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Andalucia, Spain

stycznia - marca 2024
  • Ladyandtramp
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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    The school housed in this mansionThe stablesElaborate decorations on the houseThe horse arena where shows are heldCarriage museumHorse waiting for training. No eating allowed.Storks!Making harnesses

    Royal Andalusian Sch. of Equestrian Arts

    19 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Andalusian horses are absolutely magnificent animals. And Jerez is considered the horse capital of Spain. We could not be here and not see these beautiful creatures in action. So we went on a 2+ hour tour of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Arts.

    The institution is in charge of the selection and breeding of Andalusian horses. It aims to ensure the training of excellent riders as well as to conserve and promotion the skills involved with dressage. In short, it is preserving the long tradition and rich culture of Spanish horsemanship.

    The horses remind me of carrousel horses with their arched necks, flowing manes and tales and noble demeanour. Just a pleasure to watch.

    We started out by walking through the botanical gardens of a 19th century palace built for the French wine merchant, Julian Pemartín, to get to the indoor arena, where the daily training of students and horses was taking place..

    This arena, with its yellow/gold coloured sand, can seat up to 1,600 spectators. Twice a week a show that demonstrates the abilities of the riders and the horses is performed in this arena. We would have liked seeing the show but it was not being performed while we are in Jerez. Seeing the horses being trained was a wonderful experience and we throughly enjoyed our unrushed time watching them go through their moves.

    The formal part of the tour was led by a woman who obviously knew and loved her job. Her English was very good and she spoke loud enough for all of our group to hear the interesting facts about the history of the horses and the school.

    Only 6 students (ages 16 - 24) are admitted to the school each year and they stay for 4 years. Each student works with 7 or 8 horses. In the photos, students wear green shirts and trainers wear blue shirts.

    Our first stop was at the Carriage Museum. The main room exhibited carriages from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as a collection of the best harnesses and all the carriage driving equipment. She explained how 1,2,3,4,5 or 6 horses could be hooked up to a carriage. Little did we know.

    Then we continued through the stables and met many of the horses who seemed happy to have some new company. A little further on we saw the work areas, where we watched how the grooms washed and harnessed the horses and cared for the carriages and the equipment.

    In the centre of the stables is a beautiful and well-organized tack room, made of wood, where they keep all the harnesses used for daily training and for the performances themselves.

    Returning to the arena we watched the trainers and their horses as they practiced for an upcoming show. It was fascinating how calm everything was. Soft Spanish music was playing and it was very peaceful. Loved it!

    The guide told us that we could wander around and what to see on the premises. We walked outside past the outdoor training areas and spotted 2 storks on a nest. The last time we saw storks was in Antequera.

    The Horse Museum that was in the palace consisted of 11 rooms that contained displays showing the origins and evolution of equestrian art in Andalusia and the rest of the world. We found the display and videos illustrating the various dressage movements to be very informative, especially after seeing those movements in the training area.

    Chris enjoyed seeing the workshop where the harnesses are made and repaired. This intricate work was being carried out by a master harness maker and his apprentice.

    After 3 hours, we weren’t really ready to leave but our tummies were telling us that they ready for lunch.     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    Cannon clock
    The Summer PalaceSundial clock1755

    A Palace of Time

    20 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Tomorrow, we leave Jerez by train to Seville. We have really enjoyed ourselves here and in 6 days have only touched on the many things that we could see and do from here. We are leaving with some wonderful memories.

    This morning, we walked to a Palace of Time, a clock museum, located in a summer palace surrounded by beautiful gardens. When it was built in 1873, the ‘cottage’ was out in the country, north of the city. Now the city has grown all around it.

    This museum is the only clock museum in Spain. It opened in 1973 and all the clocks on display work. When we went inside you could hear the gentle ticking of the 280 clocks on display, with soft Baroque music playing in the background.

    There are ten rooms and one of the most valuable collections of antique clocks in Europe. There are actually 302 clocks in the Museum. Of special interest is the oldest clock, dating back to 1670 but there are also English clocks, pocket clocks, desk clocks, travel clocks, bedside clocks, etc. Quite an interesting collection.

