animals, being crucified or being killed by the Roman sword. In the afternoons it was fighting to the death between gladiators. Sometimes the gladiators numbered in their hundreds. It was reported in the displayed information that 11,000 gladiators were involved in one festival.

    The Colosseum is a testimony to the cruelty of man. It represents the kinds of conduct that even the most sophisticated ancient society was involved in. Human beings are not much better than animals when such sport is the preferred entertainment of the people.

    The arena was at times filled with water and naval battles took place using full-size naval ships. Sometimes the drama of the event told the story of famous battles the Roman emperor felt should be told to communicate their greatness.

    The Colosseum is one of the best places we visited.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure
    1

    The Old City of Rome

    2018年7月28日, イタリア ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today we ventured out to see the main ancient and cultural sights of Rome. We walked a long way, but were rewarded with seeing some amazing things. We saw Piazza Navona, The Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Trajan's column, Hadrian's column, to name just a few. We really walked a long way and it is tough on the feet walking on the cobbled streets of Rome all day. We did feel like pinching ourselves at times as we walked past such amazing places.もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Paris to Rome

    2018年7月27日, 中国 ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Today was a big day. We packed up from our Airbnb in Paris and headed to the train station at Chatelet Les Halles. Our location in Paris was amazing. It was very central and we could just walk to the station and catch the train directly to the airport. Charles de Gaulle Airport is very accessible by train from the centre of Paris.

    It was a bit sad to say goodbye to Paris, but Rome lay ahead, so onward we went.

    The plane flight to Rome was smooth and quite short, maybe 90 minutes. It is amazing to travel so short a distance and be in another country with another language and culture.

    We arrived in Rome at Airport Fuiccimo, which is some distance away from Rome, but once again can easily be accessed by train from Rome. We had to catch a train, then a tram, then walk to our Airbnb in Trastevere.

    Trastevere is the really old and quaint section of the city across the Tiber River from the main city centre. This was the old Jewish quarter of Rome and it is a fantastic quaint area. Sam and I walked past the very place where Priscilla and I stayed when we first came to Rome three years ago in July 2015.

    We wandered the old streets of this amazing city and ate pizza for dinner made fresh at Pizzeria Nerone. What else? Rome is an amazing city with a long history. The evidence of the Caesars and their empire seems to be around every corner.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    The Louvre

    2018年7月26日, フランス ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    In the morning I made a trip to the Laundromat to complete some much-needed laundry for both Sam and I. This should see us clean now until we get home on Monday.

    I spoke to a man from Romania who was also washing clothes in the laundromat. He came to Paris to source clothes and transport them back to Romania. He said that there is not the selection of men's clothes and shoes in Romania that there is in Paris and that Romanian men wanted access to affordable variety, which he provides. He said that Romania is a great country to visit, particularly Sibiu in Transylvania - very beautiful he assured me. He also said that France was suffering from too much democracy, too much freedom. Too much freedom leads to lack of boundaries and then no freedom at all because of deterioration of cultural values and terrorism. He also bemoaned the fact that French people saw all Romanians as gypsies, even though that is not the case, and he also said that anti-semitism is growing worse every year because the Jews are so successful and controlling the money and wealth of inner-city France, particularly Le Marais district.

    The laundry trip took two hours in the morning. In the same street as the laundromat was the oldest stone domestic house in the whole of Paris. It was the house of the famed alchemist Nicolas Flamel, who was legendary for his alleged discovery of the Philosopher's stone, and changing base metals into silver and then to gold. His old medieval house is now a restaurant with a Michelin star. The house dates from the 14th century.

    Sam and I bought tickets for the Louvre today and visited the amazing museum. It surely must be counted as one of the very best in the world. We spent about four hours in the Louvre but only got to see about half of the displays. The collection is amazing, and always interesting.

    The fascination about the Louvre is two-fold. Firstly, the historical exhibits represent the most amazing collection of cultural treasures from all areas of the world and from every era of history. These include ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Europe, and more. Secondly, the museum is located in the main royal palace in the centre of old Paris, so the building itself and its rooms take the visitor back to the golden age of the French Monarchy in the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of the rooms have been maintained with the furnishings of the monarchy to give an insight into the decadent regal lifestyle.

    The visit to the Louvre was quire tiring. After a short rest, I visited Mont Martre and the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Cathedral on top of a hill overlooking the skyline of Paris from another angle. This is always a special place to visit and a highlight of any trip to Paris.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Paris wanderings

    2018年7月26日, フランス ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Today Ben and Emily went to Versailles, so Sam and I had a more restful day.

