Nancy and Doug Trips

Nancy and Doug Trips

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Our lifelong travel bug has given us our most prized ‘possessions’ - the many memories from business and especially family trips.
“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” Czytaj więcej🇨🇦British Columbia

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SW Europe 2023 Podróżnik
Golf Cart Tour
26 maja 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Jan woke up with us feeling much recovered. Great looking day for our activity blue sky, no rain. No problem meeting our Golf Cart Tour driver for the 0930h start time. It is really the only way for Jan to navigate the Rome streets so she can see the main sights. Adrianne is originally from San Diego, studied in London where she met her Italian spouse and now lives in Rome, a son in the temper tantrum stage. She really wanted to impart as much information about Rome as she could.

We got off to look at Trevi Fountain (fountain not on as they were vacuuming some of the 1.7 million in change that is thrown into the fountain each year, Piazza Navona, high baroque at St Ignatius Church, a fine sculpture by Michelangelo at Peter in Chains Church and finally Aventine Hill with its great view of the city.

She suggested going to Trapizzino-Trastevere for lunch and dropped us off there. These are yeast doughs with various stuffings. Also had a taste of suppli (Roman rice balls deep fried, some of them with cheese inside). After lunch we walked a short distance to Church #3, Santa Maria in Trastavere, noteworthy for being one of the oldest Christian churches and made of repurposed Roman columns. Czytaj więcej
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Travel to Rome and Meet Jan
25 maja 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We woke up early to a message from Jan that her flight out of Toronto had been delayed to 0100h due to mechanical issues and debated what to do. We left our Barcelona Hotel at 0710h to catch the metro to Plaza Espanya to catch the Airport Bus but the bus driver would not accept our Hola card. He was wrong -- I checked again, but there was no time to sort it out, so we took a taxi from a nearby hotel (€32, ouch!) but made up the time and found ourselves to our gate with time to spare. We were we very careful packing to be sure we were not overweight for carry on with Vueling, but they didn't weigh us. This is a low cost carrier and we forgot the coffee offered in a paper cup came with a €3.50 charge (ouch!). We got to Rome on time about 1100h, had a quick lunch and Doug headed into Rome to meet with our host to check into our apartment near Piazza Barberini. Nancy stayed at the airport to meet Jan's plane at 1600h (was to come in at 1130h). She occupied herself with Penguins at the Eataly just a floor up from the Terminal 3 departures where Jan was expected in. Finally met up close to 1700h and had an Italian style taxi ride into our accommodation (€55 ouch again!). Jan was short on sleep and we were tuckered out, too much so to get anything from a nearby grocery store so went to Ristorante Claudia basically outside our door and had (what was a really excellent) dinner. Pizza for Nancy and Jan and a proper Roman dinner of Cacio e Pepe and Scaloppine for Doug. Jan was really tired so got into bed right away as we had booked a four hour Golf Cart Tour of Rome the next morning. Czytaj więcej
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Day 33 - Barcelona 4
24 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Later start to the day, Doug feeling a bit under the weather and Nancy still struggling with a bit of fatigue. We both agreed that it had been a while now since a Casa Olina rest day. Decided we would limit our day to the Maritime Museum and catch one medieval chapel, the oldest in the City that Doug wanted to see. Both were worthwhile. The replica model of the lead war galley in the Battle of Lepanto 1571 was huge; the Romanesque chapel and cloister the opposite and dating to the low middle ages.

Nancy had spied KFC as the best bang for the buck on La Rambla and we went back to have a fried chicken treat on a table with a perch over the touristy street.

Home by 3 pm with Doug needing to sort out Nancy's SIM card so she can try to not get lost in Rome! Doug rested in the afternoon as fighting some sinus congestion. Got laundry caught up and Nancy went for a mani-pedi in the pleasant neighbourhood we are staying in. Dinner at a local spot where Nancy tried a last tapas called Padron Peppers. Tasty; overpriced as usual! Czytaj więcej
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Sant Pau de Camp Church
24 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
The former Benedictine Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp is Barcelona's oldest preserved church. It was probably built at the end of the 9th century: the founding of the monastery between the years 897 and 911 emerges from the few surviving documents. Much less fancy than most Spanish churches and bare bones and austere. The sheer age and the fact it is still here is impressive! Czytaj więcej
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Maritime Museum
24 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
The museum is housed in the former shipyards of Drassane. The construction of the shipyards was Barcelona's naval supremacy throughout the Mediterranean expansion. It could take up to 30 galleys simultaneously in the built vaults.

