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Iberia

April - May 2022
A 38-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 13

    Barcelona

    May 6, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Barcelona is a world class city, the largest in Catalonia (2nd largest in Spain). Catalonia is the northwest of Spain, abutting France, the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean and Andorra (see another post). There is much to see here; so there are several posts.
    Not surprisingly, Barcelona was founded by the Romans about 2,000 years ago, although there are legends claiming it was founded by Hercules, in one case and by Hamilcar Barca of Carthage in the second.
    This post gathers some pictures from around the city. The 1st is an overview taken from Montjuïc (see another post). The 2nd picture is Barcelona's Arc d'Triomf that was built as the entrance for the 1888 Universal Exposition.
    The next 3 pictures go together. This famous block in the 3rd picture has several famous houses from the Catalan Modernist period. The 4th picture is about halfway down the block and is typical modernist. In this case, it is partly Flemish in character along with the typical modernist mix of tiles, glass and more. The next is the Casa Battló by Gaudí, the architect of Sagrada Familia (see another post). The 6th picture is another building by Gaudí just up the street a couple blocks: Casa Milà. There is much too much to say about Gaudí for a single post like this. I'll leave that to your browser.
    No look at Barcelona would be complete without a picture along La Rambla which is the 7th picture. Probably the most famous street in Barcelona, La Rambla is a bit more than 1 kilometer in length, is a pedestrian way and is filled with shopping and restaurants. And it's a good place for a paseo.
    The last 2 pictures look at the Mediterranean. The 8th is the commercial port, taken from Montjuïc, and the 9th is the marina. You might be interested to know that the big yacht to the right isn't a cruise ship. It's a private yacht.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 13

    Andorra

    May 6, 2022 in Andorra ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    A small country in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. The Principality of Andorra (as it is officially known) traces its history to Charlemagne, but the nation as it exists dates to 1278.
    The oldest archaeological evidence here dates to the 10th millennium BCE. Like most of this part of Europe, the Romans were here, beginning in the 2nd century BCE.
    I only had a day here. So I spent it in the capital city of Andorra La Vella.
    The 1st picture looks over the city from a high point on a trail that unfortunate ended due to a washout. Otherwise I would have gotten farther up. The 2nd picture is another view over part of the town.
    The 3rd looks up the River Valira from below downtown. Both pictures give a sense of the beauty of the Pyrenees.
    The 4th picture is an interesting bridge in the center of town.
    The 5th picture is in St. Esteve church that dates to the 12th century. Not much of the ancient church remains, but this chapel is the oldest.
    Andorra la Valle is known as a city full of interesting and unusual statues. The 6th picture is one example. The 7th picture is an interesting foot bridge that I decided to call the whale bone bridge. As far as I know, it is otherwise unnamed.
    Much old and new exists here, often side by side. The 8th picture is a typical street in the old town while the 9th picture is the main pedestrian shopping street in the modern city.
    The 10th picture is part of central park. Ok. Not in NYC. After all, Andorra la Vella is a lot smaller, and so is the park. This park is geared to families with a large playground just visible in the background.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 14

    Park Guëll

    May 7, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After Sagrada Familia (see another post), probably the best known place in Barcelona is Park Guëll. This site was actually begun as a housing development intended to be a gated community of 56 houses. Count Eusebi Guëll engaged Antoni Gaudí to design the site and houses. Work began in 1900 with most site design elements completed. However, the housing development failed. Only 1 house was sold. It was probably too far out from the city as it existed then.
    It became the public Park Guëll in 1926 when Count Guëll's son gave it to the city with the stipulation the his home (in the 1st picture) become a public school. It still is.
    The rest of the pictures are of Gaudi's genius. The site has a road through it to provide access to the 56 sites intended for houses. A small section of the road is in the 2nd picture. Because the site is an eroded hillside, Gaudí built bridges over the gullies to make the road easy to use. The 3rd picture is a look at what is under those bridges. Gaudí provided protected spaces for people to gather out of the sun or in inclement weather.
    The 4th picture is the "theater." It is a multipurpose space for outdoor performances, family gathering, picnicking, etc. The edges have serpentine seating to make it easier for people to sit in groups and converse. What isn't obvious (and most surprising) is that the sand here is what engineers call a slow sand filter. Rain water percolated through multiple layers of sand to be purified. It then flows down through the columns in the next picture to a large cistern below. This is the central water supply and irrigation system for the site and is still in use today.
    The 5th picture is under the theater. These are the hollow columns of the water supply system. The space was intended to be the local market. The domes direct the water above to the hollow columns, and the mosaics are all made with discarded and broken materials--a very early example of recycling. Gaudí was ahead of his time in so many ways.
    The 6th picture looks out to the city from the theater. The building with the tower was the model house.
    From the market below the theater, a monumental stairway proceeds down to the main gate and model house. Halfway down those stairs is the sculpture in the 7th picture. This depicts alchemy and a dragon which is a fountain.
    The 8th picture looks up the monumental stairway from the bottom. Like everything else Gaudí, there is a lot of symbolism here, even Masonic. But with all the people, it's hard to see. Your browser will guide you to better views and interpretations.
    The last picture is the former Porter's horse at the main gate near the model house.
    This is rightly a famous place.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 17