    I went on a scooter ride around Paris in the morning, visiting some of my favourite spots around town, including;
    The Seine, Notre Dame, Shakespeare and Co Book Shop.
    I visited the Epicerie by Oliver that Priscilla and I visited with the Carrolls when we first went to Paris. I paid a visit to Le Procope, the oldest cafe in Paris, dating from 1686. Significant figures from the past have sat in this cafe and discussed their revolutionary ideas, including Ben Franklin, Danton, Marat, Rebespierre, Napoleon, Balzac, Victor Hugo and many more.

    Sam and I met Ben and Emily at St Chappelle, the famous church in the Conciergerie, the old palace of the royal family on the Isle of Paris. The palace was used at various times for the royla family, then it was converted into a prison. It was the place where significant prisoners, including Marie Antoinette, were held prior to execution during the Revolution. The chapel has huge stained glass windows that tell the whole story of the Bible. The windows are what make this chapel so unique and special. The light coming through the windows gives the interior and magical glow.

    I also paid a visit to Galeries Lafayette, the famous shopping centre in Paris, and on the way marvelled again at the Paris Opera building which is spectacular. It takes one's breath away every time you come around the corner and see it from the front. Galeries Lafayette has a beautiful view of the Paris skyline from the seventh-floor terrace.

    It was another fascinating day in the old city of Paris.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    An Evening in the Marais District

    2018年7月24日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I went for a wander in the Marais district of Paris at about 7:00 pm. This is the famous Jewish district of Paris and has narrow streets and lots of character. There are restaurants and all kinds of stores, including Jewish shops, selling all kinds of food and goods. Some of the most exclusive brands and boutiques have outlets in this area. It is also fascinating to see little bookshops and niche clothing stores. The Falafel outlets which are famous in this district are also hard to resist, so I didn't. I ordered and received a lamb schwarma which was delicious.

    The Pompidou Centre, the Place des Voges and the Jewish Synagogue are all locations I walked past. There were also plaques outside schools which acknowledged the hundreds of children that were relocated by the Germans (Allemande) to Nazi war camps during world war two and never seen again.

    The Marais District is one of the areas of Paris that one can just wander through and marvel at the history oozing from every building and doorway. It is an amazing district of Paris.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure
    11

    Scooters around Paris

    2018年7月24日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We had planned to catch the Big Bus around Paris today. This was scuttled when we found a way of hiring motorised scooters which we could ride around and drop off anywhere. They are battery operated and really a great way of getting around Paris.

    We rode them past Notre Dame and had a look at this 900 year-old cathedral which is so famous and has seen a lot of history, including two world wars in the last hundred years.

    We rode the scooters to the Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb. We spent a couple of hours in these amazing places. The army museum has the most amazing collection of Medieval armour and weapons in the world. The Spanish Army Museum in Toledo is extraordinary, but the collection in the Paris Army Museum is even better.

    We then located some more scooters and rode them to Place de Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower from another perspective. From there we walked to the Arch de Triumph to see the amazing arch and the crazy roundabout. We walked through the underpass and stood in the middle of the roundabout and saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame which is located directly below the arch.

    We travelled by train back to our apartment for a bit of a break after that energetic day.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure
    111

    Goodbye to Spain

    2018年7月23日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    This morning Sam and I packed up our Airbnb apartment in the centre of Madrid and caught the train to the airport. The metro in Madrid is pretty good and it was not difficult to find our way to the airport. We boarded a small plane booked with European budget airline, Vueling. We grabbed something quick to eat at the airport and then boarded the plane. It was not long and we were in the air, on our way to Paris, glimpsing out the plane window the last views of Spain for some time to come. We have enjoyed our three weeks immensely, but who knows if we will ever have the opportunity to come back to this unique country.

    We touched down in Paris at about 1:00 pm. We went straight through without delay, as Spain and France are both parts of the European Union. The international tourist with carry-on luggage can walk straight from the plane out of the airport and onto the next adventure. So we did.

    We caught the train to the centre of Paris. The station we alighted from was Chatelet Les Halles, not far from the Seine and very close to our next Airbnb. Our host, Rachel, met us and showed us around our very spacious and rather luxurious Paris apartment. We can walk to Notre Dame and the Louvre in five minutes from here. What a great spot.

    It wasn't long when Ben and Emily came around to our apartment. They arrive in Paris one day ahead of us. They have really enjoyed their trip to England and Scotland. They are having a great time. We swapped stories for a while and then ventured out for a walk.

    We headed first to the Louvre, to see the magnificent palace of Louis IV and his predecessors. We walked past the famous pyramid of the Louvre and through the Tuileries gardens to the Place de la Concord, where Marie Antoinette and many others had their heads separated from their bodies by the guillotine during the upheavals of the French Revolution.