Especially noteworthy is the faithful reproduction of a galley from the 16th Century. The 60m-long royal galley Admirals of Juan de Austria was involved in the Battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571, in which the Turkish Armada was defeated. 236 slaves at 59 oars used to row on the galley.

Several other boats and models of ships of different categories, from simple wooden fishing boats to a wooden submarines to racing boats to ocean liners and freighters are exhibited. Czytaj więcej
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Day 32 - Barcelona Day 3
23 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Gaudi and Modernista day! Start off with early tickets to Sagrada Familia. We then took a subway ride out to El Recine Modernista de Sant Pau which is a highly decorated Art Nouveau complex built built and functioning as a hospital between 1920 and 2009 when it was closed and converted to other uses. It could be very interesting to tour, but we ran out of time to see anything other than façade. We made our way to Park Guell as we had entry tickets for 1245 hrs. Grabbed Subway on the way. After Parc Guell, we made our way down to the top end of Passeig da Gracia in the Eixample district and slowly made our way down viewing the various Modernista facades along the way.

Street ended out at Placa Catalunya, so we walked again through the El Born district which we had enjoyed the first day and stumbled into the old cast iron El Born market building which was the main vegetable market for a century. It is now a very interesting and informative open-air archaeological site tracing the history of this La Ribera district developed from draining land outside the city walls, then it's role as a fort in the invasion of Barcelona by the Spanish in 1713. Czytaj więcej
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Park Guell
23 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
The entry seemed to be up 3 flights of steep steps. Then we found that it was all the way down again to get to the real entry. Quite crowded, hot, terrain uneven and handrails "wavy" as per its creator Antonio Gaudi. Neither of us enjoyed it until we paid the additional €4 admission to get in to home Gaudi lived in for 20 years; one of only two that were built on this failed suburban development in the country in 1910. This gave us some perspective on this legendary modernist architect. He lived there with his father and niece who both passed away within a few years and then he was helped by the Carmelite nuns who kept house for him while he primarily devoted his attention to the construction of the Sagrada Familia. Despite designing fanciful homes for the wealthy; he lived a "austere religious lifestyle". He moved into the cathedral after the failed subdivision was bought by the City for a Park. Sadly, he was hit by a tram and it took three days for those who new him to locate him in hospital; he had been taken for a destitute. Czytaj więcej
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Sagrada Familia
23 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Sagrada Familia day! Amazing structure in the works now for over 100 years. The story of Jesus is told on the outside of the church in much more modernist style. The very high inside pillars with fan vaulting do make you feel you are in a forest. The alter with Jesus is also very unique, you can sense his sense up to God which is symbolized by a structure that magnifies and casts light downward. A very spiritual and restful place and where the architect Antonio Gaudi is buried. Czytaj więcej
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Day 31 - Barcelona Day 2
22 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We took a bus up to Montjuic Park We decided to take in the Poble Espanol which was nearby. Headed home; Nancy felt a bit fatigued this day, the early starts and travels having caught up with her.

Montjuic park and Poble Espanol with brief look at Plaza Espanol
11,502 steps or 7.86 km Czytaj więcej
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PodróżnikSounds like a much needed rest day! A mani pedi would be a nice treat
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Poble Espanol
22 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
This was built for Expo 1929 with the intent to represent the architectural and cultural essence of Spain. Lunch was so-so on site. The site seemed somewhat deserted but again, it was Monday. Quite a few of the buildings were closed and there was not really any significant demonstration of the handicrafts that were advertised. The best part of it was to be found in an exposition of the photographs of Spanish villages that the creators of the replica buildings that the creators took on a trip through Spain about that time. This gave the venue considerable context. Czytaj więcej
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Montjuic Park
22 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Montjuic Park is topped by a castle of course. Decided we had seen enough of castles this trip, enjoyed the views and walked down in search of some gardens which we did not find. This area is an extensive area of greenery, trails and monuments, the most notable being the crowning structure straight up from the the Plaza Espanya which houses the Museu National d'Aft de Catalunya (MNAC) . Luckily it was closed this Monday at it looked HUGE! Czytaj więcej
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Day 30 - Barcelona Day 1
21 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Museums, Gothic Quarter, La Rambla and the waterfront.
14,012 steps or 9.76 km walking.

