Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world and a very beautiful one.

We went on a bus tour around Lisbon with a local guide, seeing all the historic sites. We saw many monuments of people along the way and I couldn’t remember who all of them were. There is a monument of some Portuguese historical figure in every plaza.

Our first stop was the Monument of The Discoveries that celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries. The monument has Henry the Navigator at the helm, with 33 figures comprising explorers, cartographers, artists, scientists, and missionaries. In the distance we could see the 25 de Abril Bridge, which is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon to the municipality of Almada. The bridge is the sister bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge as the design is very similar. In the distance we could see The Sanctuary of Christ the King, a Catholic monument that overlooks the city of Lisbon with outstretched arms. It was modeled after the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. The statue was built to express gratitude that Portugal was spared destruction during WW II.

We saw the The Jerónimos Monastery that was erected in the early 1500s and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. We also visited the Tower of Belem, a 16th-century fortification that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers. It also is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The amazing thing about these buildings is they survived the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which struck on the morning of November 1, The Feast of All Saints Day. The earthquake caused a tsunami as well as fires and almost completely destroyed Lisbon. There is something to be said about the architecture of these buildings for sure.

Many of the buildings are covered in beautiful tiles. These painted tiles are called azulejos and were introduced by the Moors. They are quite beautiful and are on many buildings throughout the city.

Juanjo treated us all to a delicious tart called Pastéis de nata, and he went to the only bakery that makes the authentic ones to get them for us. The tart is a flaky pastry filled with an egg cream. They were delicious!!

We did some more touring and then went back to the hotel and had lunch on the 8th floor overlooking the city. The lunch was delicious and included a large salad, a cod, egg, and potato dish that was outstanding, and a delicious custard dessert with cinnamon. It also included wine. All for 24 euros. We asked for bread and the waiter brought olives and cheese to eat with it. It was a wonderful culinary afternoon.

At 3:30 we meet our guide for a walking tour of old Lisbon, seeing many sites and we also took the Gloria Funicula up a 17.7% steep incline.

We saw the Church of Saint Dominic. The sacristy and altar survived the great earthquake, but in 1959, a fire ravaged the church burning the wooden ceiling and valuable paintings. The marks of the fire, particularly the black soot, was left on the church walls as a reminder of the fire. When we walked into the church, I gasped when I saw the devastation. It was eerie and powerful seeing the walls in the state they were in.

We walked under the Santa Justa lift – the elevator that takes you to the top of the hill if you don’t want to walk or take the tram.

We continued our walk on the sidewalks, which isn’t easy to do as they are made of tiles which are rather uneven and slippery. You constantly have to look down for fear you will turn your ankle. The sidewalks in the entire city are made of these tiles and most of the streets are cobblestones. Our guide said the street cobblestones are to keep the traffic from speeding thru the streets. When it rains, it is really slippery and between the sidewalks, the cobblestones, and the steep hills to climb and descend, it’s not a fun place to walk. But the city is so beautiful, you have to overlook it!

We had a light dinner at a restaurant and then it was off to bed.

A street in Lisbon.

Tiles on the sidewalks

Tiles on the buildings

Tower of Belem

Monument of the Discoveries

25 de Abril Bridge and the statue The Sanctuary of Christ the King in the distance

The Jerónimos Monastery

The delicious Pastéis de nata

Our view from the restaurant

The street tiles

Church of Saint Dominic that was ravaged by fire

Saint Dominic church

Gloria Funicula

View from the top

You can see the street cobblestones and the sidewalk tiles and how tricky they are to walk on.

Starting to decorate for Christmas

The Santa Justa lift

Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (The theater)

First off, there are a few things I forgot to mention in previous posts.

We tried seafood paella at a restaurant in Torremolinos, but actually real authentic paella is made from rabbit and snails. I’m glad we had the seafoods version.

Another interesting tidbit is that the word Spain actually translates to “the land of the rabbits” because some of its early settlers named it “Ispania,” from the Carthaginian word sphan, meaning rabbit, as rabbits apparently were plentiful when the early settlers arrived.

Today we left the hotel early as we had a long drive ahead of us to Portugal. We enjoyed seeing the countryside along the way and of course we stopped a few times at rest stops to have a “technical stop” (potty break) and to get a little snack.

