Sevogia and El Escorial

Today we travel to two small towns about an hour from Madrid. Each of these towns could be a one or two day trip from the capital city, but we cram them both into a full day… just a taste to make us wanting more.

As we drive into Segovia the 2000-year-old Roman aqueduct appears as a small knee wall that grows to become full size, 2500 feet long by 100 feet high.  It has 118 arches and is made from 20,000 pieces of granite.  Held together without the use of concrete or mortar, it functioned up until the middle of the 19th century and would be in use today if it was not for the fear of the masses being so easily poisoned as the water makes its route in the open crevasse.  More secure plumbing is used today to bring water to the masses.

Upon arrival, several hundred or more runners queuing up to a 5K and 10K race meet us.  Blaring music and a loud sports commentator fills the small village, as the race is about to begin. Meandering through tiny streets and alleyways, we paused along the way as our guide pointed out various buildings of interest, a mixture of Moorish and Renaissance design.

 Our first stop is the Cathedral, which was Spain’s the last major Gothic building.  It is also the 4^th largest cathedral in the world and our first example of flying buttresses and pinnacles.  With more than 200 years to complete, architecture styles changed mid construction, so instead of completing the larger roofs in pinnacles, they were completed with domes to create a blend of Gothic and Renaissance style on the exterior.

Onto Alcazar, a Moorish palace, home to monarchs of the Castile region.  The Alcazar is the aqueducts final destination as it provided water to the fortress.  The building itself burned in 1862 and has since served as a museum rather than a residence.

The Moors ruled what is now Spain for over 800 years and when their rule ended, the Catholic Queen, Isabella I of Castile and King Fernando II of Argon moved in. And of course, as we know, it was Queen Isabella that funded Christopher Columbus’ voyages to the Americas.

A 45-minute drive to El Escorial dropped us at the massive Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial.  Built in the mid to late 1500s as a fortress of power and seasonal home for the monarch, it serves as a mausoleum for the kings and queens, complete with a community of monks that pray for their souls on a daily basis.

When I heard we were going to a monastery, my only reference was a quaint one off Tenby in Wales where robe dressed monks sold chocolate and perfume to tourists.  Imagine my surprise when this massive structure that looks more like a prison looms in the distance.

Catholic King Phillip II ruled the Inquisition from this massive gloomy fortress as sort of a medieval Camp David.  Today is houses the few bony remains of past kings, and queens in the Royal Pantheon. These elaborate marble caskets are filed from floor to ceiling arranged with kings on one side and their last wives on the other.  There are only a few spaces left in the current arrangement so there may be some eviction of formers after the last king and his newly crowned son find eventually their way into this room.  This was a truly amazing room.

In the many rooms called the Pantheon of Royal Children, we find the lesser royals as well as children who died under the age of seven in white marble structures.   Each with the name of the deceased in Latin and all are bearing elaborate designs that resemble wedding cakes.

Unfortunately, no photographs could be taken inside this massive fortress.  We only toured a small portion of the structure because the majority of the space is the living quarters of the community of monks.  But, what we did see, was a complete and enjoyable surprise!

Day Two- Madrid

Today we begin our tour at Palacio Real or the Royal Palace, Europe’s third greatest palace. With more than 2000 rooms in total, we spun through about 20 which included the Royal Armory, which houses a vast collection of full armor for men and horses, swords and shields.  The armory ended up being one of my favorite sights with all of its fine metal work.

The palace was built by King Philip V who hailed from France, so everything about it is very French, almost a mini Versailles.  And it is filled with exquisite tapestry, elaborate wall coverings and a hand painted ceiling by the ambidextrous artist, Luca Giordano, who is known for quickly finishing ceilings because he is said to have painted with both hands at the same time!

The rooms themselves are all decorated in different color themes and there is a very small room, almost like a closet that is completely covered in porcelain from floor to ceiling! The original queens quarters (tree full rooms) have in more modern time been converted into a extra large sized dining hall which is used even today for royal events. 

The royal family now resided in a mansion a few miles away.  This previous home serves as a national treasure and is a delight to visit.  

The afternoon brought us freetime and a chance to see some modern art without the jetlagged brains of the previous day.  We made out way to Rena Sofia Museum on my request to catch a viewing of Picasso’s Guernica, which depicts the people of Guernica who were bombed out during World War II.