    The majority of the clocks in the collection are French or English but there are some from
    Italy, Switzerland and Germany. It was interesting to see that the French clocks were elaborately decorated with gold, filigree work, gilt, glass and porcelain. They are visual works of art. In comparison, the English clocks are more utilitarian, but apparently, more accurate.

    There were some very unusual clocks. One was a sundial shaped like a cannon that fired on the hour! Another was a ship that swayed back and forth while it measured time, and another clock was an automan clown that juggled cups.

    Many of the chiming clocks still work. They are tended by experienced and dedicated clockmakers who ensure they are all correctly wound and set to the correct time. We wondered about who had the job of winding all of those clocks every week…

    On the half-hour the French clocks chime in unison - tinkly, sweet sounds. On the full hour, the bass notes of Westminster chimes resound through the building.

    We were there at noon when all the clocks started chiming the hour. What a great sound!

    Upstairs was where the more precious clocks were kept as well as a very big collection of canes.

    When we were done, we finished off our visit by wandering through the old gardens, just biding our time…     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    Our hotel1One of the several indoor patios

    Seville Cervantes Hotel

    21 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    I have always loved the novel Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes. In the story, Don Quixote is a middle-aged gentleman from the region of La Mancha in central Spain. Obsessed with the chivalrous ideals he read about in books, he decides to take up his lance and sword to defend the helpless and destroy the wicked. But what adventures he has!

    The writer Miguel de Cervantes lived primarily in Seville between 1596 and 1600. Because of financial problems, he worked as a purveyor for the Spanish Armada, and later as a tax collector. In 1597, because of discrepancies in his accounts, he ended up in the Royal Prison of Seville for a short time.

    Because of my love of the story, we are staying in the old section of Seville in the Cervantes Hotel on Cervantes Street. Maybe I had a Don Quixote moment when I booked it… But I couldn’t resist.

    We arrived by train from Jerez, in the early afternoon and took an inexpensive cab (our first in Spain) to the hotel.

    We settled into our room and then went out for a late tapas lunch at a recommended outdoor restaurant. The food was great - a seafood salad, spaghetti with garlic and shrimp and an artichoke dish, topped off with a huge slice of a yummy cake (like three leches) that we shared. In fact we shared the whole meal. It was all so good.

    When we returned to the hotel, we made some plans for how we were going to spend our week here. We booked a flamenco show for Sunday and just checked out a few things that we wanted to look into.

    Our room was nice but too warm and stuffy and the door needed oil as it creaked loudly. The lady at the reception suggested that we could change rooms tomorrow. Perfect.

    All in all a good travel day. I think we are going to enjoy our say here!     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain

    A Walk Through the Old Jewish Quarter

    22 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Before we left home, I cut up a Rick Steve’s Andalucia guidebook and just took pages of the places where we were going to stay. He recommends several interesting places in Seville, including a walk in the old Jewish area, so we decided to check it out after eating a filling breakfast that was included in the price of the hotel room.

    We packed up our belongings and the receptionist said that they would move our stuff to a new room when it was ready while we were out.

    So with Rick Steve’s guide we went to visit “ the narrow lanes of its oldest quarter - the Barrio Santa Cruz”.

    This area, once a thriving Jewish neighbourhood, was a maze of winding narrow streets. We were thankful for the little map that we had! But getting lost in this area would have been fun too. Apparently, the streets were built narrow for their shade when it gets really hot here. It reminded us of the medinas in Marrakesh.

    Anyways, we started in the Plaza de La Virgen de Los Reyes where the huge cathedral and Giraldo bell tower are located. So much history surrounds this square! The tower has blocks at the bottom from when Seville was a Roman city, 2,000 years ago. The main body of the tower was built by the Moors as a call-to-prayer tower for a mosque and the top was built by the Christian’s in the 16th Century. All of Seville’s history in one tower.

