It was phenomenal! We flew into Madrid, arriving in the morning. As usual, Eileen did all the planning, and had chosen an apartment looking out over the Plaza Mayor. It was a lovely apartment, but it was up five very steep flights of stairs, and had an unusual key that we couldn't figure out. The owner of the restaurant downstairs was so helpful that day with "alicates," and much more help throughout our stay.
Our balcony from down below:
More Plaza Mayor
Our first destination was the Museo Reina Sofía, which houses Guernica, by Pablo Picasso. We attended a guided lecture.
Guernica
There was SO MUCH INFORMATION that our guide provided about the history of the Spanish Civil War.
After lunch we went on a guided tour of Madrid's old town and literary neighborhood. It's the green part on this map, "The Majestic Tour, starting at #1, our very own Plaza Mayor.
I love architecture, so many of these were buildings that caught my interest, and some were important. The following are buildings from the tour, as well as more we saw in our wanderings around Madrid. Any business or organization older than 100 years had this plaque outside its building:
Puerta del Sol
The Puerta del Sol is the very center of Spain, and the Carreteras Radiales start there and emanate out, dividing Spain into 6 regions. There are plaques in the roads marking how far you are from the center. This one is the very center.
There was ham, pork, and pork markets EVERYWHERE, and pork appeared on every menu at least 10 different ways.
The Madrid Royal Palace
The Madrid Government Building- the "New Town Hall"
And Cibeles fountain (the Greek goddess of fertility)
The Metropolis Building
La Gran Vía
Teatro Plaza de Santa Ana
I always love seeing the narrow pedestrian-only streets.
The house where Cervantes lived and died, in the Literary Quarter.
Cervantes's gardens
Wonderful tile work everywhere!
King Charles Rey Alcalde, the best mayor of Madrid
Parque del Buen Retiro, built by the Bourbon Kings, to be a replica of the gardens of Versailles
The statue of the Fallen Angel
Bosque de Recuerdos, Forest of Remembrance in memorial to the 191 civilian victims of the terrorist train bombings in 2004.
Day 2
We went by tour bus to Segovia and Ávila, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They were up in the mountains northwest of Madrid, and it was COLD AND WINDY!
In Segovia, we went by ourselves, making our way through the medieval part of town. The Muslims, Christians, and Jews coexisted here for a long time.
We started at the Roman Acueduct, built to bring water from the mountains.
We loved the iron scrollwork everywhere.
And the narrow streets.
This is a view of the town from the Mirador de Canaleja.
We passed through the Arab neighborhood,
And the Jewish neighborhood.
The ancient Muralla Wall at the bottom of the street.
This is the Jewish Museum and Education Center.
Pretty interior courtyard
The Cathedral of Segovia
The old Sinagoga de los Ibáñez, built in the 15th century.
Then we made our way up the hill to the Alcázar de Segovia, the Castle (my first castle!!), which was once the fortified residence of the kings of Spain, with architecture inspired by palaces.
Looking over the railing down at the moat.
Such a pretty courtyard.
All the kings who lived there were depicted in this room.
Balcony overlooking the town.
The whole castle serves as a museum now; this is the weapon room.
A peek into the Treasury Room.
We left on our way to the walled city of Ávila, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, birthplace of Santa Teresa and burial place of the Grand Inquisitor, Torquemada.
Here we ate lunch and then did another self-guided tour. 20 per cent of the population of Ávila live inside the old walled part of the city.
This town was built in the 11th century to protect Spanish areas from the Moors. First we saw the Basílica de San Vicente.
And we toured the Catedral de Ávila.
At the end of the day we returned to our apartment in Madrid.
Day 3 In the morning, we had a guided tour of the art museum El Prado. No photos were allowed inside, so many of these I found online to show our favorites and to remember the experience. We met our guide by the statue of Goya.
This beautiful building is now one of the museum buildings.
Some of our favorites:
Velázquez: Las Meninas
Hieronymus: Garden of Earthly Delights
Tintoretto: The Washing of the Feet. This was one of the early examples of delving into perspective. This is where the science of the Renaissance meets Art.
Rubens: The Three Graces. Our wonderful guide, also a university professor, explained that these represent common diseases: from left to right, rheumatoid arthritis, scoliosis, and breast cancer.
After our tour and lunch, our favorite driver, Nuno, picked us up for the drive to Toledo. On the way we saw the Aránjuez castle. Acquired in 1178 by Spanish royalty, and in the last half of the 16th century, King Philip built the palace. Then it became the spring residence. It is HUGE, and gorgeous from all sides.
And its buildings and gardens go on and on forever!
We arrived in Toledo. It is a walled city with a beautiful ancient bridge and entrance gate in the Mudéjar style, and the Alcázar on the hilltop. (This is where I learned that alcázar is an arabic word that is the origin of our word 'castle.' And lots of towns have one.)
Here's a view of the alcázar from the lookout point.
We had some trouble finding our apartment, but Nuno stayed with us and eventually we were settled. The streets were cobbled and narrow,
and twisty-turny, with lots of choices and no street signs,
lots of steps, and ALL uphill.
We finally found our street, Bajada del Barco (slope!)
Toledo is one of the cradles of western civilization, where the translation of the lost Greek knowledge took place at the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Toledan School of Translators, after the Dark Ages lost everything. We walked through the old town, through the Christian, Arab, and Jewish quarters.
First we saw the Catedral Primada, very close to our apartment.
Iglesia de San Román.
Through the Jewish Quarter,
With its lovely pedestrian-only streets.
Sinagoga Santa María la Blanca
The School of Art.
Antique shop housed in a beautiful old building.
