It was a beautiful day today so we decided to spend the day outside. It has been at least two decades since we last visited Greenwich. It is in better shape than before.
SNOW is predicted for tomorrow and Sunday so indoor activities expected. In the meantime here are a few images from today.
Our final day trip, Segovia, was also our favorite site to date. It is a beautiful Medieval city dating to the Roman period. It boasts an incredible aqueduct built in the early second century AD.
It is also a virtual who’s who of Iberian history. It even has a storybook castle built on the top of a hill with a huge and deep moat. It is heavily fortified to ward off attacking foes. It was occupied by many Royal families, some good and many not so good.
The Palace portion of the castle was breathtaking and amazing. The rooms were beautiful, the views incredible, the history ranges from dark to sinister.
Madrid is the capital of Spain. It’s our base for the last three days. It is a huge metropolis and the final leg of the Portugal/Spain portion of our trip. It is loaded with world class museums, endless epicurean options and a vibrant city center with countless points of interest. It is worthy of a visit all by itself.
Here are a few photos we thought you might like.
The road to Madrid took us through some of the countryside of Central Spain. Toledo was a memorable stop. It is the capital of the State of La Mancha and the National capital before Madrid.
Here are some shots from our visit.
The hilltop city of Toledo is also famous for its exceptional Cathedral.
Toledo is breathtakingly beautiful. Especially when the weather cooperates. Its hilltop location is picture perfect and well worth a visit.
Today was a bit more casual. A walk around the charming, sleepy village of Ubeda. A short ride to see the olive groves and a visit and lunch at an olive oil processing facility.
The weather was generally cooperative with an occasional shower here and there. Overall, considering the heavy rain the last several days, we have been very fortunate. We have avoided most of the worst downpours.
Our lunch was hosted by the owner’s of the Oleicola San Francisco, producers of premium olive oils.
Tomorrow, Madrid!
It was a long travel day today. We said goodbye to our hilltop town of Ronda early in the day and made our way to Córdoba and it’s UNESCO Mosque-Cathedral.
Yesterday we traveled from Carmona to Ronda. We stopped for a coffee break near a small lake along the way.
Next we visited a locally famous bull ranch followed by a lunch before traveling onward to the hill town of Ronda, our home for the next two nights.
After lunch we make our way to the hill town of Ronda. Our hotel is perched on the cliffs of the old town.
Today we explored the old town of Ronda. It’s mostly residential, quiet and secluded. Narrow lanes and alleys. We walked along the edges of the cliffs back to the City Center for lunch and some of us visited a crafts center. Tonight home hosted dinner.
We are off to Córdoba and Ubeda (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) tomorrow.
Day two of our stay in the hillside town of Carmona, we explored the epic city of Seville. The weather was slowly improving as we made our way to the city center.
Our first stop was the Plaza de Espana that first caught the world’s attention in 1929 as an exposition venue.
Next we walked through the Jewish Quarter to the Cathedral, the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world and the place where Christopher Columbus is entombed.
Departing Evora early yesterday and crossing the Portugal border into Spain we arrived in Merida for lunch and a visit.
Our goal was a visit to the early 1st Century Roman Theater and Amphitheater.
After a nice lunch to recharge our energy, we hit the road again for our next stop, Carmona, and our hilltop Parador for the next two nights.
Our hotel and hilltop village are a short drive outside Seville. Stay tuned for that next adventure!
In the meantime here are a few of our neighbors.
Today we explored Evora more in depth. We began the day with a City walk including a talk at the local university, and a visit to the local cathedral and the small Franciscan Church of San Francisco, also know as the chapel of bones.
We later spent midday at a local Portuguese Cooking school where we prepared lunch for each other, half preparing appetizers and first courses and the others preparing the main course and desert. The wine flowed, so did the laughter, it was a delightful meal.