    We opted out of visiting the cathedral as the line ups for entry were very long. Maybe another time. Maybe…We have seen a lot of churches! One interesting fact though… there were columns and chains around the cathedral. Why? If a person from Seville was running from the law, they just had to cross these chains to find sanctuary. A border between the secular and Catholic worlds centuries ago.

    We proceeded on to the Plaza del Triumfo that is surrounded by the walled Alcazar (palace fortress), the cathedral and the archives building which is filled with historic papers.

    Going through an arched opening in an old wall, we ended up in the Patio de Banderas, an old military parade ground surrounded by barracks. Under this area, archaeologists found remains of a Moorish palace and 2,000 year old Roman ruins. They excavated it and then covered the site up to protect it.

    We learned something interesting. This patio is surrounded by bitter orange trees. Because they never lose their leaves, they provide constant shade. The oranges are used to make vitamins, perfumes, cat food and marmalade. When they blossom in the spring, it smells lovely for 3 weeks. Bitter orange leaves have a tiny extra leaf between the main leaf and the stem.

    We passed a gate and went into a lane way next to an old city wall called the Calle Agua. At the end of the road are 2 old pipes built into the wall. These 12th century pipes, part of a 16 km aqueduct, once carried fresh spring water to the palace.

    The heart of the barrio (neighbourhood, is a lovely little square called Plaza de Santa Cruz. A synagogue used to stand here. When the Jews were evicted in 1391, the building was demolished and a Christian church built on the spot. But then Napoleon had it demolished when he invaded. Now, there is a beautiful 17th century iron cross on the spot.

    We passed the mansion where Seville’s famous painter, Bartolome Murillo lived during the 17th century. Across the street was a convent that the renowned mystic St. Teresa of Avila lived.

    Then, we walked on an incredibly narrow street, Calle Reinoso, that was called a kissing street. This led to the Plaza de Los Venerables that inspired so many operas like Don Giovanni, Carmen, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro.

    Our last little square was the Plaza of Dona Elvira, a cute square with orange trees, tile benches and a stone fountain. Dona Elvira was the lady love of the legendary Don Juan.

    After the Jews were expelled, this whole area went into decline. In the early 1900s it was deserted and run down. But then Seville began a big urban renewal project preparation for the 1929 World’s Fair and the area became a showpiece of Andalusian style. Tradition was respected and the neighbourhood’s 800 year old history carries on.

    Thanks Rick! A great free walking tour with no tips!     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    Flamenco dresses in many stores
    So colourful. Beautidul scarves too.A hat and accesory shopStreet paintingsOld arches with surprises around the cornerPeeking in houses. Lovely courtyards.A bust in Murrillos mansion.In a barOld Seville. Ships could sail up the river from the coast.Sidewalk chalk paintingsOur new roomLots of air and light.

    Interesting Sights in Seville so far…

    22 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Just an update. Hotel Cervantes upgraded us to a beautiful big room on a corner with three doors that open to balconies. Two in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. A penthouse suite, kind of… Lol.

    We could stay in this room for a long time. It’s wonderful - spacious, airy and quiet. What a treat to come back to!

    The photos are random colourful photos that Chris took. This colourful city is a photographers’ dream city.     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    3One of the many courtyards.
    The front of the palaceColourful gardensLook at the detail!The grand stairway with tapestries, paintings, tiles, and an incredible ceiling1A room full of posters, many of them bullfighting posters.The tackroomA room full of her fun activites, including flamenca on a small stage

    A Visit to a Palace in Seville

    23 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    During Spain’s “Golden Age” in the 15th Century, when Seville was the richest city in the Kingdom, several beautiful palaces were built including the place that we visited today - the Palacio de las Dueñas. It was the favourite home of Cayetana, the late Duchess of Alba.

    Cayetana was a flamboyant bohemian, a glamorous member of Spain’s aristocracy, and said to have been one of the wealthiest and most titled people in Europe. She was loved by Spaniards. She would walk barefoot, dance in the street and she enjoyed the good life.

