6th October Madrid-Barcelona

This morning Linda and I woke early and left Madrid on the high speed train (first class) for Barcelona. We had a very comfortable trip, we could spread out our legs, watch the Last Exotic Marigold Hotel (in Spanish) if we wished and we were given breakfast...just like if we were on a plane! It took about 3 hours on the fast train, as opposed to 12 hours by normal train. It was worth the extra money!

We took a taxi and checked into our hotel, then caught another taxi up to Park Guell as we had booked a group tour. We had been to Park Guell with the CEO group but this time we began the tour at the bottom gates and walked up the hill. Today's guide was excellent and gave us new insights into Gaudi's work and encouraged us to look at Gaudi's work through the artists eyes and see the natural objects that Gaudi was inspired by. We walked up to where the 'chapel' was which was meant to be the place where a real chapel would have been built for the intended community of residents that Park Guell was built for. Originally 60 homes were to be built here, but only 3 residences ever were. While we were at the 'chapel' the guide warned us that we were likely to see the most "special" busker at Park Guell...and oh was he "special"...with his leopard skin tights and crazy antics...of course we took pictures!!!! It was nice to get another perspective on Park Guell, and our guide was really good and we found that no information was repeated, we actually learnt more which was great.

After Park Guell we managed to find a bus to take us back into the city and drop us off near Casa Mila (La Pederera) where we had booked a night tour of this magnificent building. This building was built between 1905 and 1912 and has an undulating facade and metal balconies, quite 'out there' for its day, and it includes an underground carpark! It was built for the Mila family who had made their fortune in the 'new world'. We were shown through one of the apartments upstairs which contains original furniture from the time period. We were then taken into the attic which is made from timber beams which make you think you are in the belly of a whale. Lastly we were shown up to the roof where the air vents and chimneys have been gracefully shaped and are in fact a work of art. These are beautifully lit which only just adds to the magic of this place!

5th October - Madrid

WARNING: This post may contain some disturbing content!!!

Today we got to explore Madrid a little. We began the day with a panoramic tour of the city. We made a quick stop at the Plaza Espana to take some pictures of the monument to Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra which overlooks two bronze statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. We then stopped at the Royal Palace and saw some of the monuments and gardens and then walked up to the Puerta Del Sol. This is one of the best known and busiest places in Madrid and it's where they celebrate New Year. 

In the afternoon we had free time to explore the city ourselves. Linda, Marty and I stopped for lunch and surprisingly made ourselves understood by the non-English speaking waiter...maybe our Spanish is getting better! Then we headed for the Prado Museum. The art in this museum centres around the massive art collection gathered by Spanish royalty over the centuries. Luckily I had Linda (my very own art tour guide) to talk me through the collection and introduce me to new artists! We saw paintings by Spanish artists Velazquez, Goya and my new mate El Greco, I learnt about the Flemish painter Bosch and his painting 'The Garden of Earthly delights', I was disturbed by Rubens painting of Saturn eating his children and there was another painting that had something to do with over indulgence and there was a toddler vomiting in the picture because he was so drunk!!! Oh, and then there was the painting where breast milk was squirting from a woman's breast...it was called the Creation of the Milky Way and even more disturbing was the statue of the daughter breastfeeding her father who was imprisoned, in chains and starving!!!! Goodness knows what awaits me in the Louvre and the thousand other museums I am going to see in the next few weeks!

We then spent the afternoon walking in the Parque del Retiro...and after an exhausting day...went to a farewell dinner with our group, said our goodbyes and crashed into bed!!!

4th October Toledo-Madrid

I'm trying to catch up on my posts...not having wifi in Madrid has put me behind...as well as exhaustion some nights!

Today we headed for Madrid but we stopped along the way at the beautiful town of Toledo. It is known as 'the city of three cultures' because of the coexistence for centuries of Christians, Arabs and Jews. Toledo was famed for religious tolerance and had large communities of Muslims and Jews until they were expelled from Spain in 1492 (Jews) and 1502 (Muslims). Today the city contains the religious monuments of the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca, the Synagogue of El Transito, the Mosque of Christo de la Luz and the church of San Sebastián, which all date back before the expulsion. We walked through the ancient narrow streets to see the majestic Gothic Cathedral with its beautiful stained glass windows that filter light into the Church. I loved the red hats hanging from the ceiling in front of El Transparente, these belonged to the cardinals who are buried in the tombs directly beneath, and they are left there until they rot...which is a very long time. The centerpiece of the Treasure Room is a 15th-century gilded monstrance made of solid silver, it was gilded 70 years later, allegedly with gold brought back from the New World by Columbus. It is still carried through the streets of Toledo during the feast of Corpus Christi

It was in Toledo that I was introduced to the painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, El Greco. He is best known for his tortuosly elongated figures and a dramatic expressionistic style. We saw several of his works including The Burial of the Count of Orgazl which is housed in the Medejar Church of Santo Tome.

I am also ashamed to say that it was in Toledo that i had my first Spanish McDonalds! Mainly because we needed a toilet and we knew we would get food quickly which meant we had more time to explore the streets of Toledo on our own. The Spanish have siesta from 2-5pm and most of the shops are closed during this time. Stopping at a cafe or restaurant for lunch (as we usually do in Spain) can take at least an hour, so today...McDonalds was the best option!