Good sleep and out the next day to visit the Picasso Museum first thing. Great museum in that it demonstrates his earliest works and his evolution as an artist. Had a snack and went to the nearby Museum of Barcelona which is the best archeological dig turned museum that we've seen, better than anything we saw in Rome. Of particular interest were the large clay pots used to make and store garum which is a salty fishy seasoning used by the Romans. Czytaj więcej
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La Rambla
21 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
After visiting Barcino and the Plaza del Rei, we settled on a tapas bar. We were told these were "medium tapas". Are two spring rolls each cut in half a "medium"? One tapa and one drink each for €32. Expensive for what you get, that is our impression of tapas; we can't really seem to really understand them. We see folks drinking, sitting chatting with a couple of small plates; do the Spanish actually eat dinner?? We remained baffled. After this we rambled down the Rambla (must do for any tourist; it was as we expected lined with outdoor patios hawking huge drinks at €10 each so you have lots of time to sit and people watch). This took us to the Chris Columbus Monument and along part of Barcelona's reclaimed beach area (prev industrial, now very pleasant for local and tourist alike); said hi to the Mediterranean and then headed home on an extremely crowded bus.

La Rambla is a 1,3 Km long promenade in the middle boulevard of the street. It starts at the busy center of Barcelona, Plaça Catalunya (Catalonia Square).and ends at the monument to Christopher Columbus on the waterfront. It is the division between the Gothic Quarter and El Raval neighbourhoods. Czytaj więcej
PodróżnikI agree about tapas!
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Plaça del Rei
21 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Plaça del Rei was the palace courtyard of the centre of power of the medieval city, the Palau, built in the 9th century, which was the official residence of the Catalan counts from the 8th century to the early 15th century. Even though it contains Visigothic and Roman remains, the style of the building is predominantly Gothic.

On one side of the Palau Reial is the Torre Mirador del Rei Martí (King Martin’s Watchtower) and on another side, on Barcelona’s old Roman wall is the royal chapel of Santa Àgata, with ceilings and altarpieces by Jaume Huguet inside. In front is the Palau del Lloctinent, (now the Archive of the Crown of Aragon), which dates back to the 16th century and has a Renaissance patio in its interior.

The Saló del Tinell, features a series of semicircular arches of great architectural value.

The old Casa Clariana-Padellàs, is home to the Museu d’Història de Barcelona. Czytaj więcej
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History Museum of Barcelona
21 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
After a coffee and snack we headed into a pleasant courtyard surrounded by historical and important buildings including the Archives of Spain. What was incredible is that under the courtyard lay the foundations of the Roman colony of Barcino from 10 BC. Fantastic interpretation with the catwalk over a very extensive site; more extensive than any we saw in Rome. Very interesting to witness the reuse of Rome for the next civilization and covering it all the wide arches of the final 14th century construct. An experience to look down to those Roman foundations, up then out at street level to children in 2023 playing on the courtyard - over 2000 years of human history in one glance!

Entrance through Padellàs House courtyard, one of the best examples of Catalán gothic courtyards in private houses (built in the 15th and 16th centuries, reconstructed 1931). Visit to the remains of a whole quarter of the ancient Roman city of Barcino in the archaeological underground. The archaeological area under Plaça del Rei covers over 4000 m2 There is an exhibition about daily life in Roman houses and a walk over factories (laundry, dying, salted fish and garum, winery) shops (tabernae) walls (intervallum, inner parts of the towers) and streets (cardo minor). There are also found the remains of the early Christian and visigothic Episcopal architectural complex (cross shaped church, bishop's palace, baptistery). Above ground small exhibition outlines the medieval history of Barcelona in the large ceremonial hall called Saló del Tinell covered with large round arches (14th century), and the palatine chapel of Saint Agatha (14th century) with its original altarpiece, a 15th-century work by the Catalán painter Jaume Huguet. Czytaj więcej
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Picasso Museum
21 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
PERSONAL NOTES:
First day in Barcelona took us to the Picasso Museum. This has the best early works of Picasso and it really gave us a sense of how the development of this artist. His father was an art teacher and encouraged his development from an early age; he mastered the realism of the paints of the Renaissance and beyond; doing copies of portraits by Velazquez (whose painting Las Meninas some say is the best painting ever and one which Picasso would do a study and reinterpretation in Cubist style on in his later life) and our friend El Greco. He mastered realism, dabbled in the light of the impressionists, pointillism; really experimented with many styles even though he is renown for his Cubist style. Very good museum.