At one rest stop, a bus was next to our bus, and then it went on its way. Sadly, when that bus pulled into the next rest stop, and the passengers and driver got off to use the restrooms, thieves broke into their bus and stole as much as they could grab of the personal possessions of the tourists. Wallets and passports were taken. What a horrible thing to happen. We found out about it because it was the same bus company that we are using and that driver radioed our driver to alert him. We were very lucky it didn’t happen to us! (Although, I always take my bag with me whenever I leave the bus, leaving nothing to chance.)

While traveling, we saw many cork trees along the roadside. Many of the trees had numbers on them, and our guide explained that the numbers tell the year of when the last harvesting of the cork took place. The cork is stripped off for the first time when the tree is 25 years old. Afterwards, it can be harvested every nine years. Many items are made of cork… pocketbooks to shoes to jackets and so much more. We will get the opportunity in Lisbon to go to some stores that specialize in cork merchandise.

We arrived at our first destination – a working horse farm in the region of Alentejo. It had rained hard while we were driving to the farm, so the bus could not navigate the dirt road to the home, for fear we would get stuck in the mud. So, the owner of the farm, Maria, along with a taxi cab, drove us all in shifts up to the home. Fortunately, the rain held off.

We toured Maria’s beautiful home and then we were invited into another building to enjoy a home cooked meal. We had delicious vegetable soup, chicken, rice, and salad, plenty of wine, and a delicious ice cream dessert.

After lunch, we entered yet another building and listened to Maria tell us about her life. The horse farm had been in her family for years, but in the 1970’s, the communists entered that region of Portugal and took over the homes and farms. The soldiers marched in with guns and told Maria, who was 18 years old, and her husband that they had two weeks to take their children and vacate their home. They weren’t allowed to take anything with them and had to leave the horses, the furniture, and most of their belongings.

After about three years, a new regime came about and realized what a hardship the people whose homes were taken over by the communists was, and they were allowed back. Sadly, the inside of their home was burned as well as all of their furniture, and their prized horses had been sold. The house was still standing as it was made of stucco, so they started over trying to rebuild their lives. They scoured the countryside in search of their horses and when they found them, they had to purchase them back.

Her husband passed away in his 40’s, and she, with her 6 boys, rebuilt the farm and continued the breeding of the different breeds of horses.

She is now very wealthy and her boys have their own ranches. The boys help her with her farm, the training of the horses, the finances, and one son is the vet for the horses.

She talked about how the stallions and mares are bred and how they keep careful track of the lineage so that their isn’t inbreeding. They sell the horses… The cheapest can run $10,000 and the best horses can bring in over $50,000. She sells the horses all over the world after the horses have had three years of training on the ranch.

After her talk, we were treated to a horse show. The horses were gorgeous and they went through their paces beautifully.

It was a very interesting day and we enjoyed Maria, the horse farm, and the luncheon very much.

Lisbon was another few hours away, but we finally arrived at our hotel, checked in and had a doner kebab at a local stand and then it was off to bed.

The guys

Portugal countryside

Cork tree

The homes along the way were colorful

Maria’s home

Maria

We were treated to a horse show in the arena

After breakfast we boarded the bus for a tour of the city of Seville. Seville is the fourth largest city in Spain and the birthplace of flamenco dancing. 

The city is quite beautiful and we saw many of the buildings that were erected by different countries when they participated in the 1992 World’s Fair which ran from April to October of that year. 

Today is Saturday, so many Spaniards were out and about and the town was bustling. We saw the beautiful Alamillo Bridge that crosses the Guadalquivir River. The bridge was built as part of the infrastructure improvements for the ’92 World’s Fair. 

Our bus took us to the Santa Cruz area and we all left the bus for a walking tour of the area. Santa Cruz was the former Jewish Quarter of the city. The streets are narrow and the buildings are whitewashed and filled with flowers hanging over the balconies. Orange trees line the streets and there are many restaurants offering tapas. There are also shops selling ceramics and souvenirs.

We also visited the Plaza de Espana, a beautiful plaza showcasing tiled alcoves of Spain’s provences, beautiful bridges over the canal, and the Vicente Traver fountain. The Plaza has been the filming location of some popular movies, including scenes from Lawrence of Arabia.

