On our way to Segovia today. A quick stop to walk a bit through Avila, a walled town with what must be one of the best restored city walls anywhere in Europe. It looks brand new but has been standing since the 12th century. It is also the location of the convent of Saint Teresa. Not much else to report on there but it is a lovely city.
 |
| The convent of Saint Teresa |
Moved on to Segovia. Had our usual issues with finding our way into the old city. So many one way streets and traffic signs directing you not to enter here or turn there. We finally found our way with the help of a couple of folks. Our hotel, Hotel Infanta Isabel, room 308, sits right on the Plaza Mayor at the highest point of the city. The cathedral is right out our window as is a lively bustling plaza filled with folks out strolling or shopping.
We ate at Meson Don Jimeno Restaurante down a little side street on the way down to the Alcazar. We were the only ones in the place which was a bit scary since we had no advice as to whether it was good or bad. But they unlike most other restaurants at that hour, we're open and they were serving the two dishes we were hoping to try while here in Segovia--Cochinillo asado, roasted suckling of pig, and Judiones de la Granja, a bean and bacon stew. We also tried their pig pate and a wonderful bottle of 2009 Tempernillo vinted by Zarraguilla cellars near Segovia.
 |
| View from our room in Segovia |
The meal was wonderful. Whether the dishes were prepared correctly or not, since we have no frame of reference, they were just delicious. The pork was so rich, the skin crunchy and golden brown. The Graja was deeply satisfying with white beans the shape of large limas and thick slices of bacon that had to have been simmering all day with those beans. Wow!
Tomorrow we head for our last city in Spain--Toledo. On the way we will tour the Valley of the Fallen and drive around Madrid on the way south. Three days in Toledo and we head back to the Madrid airport to turn in our rental car and spend one last night near the airport before our flight to Toronto.
Our three weeks has gone by so quickly here, but we are looking forward to our two weeks in the Canadian eastern cities, Vermont and New York. Lots more travel yet to come.
As I said, our short stay in Segovia was followed by a big day heading to Toledo.
Had a breakfast of coffee con leche and a croissant at the cafe right next door to our hotel. Then packed up and headed out of Segovia. It is a lovely, compact town with lots going on. Love to return someday.
 |
| El Escorial |
Our next stop was El Escorial, city infamous for the Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Built by King Phillip II as a palace, he also directed the Inquisition from here. It is a giant, depressing building built at the cost of a generation of Spain's wealth. It is a museum now. The areas open to the public are filled with art from that period. Other displays focus on the construction of the building and in still others you descend into the crypts of former royalty and their offspring. Even the basilica's decor reflects the sparse and dreary nature of the times, most parts looking like they were built of cinder block and the grey walls are most of what greets you. The alter is the main focus and though lovely it is still nothing really spectacular. I most enjoyed the library near the end of the tour. Thousands of books line the walls and down the middle are globes and other artifacts of interest. My favorite being the armillary sphere which reflected the thinking at the time of the earth being at the center of the known universe and the known planets circle around it. It is a beautiful, but obviously flawed instrument.
 |
| Plaza outside El Escorial |
After a quick lunch in town, we headed for the Valle de Los Caidos, the Valley of the Fallen only a few km down the road from El Escorial.
The turn off to the monument in the Valley of the Fallen is right along the road to El Escorial. A large granite gate marks the spot and a two lane road leads a few km up into the pine forested Guadarrama Mountains. As you cross a bridge, off to the right on a hilltop is the 500 foot cross built from the granite carved out of the hill to create the basilica and monument below.
 |
| Plaza and entrance to the Basillica of the fallen |
 |
| The cross above the Valley of the Fallen Monument |
It is a disturbing place to visit due to the fact that it is not only the tomb for some 50,000 of the dead from the Spanish civil war from 1936 to 1939, but also because at the high alter are buried both The founder of Spanish fascism and General Franco, the man who is responsible for starting the civil war and even accepting the help of Nazi Germany to kill thousands of civilians. Behind the alter and in two side chapels, locked behind closed doors are the 50,000 who died for god and country from both sides. Franco is the focus in this basilica however and that is what most disturbs me. It would seem to me somewhat like going to visit Hitler's grave were there one to visit. Who, other than neo-nazis would visit such a place? We both left disturbed and scratching our heads over this monument to fascism. I'd love to talk with a Spaniard who could explain this place.
The sad thing today was that none of the places we stopped to see would allow photography inside the buildings so I have little to show for El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen. I snuck a couple of photos inside El Escorial. I don't know what the harm is in taking non-flash photography. It hurts nothing and any copyrighted material became public domain long ago.
 |
| Leslie in front of our hotel in Toledo |
Our final stop in Spain was Toledo, a city named a national monument and a UN World Heritage site. It sits on a hilltop south of Madrid so we had to travel a bit over ground we had already taken a train through near the beginning of our trip. But we didn't want to miss this city so we drove the hour or so out of our way to make sure we saw it.
No comments:
Post a Comment