The Museu Picasso de Barcelona houses 4,249 works in the permanent collection with many from his youthful and formative years. The museum occupies five palaces in Carrer Montcada that constitute one of the best examples of civil Catalan Gothic architecture. The Ruiz Picasso family came to Barcelona at the end of the 19th century, when Pablo was only 14.Immediately he started studying at the Escola de Belles Arts de la Llotja fine arts academy and began his career as a painter. The first years of Picasso’s training were fundamental to his artistic career, and he always kept his link with Barcelona. So much so that, by express wish of the artist, and thanks to the help of his secretary and friend Jaume Sabartés, it was decided that the city should permanently house a museum of his work as a young man. Pablo Picasso himself donated the series Las Meninas de Velázquez to the museum, one of his best-known and most important works. Czytaj więcej
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Barcelona Arrival
20 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
As usual very comfortable train trip, this time with Iryo, high speed at almost 300 km/h. It would take almost 6 hours to drive and 2.5 hours by train. Flat mountainside plains predominantly. Arrived into Barcelona Sants station, subway to Placa de Catalunya. Metro crowded and we left the platform and could not find our way out! Other people seemed to also be looking for the exit. We retraced our steps and found that we needed to exit directly from the arrival platform and we had entered a maze which was connecting with two other lines. It was hot in there! Had a look around the plaza - huge and a lot of people! Very busy and large Foot Locker J! Makes Toronto look relatively small. Doug found the bus which would take us directly to our place near near Camp Nou the stadium where the 2nd to last soccer game of the year was to take place tonight starting at 9 pm. Check in was easy, this is the first stay we've had were there is a 24 hour desk. Reception advised that they will be demolishing Camp Nou to build a new stadium after this season and games will temporarily be at the Olympic venue built when Barcelona was the host in 1992. We looked at the availability of tickets and the €300 per ticket ($450 CDN) was too high for us. Nice tourist oriented apartment in a pleasant neighbourhood. Found a great Indian restaurant for dinner called Hungry Eyes, prices good but we found extras added up (€50). Czytaj więcej
Amazing price to go to a soccer game, yet every time one is shown on TV the stands are jammed. Lots of wealthy Europeans obviously! [Mom]
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Podróżnik Looks so good!
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Puerta del Sol - Start of Walking Tour
19 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
In the mid afternoon we took the Rick Steves Audiotour of Madrid historical area - 90 minutes. Started in the "heart of Spain" at Km 0 in front of City Hall in Plaza de Sol. Took a nice course which was accurate including the door where you can ring a bell to go in and get "dulces" (sweets) made by the convent nuns who remain "cloistered" by a lazy susan type table so you don't see who gives you the cookies or takes the money. We decided to go into the Cathedral of Madrid as it was just completed in 1993 after taking 100 years to build. Outwardly looks like the cathedral in Segovia; inside the most modern in terms of the bright ceiling paints and stained glass. Definitely seemed more a cathedral for the modern times with the floor tiles in great shape etc. The San Juan Market, a rusting wrought iron structure built 100 years ago has turned into a tourist hot spot with 30 vendors, tapas on display, people ordering wine/beer and standing up to enjoy. Too much of a tight crowd scene for us so we left after a look see and decided to sit on a close by side street where we had a beer/vermouth. The end of the tour included a stop at place called Chocolateria Sans Gines. Its claim to fame is a churro stop since the late 1800s. Seems to have taken over five adjoining spaces and we had a shawarma sandwich at a place across from it being entertained by waiters carrying trays piled high with churros (two types, thinner and denser and thicker and lighter - get those) and the accompanying thick chocolate sauce which is quite yummy. Pretty much like a light yeasty doughnut with warm sauce to dip it in.

NB the fellow on the horse is Juan Carlos III, who reigned for 30 years, was not involved in any wars and is known as "the best mayor Madrid ever had for all the work he did to make the city what it is. Czytaj więcej
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Museo de Cerralbo
19 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
This was interesting....how the "upper class" nobility lived rather than the Kings. We waited for about 30 min to get in as they only allow 60 people in the building at a time and you can see why.... alot of stuff that could be tipped over. Bonus is that seniors are free.The owner was a "Marqués ", which ranks second in the pecking order between a Duke and a Count; but he was wealthy enough to be quite a collector and have a pretty grand house with a ballroom for entertaining. The ballroom was interesting in the use of mirrors which made it appear twice as large...he had himself painted into the fresco of the ceiling.