    In 2014, following her death, her son Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 19th Duke of Alba, opened the palace to the public. Visitors can see the ground floor and go up part of the grand staircase but the upstairs part is still a private family residence.

    Last night, we booked seniors’ tickets to visit the palace with an audio guide (through the Get Your Guide website) with hopes that at 10 a.m., it wasn’t going to be full of big groups of tourists on tours. The palace is a short walk away from our hotel.

    We entered the city-centre estate through a garden, with paths made of the typical ochre-coloured sand (quarried locally) called albero. That was also the sand used in Jerez’ horse ring and it’s the traditional colour of bullrings too.

    The first part of the tour, took us through several beautiful gardens and patios. Apparently in the Spring, the gardens are full of colour. Right now, we could see tiny blossoms just starting to come out on many of the trees.

    We could hardly wait to go inside this beautiful building. Home to a large collection of artwork, the palace houses over 1425 pieces of art, including paintings, tapestries, sculptures, and more. This artwork is protected under the Andalusian Law which strictly prohibits its sale. Our audioguide did a very good job of explaining what we were seeing.

    The palace also has a great collection of antique furniture, artifacts, and ceramics. These items on display and add to the luxurious feeling of the palace. In several rooms, there are framed photos of the family with some of the famous visitors that visited the Duchess, like Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Cole Porter, Edward VIII, Salvador Dalí and Picasso, etc.

    It is a definitely a romantic place, a palace that is very ‘Sevillian’ with its many gardens, the paintings and its warm colors.

    A tour of this palace gave us a major insight into the lives of the people who lived here and how they lived.

    We finished walking around just as the big tour groups entered with their group leaders trying to keep order while trying to keep people moving. We are happy that we were on our own.     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    1Captain Rob's Spanish brother!
    Remains of San Jorge's castleTrianaThe catamaranTriana bridgeTrianaBullringThe accurate replica of one of Magellan's boatsThe Torre de Oro, Gold Tower1

    Along Seville's River

    24 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We were tired of the busyness in the city so we thought it would be nice to walk along the banks of a branch of the Guadalquivir river that flows through Seville. We read that there may be an arts and crafts market along the walkway so we thought that we would look for it.

    The Guadalquivir is the second-longest (650 km) river in Spain and is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from Seville to the Gulf of Cádiz, but in Roman times it was navigable from Córdoba.

    We crossed the river on a famous landmark, the Triana Bridge, also known as Puente de Isabel II. It’s the oldest bridge in Seville and was constructed in 1852. This bridge is seen in many photographs and postcards of Seville with its famous circle design along the bottom. There are 180 circles in total. Before this bridge was built, people got to the other side of the river by crossing a bridge created by a series of boats tied together.

    The colourful neighbourhood on the other side of the river is called Tirana. There is an old fort there and a market with seafood, vegetables and fruit.

    We enjoyed looking across the river and watching the different kinds of boats that went by. Rowing teams were practicing their skulling skills on the river. Standup boarders and kayakers passed by. But there were also tour boats that transported tourists up and down the river while pointing out different landmarks. Earlier, we had wanted to book a spot on one of these boats but then decided against it.

    We walked up the river and noticed a sign for an inexpensive one hour boat ride on a catamaran. We talked to Captain Miguel and he had room for two more and was leaving in 15 minutes. So we boarded. It was a cool but a lovely sunny day. Just right for a relaxing boat ride away from the crowds.

    The river has an interesting history. The first around the world trip started from Seville!

    In 1519, Fernando de Magellan set sail with five ships and 265 men, down the river and from there to the open sea to circumnavigate the Earth. The adventure lasted 3 years, from 1519 until the return of the only surviving vessel, the Victoria. It entered the harbour of Sanlúcar the 6th of September of 1522, with only 18 crew members that were in terrible shape after such a long voyage. Close to the San Telmo bridge, you can see the armillary sphere that commemorates the zero mile of this journey.

    The Torre del Oro, tower of gold, one of the emblematic monuments of Seville, also has a history linked to the river. It is a defensive tower located on the left bank of the Guadalquivir of Arab origin. Tradition has it that a thick chain over the river linked it to another tower located on the other side of the river, thus preventing the passage of enemy ships.