Our next stop was the magnificent Cathedral of Seville also known as The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the largest cathedrals in the world. Ferdinand and Isabella’s only son was baptized in the Cathedral in 1478 and Christopher Columbus is also buried there.

The cathedral has 80 chapels, and one of the chapels contains a famous painting entitled The Vision of St. Anthony by the artist Murillo. In 1874, it was discovered that part of the painting was cut out and stolen – the part depicting St Anthony. Someone in 1875 attempted to sell the piece and a gallery owner in New York City, Hermann Schaus, recognized the painting, purchased it, and then contacted the Spanish consulate to arrange for the painting to be returned. Apparently, the thieves were never caught, but the segment of the painting that was returned was added back to the original painting by a restorer.

The Cathedral is truly beautiful and it was amazing to see the height of the ornate ceilings, the columns, the chapels, the organ, and the stained glass windows.

We took a tram back to the hotel and Allan and I enjoyed a beef taco tapas… That wasn’t really a taco but rather delicious tender beef on bread with gravy.

We went back to the hotel to get ready for an evening of dinner and flamenco presentation which was wonderful. The dancing is elegant and expressive and the guitar music enhances the performance as does the singer. The two guitar players played classical guitars with 6 strings.

Accompanying the guitars is a singer called a cantaor, and he introduces the dancers with what almost sounds like chanting. The songs are expressive and sung with deep feeling.

The dancers enter the stage and with intense emotion, expressive use of arms, hands, and facial expressions, they begin the powerful rhythmic stamping of their feet. The dancers’ feet move about quickly and it’s amazing the amount of energy they put into each dance. The costumes are colorful and the dresses are made so that the dancer can kick her feet and not get tangled in the ruffles.

A flamenco dancer chatted with us and explained the dance, the costumes, and showed us how she uses castinets. She told us her tap shoes are custom made and she showed us her hair accessories and how she puts the flowers in her hair for the performances. She brought out a beautiful fringed scarf and showed us how the scarf is used in the performances, almost like a matador’s cape.

It was a wonderful day!

The buildings of the World’s Fair

The Plaza

The fountain

Santa Cruz

The Cathedral

The tall columns

The remains of Christopher Columbus

The main altar

The portion of St Anthony was stolen. You can see the dark line above him where the stolen part was restored.

St Francis of Assisi

We took the tram back to the hotel and Allan and I enjoyed delicious tapas at a local restaurant.

The flamenco dancer telling us about the costumes

We weren’t allowed to take photos during the performance, but we were able to take some shots afterwards.

This morning we visited the Jewish Quarter as well as the Cathedral of Cordoba.

The Jewish Quarter is where Jews lived between tht 10th and 15th centuries and is a maze of narrow alleys that wind through the streets. The area became a World Heritage Site in 1994.

The Jewish Quarter was surrounded by a wall which protected the Jews from attacks by the Christians. We visited the small synagogue with an Arabian style interior. At one point, the synagogue was used as a church and you can see a faint cross on one of the walls. There is a statue of Moshe Maimonides outside. He was a scholar of the Torah and was also an astronomer and a physician. He was born in 1138 and died in 1204.

We visited a lovely secluded patio, which was one of many that are tucked in throughout the area. In the month of May, The Festival de Patios takes place and for 12 days, residents open their private patios, which have been decorated with beautiful flowers that overflow from windows and spread along the stone walkways, so that tourists can enjoy the spectacle. Last year over 900,000 tourists came to see the displays.

From the Jewish Quarter we headed over to The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. Because of it’s former status as a mosque, it is also known as The Great Mosque of Cordoba.

Allan and I have visited many mosques and cathedrals all over the world, but we have never seen anything as magnificent as the Cathedral we visited today. It is a cathedral surrounded by a mosque.

The mosque was constructed in 785 and had been expanded over the centuries. In 1236 the mosque was converted to a cathedral. The former minaret of the mosque became the cathedral’s bell tower. Today, the Cathedral celebrates daily masses.

The mosque at the time was very important to the Islamic community and was the focus of the city. It has been said that “the beauty of the mosque was so dazzling that it defied any description.”

I would absolutely agree!