Reina Sofia, the national museum of 20^th century art houses much of the original art of the Cubist movement, of Picasso and Juan Gris (one of my favs) and other Spanish artists, such as Miro and Dali.  We even caught some glimpses of Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog) and also a film by Buster Keaton!

I have included some of my favorite pieces of artwork that I was able to photograph. 

Good Morning, Madrid

We land on Spanish soil and find our tour director, Francisco, awaiting our arrival and are easily transported to our new home for the next 3 days, Tryp Charmartin. Without a moments rest, we take an easy ride on the computer train, only 2 stops to the heart of the city center.  AT Metro stop-SOL, the bell tower and the zero KM marker, in front of the Governor’s mansion, becomes our Madrid rendezvous meet up point for our 50 person tour.

The zero(0) KM marker marks the very center point in Spain…all km markers through Spain marks the distance back to this spot.  It is also the spot remembered as where the war against Napoleon began in 1808. Urban legend guarantees you a return visit to Madrid if you photograph your feet inside the marker.

Our daily consists of a general overview of city center and Plaza Mayor, where a variety of events, such as bullfights, fires, royal pageantry, and torture from the Inquisition, took place through out its 400-year history. A wander through the Prado Museum, as we take note of the Velazquez, Goya, Titian, Rubens, El Greco paintings, and one of my all time favorites, HieronymusBosch’s, Garden of Earthly Delights.

Our introduction to Spanish culture would not have been complete without Chocolate and Churros at San Gines Chocolatieria which is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week, just incase you need a sip of dark smooth chocolate at say 4:oo in the morning!

We end our first day in Madrid, over shadowed by a bad case of jetlag that puts to shame any hangover from my misspent youth.  

 Buenas Noches, Madrid. See you tomorrow Madrid.

Adventure in Spain 2015

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go. I have definitely said that before.

This will be my third and probably final trip with EF Tours, the largest education tour company with offices all over the world. We have gone to Italy and France and now we are giving Spain a spin.

Any educator's out there who want to travel free with students and parents...http://www.eftours.com/ 
Tell them,  Andrea sent you.  No really, there is a referral fee if you travel! I will hook you up!

I love traveling with young people, seeing them experience something so far away and so different from their own backyard. The art and culture explode right in front of them!

Nothing beats experience...no App, no FB, no YouTube. It's the real deal. Life...in real time.

This whirlwind trip begins in Madrid and then travels south...
to El Escorial...Segovia...Toledo...Granada...Seville...and ends up in Costa del Sol....all in a 7-day on-the-ground tour extravaganza.

I've got my Fitbit strapped to my wrist and I'm gonna see how many steps we take every day! Won't you join me? Hop on a treadmill and stay tuned.

The Rolling Stones and My Last Day in Rome

Today the Rolling Stones play Circus Maximus to 70,000 Romans and countrymen.  

 I spend my last day in Rome at the Porte Portese market not buying much at all.  Just browsing stall after stall of used and new clothing, fake leather purses and cheap shoes. Toward the end I find the more interesting antique section, but it is time for them to pack up.  I did buy some vintage hand embroidered Italian table clothes.

I make my way into the working class become chic neighborhood of Trastevere to find my ultimate pizza.  Believe it or not, I have not sat down to have a pie yet.  I have read in my Rick Steve’s pocket guide that there is a really great wood fired spot called Dar Poeta, so I make my way and get lost, backtrack and take a different turn.  I turn on the street that I think it is on and then the numbers end.  I backtrack and then make a different turn and the numbers are getting bigger, I round the next turn and hear voices and see packed outdoor tables and voila!. I am here.

I sit next to, but actually at the same table (really just two tables next to each other) with a 20 something couple from Canada.  They are finishing their meal and I ask if the food was good and they smile and say “Great!”  I get their advice because it all looks so good.  I go for a pie with tomatoes sauce, olives, capers, anchovies and oregano.  It does not come with melted cheese, but add for one Euro the buffalo mozzarella.   Score.

It makes its way to my table in no time and I devour the whole thing.  Crispy and flavorful, just as it should be in Rome.  I am satisfied. 

Inside the Pantheon, looking up.

Returning to the streets, I make my way to visit the Pantheon, one more time.  My last day in Rome is fulfilled.