    Cathedral of Salamanca

    May 10, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The Cathedral, or more accurately, Cathedrals of Salamanca is an unusual, perhaps unique, situation. There are 2 cathedrals here that are joined together by a common wall. It seems that when a decision was reached to build a new cathedral, they decided to use part of the old cathedral to save some money. As a result, the old cathedral wasn't destroyed to make way for the new one. BTW, this being Europe, the "new" cathedral dates to the 16th century and the old to the 12th.
    The 1st 2 pictures are in the sanctuary of the new cathedral that was built in the Gothic Style 1st is the nave and 2nd is a closer detail the choir which is in the middle of the building. Note the book of music on the stand. This has the old notation for Gregorian chant.
    The 3rd picture is an example of the side chapels around the cathedral. The 4th is the cloister.
    The rest of the pictures are in the old cathedral. The 5th picture is the nave. Notice the extensive artwork above the main altar. The 6th and 7th pictures capture some of the remaining frescos. The 6th picture is at the back of the nave, and the 7th is a transept to the right of the altar.
    The 8th and 9th pictures are in the museum. These are 2 of the altar pieces preserved here. It is my understanding that all of these are from various chapels in the cathedral complex.
    The last picture is the final chapel at the cathedral that has been modernized. It's interesting history includes being the place where potential graduates from the university had their final oral examination by any number of faculty who could ask anything. I'm told the exam could last 6 hours, and failure resulted in deep shame, sometimes even being expelled from the family for the shame, and even suicide. Passing required the graduate to provide a party for everyone. This was a really big deal.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 17

    Salamanca

    May 10, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Salamanca is a city in western Spain, not too far from the border with Portugal. The old city here has been recognized by UNESCO since 1988. Salamanca is perhaps best known as a university town. The university was founded in 1218, making it the 4th oldest in Europe, after Bologna, Oxford and Cambridge.
    The main square is called the Plaza Mayor as in most Spanish cities. The 1st picture is of the Plaza Mayor lit for the night. The plaza isn't fully visible because the annual book fair is filling the space.
    The city's history predates the Romans, but its importance began to grow with the Roman presence. The 2nd picture is the Roman bridge dating to the 1st century CE. 2,000 years and still in use. A major Roman road crosses here and passes through town.
    The 3rd picture is the Casa de los Conchas. Today it's the city library, but it was a private residence. Notice the scallops shells on the walls. The original owner was devoted to Santiago, and the scallop is his symbol. It is also the symbol of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. One of the numerous routes of the Camino passes by here. The 4th picture is the central courtyard of the house/library, still in it's original form.
    The 5th picture is in the nave of the Romanesque church of St. Martin, dating to the 12th century. The church forms part of one side of the Plaza Mayor.
    The next 3 pictures of of the University of Salamanca. The university is spread throughout the city with schools, such as medicine that need modern facilities located the the new city. These pictures are a couple images of the oldest part of the university.
    The last 2 pictures are of what was the Jesuit church and school. The 9th picture is the entrance to the church that is mostly a museum today. The last picture looks beyond that entrance to the main building of what today is the Pontifical University, a private university here. It was originally built as the school for Jesuit missionaries to the Americas. It was also a very important and influential center for theological thought at the time.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 20

    Porto

    May 13, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Porto is located in the northwest of Portugal and is the 2nd largest city in the country. It sits on the Douro River (see another post) estuary where it's history dates to perhaps the 8th century BCE, possibly a Phoenician settlement. The Romans called it Portus Cale. After being occupied by the Moors, this region was the 1st reconquered. The modern nation of Portugal began here, then known as Portuscale, which linguistically evolved to Portugal.
    Porto has long been a port city, and its most famous export bears its name: port wine. The 1st 2 pictures are taken from opposite sides of the Douro. The 1st looks from Vila Nova de Gaia (often shortened to Gaia) to Porto. The 2nd picture looks toward Gaia. There is an important historical issue here. The land on the right bank (Porto) belonged to the local bishop. So taxes were paid to both the city and the bishop. The land on the left bank (Gaia) belonged to the city. So taxes were only paid to the city. Hence, all the port wine warehouses were built in Gaia, where they are today. Some things don't change.
    The 3rd picture is Clérigos tower, a recognizable symbol of Porto. This is the bell tower of the baroque church and dates to the 18th century. The 4th picture is the Lello Bookstore where JK Rowling ussaid to hang out and conceived of the Harry Potter novels.
    The 5th and 6th pictures reflect the period of the dictatorship here through the middle of the 20th century. The 5th picture is the old prison, and the 6th is the justice court, built in what has been called the fascist style.
    Historically, Porto had as many as 3 Jewish neighborhoods. The 7th picture is a plaque that memorializes all those expelled in 1496 in order to keep peace with Spain who did the same in 1492.
    The last 2 pictures provide a glance at what the historic center of Porto looks like. This has been a UNESCO recognized place done 1996.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 20