We entered the prayer hall that faces towards Mecca, and it was quite beautiful. It is called the Mihrab.

After 1236, the Christians added many additions to the mosque, including small chapels. The most substantial and visible additions are the nave and transept of the Capilla Mayor (the main chapel where Mass is held today) which were begun in the 16th century and inserted into the middle of the former mosque’s prayer hall.

The mahogany carvings where the choir sits, as well as the ornate altar, and the two pipe organs, were unbelievably beautiful. The upper row of carvings depicted scenes from the bible and encircled the area and the lower carvings depicted some of the saints.

I hope my photos will do justice to do cathedral as it was really beyond words.

After our tour we had lunch at a small restaurant and then boarded our bus for the ride to Sevilla. Dinner was a buffet and then Allan and I took a short walk around the neighborhood. It was a lovely warm evening.

Jewish Quarter

Synagogue

Synagogue

Patio

Patio

The Cathedral bell tower. You can still see the minarets.

Inside the Cathedral

The mosque section

Small chapel. Gate from the mosque, column from Roman times, and Catholic chapel. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the religions could exist side by side.

The Mihrab – the prayer hall of the mosque facing Mecca

The ceiling of the prayer hall

Below are the photos of the Cathedral:

The choir area

One of the organs

The other organ

The mahogany carvings

Mosque side of the archway

Christian side of the same archway

This morning after breakfast we drove to Ronda and toured the Ronda Reservation, a breeding farm for fighting bulls and Spanish horses. It was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO.

We first went into the museum where the matador costumes were on display. They are glittery and ornate, but actually, they are not very heavy. Bulls apparently are colorblind so the red capes are actually for show, but the bull does see movement and that’s what spurs him to lower his head and fight. They are trained to fight to the death… Which could either be the bull… or the matador. It is an extremely dangerous sport and if the matador isn’t adept, he can be gored to death. Just to be clear, the bull always meets it demise in the ring.

In a traditional bullfight, three matadors each fight against two out of a total of 6 fighting bulls, fighting to the death. If the matador has entertained the crowd with his skill, the fans wave white handkerchiefs to show that they are happy with his fight. Music will also play signifying a great job and the matador will cut off the ear of the slain bull. If the crowd continues to wave the handkerchiefs, the matador cuts off the other ear of the bull, and if they wave for a third time, the matadore will cut off the bull’s tail. Sometimes, the matadore will throw these body parts to the crowd.

Bulls are huge, weighing in at around 1,300 lbs. The fighting season is from March to October, but the sport has been declining in popularity because of animal rights groups.

We actually met the famous bullfighter Rafael Tejada today. He has always had a passion for bullfighting, but went to school and then to university where he earned a degree in engineering. He made a living as a civil engineer and then in real estate, but finally he could no longer ignore his passion for bullfighting.

He has built a home on the reservation and he breeds the bulls and the horses. We were able to see both animals in their natural habitat on the reservation, but because the bulls are so dangerous, we of course only viewed them from the bus.

After the reservation tour, we drove to the town of Ronda, which is known for its cliffs and deep canyon. We were able to walk across the Puente Nuevo bridge which was completed in 1793, taking 40 years to complete, along with the loss of many lives as they plummeted to their death into the chasm.

Many famous people have spent time in Ronda. Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda and Hemingway wrote about his love for the place and also about bullfighting, which he was an avid fan of.

Orson Welles loved Ronda so much, when he died he arranged for his ashes to be buried in a well on the property of his friend, a retired bullfighter.

After the tour, Allan and I enjoyed a lovely lunch of tapas and meat croquettes and then we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. I opened our balcony door to let the seabreezes in and we just relaxed.

Then it was off to dinner at a restaurant with our group. The dinner was very good and plentiful.

Tomorrow is an early wakeup as we leave beautiful Torremolinos and travel to our next adventure.

Rafael Tejada

Rafael with the bull in the ring

The moment of death for the bull as the sword is plunged in.

Holding the ears and the tail of the slain bull

Training the Spanish horses

The bulls

Puente Nueva bridge canyon

Puente Nueva bridge

The canyon

Quotes about the city of Ronda.

Today we took a trip to Gibraltar on an all-day excursion.

Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It became a base for the Royal Navy during WW II and it was strategically important in controlling the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar.

The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a point of contention as Spain asserts a claim to the territory but Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and in 2002, a referendum was passed for shared sovereignty. Many people in Gibraltar speak English as well as Spanish and also a mix of both called Spanglish.

It was amazing to see the Rock of Gibraltar as it stands proudly in the sea. Many people think Gibraltar is an island unto itself, but it actually is connected by land. We have now been fortunate to view Gibraltar up close as well as from afar when we were in Morocco.

We drove 3/4’s of the way towards the top of the rock, and passed the Barbary wild monkey population. There are 6 monkey families on the Rock and we were fortunate to see most of one family. They were all out and about and many of the moms had little babies with them.

Although most of the Barbary monkey population in Africa is declining due to hunting and deforestation, the population in Gibraltar is thriving. The monkeys are managed by the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society and they are provided with fresh water and fresh vegetables and fruit each day. The monkeys are periodically captured so that vets can examine them and assess their health.

We were told to leave all food items in our minivan as the monkeys can smell anything in your pockets and will jump on you to get at it. We all did as we were told and so the monkeys just watched as we walked by. Before we exited the minivan however, they were climbing up the windows and jumping around on the roof.

After seeing the monkeys, we went to what amounts to an underground city inside the Rock, which was a series of tunnels built during WW II to accommodate a 16,000-strong garrison.

Within the tunnels was everything the troops needed to survive… Plenty of water, food, and munitions. They even were able to do surgeries within the tunnels if need be. There was a water distillation plant, a bakery, underground telephones, and a power generating station – all within the 34 miles of tunnels inside the Rock.

The tunnels were built by the Royal Navy in preparation of war during the 1940’s when Britain was at war with Germany and Italy. Churchill believed an attack against Gibraltar was imminent, and therefore the tunnels were built as a massive fortress.

We wore hardhats as we walked thru the tunnels and we were in awe as to what an amazing feat of construction the tunnels were.

We got back to the hotel arrive 5 and Kelly, Jim, Allan, and I left for dinner around 7:30 walking to a restaurant we had heard about and that had great reviews.

We didn’t realize the walk to the restaurant would involve climbing up almost 400 steps!!! Still feeling the effects of bronchitis, I’m proud to say I made it to the top without too much breathlessness so I’m definitely getting better.

But guess what! After all those steps, we walk up to the restaurant only to read the sign on the door that said they were closed for vacation!!!!

It all turned out fine as we dined outside in a quaint little restaurant and enjoyed wine and a nice meal. And thankfully, the walk back was down the steps which was much easier.

Tomorrow is another busy day.

Gibraltar – with the mountains of Morocco to the right

The southern most point of Gibraltar

Barbary monkey

The monkey climbing up our minivan

Mom, Dad, and baby

Walking thru the tunnels

Coming out of the tunnel and seeing the vista below

Gibraltar

After breakfast, we drove for awhile and then joined a local family for a visit, where we were served lunch.

Our hostess spoke a little English, and when we arrived, she made fresh gazpacho for us, cutting up fresh tomatoes, garlic, onion, and cucumber to which she added salt, olive oil, and water.

We sat down with our gazpacho and she served cheeses, chips, and meat for an appetizer. This was followed by a fresh salad, a bowl of lentil soup, and the main course, which was a delicious pork dish and something that resembled ratatouille. It was all very tasty. She served wine with the meal and for dessert we had cakes, cookies, and homemade flan.

Her husband is a trucker and they have two boys 14 and 12. She runs a beauty salon from her home as well as hosting travelers who travel with Grand Circle. Her mom has hosted travelers from Grand Circle for 30 years!!!! Her mom is no longer able to host travelers, so her daughter has taken it over. She hosts about every 8 days during the travel season.

There are about 700 people in their little village and everyone knows everyone. COVID was tough, but thankfully, only two people perished from the disease. Her mom was quite ill with it and was hospitalized for a month in ICU. When she was released from the hospital, her mom stayed with her, and her boys left to stay with their cousins so they wouldn’t get sick.

The kids walk to a local school on the elementary level and are bused for the older grades.