    We met Sam and Jo Ryan, who had been up to the Arch de Triumph, and then we walked to Eglise de Madeleine, Place Vendome where the Ritz is located, to Angelina's coffee shop and then back to the Tuileries gardens to go on a ride at the Fair that is set up in those gardens. We went on a crazy roundabout which gave us a rotating view of the skyline of Paris. Then we enjoyed some churros and citrus gelati.

    We then decided at 7:00 pm that we would go to the Eiffel Tower and buy a ticket and go to the top. We waited for a bus near the Louvre for about 25 minutes in a queue (it wasn't to be our first queue of the night). The bus finally arrived and it was chock full of commuters. We pushed our way in and squeezed a few extras in by breathing in. This bus took us to the base of the Eiffel Tower.

    We waited in the queue for a ticket for two hours. After we bought the ticket we were expecting to go straight into the lift. What we then learned is that the queue for the lift was another 45 minutes, which we dutifully waited. When we finally got to the second level it was about 10:30 pm. Then we waited in the queue for 30 minutes for the lift to take us to the top. We got to the top at about 11:00 pm.

    We spent about 15 minutes at the top, then got in the queue to descend down to level 2. We got to level 2 at about 11:40 pm. Then we got into the queue to descend to the ground, another fifteen minutes. It was just before midnight when we saw the ground again. We caught the bus back in the direction of our apartment. Then we caught a train the rest of the way. Then we grabbed some McDonalds for dinner at 12:45 am, then finally got to bed about 1:30 am.

    We were in Spain this morning. Now we have just walked around Paris and been on top of the Eiffel Tower. Eating fries from McDonalds at 1:00 am was not the most unusual part of the day. It was an amazing day. And we were able to share much of it with Ben, Emily, Sam and Jo. Very special.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    The Royal Gardens and the Cathedral

    2018年7月22日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    The Royal Gardens are attached to the Royal Palace and are as impressive as would expect them to be. The largest palace in Europe is not going to be embarrassed by a small veggie patch and a few pot plants out the back. The formal gardens were huge and well kept. They were pleasant to stroll through and they are open for the Madrid residents and tourists to enjoy on the hot summer days.

    The Madrid Cathedral is very young as far as cathedrals are concerned. It was only completed in 1993, 110 years after the foundation stone was laid on 1883. When the capital of Spain moved from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the church remained in Toledo. The cost of running and maintaining an empire came first for the monarchy, and then some wars with France, civil wars and other costly ventures diverted funds from a project that was alwayd meant to happen, but just didn't for lack of funds. Finally the project was completed in 1993. The external design is classical to fit in with the architecture of the royal palace across the square, but the inside is neo-gothic, a bit more modern. There is also a large crypt which is the same size as the cathedral itself, underneath, which was completed many years ago and houses some famous Spanish graves.

    After visiting the cathedral and the crypt, it was time to wander back through the streets of Spain for our last night in this amazing country. Tomorrow we fly to Paris. It has been an whirlwind tour, and an amazing journey, around this unforgettable country. Grazias, Espania.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    The Royal Palace

    2018年7月22日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    The Royal Palace of Madrid was the next site to be explored. Spain currently has a monarchy - King Felipe VI. Spain has been through various versions of political constitution, including republic, dictatorship, monarchy. At the moment it is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. In that sense, Spain is like Australia (except our monarch is really the Queen of England). There are two strong views in Spain - one group say that the monarchy should be eradicated in favour of a republic, and the other support the king. One of our guides said that one day there will be another civil war to decide the matter. Obviously all the previous civil wars have not decided the matter satisfactorily, so I'm not sure what another civil war will achieve.

    The Royal Palace is not the permanent residence of the King and his family, although it is used for special state occasions. The royal family live outside Madrid in a more peaceful setting. The Royal Palace is now used for state events and a whole wing of the palace is open to tourists. This wing is furnished as it was in the 18th century in the reign of Carlos 111 (Spanish for Charles 111). The sumptuous palace and its rooms are magnificent. The artwork and furnishings on display are much like the other great palaces in Europe. In fact, this royal palace is the largest palace in Europe by floor area. It has 3418 rooms. If you visited 10 rooms a day, it would take a year to visit all the rooms!

    The throne room in which the king received ambassadors is furnished as it was. The visitors would wait in a smallish room, to get acquainted with their smallish status, and then enter the grand throne room where the king (and queen) would be seated, elevated, and surrounded by royal fabrics and statues of lions with their paws resting on carved spheres, representing the power of Spain over the earth.