Next stop....Madrid! After dinner at our hotel in Madrid, eight of us jumped in a Taxi and headed out to have our first real Spanish churros! We went to the Chocolateria San Gines which has been serving churros and chocolate since 1894! The churros were greasier than what I am used to and the hot chocolate that you dip them in was thick. It is also what you get if you order a hot chocolate. I am not complaining however...I still ate it :)

3rd October - Granada

Today we travelled to Granada, which is situated at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. It was a stronghold of the Nasrid Dynasty, the last great Moorish Kingdom in Spain. We visited the AMAZING Alhambra Palace...I know I keep saying AMAZING but these places really are AMAZING! We had a great local guide here too, with a great sense of humour! The Alhambra was originally created for military purposes but was an 'alcazaba' (fortress), an 'alcazar' (palace) and a small 'medina' (city) all in one.The Alhambra and the Albaycin, situated on two adjacent hills, form the medieval part of Granada. To the east of the Alhambra fortress and residence are the magnificent gardens of the Generalife, the former rural residence of the emirs who ruled this part of Spain in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Alhambra became a Christian court in 1492 when the Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabel) conquered the city of Granada. The Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions) is an oblong court in an area of the Alhambra which has in the centre of the court the Fountain of Lions, an alabaster basin supported by the figures of twelve lions in white marble, it was a symbol of strength, power and sovereignty. The way the fountains produced water (being up on the top of a hill) is an example of the Muslim's genius at architecture, design and engineering at the time. This has only recently been restored. I understand how this place has been the inspiration for artists and musicians. My favourite part here was in the courtyard of the Harem and looking up towards the kings quarters and seeing the reflectIon of the building in the reflection pool.

On our return to the hotel Linda went upstairs to our room and I went up to the supermarket to buy some water. I forgot my room number! I knocked on the door of 312...we have had so many room numbers, it was an easy mistake...and a man answered....in his underwear!!!! Oooops! Turns out we were in 311!!!

Later at night we went up to Albayzin, the ancient Moorish quarter of the city. Here we saw a flamenco show performed by a gypsy family. We were told that this was the very best place to see a real flamenco show and they were right, they were really good! They danced, sang and played music with such passion. I didn't understand a single word but you could tell by the tone that they were telling stories about lost love and celebrations...including a wedding! At the end of the show they drag up members of the audience, two brave souls from our group (Alex and Nicole) flamencoed like professionals!!!! On the way out we saw a photo of Michelle Obama with the gypsy family...she had been to the same show as us! Afterwards we walked up to the Plaza de San Nicholas where we had a stunning view of the Alhambra at night.

Cordoba

I continue to be blown away by the sights I see everyday on this trip, and today was no exception! Today we travelled back into Spain to Cordoba. Travelling through the countryside it was not unlike rural areas of NSW. In fact one of our group commented that we could have been in Wagga Wagga! Cordoba was once the capital of Moorish Spain and is famous for it's 8th century mosque (Mezquita) which in the 10th century was converted to a Christian cathedral. This building is fascinating and is a symbol of the many religious changes that have occurred in Cordoba. In the past, the site of the mosque was once a Roman temple and a cathedral dedicated to St Vincent of Saragossa.The mosque was modelled on the one in Damascus and once housed an original copy of the Koran and an arm bone of the prophet Mohammed. There are magnificent arches in the building, supported by columns made of granite, jasper, onyx and marble that look like a forest of trees. There is also a very impressive Baroque choir in the cathedral and a range of architectural additions, added to in each period from gothic to baroque to renaissance.

We also visited the Jewish synagogue in an area which does not look like it has changed much since the 10th century. It is the only synagogue in Andalusia to survive the expulsion and inquisition of the Jews in 1492 and one of only three ancient synagogues left in all of Spain. It has also been a Catholic chapel and today is a museum.

We then visited the Alcazar de los Reyes Christianos and strolled around the magnificent gardens. The fortress served as one of the primary residences of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. It was also here that Queen Isabella heard Christopher Columbus' pitch before his historic journey to the Americas.

Lisbon

Yesterday we travelled from Fatima to Lisbon. On the way we stopped at Santarem to visit 'The Church of the Holy Miracle' to see the 13th century Venerated Relic of the Bleeding Host! Enough said about that!!!!!
Next we stopped at the sea resort of Cascais. The sun was hot and shining and I sat by the ocean and had a delicious mozzarella salad with a cool and refreshing Sangria! I am really liking a 'glass of something' with my lunch! After lunch it was time for a quick gelato before heading into the capital city of Lisbon. In Lisbon we saw The Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery. The Monastery was amazing!!!! Back in the day....I would have picked becoming a monk! It is unbelievable but lucky that this place survived the 1755 earthquake, mainly due to the design of the building and also because being so close to the water the soil is sandy. While we were here we also saw the tomb of Vasco Da Gama the great Portuguese explorer.

Today we headed back into Lisbon for a closer look at the city. We went to the Alfama, El Chiado and La Baixa districts. We saw medieval alleys and outstanding views. We stopped at the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua who was born in Lisbon and we also went to Lisbon's cathedral which was built in the 12th century. We spent the rest of the day in Baixa (downtown). We stopped at a restaurant and had a long relaxing lunch (and drink), we wandered the shops, took photos, ate gelato, wandered the shops, took more photos, stopped for a coffee and of course....a portuguese tart!!!! Well I am in Portugal afterall!!! The university students here wear black outfits and black capes. We were told it was like a uniform, that today is optional, but many choose to wear it. They once wore it to show that there was no division between rich or poor, that anyone could attend university no matter their social status or financial background. We also noticed that many had a brooch that looked like a spoon. I'm not sure of the spoons significance...I'm going to have to google that! This afternoon we noticed groups of them in the streets and they would break into song. We didn't know the significance of why they were doing it, but soon worked out that they wanted money. Next thing you know, a group of students were kneeling in front of us singing, we were laughing so much and we just ran to get away from them, but they followed us. The police nearby just laughed at us...it was a funny moment in our day! We have had an awesome day! Tomorrow we head back into Spain to Cordoba. I am really having a fabulous time and enjoying the company of great people!