    Porto Cathedral

    May 13, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    The Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady, better known the the Porto Cathedral dates to the early 12th century, with construction containing for several hundred years. The architecture is primarily Romanesque, with Gothic and Baroque elements added over the centuries.
    The 1st picture looks along the main or long axis of the cruciform nave while the 2nd picture looks across the transept.
    The next 3 pictures are of various side chapels around the cathedral. The 6th picture is also a side chapel, but this one is a bas relief in silver.
    The cloister and monastery are off the south transept. The 7th and 8th pictures are views for the ground and from the balcony atop the cloister. The 9th picture is og some of the traditional tile work the d crates the outer walks of the cloister.
    The last picture is the chapter room of the monastery. The coffered ceiling is decorated with paintings from the 18th century that creatively depict moral values.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 22

    Douro Valley

    May 15, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    This is the spectacularly beautiful heart of the wine industry located up river from Porto. The scenery is so extraordinary that the 1st 6 pictures all show it. They are taken from various perspectives: from the deck of a traditional river boat to high on the hillsides on both sides of the river. The views are considered to be some of the best in the world.
    The 7th picture is of Pinhão, often thought of as the center of the district. This was taken from the traditional boat.
    The last 3 pictures were taken at Quinta do Seixo. A quinta is a farm or vineyard where, in this case, the grapes for local wine and port are grown. Both table wine and port are produced. And there is a small olive oil industry, too, using olives from the trees separating quintas.
    I'm told that many of the producers here still crush the grapes in the traditional way, by foot. At Quinta do Seixo, crushing is done robotically in the vats in the 8th picture. The mechanism is visible at the rear of the picture. The 9th picture is some port aging in oak barrels in their cellar. The last picture is the Sandeman logo. I'm told that the silhouette is intended to reflect both Spanish and Portuguese tradition as the business began with sherry in Spain and expanded to port.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 24

    Coimbra

    May 17, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Coimbra is a former national capital city that is home to the oldest university in the Portuguese speaking world. Most of its economy is built around the university and its students.
    The town dates to at least the Roman period when it was known as Aeminium. It is a hill town that was encircled by defensive walls, most of which are now gone. The university occupies the hilltop today.
    Starting in the lower part of town and beginning uphill, the 1st and 2nd picture are of old city gates, and the 3rd picture is one of the old towers along the wall. It has been used as housing, mostly for students. The 4th picture is the old cathedral, and the 5th picture is the new cathedral.
    Finally at the top of the hill is where most of the university is located. The 6th picture is the old palace, originally Moorish, then the royal residence after the city was reconquered, and now part of the university. The 7th picture is the new of the academic buildings built in the fascist style during the dictatorship period. Historic buildings were demolished to make room for the new.
    The 8th picture is the old baroque library, said to be one of the most beautiful anywhere. The 9th picture is of what are called the monumental stairs. This is another part of the construction of the dictatorship period.
    The last picture is of the university botanical garden. The garden dates to the 18th century and is still used for teaching and research.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelIberia
    Day 26

    Tomar

    May 19, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Tomar is a small town in central Portugal that has an outsized historical footprint. This is where the headquarters of the Knights Templar in Portugal was located (see additional posts). This post looks at the town itself.
    When the Romans were here, this was called Sellium. After the expulsion of the Moors in the 12th century, the site was granted to the Templars who became the feudal lords. The town developed, 1st within the walls and later expanded outside the fortress walls. Today the old town is located around the foot of the hill upon which the fortress is built. The newer town is beyond the old town.
    The 1st picture is the view from my room. That is the castle and convent on the hill. The 2nd picture is the church of St. Mary of Olival that dates to at least the 12th century, though the current building is a 13th century renovation. Many Templars are buried here.
    The 3rd picture clearly demonstrates the importance of the Templars to Tomar. That's a city sidewalk with Templar crosses everywhere. The 4th picture is s city park with a waterwheel designed to lift water, probably originally for irrigation. The 5th picture is a view over the town from the castle. The 6th picture is a formal garden in a park at the foot of the castle hill. The 7th picture is in the best preserved medieval synagogue is Portugal. It dates to the middle of the 15th century. You can see the Torah in the ark.
    The 8th picture is the main square, Republic Square. The stature is the 1st grand master of the Portuguese Templars, Gualdim de Pais. The 9th picture is a typical street in the old town.
    The 10th picture is part of the Camino de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage path. The Portuguese route passes through the castle and convent.    Read more

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