    There was one thing on display that particularly caught my eye. In one room there is a full quintet of Stradivarius string instruments of the highest quality. It is the only such set in the world. They are on display in glass cases. There are two violins, a viola and a cello, all decorated the same. Then there is an additional undecorated cello that is the finest instrument of them all and one of the best in the world. I wasn't expecting that. With all the crowns and gold sceptres around, it was these instruments that held the most value from my perspective. It was tempting to break the glass case right there and do some busking. The instruments are all set up ready to play, and apparently they do get played on special occasions. These instruments would be priceless, but I would reckon the set would be worth more than 150 million dollars if it went onto the market right now.

    The Royal Palace is worth a visit for a number of reasons, not least of which is the collection of Stradivarius string instruments. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed in most of the palace, so my photos are only those I could surreptitiously take when the security personnel weren't watching and they will be low quality.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Prado Museum

    2018年7月22日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Today we explored some of Madrid's most amazing sites - the Museo Nacional del Prado, the Palacio Real de Madrid, the Madrid Cathedral and the Royal Gardens. These places are magnificent.

    The Prado Museum takes its name from the "meadow" (Spanish "prado") which once existed in the area gave its name to the location in which the museum now stands. It is one of the pre-eminent art museums in the world. It's collection rivals the Louvre. There are some huge paintings in the collection, and many fine works by artists such as Goya, Rubens, El Greco, Titian, Valezquez, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, just to name a few. We spent four hours there and still did not see everything. It was an amazing place. The artworks are breath-taking. One could just look and the giant paintings by Rubens in the main arched hall for hours and still see new things in them. One of the paintings that captured my imagination was a 16th-century painting called The Triumph of Death by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. It depicts life as a battle between the forces of death and life, and that death is winning the war and everyone living is, or is soon to be, a prisoner and casualty of death, who is depicted as a scythe-wielding skeleton on a horse leading an army of skeletons swamping the army of the living. It is very graphic, almost cartoonish, and difficult to believe it was painted in 1562.

    There are many famous paintings in the Prado, and around every corner, there were new amazing sights to be seen.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Segway Tour of Madrid

    2018年7月21日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I came across a shopfront in Madrid, on the way back to our apartment after dropping off the hire car, that organises and runs Segway tours of Madrid. I have seen plenty of them running around many of the other cities we have been to, but it seemed today was a perfect time, and Madrid a perfect place, to give these cute two-wheelers a go. I booked a 2-hour private tour via Segway at 6:30 pm and then returned to the apartment and told Sam. He was very keen, as was I.

    We arrived promptly at 6:30 pm to begin the tour. It doesn't get dark here till 10:00 pm so things are just getting started in Spain at 6:30 pm. We were given instructions on how to ride the Segway, and a guide named Irene (what is it with girl guides named Irene in this country? we have only had two young female tour guides and both of them have been named Irene) proceeded to lead us on a 2-hour journey around the most beautiful sites in Madrid.

    Our tour took us through the gardens which were once part of the Royal Palace. The gardens had a French area, a huge greenhouse and a massive lake. The greenhouse was for plants from the Philippines (named that after Philip the King of France at the time of colonisation) and the massive lake was for mini naval battles using full-size galleons for the entertainment of the king and the nobles.

    We spent about an hour through the gardens, then we went on a tour through some of the older areas of Madrid. We saw the impressive Royal Palace and the Cathedral on the opposite side of the square, both built in renaissance style. We also visited the Main Square which dates from the 15th century and used to be used for bullfights. Also, it was used by the Inquisition to execute convicted heretics - about 4000 were executed in that square alone over the years. Franco, the dictator on Spain from 1939 to 1975 also like to use the square for executions. There were places for hangings, beheadings and garrotings. The last garrotting took place in the square in 1975 (yes, only a little over 40 years ago) under the orders of Franco.

    Ernest Hemingway, the famous American writer who spent a lot of time in France and Spain, travelled to Spain and fought in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. He also watched many bullfights here in Madrid. His famous book, For Whom The Bell Tolls, is based on his experiences fighting in the Spanish Civil War. He also wrote at least three books in which bullfighting plays a major part in the story, including Death In the Afternoon, and The Sun Also Rises. We saw the restaurants and cafes where Hemingway had a regular table and watched the Spanish day go by in the 1930s.

    We saw medieval prisons, the town hall, museums and concert halls, the world's oldest continually operating restaurant. I have visited at least three restaurants claiming to be the world's oldest, in various countries now, one in Paris, one in Vienna and now one in Madrid. The guide assured me that it was in the Guinness Book of Records so I will have to remember to consult it to verify the claim.