The Cerralbo Museum is a state-owned museum that houses the art and historical object collections of Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, Marqués of Cerralbo who died in 1922. The museum is housed in a 19th-century palatial town house that features Neo-Baroque and Rococo elements, with a display of works of art and exquisite objects. It is one of the few palazzos that maintains its furnishing intact, so visitors can get a real sense of the splendor of the 1800s. The museum offers an authentic vision of how the aristocracy in Madrid lived at the end of the nineteenth century. The 17th Marquis of Cerralbo, descended from aristocratic lineage, the origins of which date back to the 8th century and is related by marriage to the House of Alba, the House of Osuna and of Medinaceli. Czytaj więcej
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Palacio Real de Madrid
19 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
This is known as the "3rd grandest royal residence of Europe" after Versailles and Schomburg, home of the huge Hapsburg clan in Vienna. Those monarchs "had to keep up with the Joneses" and this palace contains many ornate objects other than the rooms themselves; the "Chinois" room's interior decorating took 55 years to complete! Architecture, art and interior decorations are not completed overnight! The tour of the kitchen area on the lower floor was not available in English, one can only imagine the number of people, food and time it took to put on an event back then. When Francisco Franco, a fascist dictator died in 1975, King Juan Carlos I was returned as monarch and established a liberal constitution (it functions as a multi-party constitutional parliamentary democracy). He abdicated in 2014 and his son Felipe VI succeeded him. The Royal Monarchs live in a mansion near the palace but the palace itself is still used for special events including political ones. National Heritage manages assets ceded to the State by the Crown which includes eight royal palaces and their contents.

The Royal Palace of Madrid (Spanish: Palacio Real de M adrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft) of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest royal palace in Europe. The palace is on the site of a bygone Muslim-era fortress constructed by Emir Muhammad I of Córdoba in the 9th century that remained on the site until it burned down on December 24, 1734. A new palace was then built from scratch on the same site on behalf of the Bourbon dynasty. Construction spanned the years 1738 to 1755. Czytaj więcej
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PodróżnikOmg that’s massive
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that is some dining room!! [Mom]
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Segovia Aqueduct
18 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
The Aqueduct of Segovia is a Roman aqueduct built around the first century AD to channel water from springs in the mountains 17 km away to the city's fountains, public baths, and private houses. The aqueduct is one of the best-preserved Roman engineering works and was designated part of the Segovia UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. The above ground portion is 728 meters long and consists of some 165 arches more than 9 meters high. Detrimental reconstruction occurred in the 15th and 16th centuries, and urgent conservation intervention occurred in the 1970s and 1990s. The aqueduct is one of the most intact Roman aqueducts in Europe. Czytaj więcej
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PodróżnikWow!!
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Alcazar of Segovia
18 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
Wow! This is something to see. A "classic real castle"; and one that has been functioning over the years in various capacities (unlike the romantic inspired castle in Sintra which was all show as the aristocracy really got into building these). It has therefore been well maintained. It is amazing to see the perfect execution of the restorations to the outside of the castle. which include a hallmark of Segovia: iron slag incorporated into the mortar. Very deep moat cut out of stone by the wedging and then expansion of wet timbers. You can see where the bridge over the moat operated from, original amour and weaponry used by knights and there is also an artillery museum, mostly in Spanish. Lunch in the cafeteria (3.5 for food/value but 5 for the view!).

