Author: James Hathaway

Travel: Segovia, Spain

The Roman aqueduct is the big draw, but the town is right out of a time machine.
The commercial center is right off the area of the aqueduct.
The charming hilltop city is an easy day trip from Madrid by car, train or bus.

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 massive gothic cathedral is in the center of town.
The castle was built to be defendable from all directions on the edge of town.
Jim checks out the moat high above the bottom of the castle.
Once inside the walls there were lots of opportunities to stop visitors before seeing the noble family.

The Palace portion of the castle was breathtaking and amazing.  The rooms were beautiful, the views incredible, the history ranges from dark to sinister.

The throne room. The ceiling is embellished with several pounds of gold.
The throne room of Ferdinand and Isabella where they last met with Christopher Columbus in 1505.
Time to say goodbye 👋 to Spain and Portugal. We fly back to London for our last week before returning home.

Travel: Madrid Spain

The Royal Palace.
Plaza Mayor, central Madrid.

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.

A modern and efficient subway system.
The monuments are everywhere, sometimes on top of buildings.
Bustling Avenues and quite streets abound.
Stately statues overlook a pathway.
A huge and diverse city center.
Two interesting hombres wandering the streets of Madrid…

 

Travel: Toledo Spain, on the road to Madrid

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.

Authentic paella for lunch! Yum!
The legendary windmills of La Mancha still exist.
Only one synagogue remains in Toledo, Spain. Fortunately it is in pristine condition.

The hilltop city of Toledo is also famous for its exceptional Cathedral.

The magnificent altar of the Cathedral.
The Cathedral is also known for its paintings by Goya.
The Cathedral’s massive exterior.

Toledo is breathtakingly beautiful.  Especially when the weather cooperates.  Its hilltop location is picture perfect and well worth a visit.

The town center of central Toledo.
Greetings to all from Toledo, Spain

Travel: Ubeda, Spain

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.

The plaza and view from our room. The church is a private chapel.
The enclosed courtyard of our hotel.
Our hotel from the plaza, Paradores Ubeda. Our room is the open window, second from the left on the top floor. The view from the tiny balcony includes the entire block.
The town Cathedral is in the same block as our hotel.

Our lunch was hosted by the owner’s of the Oleicola San Francisco, producers of premium olive oils.

Jim teaming up with the owners son to prepare manchego cheese and an olive oil, honey, rosemary dressing for our lunch.
The storage tanks for the latest pressing of olive oil from Oleicola San Francisco.
Overlooking the Oleicola olive groves.

Tomorrow, Madrid!

Travel: Córdoba, Spain

The morning light greets us as we depart from Ronda.

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.

Another Bridge dating to Roman days is the gateway to Córdoba.
A maze of narrow walkways (also local traffic) of the old town.
The massive courtyard has greeted visitors since the 8th Century.
The remains of the original minaret were used in the construction of the Bell Tower.
Originally built as a mosque in 788 A.D. The total square footage of the entire building today is 250,000 square feet.
Catholic chapels and elements were added from the 11th to 16th centuries.
The Madonna.

 

 

Travel: Ronda, Spain

Yesterday we traveled from Carmona to Ronda.  We stopped for a coffee break near a small lake along the way.

Pristine lakes fed by mountain streams.
Whitewashed hilltop town in the distance.

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.

A young bull in training with many years before the ring.
Another candidate in waiting.
Novice matador years away from the bull ring.
Big bull in need of more training.
Beautifully trained horses are essential to guiding the bulls from pasture to the ring.

After lunch we make our way to the hill town of Ronda.  Our hotel is perched on the cliffs of the old town.

Our hotel is at the top of the bridge dating to 1454 AD.
The gorge is 275 feet below the bridge and town center.

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.

Travel: Carmona, day 2 and Seville

Sunrise from our hotel.

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.

The massive plaza is still one of the most important plazas in Seville.
Countries from the Americas were represented.

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.

The Apex of the ceiling.
The tomb of Christopher Columbus.
The Altar.
The first women Saints by Goya.

 

Travel: Spain, Merida Morning and Carmona Evening

Departing Evora early yesterday and crossing the Portugal border into Spain we arrived in Merida for lunch and a visit.

Upon arrival we walked the old bridge dating back to Roman days to enter the city.
We were greeted by another first century Roman Temple bigger and grander than the last.

Our goal was a visit to the early 1st Century Roman Theater and Amphitheater.

Ancient pathways and arches lead us to the Roman Theater.
The theater was reconstructed from the ruins excavated from the site.
Two Roman ruins on one sight as observed by two soon to be fossils! 😎
Stone passageways lead to the Roman Forum.
One can only imagine gladiators and similar events on the massive forum site immediately adjacent to the theater.

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.

The gates to the hilltop town or Carmona.
The entrance to our hotel, Paradores Carmona.
The view from our room.

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.

Travel: Evora, day 2.

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.

A visit to the local University.
Our guest speakers after their talk.
Street scene in the city center.
The city center midday.
The narrow streets of the city center.
The altar at the Cathedral.
The Chapel of (Human) bones.
Hundreds and hundreds of human bones. Creepy!

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.

John prepares baked apples for desert.
Both of us with sharp knives!

Travel: Evora, Portugal

Yesterday we traveled from Lisbon through the countryside to Evora.  The weather was gloomy and rainy most of the day.  Surprisingly our stops included a welcomed break in the rain.

We explored Arraiolos, a village with a quaint museum of ancient tapestries.  Midday took us to Monte da Ravasqueira, a delightful complex with a great Carriage Museum, a winery including a delicious lunch and a gift shop where we purchased some excellent wines.

By mid afternoon we arrived at our hotel, Pousada Convento de Evora.  Built in 1485, a hotel since 1965.  All in all, a delightful day.

The winery and Carriage Museum.

The winery and its extensive grounds.
The wine is aging.
Starters
Lunch, risotto, salad and desert.
The bedroom, Evora.
View of a 1st Century Roman Temple outside our window, Evora.