    The Segway Tour was a highlight. They are remarkably easy to control, despite them appearing very difficult to ride. They are very stable, extremely maneuverable, and quite speedy. I really thought these would be useful in Australian cities as an alternative to other modes of transport. They run on rechargeable batteries and go for at least 2-3 hours on each charge. I am not sure of the rules in Australia about their use, but I would presume the rule-makers and fun police would have outlawed them.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Dropping off the hire car

    2018年7月21日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    This morning I braved the crazy Madrid traffic to return the hire car. In some ways I was happy to return the car in one piece after braving the Madrid traffic, sitting on the left-hand side of the car, driving on the right-hand side of the road, and just to add a bit of spice, the far right lane in Madrid city centre is reserved for buses and taxis. The far right lane is the slow lane, my preferred lane in the circumstances, but that was unavailable to me, something which my Spanish compatriots on the road were equally frustrated about - they were all quite keen for me to move into the far right lane, something they regularly urged me to do by use of their loud honking horns. Also, turning right from the middle lane is something the buses and taxis are not keen for motorists to do, as it means cutting through their lane. I discovered that buses have much louder horns than cars, and taxis are even more ready to use their horns as well in such circumstances, as I discovered, having many right turns to make as I circled rather fruitlessly around the train station trying to find the hire car drop-off point. One-way streets are also something Madrid town-planners have embraced with enthusiasm disproportionate to their practicality. I am not sure the complete guidelines around their use was complied with in my driving experience this morning, although I am unsure I could pinpoint exactly where I went wrong. The Spanish were keen to give me hints about this, once again using their horns to maximum effect.

    The hire-car depot was in the huge Madrid Train Station, which is so large and filled with commuters and tourists coming in on the fast trains that it is more like an airport. It took me three hours just to drive to the station via a petrol station to fill up, find the appropriate location to return the vehicle, and then find my way back to the apartment. It was quite an ordeal, for me and the Spanish citizens who interacted with me for various purposes, including providing valuable feedback on my use of large roundabouts.

    As I walked back to the apartment I was sidetracked by quite a few fascinating sights and spectacles in Madrid. It was a Saturday so there were markets aplenty. One market I came across was just all bookstores selling second-hand books. There was a line of permanent wooden stalls that housed thousands of books in little stalls. It was amazing. Even though I can't read Spanish, and there wasn't an English book to be seen, the atmosphere was similar to the stalls on the walkway beside the Seine in Paris. I found a copy of Asterisk in Spain, in Spain, in Spanish.

    I also tried churros for the first time in Spain, having resisted until today. I ordered what I thought was going to be some churros with dipping sauce, but turned out to be churros completely covered with chocolate. A carb overload for sure. I was given a bag-full of them and I only just managed to finish them.

    Madrid is an entirely different kind of city from anything we have seen before in Spain. This is a much more modern city like Sydney or Melbourne. The crowds are packing into the city and its shoulder to shoulder. As our Airbnb hostess was keen and correct to emphasise - never bring a car into the centre of Madrid.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Toledo to Madrid

    2018年7月20日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Today we said goodbye to Toledo, stopped on our way out of town for one last photo and then drove to Madrid. We checked into our Airbnb in the centre of town at about 3.30pm. The traffic in the centre of Madrid was crazy. Our host could not believe we had brought a car into the centre of Madrid. She doesn’t even own a car and recommended that we get rid of ours too. I am already scheduled to return the car tomorrow.

    We walked around town to get our bearings. We found a supermarket close by to stock up on supplies.

    Sam had a quiet night in. I had planned to attend the bullfighting display in the Madrid bullring. There were young matadors, picadors and banderilleros putting on a bullfight during the summer while the more experienced bullfighters take a break. It was an interesting spectacle.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Walking around the walls of Toledo

    2018年7月19日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Toledo is entirely encircled by massive medieval and Roman walls, just like the old city of Jerusalem. It is a citadel of considerable size. It sits on a steep hill with a river bend sweeping around it much lower in the valley. The fortress would have been impregnable. The gates and towers can be climbed and the views are spectacular.

    I went for a walk right around the city. It took about one and a half hours to get right around but it was worth it for the amazing views of this magnificent city.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Two medieval synagogues

    2018年7月19日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Two out of the three synagogues that remain intact in Spain from the Medieval period are here in Toledo. The third is in Cordoba where were yesterday. At about 5 pm I walked to the Jewish Quarter to investigate both.

    The first synagogue I went into is called the Synagogue of El Transito. Originally it was built by Samuel ha-Levi Abulafia and it was joined to his palatial home as his personal place of worship. He was from a very prominent family of Jews who had been served the Castillian kings for many generations and had grown rich and powerful. The founder eventually lost favour of the royal family and he was executed when things went sour for the Jews. It was first built in 1356, just prior to the persecution of the Jews commencing in Spain.