The Alcázar of Segovia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site It is one of Spain’s most impressive castles and, interestingly enough, it is also one of the castles* that inspired the design of Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World.
The castle is on a rocky perch that looks out over the countryside in all directions. It is a perfect location for defensive fortifications and has been used over history by the Romans, Moors, and then the Christians after the Reconquista.
The current castle was built in the mid-1400’s by the monarchs of Castile, becoming their primary residence. It served not only as a fortress but also as a royal palace. It had a major role in the rise of Queen Isabella I who was crowned here as Queen of Castile and León. Isabella and Ferdinand II of Aragon are known for being the first monarchs to be referred to as “Queen of Spain” and “King of Spain” because of their part in reconquering Spain from the Moors
Later, the Alcazar served as a prison (from the mid-1500’s to mid-1700’s) and a Royal Artillery School (mid-1700’s to 1862 when parts of the castle burned in a fire). In 1896 the Alcazar served as a military college. Today part of the castle serves as a military museum about artillery. Czytaj więcej
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PodróżnikLook how tiny the armour is
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Segovia Cathedral
18 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
The Cathedral is a Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral located in the main square of Segovia. It was built between 1525 and 1577 in a late Gothic style after the fire in the old Romanesque cathedral in 1520. The cathedral has a ground plan with three naves, lateral chapels, and a semicircular sanctuary with an ambulatory. It is 105 meters length by 50 meters wide and 33 meters height in the major nave. The interior of the cathedral is decorated according to the styles of different eras due to many years of construction It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Czytaj więcej
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Plaza Mayor of Segovia
18 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C
Doug took in the Cathedral while Nancy was content to poke around the market which happened to be on. since it was Thursday. Large trailers (how do they get them in there?) of baked goods, several stalls of wonderful looking vegetables and one which was fairly busy with multiple bins of olives which were being ladled out into bags and weighed.

Plaza Mayor is the main square of Segovia and is filled with lots of activity and is very vibrant. The Cathedral of Segovia occupies one side of the square and shows just how large the cathedral is. The town hall with clock is on another side. Cafés, restaurants and bars surround the entire square. Czytaj więcej
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Segovia Day Trip
18 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C
Early but bright start to the day. Train out from Chamartin station at 8 am via Renfe to Segovia Ave station which is located across from a grassy hillside where cattle are grazing. Fortunate to catch the bus into town as they don't come very often (i.e. go right to the bus station when you get in). Took about 15 minutes to the centre of town which is unmistakable because there is a huge aqueduct in front of you! Quite amazing to see such a construct without mortar and still in place after 700 years. Similar to Toledo, the town was getting set up for tourists who had not yet arrived; lots of deliveries to restaurants along Real (Royal) Calle (Road). Doug had downloaded an audio guide from Get Your Guide and "Begonia" took us on a walking tour up to the Alcazar (Castle) at (yes!) the top of the hill. Most of the buildings here have unique decorative plasterwork on the exterior. Czytaj więcej
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Podróżnik Cute!
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Alcazar of Toledo
17 maja 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
We had a burger on an inviting terrace near a film about Toledo that we decided to take in. The film was 15 minutes (€3.5 each), was a good overview re basic timeline although even Nancy had it down (Celtic-iberians, then Romans, then Visigoths, then the Moors, then Christians recapturing the area. Narrator had a rather monotone voice and Doug nodded off. After this we went to the Alcazar, very impressive sitting at the top of the hill....it was under renovation so we saw very little, the most interesting was the escalator taking us up over the archaeological excavations extending up to the top and going through the foundations of the various groups who had built one on top the other. We were finished ahead of schedule so lots of time to get to the train for return to Madrid at 8 pm.

Toledo has been a site of great importance to the history of Spain and the Alcázar was the political and military heart of the city. The city of Toledo was declared the capital of Spain in 1519 and remained as such until 1561 and during this time the Alcázar of Toledo was essentially the country's main government building. The Alcázar was the site where Charles I received the “conquistador” Hernán Cortés after he returned from South America having conquered the Aztec empire.

The Romans first built a garrison on the site where the Alcázar stands at the highest point in the city. The current structure was first developed following restoration by the Christians, particularly by Alfonso VI and Alfonso X “the Wise”. The Alcazar burnt down in 1710 and during the French invasion, it was also burnt in 1810. It took a bit of time to rebuild the fortress and reconstruction started in 1862 and ended in 1882. But yet again fire destroyed the building in 1887, only five years after having been rebuilt!

During the Spanish Civil War, the Alcázar was again a site of great strategic value and was used as a military base. The Alcázar was the focal point of an infamous siege during this time when troops loyal to General Franco barricaded themselves within the citadel and held off Republican troops for 2 months until re-enforcements arrived. Most of the fortifications had to be rebuilt after the conflict because of the damage the building received.

The building of the Alcazar is now used to hold the permanent exhibition of the army museum, but it was closed for renovations. Czytaj więcej
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