Summer Solstice in (Ancient) Rome

I thought…what a great place to celebrate the summer solstice or midsummer, but so far I have not come across any type of advertised festival or event online, so I must come up with something to do myself.  Thinking about the meaning of the longest day of the year….I look back at the year so far and think of all of those new year’s “intentions”.  How have they been going?  Am I on track?  Is there anything that needs adjustments?  I make some mental notes.

I make a plan to go a bit south to the Appian Way, the famous ancient Roman road that once stretched 430 miles to the sea.  I rent a bike and ride about a total of 10 miles round trip from the entrance of the park. Riding over the original large cobblestones, like the ones located around the Coliseum, I enjoy walls and gates with hidden villas behind, vast countryside and early Roman ruins.

Appia Antica

Villa along the way

Villa in the countryside

Ruins along the way

I stop for a salad of artichoke, watercress and mozzarella before a 45-minute tour of San Sebastian catacombs.  Simon, our English speaking tour guide, takes us 4 meters or more under the ground to reveal the 2^nd to 6^th century Christian catacombs or burial grounds. More than 100,000 bodies were buried in the over 65,000 graves that stretch out under Rome’s soil.  Only five of the sights are open to the public.   Walking through the narrow cool hallways, Simon describes the various Christian symbols, the anchor, the fish and the dove.  We see the stamp pressed into the soft terracotta that covers the chambers.  On this stamp is the ruler of Rome, so we have en exact time stamp for each grave.

 

SanSebastian Catacombs

Inside catacombs

One of the three masoleums

Close-up

But that is not all, Simon takes us several more meters deep to the earlier Roman (pagan) graves.  Unlike the Romans that slid the bodies into the walls, the Romans practiced cremation.  The structures where the cremanes are found are more like mausoleums, small buildings with elaborately decorated ceilings and frescos painted on the ceilings and walls.  When these mausoleums were discovered, they were in pristine condition and no restorations were needed.  They were beautifully preserved in the Roman soil.

My day was complete as I stumble onto one of the last areas of town that I want to visit… Capitoline Hill.  This area was the sight of the original Forum and Temple of Jupiter from the 1^st century and is considered the spiritual, economic and political center of ancient Rome.  Today is typifies the blending of the past and present as buildings from the various centuries are literally built one on top of the other.

It is also the sight of Michelangelo’s Marcus Aurelius on horseback in Piazza del Campidoglio, the Capitoline Museums, Santa Maria in Aracoeli church and the Victor Emmanuel monument. The sun is setting and my day is complete as I welcome the summer solstice, renewed and redirected.

Rick Steve’s Pocket Rome

A last minute purchase at my local Whole Earth Provisions Co., this guide is invaluable.  Mostly because it fits so discreetly into my small over the shoulder bag that I can whip it out to read and check out locations.  The small area maps depicting areas of interest or “tours” or “walks” is also handy except all of the streets are not listed.  The local map that Fabio at my hostel offers me fills in the blanks although I would probably need something much stronger than my eyeglass readers to actually be able to read the fine print.

My first half day in Rome includes getting on the shuttle bus to Rome’s Termini Train station and then onto Metro A toward Anagina and off at the third stop San Giovanni.  All is well until it becomes not so clear as to which exit is Magna Grecia.  I guess... and it isn’t until I have walked over four blocks that I realize it was not the correct guess.  Backtracking, I ask a local cabbie, who looks it up on an ancient dog-eared map book.

Right-Left-Right behind where I have been, and he points me toward my destination. Onward I trek.   It is now almost 5:00 as I come upon the front door of the building.  Inside a small car filled with Costco-like products is Domenico, one of the owners of "The Dreaming Rome Hostel". He lets me in and tells me to go to the 2^nd floor where brother, Fabio, greets me with a welcome drink and shows me around.

After setting up my bunk, I venture out on a backwards Rick Steve’s “Heart of Rome Walk”… starting at The Spanish Steps and ending at Piazza Navona.  After that, I walk the busy Corso Vittorio Emanuelle toward the Coliseum at dusk and come upon ancient, medieval and modern Rome., stacked on top of itself. I love this part of Rome as the melding of 2000 years comes together.  There is even a giant big screen playing the World Cup.