    The synagogue was very large and built in a unique style which incorporated Muslim elements. In fact, the stucco wall decorations are in the Mudejar style similar to the ornate Al Hambra in Granada. The wooden ceiling is ornate and clearly influenced by Moorish style. It is possible that the Muslims actually did much of the work as they were the most skilled tradesmen in Spain in that period.

    This synagogue is now a Museum of Sephardic Jewish culture. The rooms to the side of the synagogue are filled with interesting Jewish exhibits and the garden has large Jewish tombstones that have been recovered from around Spain from the pre-expulsion period.

    The second synagogue I visited is called the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca and it was even more surprising than the first. It is made of columns and arches clearly in the Muslim style. It was converted into a church after the expulsion of 1492 but the essential nature of the building was unchanged. It has now become a museum for its history as a rare 14th-century synagogue.

    It was fascinating to tour these two Jewish places of worship, knowing what we know now about what happened to the Jews in Spain and their Sephardic culture. There are a couple of really fascinating Jewish shops near the synagogues in which I also spent some time browsing the books, manuscripts and maps they had for sale. There was an old scroll of the book of Esther for sale. They even had Asterix books for sale in Hebrew. I was tempted but resisted.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Alcazar of Toledo

    2018年7月19日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    The Royal Palace (Alcazar) of Toledo sits prominently on top of the hill which is completely encircled by medieval walls and gates which enclose the old city. Our hotel is right in the centre of the old city. The walls and gates around us remind me distinctly of those in Jerusalem.

    It is only a short walk from our hotel to the Alcazar. We set off for what we thought was going to be a visit for 1-2 hours. It took four hours. The Alcazar has, since 2010, housed the main museum of the Spanish Army. It is a War Museum of the whole of Spain's military history from ancient times until the present. There are about seven floors of exhibits moving more recent in time as one climbs higher in the Palace. It is similar in size and scope to the French military museum in Paris.

    It was a revelation to Sam to see that a country could have a military history spanning not just a few centuries but more than two millenia. The complex military history of Spain was somewhat clearer after spending over four hours moving from ancient Roman Spain to the present, but it is a complicated history. One thing is clear, the history of Spain, like so many other European nations, is a history of war, bloodshed, power struggles, empire-building, victories and defeats.

    The Spanish military history includes: Roman invasion an empire, Visigoth invasion and empire, Christians, Moors and muslims of various kinds and their empire, the Catholic invasion and their empire, the Spanish expansion beginning with Columbus into the new world in South America, but also later into other areas like the Philippines who were a Spanish colony, the Napoleanic Invasion, Austrian Hapsburg invasion and empire, the Spanish civil war of the early 20th century, the Franco dictatorship which lasted from 1940 till 1975, then a parliamentary democracy with a monarchy restored. All that and more. And everything explained and exhibited in this amazing museum.

    The weapons, military paraphernalia, uniforms and tactics were all displayed from each period. It began with Roman weapons and armour, right through medieval, moorish, renaissance, to more modern weapons and uniform. An incredible collection. It is hard to fathom how many suits of armour, swords, spears, pikes, pistols, muskets, rifles, cannons, artillery of all kinds were in this collection. Amazing. Very educational. I can only imagine how interesting it would be to teach history in this country and be able to bring the students to such a place to see the artefacts.

    The building in which this museum is housed is a sight in itself. It is a palace with four huge towers on each corner. It stands out on the city skyline. The foundations were laid by the Romans in the first and second century. Since then there have been many iterations of this fortress in that very place, and many of the walls have been excavated and these also are on display deep below the current floor level of the palace, three-four levels below ground.

    It was a fantastic experience going through the museum. Sam and I got mentally fatigued trying to take it all in. But it was a revelation.

    Toledo is the location where the weapons factory for Spain was located. It is famous for its knives, swords, armour and weapons made from metal. Toledo steel is famous and all the tourist shops sell swords, armour, pistols, rifles, muskets as souvenirs. There are more swords in this town than people. It is extraordinary. There are enough weapons in the tourist shops here to arm and entire regiment. Sam is quite keen to buy some swords and pistols but I am not sure how customs woulr view them in Sydney airport.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Arriving in Toledo

    2018年7月18日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Toledo is a spectacular town. Driving towards the city on the hill is a memorable experience due to the impressive fort and cathedral on the hill, along with all the other old buildings. The whole old part of the city is declared at World Heritage Site by Unesco. This town goes back to Roman times, but the medieval buildings are most impressive. It is one of the nicest places we have visited.