    Next to the tower is a museum where you can learn about what was involved in preparing for Magellan’s trip. A life-sized replica of the Nao Victoria 500 ship that made it back to Spain can be visited. This replica was started in 2004 and it took another trip around the globe starting from Seville. Up to 26,894 miles were covered during 2004 to 2006 visiting 17 countries. Maybe we will have a chance to see it…

    Vespucci and Columbus also started their trips started from Seville.

    Anyways, we enjoyed our boat trip and then walked along the opposite shore back to our hotel. We enjoyed seeing runners, walkers, bikers and skateboarders doing their thing as well as picnickers, readers and sunbathers on the side of the river. There was a lot of space to play so we never felt crowded.

    Stopping in at our favourite tapas bar, Las Columba’s, was a perfect way to end our outing. The food is so good and reasonably priced. Muy rico!

    P.S. When we had our first breakfast at the hotel, we met a retired German couple who have been travelling in Spain for two months also. They only speak a tiny bit of English but Google translate has helped with our conversations. Since we first met, we have had breakfasts together. They gave us a great breakfast suggestionand shared some of it with us.

    They always carry a bag of fine oatmeal with them, add some cold water to mix it, then a container of natural yogurt, some dried fruit and nuts and a small amount of honey. A very healthy and filling breakfast while travelling. It was good. We immediately went to the local supermarket and picked up some of that oatmeal.     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    The last phot we took of our meal since the lights went out for the show! The courses weren't skimpy

    Flamenco Show

    25 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    7 p.m. is too early for Spaniards to eat, but perfect for us to go to a Flamenco Dinner Theatre at the Andaluz Palace.

    Flamenco is a complex art form made up of singing, guitar playing, dance, poetry, hand-clapping and finger snapping. Performers wear colourful costumes and deep emotions are expressed.

    Singing is the most important element of flamenco music. Original Flamenco was comprised purely of singing and handclapping. The songs are passionate, intense, deep and emotional. They are improvised by toe and heel clicking, finger snapping, hand clapping and shouting. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the guitar was added..

    It is thought that today’s flamenco clothes were traditional Andalusian but they actually originated from the Spanish gypsies in the 19th and 20th century. The gypsy women were dressed in black, white and red calico dresses with ruffles. That look was adopted by other women of other classes over time.

    The dancers at times used castanets that were played skillfully. They used fans and wore beautifully embroidered shawls with fringes that they flipped around their bodies as they dance. It doesn’t look easy.

    Flamenco had a Golden Age in which the performance gained popularity and spread from Andalusia to other areas of Spain and the world. It lasted from 1869 until around 1910. Performances started taking place in cafes and people paid to see them.

    The show we went to see was held in a theatre and included dinner and drinks. We had a fantastic candlelit meal while watching the amazing performers sweat due to the energy they expended on stage! It was an excellent evening for us.

    Our menu included -
    Cured cheese slices and Iberian ham to start
    Sprouts salad with soft figs and goat cheese
    Baked salmon with teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds
    Braised Beef with a Pedro Ximénez (P.X.) wine sauce with potato gratin
    Chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream and whipping cream
    Water and a bottle of Reserve Rioja red wine and sangria!     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    1

    Our Night on Mushrooms (whoops)

    25 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    As mentioned in a previous footprint, we met a German couple in our hotel and every day at breakfast, we compared notes about what we had seen or done the previous day.

    Heike and Johannes live in Germany on Rugen Island in a town called Sellin, and they like to travel. In fact they will be going to Italy in the Fall and staying on a beautiful lake near Venice for a month.

    One night, they went to the Metropol Parasol in Seville, also known as Las Setas. Setas means mushrooms in Spanish and the name refers to the shape of the structure, which resembles a giant cluster of mushrooms. They really enjoyed it and encouraged us to go at night. So we did.

    The Setas is supposedly the largest wooden structure in the world. It is situated in the Plaza de La Encarnación and was constructed between 2006 and 2011.