It was a lovely afternoon and as the afternoon drew to a close, we thanked her for her wonderful hospitality and said how nice it was to meet her and to be able to find out about her life in Spain.

That is a wonderful feature of Grand Circle and OAT tours. You meet with a local family to share a meal, learn about each other, and then come away with a deeper understanding of the local culture. It is a special segments of their tours and one we always look forward to.

Prior to meeting our host, our guide Juanjo gave us a lesson on olive trees. We already knew all about olive trees, since when we were in Israel and Morocco, we learned how the olives are grown, harvested, and made into olive oil, but it was a warm and sunny day, so standing outside amid the olive trees was a welcome change from the cooler weather that we had in Granada.

After our lunch, we toured the quaint town of Malaga, where Picasso hailed from as well as Antonio Banderas, and our guide was born here as well. Antonio apparently still lives in Malaga with his new girlfriend. Our guide grew up with Antonio’s brother who was his same age and they went to the same church. Antonio is older, but our guide was often with him when they were kids.

Malaga was founded about 770 BC by the Phoenicians. We drove through the city and took in the quaint neighborhoods, some occupied by very wealthy residents, and we drove to the port of Malaga, an international seaport and one of the oldest continuously-operated ports in Spain.

After touring Malaga, were drove to Torremolinos and checked into our hotel which is right by the Mediterranean Sea. Our room is on the top floor and overlooks the water.

We walked all around the promenade along the beach with our guide and he told us the best places to eat, to shop, and to do laundry if we needed to. It is a warm and sunny afternoon and it was so wonderful to be breathing in the sea air.

A few of us went to dinner at a paella restaurant and enjoyed seafood paella with clams, shrimp, lagostino, some kind of fish, and we think mussels. It was very tasty.

The waiter brought us bread and butter, and we ordered glasses of wine to go with our dinner. Interestingly, when the bill came…The wine was 3 euros – very inexpensive. However, they charged us five euros for 2 water bottles, five euros for the bread, AND 5 euros for the butter. Whaaaaa???? Too funny. All in all, the meal was very inexpensive…40 euros for Allan and me including the tip.

It was a beautiful sunset and after a leisurely dinner we walked back to our hotel and sat on our balcony and enjoyed a glass of wine before going to sleep.

Tomorrow is a full day tour to Gibraltar.

Olive tree

Our hostess’s home

Making Gazpacho

Traveling thru Malaga

Sunset during dinner

Seafood Paella

On our balcony enjoying a glass of wine.

The Moors came to the area in 711 AD, and claimed the hillside that was originally founded by the Romans now known as Granada which is believed to mean “great castle”. The Moors chose Granada as the site to build their citadel…The Alhambra.
The name “Alhambra” comes from the Arabic for “red palace”

In 1492, the site was the Royal Court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. It eventually fell into disrepair and the buildings were occupied by squatters who took the furniture, rugs, etc. and burned it all to keep themselves warm. After the defeat of Napoleon, whose troops destroyed even more of the palace, it was rediscovered by the British and then by an American, Washington Irving, who fell in love with the place. He wrote a book, “Tales of The Alhambra”, which was a best seller and brought the palace to national recognition. Now, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As a royal city and citadel, it contained at least six major palaces but the most famous and best-preserved are the ones we toured today…The Comates Palace, The Palace of the Lions, and the Partal Palace.

The beauty, the workmanship, and the intricate detail that surrounded each palace was stunning and we were amazed at how well-preserved many of the palaces were. Some of the ceilings in the rooms were breathtaking.

In order to tour The Alhambra, you must bring your passport to get your entry ticket. Your passport number is actually shown on your ticket to enter. You keep your ticket till the end of the tour as you must present it again to exit.

We first toured the part of the palace that had been started by Charles V – an ediface built as a square surrounding a circle, built in the middle of the Alhambra. It was abandoned in 1637 and was finally completed in 1923. Today it houses the museum of The Alhambra.

The Comares Palace was begun in the early 13th century and has subsequently been modified and refurbished. The Comares Palace is accessed through the Mexuar. Tiles and stucco adorn the ceilings and walls of the palace and we were awed with the intricacies of the patterns. The ceiling in the Hall of the Ambassadors is made of 8017 interlinked pieces of wood that form an abstract geometric representation of the seven heavens.