    Our hotel room is very spacious. It has three rooms and has a fridge, stove, dishwasher and clothes washer. It is really an apartment on the top storey of a Medival style building. There is also a terrace from which I can see the palace and the cathedral. Great spot!

    I went for a wander around the old city, which is on a hill so it is quite steep in parts. Once again there is a Jewish Quarter (Juderia) in this city. All these old Spanish towns have had a Jewish Quarter, where the Jews lived and thrived before the tragic expulsion and persecution of the 14th and 15th centuries.

    There are three synagogues in Spain which date from the period before the expulsion in 1492. One was in Cordoba, which was closes but I was able to see from the outside, and the other two are here in Toledo. It is amazing to see two synagogues which date from the early medieval period in one town in Spain.

    The first synagogue has been converted into a church. It is known and the Synagogue de Santa Maria de Blanca. The second synagogue is now a Sephardic Museum and which looks really interesting. Both were closed this evening so I was only able to view them from outside, but I hope to return to them tomorrow to see them inside.

    The Jewish Quarter has been marked by the Jews with all these little tiles on the streets with little Jewish symbols - little menorahs, little snippets of Hebrew, little Sephardic symbols and also signs that tell you that you are in the Jewish Quarter. There are hardly any Jews living in Toledo today, but the Jews have let everyone know that they were here and they don't want people to forget how badly they were treated.

    There is a little shop next to one of the synagogues that has a reminder message of the dry bones of Ezekiel 37 to highlight that despite the persecutions and expulsions, the Jews are still here and not going away.

    The sunset over the valley in Toledo this evening was spectacular. We had Maccas for dinner, just to be classy, and to keep Sam happy.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Driving from Cordoba to Toledo

    2018年7月18日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    It takes about 3 and a half hours to drive from Cordoba to Toledo on the excellent Spanish roads. We left Cordoba at about 12:30pm and expected to arrive in Toledo at about 4:00pm. However, we were dirving along the motorway and two things coincided - we had to stop for petrol and we did so in sight of a very spectacular old fortress on a hill with old windmills surrounding it.

    After filling the car with unleaded fuel, we could not resist finding the way up the hill towards the fort. In doing so we passed through a beautiful little Spanish town called Consuegra. The fortress dates back to Roman and Muslim times.

    The fortress and the windmills are actually famous. The fort is the home of the Order of Knights of St John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers) from 1197. Before that, in 1097, Diego, son of Mia Cid, lost his life defending the fort against the invading Muslims.

    This town is also the territory of the fictional figure Don Quixote, as described by author Miguel de Cervantes in 1615 in what is considered to be the world's first novel. It was entitled Don Quixote of La Mancha. La Mancha is the Spanish area we drove through today, and it literally means 'the dry land' in Arabic, because it is so dry in the summer months.

    The fort was amazing - a real medieval fortress with towers, long rooms, prisons, cisterns for water, 5m thick walls, a drawbridge, and much more. There was even a chest containing swords and a shield, which Sam immediately picked up and wielded dangerously. There was also an area within the walls into which villagers could flee and bring their cattle, sheep and horses and keep them safe in the event of an attacking army. The main cistern was huge and could have supplied water to the fort for months.

    The windmills date from the 16th century and they are amazing examples of how medieval people milled grain when water was not able to be reliably used to turn wheels and millstones. The huge windmills have huge millstones within them which are ingeniously designed for milling grain. We could climb up inside one of them and see the extraordinary oak wooden mechanisms inside for milling the grain.

    The stop at Consuegra was well worth it, even though we didn't end up pulling into Toledo until about 6 pm.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    More from Cordoba

    2018年7月17日, スペイン ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The Mosque and Cathedral of Cordoba were astonishing. These buldings dated from 1000 years ago. But there are also Roman walls and remnants of structures which are 2000 years old, from the Roman Empire. There are also amazing buildings from the medieval period which create an incredible mix of architecture on display when walking the streets.

    Cordoba is definitely a fascinating city full of historical interest.

    We stayed in a hotel which is linked to a courtyard of a house which was built in the 15th century. A beautiful hotel and an amazing old courtyard.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Mezquita and Cathedral

    2018年7月17日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    The most amazing thing to see in Cordoba is the Medieval Mosque and the Renaissance Cathedral that has been built within the Mosque.

    The medieval mosque is huge, one of the biggest in the world. It measures 23,000 square metres, 2.3 hectares, or about 5 acres, under the roof, plus the large courtyard. It is estimated that 40,000 muslims could worship within, or 70,000 could worship in Ramadan standing up. The scale of the place is incredible.