Iglesia de San Juan de los Reyes.
The view from the wall.
On the way to our restaurant, La Orza.
The Cathedral looked so beautiful all lit up on the way home.
Day 4 In the morning Nuno picked us up and we drove to Consuegra, which dates back to pre-Roman times. This is in La Mancha, where Cervantes's "Don Quixote" is set, with its 12th century castle and windmills. The windmills used wind power to grind grain up until the 1980's.
The farm fields in the surrounding areas were beautiful.
The village in the valley.
After this we continued on our way to Sevilla. We got settled in our apartment. It was REALLY NICE.
And then left for a Flamenco show. Everywhere we went, the orange trees were in bloom and smelled heavenly! We couldn't believe our luck with the timing.
The Flamenco show was amazing! Such energy and beauty!
On the way home we had a late dinner and saw more interesting architecture,
and narrow walk-ways.
Day 5 In the morning we saw some of the very beautiful sights in Sevilla. Together the Cathedral, Alcázar, and Archivo de Indias in the center of Sevilla epitomize the Spanish "Golden Age."
We walked through Sevilla's Parque de María Luisa,
then past the magnificent Catedral de Sevilla, founded in 1403 on the former site of a mosque. It was built in Gothic and Renaissance style, and is the largest Gothic building in Europe.
La Giralda, its bell tower, was the former minaret of the mosque.
and on to the Alcázar de Sevilla,built in the 10th century. We had a guided tour.
Our guide explained to us that although reliefs like these look Arabic, you can see the Christian influence in the lions (kings), castles, and shields.
The open courtyards had water features, which represent the oasis in the desert. Even small houses had these, and they still do.
Its gardens.
Next was a delicious tapas lunch before leaving for Córdoba.
On the way to Córdoba, we stopped at the Castillo Almodóvar del Río, of Arab origin in the year 760 AD. Some of the scenes in Game of Thrones were filmed here, so I had to get pictures for Carl and Pandora.
Then back in the car and onward to Córdoba. From a distance we saw the old monastery of San Gerónimo.
We arrived at our hotel in Córdoba about 6PM. The Roman Bridge-Aqueduct as we entered the city.
Day 6 The next morning we went on a private tour of Medina Azahara. This is the ruin of a vast fortified palace-city taken over and added on to in 936 AD as a Caliphate, and as a tribute to the Caliph's favorite wife, Azahara. The Arabic name was Qurtuba, and it was the capitol of the known world, with 700,000 inhabitants. Previously it had been Roman, who had taken it over from the Visigoths in 200 BC.
These marble footings were everywhere, and they supported a myriad of gates, which was part of the complex security system.
These capitals were called "Wasp Capitals, and were hand carved, not poured in a mold.
Although many parts of the ruins had been renovated and reconstructed, this oven was completely original! So happy to see it was off limits for touching.
There was a little tame fox walking around the grounds that we got to see up close, probably because we were there early, before it got crowded. Our guide, Ana, affectionately called him "Califa."
They had a wonderful museum inside.
These glasses weren't blown glass at all...they were carved from crystal!
This defeats the myth that Muslims can't depict animals in their art.
We went to lunch, and I had the BEST scallops.
After lunch, we went to the Mesquita-Catedral of Córdoba. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and in 2014 became a Site of Outstanding Universal Value. It began as a Visigoth basilica in the mid 6th century, then flowed into Islamic style, but also had Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine aspects. It was added onto in Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. It is the oldest Mosque in Europe. It is still in use. It is HUGE, covering 3.7 acres.
It has 1100 columns.
The mix of Christian and Muslim icons and architecture were everywhere.
The Cathedral portion was amazing too! It was consecrated as the Cathedral of Santa María in 1146.
We walked through the Arab quarter.
Then to see the Synagogue of Córdoba,
Day 7 On Wednesday, we went through Baeza and Úbeda to see the Renaissance architecture on the way to Granada. Both of these towns are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and show the beginnings of the Italian influence. Baeza's nickname was "The Hawk's Nest," because it is a natural watchtower so high above the surrounding valleys.
This hand-made lace was hanging in a window we passed, and we really had to admire it.
This was the scenic view.
After lunch we left for Úbeda, 5 miles away.
There were mosaic sidewalks all over Spain, and I finally remembered to get a picture.
Then we continued on to Granada. Eileen had made reservations at a wonderful restaurant, Alacena de las Monjas, in a 15th century building with vaulted rooms. So fun!
Day 8 In the morning, we had a walking tour of the city of Granada, the Arab Quarter, and the Plaza de Bib Rambla (Gate of the River).
Cristóbal Colón asking Isabel for ships to find the India via the western route.
The Royal Chapel
The Cathedral of Granada.
We arrived at La Alhambra, another Site of Universal Value and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an outstanding example of Nasrid art and architecture from the 13th to the 15th century. It was the residence of the Muslim rulers and their courts.
It is not any one building but a complex of medieval and Renaissance residential palaces and courtyards wrapped within a fortress - a 13th century walled city.
After we left the Alhambra we went to a scenic lookout, Sacromonte. This was the view of the city.
Day 9 The next day we left for Ronda. On the way we saw Atarfe, the oldest Arab city in Spain.
We stopped in Santa Fe for lunch. This is where Christopher Columbus came to ask Queen Isabella for money and permission to sail to the Americas.
Then we arrived at Antequera.
The Antequera Dolmens Site was nearby, but we didn't get to see it. They are enclosed and the park was closed. They were created between 3,500 and 3,000 years BC.
We went on to Ronda, where there are huge rock formations and a cliff. There's a castle at the top, of course, and we could see it from the highway on the way into town.