We walked through the Courtyard of the Lions, the most famous of Islamic architecture. There are two pavilions surrounded by The Fountain of the Lions. The fountain is made up of a large basin surrounded by 12 lion sculptures, which were carved from marble.

We also walked through many rooms, but to be truthful, after awhile we didn’t know exactly what part of the palace we were in. We just entered each room and were swept away by the beauty of the ceilings, with their hanging stucco designs which you can’t even believe are suspended overhead, as well as the beauty of the tile work on the walls and floors.

We entered The Court of the Myrtles, which you enter through two identical doors, dating from the time of Muhammad V. It was stunningly beautiful, again with heavily decorated walls covered in stucco and tiles. After passing through the doors, you enter into the actual court. There is a long reflective pool with myrtle hedges growing along each side. The water reflects the beautiful architecture at the end of the pool.

Finally, we went through the Partal Palace, a pavilion structure on the edge of the Alhambra walls. It was built by Muhammad III, which makes it the oldest surviving palace in the Alhambra today, although it has undergone many alterations since then.

We finished our tour of the palaces, and once outside the walls, we walked to the Generalife a Nasrid-era country estate which was first built by Muhammad II and Muhammad III in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. It was replete with many gardens, and we were lucky to see that some were still in gorgeous bloom. It was a perfect end to a perfect morning.

Fortunately, the rain held off until we were out of the gardens and we just caught a few sprinkles on our way to the bus.

On the way back to our hotel, our guide pointed out the caves tucked into the hillside, where the gypsies live. Many of them are beggars – some work, and some receive stipends from the government. Some of the caves have water and toilets. The caves actually stay pretty much the same temperature inside, be it winter or summer. Many of the caves are passed down through the generations.

We ate lunch and then decided to forego the walking discovery tour in the afternoon with our guide, as the dampness did a number on my bronchitis, and I just didn’t want to be out and about in it any longer.

We went for tapas for dinner and were entertained by a TUNA group that our guide has been friends with for years. TUNA is a musical group, originally from Spain, who dress in traditional student garb and perform. Years ago, they roamed the streets playing music in exchange for coins or food. 

The group that seranaded us tonight is renown and they have made and sold records and CD’s. They were very good and they played all the Spanish favorites for us.

It was a lovely day and tomorrow we get to sleep in a little later before we embark on our next adventure.

Entrance to the Court of Myrtles

Court of Myrtles

The ceiling in the Hall of the Ambassadors

The fountain of lions

The caves in the hillside

The intricate stucco suspended from the ceiling.

TUNA

Looking at the Alhambra from the rooftop bar at our hotel

What a beautiful city! Toledo is known for the melding of the cultural influences of Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and those influences were evident everywhere we went. The views of the city were spectacular, and the day was not too chilly, so the walk from the bus up to the town square with our local guide, Carlos, was enjoyable. Carlos was very entertaining and made the walk very interesting.

We strolled over The Puente de San Martin, (St Martin’s Bridge) which features five arches. Only very few bridges in the world were that long at the time of its construction in the Middle Ages. The bridge has been rebuilt almost in its entirety, with two end towers, which gives the bridge a strong structure. In 1921 it was declared a National Monument. The bridge crosses over the river Tagus, which river on the Iberian peninsula. We will no doubt see the river again when we arrive in Lisbon, Portugal, because it flows 626 miles from mid-eastern Spain and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon.

Little shops and restaurants line the cobblestone streets, and the unique architecture, doors, and windows of the buildings were beautiful to see.

The monastery of St. John of the Monarchs was one of our first stops. It was founded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to commemorate the birth of their son. It was also built to be their final resting place, but they ultimately did not get buried there, but rather in Granada. The church itself is notable for its decoration of the coats of arms of the Catholic Monarchs, which were featured on both sides of the monastery with an eagle holding the coats of arms.

We walked through the Jewish Quarter which is entered via a gate. The streets are mazes and it is easy to become lost in them. We visited the Synagogue of Santa Maria which was built in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century, and is considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe that is still standing. The building was converted to a Catholic church in the early 15th century, but there is a small Star of David carved into the wall inside the building, which is still present.

Toledo has a long history in the production of blade weapons, which are now common souvenirs of the city and many shops along our walk were selling them.