    When the Christians took over the city of Cordoba in about 1250, the Christians built a church within the Mosque. Later, in the Renaissance period, in the 16th century, a larger cathedral was built within the Mosque, but still leaving most of the mosque intact. So the current building is an amalgam of mosque and Christian churches of various sizes.

    What stands out is the pillars and arches of the mosque when inside. The Muslims used the old Roman buildings to scavenge columns and stones which were used in the construction of the huge mosque.

    The mosque is so large that it was built in four stages over a number of centuries, between the ninth century and the 12th century.

    Sam and I went on a tour of the Mosque and Cathedral and were in awe of the architecture and the scale of the building which is over 1000 years old in its earliest stages. It is the third most visited tourist site in Spain behind the Alhambra in Granada and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Old city walls and a Roman orator

    2018年7月16日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    The old city walls and gates are amazing to see in Cordoba. The walls are in excellent condition as are quite a few of the old city gates.

    Another famous son of Cordoba is the ancient Roman senator, writer, orator and thinker Seneca. He was born here due to his father being posted here during the Roman occupation during the first century BC. He is one of the most famous ancient Roman thinkers and speakers. I have a book at home which he wrote on rhetoric, how to persuade. He gave some famous speeches in the Roman Senate when later in his life he left Cordoba to become very influential in the capital of the empire, Rome.もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure
    1

    Jewish Museum in Cordoba

    2018年7月16日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Even though there are only 16 Jewish families in Cordoba, the Jewish history is so significant here that there is a museum dedicated to that story. RAMBAM, or Maimonides, is a big part of the exhibition, but there is a lot to the story of the Golden Age of Jewish People in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. The Jews were so successful that they almost ruled the country. A famous Jew born in Cordoba became the main vizier of the king and general of the Spanish Army of the Berber kings based in Granada. It is considered to be the only time between the ancient kingdom of Israel and the modern state of Israel that the Jews have been in control of an army. In fact, the country was a Jewish state in all but name due to the influence of the Jews in the royal court.

    The Jews invented a way of using gold mixed with silver to embroider garments which gave them a form of opulence which made whoever wore them look stunning as the light glinted off their clothes. The kings wore these clothes but so did the affluent Jews.

    The Jewish success led to hatred both in Granada and Cordoba and there was a massacres in the fourteenth century which led many Jews to flee.

    There was also an exhibition in the museum commemorating all the Muslim families in Europe who saved Jewish families during the Hitler’s holocaust in World War Two. There were some amazing stories of bravery and courage under threat of death to save their Jewish cousins.

    The Umayyad Caliphate which ruled medieval Spain at the time of Maimonides’ birth was very supportive of the arts, culture, science, religion, architecture, philosophy and learning. They were quite different from Catholic rulers in that respect. They were tolerant of Jews, Muslims and Christians. This is to be contrasted with the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella who expelled unconverted Jews and Muslims the minute they took Granada in 1492.

    It was into this tolerant and advanced culture of the Umayyads that Memonides was born and was able to become a learned and respected man. At least for a few decades until things turned sour for the Jews when a less supportive Caliphate took over and RAMBAM fled to North Africa and then Cairo where he joined the large Jewish population there. It was in Cairo that he wrote the Mishnah, simply a work of genius, over ten years. It is for this work that he is best known by the Jews. For non-Jews his works if Philosophy and his work in medicine, science and astronomy that he is best known. He was also a student of Aristotle and he wrote extensively on the famous Athenian philosopher and his arguments and logic.
    In the area of philosophy, his work entitled ‘A Guide for the Perplexed, analyses the apparent tension between faith and reason, between religion and rationality. He argued the truth should be our goal and he acknowledged that the challenges around faith and reason can be perplexing and requires careful thoughtful searching for truth.    もっと詳しく

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  • Simon and Sam Europe Adventure

    Wandering around Cordoba

    2018年7月16日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    I took the opportunity tonight of wandering around the amazing city of Cordoba. I came across a triumphal arch and forum from the Roman times. Also there is a bridge from Roman times across the river which was an important port from Roman times right through to the Middle Ages. The river silted up, and then the port was moved downstream to Seville in the fifteenth century and Seville took on the port status that Cordoba had previously enjoyed.

    Cordoba was the preeminent city in Western Europe in the eleventh to about the thirteenth century.

    The biggest and best place to visit is the Mosque and Cathedral here in Cordoba. It is a huge Mosque the has maintained its moorish characteristics but operates as a Cathedral. We are on a tour of that amazing landmark tomorrow morning. We saw is from the outside this evening and that was amazing in itself.    もっと詳しく

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