    The structure, that is 150 m long and 70m wide, is made up of six large parasol-shaped structures, almost 30 meters high. The panels used to create the shape are arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern, which creates a visually stunning effect and provides shade for the area underneath. There are two concrete columns that house the elevators.

    We walked a short distance to the Setas just as the sun was starting to set. Entry to the mirador (viewing area) was controlled but once we got in, we could take the elevator to the top and stay as long as we wanted.

    We found it hard to believe that the structure was made of wood. Chris checked it out. It looked and felt like concrete. But it wasn’t. Apparently 3,500 pieces of Finnish pine was used in its construction and 16 million screws. A polyurethane covering was put over the wood to protect it from the weather.

    At the top, we walked on a 250m long ramp to the panoramic platform that offered great 360 degree views of the city. It was fun looking for the various places we had visited during our stay. As the sun started to set and the city darkened, lights came on on the buildings and the sky turned a pale pink. People come here to take photos of the sunsets.

    At 8 pm, a gentle light and sound show began, with LED lights bathing the Setas in ever changing waves of color. So pretty and calm. A huge contrast to last nights energy at the Flamenco show. Lol.

    When we had seen enough, we had the option of watching a 15 minute film called “Feeling Seville” that encapsulated what Seville had to offer. It was an excellent film but we not able to film any part of it or take photos. I was able to find it on Utube though…

    On our way back to the hotel, we saw a large group of students dancing and singing. A street musician was playing his guitar and the kids were having a ball singing with him. It was nice to see the freedom that they had while accompanying the singer.     Czytaj więcej

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  • LadyandtrampLadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
    So sunny!The tiled bench areasOne of two towers - "the thumbs of the hug"Maria Luisa ParkRoyal Tobacvo Factory (snuff)Moat around an old tobacco factory that turned into the universityOn our walk home. The buildings are something else.A plazaFountains

    Plaza de España

    26 lutego 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We knew that we wanted to see Plaza de Espana and the adjoining Maria Louisa Park and today seemed to be the right day to visit them. It was a bit of a hike through the city but a good way to burn off some of the calories from last night’s flamenco show dinner.

    Plaza de España was created for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It was held to welcome the former colonies of Spain, which means most of South America, and even Portugal and the United States were invited.

    The square is in the shape of a half-circle, which represented arms in a hug or a sign of welcome. The expo was welcoming the former colonies back to Spain.

    Unfortunately, this expo wasn’t the biggest success. Travelling wasn’t easy at that time and those countries weren’t particularly happy to be ‘colonies’ of Spain.

    There are 48 tiled benches on this square, one for each of the provinces of Spain.
    It’s in alphabetic order and starts on the left with ‘Alava’ and ends with ‘Zaragoza’ on the right. In 1929 there were 49 provinces (now 52), but Sevilla is not represented. On every bench you can see a map of the province, a important moment in history for that province painted by a painter from that province and the Province’s coat of arms.

    It is an impressive and massive building and anyone coming to Seville should visit it. Around the square is a moat. You can rent rowboats and peacefully row in the moat.

    We walked around while listening to musicians playing relaxing music. In one spot flamenco dancers and singers were performing.

    Maria Louisa Park is a historical garden created in 1850 and part of it was donated to the city in 1893. It is 34 acres and filled with flowering plants, ponds, bridges and sculptures. The ducks, swans, doves and parakeets aren’t afraid of people. I guess because people feed them.

    We can see why people have recommended this area to us, with a smile. It is a great place to visit on a sunny day, and for us today it was a very visual 11 km walk, there and back.

    On the way back to the hotel we passed the old Royal Tobacco Factory that is now the university building. At the time it was built in 1758, it was the second largest building in Spain. The factory was employed a thousand men, two hundred horses, and had 170 "mills". It also has a moat and watchtowers! Apparently, this is evidence of the importance given to protecting the King's tobacco monopoly, which at the time manufactured of all of Europe's cigars.     Czytaj więcej

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