After the walk, we said goodbye to Carlos, and met at the Plaza De Zocodover with many shops and restaurants surrounding it.

Our guide escorted us for lunch to a restaurant that served pinchos. This was a fun experience. All of the offerings were lined up on the counter, skewered with a toothpick in each one. I chose avocado on a hearty slice of bread, a sandwich of jamon with cheese, and on Jaunjo’s recommendation, a pork and paprika dish. Everything was delicious. You don’t pay until you’ve finished your meal and then you take your empty plate to the cashier and the cashier counts the toothpicks on your plate and that’s what you pay. What a fabulous idea.

We then found a marzipan shop and bought some candies and then it was time to get back on the bus for the long drive to Granada.

The bus ride took us through beautiful scenery with rows and rows of olive trees as far as the eye could see. Spain produces about half the world’s total olive oil, making it the world’s leading olive oil producer and exporter.

During the bus ride our guide gave us a taste of marzipan and played some Spanish classical music tapes as well as some Spanish favorites and we all took a little siesta.

We stopped at a cafeteria after about two hours into our ride and our guide arranged for us to sample manchego cheeses and crackers which was a nice surprise. The cheese was delicious.

Right before we arrived in Granada, I spotted a huge rainbow that arched across the sky…hopefully foretelling good luck for our trip.

We checked into our room and then made our way to the buffet for dinner with the group. It was a wonderful day and we’re looking forward to tomorrow touring Granada. The author Washington Irving was enthralled with Granada andI the Alambra and wrote the novel “Tales of the Alambra” which I’m going to look forward to reading.

The gate to the Jewish Quarter

The monastery of St. John of the Monarchs

Synagogue of Santa Maria

The star of David

Toledo, Ohio is the sister city to Toledo

Our guide with manchego cheeses

Before I regale you with today’s touring excerpts, we were told by our local guide this morning that the stormy weather we experienced when we arrived on Thursday from the airport was actually the worst storm that Madrid has seen since weather records were recorded. I told you… it was a huge storm!!

Anyway, today we visited El Escorial, which was built between 1563 and 1584 by King Philip II. (We were not allowed to take any photos inside the buildings, but I do encourage you to google the site and see the amazing art works!)

The  El Escorial is the largest Renaissance building in the world.  El Escorial was both a Spanish royal palace and a monastery, although Philip II is the only monarch who ever lived there. The building took over 21 years to complete, and to this day, when a job takes longer than necessary, “la obra de El Escorial” is a proverbial expression meaning “something that takes a long time to complete”.

The building itself, made from granite, is quite austere and definitely did not have the makings of an ornate palace.

El Escorial has been the burial site for most of the Spanish kings from the last five centuries, and we went into the different crypts…of which there are many…to visit with the kings as well as the queens, princes, and princesses.

The floor plan of the building is in the form of a gridiron. This gridiron motif surfaced many times in paintings, upholstery, tapestry, etc. that we saw on the tour, and it was symbolic of St Lawrence who, in the third century AD, was martyred by being roasted to death on a grill. YIKES!

We toured many beautiful rooms, and admired the stunning frescoes and tapestries (some created by Goya), that adorned the walls. Since today was Saturday, we couldn’t go into the church since weddings were taking place, so instead we were invited to rooms that visitors normally are not allowed to visit.

Philip lived on and off in the Escorial for 14 years. We visited his bedroom and the bed where he died, which prior to his death, allowed him a view of the high altar, and to see mass being celebrated while in bed.

Today, El Escorial is a UNESCO World Heritage site and functions as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital.

It was a lot of walking, so we were grateful when the tour ended and we were back in the bus. We had a quick lunch and then it was off with the guide for a tour around the old city of Madrid.

The architecture is amazing and the balconies that are on almost every building are beautiful.
We finished off the tour in a pastry shop and we were served thick hot chocolate along with churros to dip in it.

We have a very early day tomorrow, so we had a quick dinner and it’s off to bed. Interestingly, the Spaniards have their lunch or main meal at around 4 pm and dinner doesn’t start until around 9 or 10. The restaurants become very crowded at those times, so having an early lunch as well as dinner today, benefited us very well.

The old city of Madrid