A day of disappointment........and no churros!

Today was a day of traveling where we visited some stunning places in and around Segovia, but I experienced them through a haze of pain or the sleepy zombi-ness of pain killers.
The most frequent side effects of one of the painkillers is suicidal thoughts so being a bit depressed about the pain is to be expected I guess!

Although we will probably lose points in the Perfect Travellers Awards we decided to forgo seeing the ring of Saint Theresa as apparently it is on display still attached to her finger! She is the patron saint of Avila and rebelled against the ostentatious aspects of the Catholic Church, much to the horror of those in charge, and started the Carmelite order of nuns, who lived very simply.

In every town and even the smallest village there is at least one church. The size and amount of decoration and gold statues etc often seems to be out of proportion to the wealth of the simple peasant farmers who had to fund these churches. With only 14% of Spaniards attending church regularly most have become attractions for tourists like us to visit.

I do wonder whether some of the wealth extracted from the populace would've been better spent on welfare, schools etc than more gold statues or huge churches. But maybe the thought of securing your place in heaven by supporting the church was enough for the common man.  Who am I to question?

Anyway we set off for Segovia, and in a devious plan to delay me getting to the churros con chocolat, Ewan suggested we go to the Palacio Real de La Granja de San lldefonso which is a few kilometres from Segovia itself. The very grand name is in keeping with this very grand Royal Summer Palace and superb French-styled gardens created in the 1700s.

The first part of the tour of this enormous and very ornate Palace was some beautiful enormous tapestries that were created in the 17th century. No photos allowed so I can't show you the rooms of the Palace but every ceiling had a painted frieze and every room had marble tiled patterned floors, gold baroque furniture and endless objets d'arte: just like our summer residence at Anglesea!!

King Philip was the grandson of Louis XI so he was determined to create gardens as beautiful as Versailles, and beautiful they were indeed.  Fountains, a maze, statues,  forests and we didn't even see half of it! 

After a bocadillo at the local Bar for lunch we headed for the apartment and deposited our bags before heading out to the old town of Segovia.  The aqueduct built by the Romans inthe 1st century AD and still standing (without any mortar) overshadows all of the town.  It's 28m sets high and made of 20,000 bricks: very impressive.

I do remember sitting with Lauren right under the aqueduct in 2007 and saying that Ewan should be here to enjoy it. ..and so he was today 8 years later!

Which brings me to the churros con chocolat that I had been anticipating: sadly they are not sold in any Cafe near the aqueduct any more.  So sad. ..ruined my day completely! 

We climbed the stairs at one end of the aqueduct and wandered into the Plaza Mayor, where Lauren had ordered the specialty of the district - roast suckling pig.  I remember her being astonished when it arrived: a huge slab of pork with an ear and plastic tag still attached! We resisted that delicacy and headed for the Cathedral. My memory of it being dark and gloomy was still accurate although the stone inside had been cleaned and seemed lighter.

The were lots of people in their best clothes greeting each other outside the Cathedral: it was entertaining watching some of them stagger around in their very high heels on the cobblestones!

We could hear the sound of a piano playing classical music as we wandered back down the Hill.  Then we came across a young man playing Beethoven on a grand piano in the middle of a small square surrounded by people sitting enjoying the music.  He was playing for five hours non stop as a fund raising event for a charity which we couldn't identify, but we donated some euros anyway.

Ewan decided to buy me a G&T to cheer me up after a hard day, and then I accidentally upended the plate of pinchos on the ground.  A fitting end to a difficult day for me!

Hoping tomorrow will be better,

Your despondent correspondent

Dianne

Walking the walls of Avila

During this trip we have admired the sturdy stone walls of many old towns: we've touched them , walked around bits of them, photographed them and wondered about them. ....but today we actually got to walk for more than a kilometre along the walls that protected the town of Avila from its medieval foes.

Having departed Salamanca after a fruitless search for a Laundromat (obviously not popular here!) we headed off down the boring highway (smelling slighty) through the plains of Spain  ( but no rain! ) for the town of Avila.  After a while Ewan needed some caffeine and was determined to drive down some country roads so we turned off at a random exit and headed for the unknown.

First stop was a rather isolated truck stop where the proprietor made us great coffee and plied us with churros to dip into it. These traditional long fried doughnuts are delicious dipped into thick hot chocolate and a few times I have considered having some. 
Announcement: Ewan wishes me to make it clear that he has offered to buy me some 'churros con chocolat' a number of times and I have declined (predominantly because they probably have more calories per gram than any food I can think of! ).

However tomorrow is the big day: in 2007 when Lauren and I travelled together we had the most delicious churros con chocolat in Segovia and I will definitely have some when we reach there tomorrow, come hell or high water.

Anyway the most fascinating aspect of the truck stop was not the churros but the number of bottles of spirits: there were crates full of every spirit imaginable! Hopefully not being consumed by the truck drivers?!

Determined not to end up on a freeway we kept driving and of course ended up on a dirt road. It took us through a tiny deserted farming town, past a huge cross and across some dry plains to finally reach our destination.

Perched on a hill was the town of Avila surrounded by a beautifully restored medieval stone wall complete with battlements, and perfectly placed to defend the town. The terracotta roofs and white walls of the houses completed the perfect picture .......and they were plenty of tourists to take the picture!

Just outside of town there are four pillars around a cross where,  in medieval times, travellers would be blessed before entering the city.  Now busloads of day tripper tourists elbow each other to get the best spot to take the perfect photo.

Finally we parked and wandered into the old town through the wall.  We were rather mystified as there were lots of people - young and old - dressed in medieval costume. From knights to jesters to servant girls to wealthy matrons  - we saw them all. 

Then we came across endless stalls with all of the stall  holders dressed in medieval costume and their wares displayed with a medieval theme.  Along all of the cobblestoned streets there were banners and flags, drums playing and the whole place was buzzing.

Finally Mr Google explained that it was an annual medieval festival that we had stumbled across.

As we tried to find the place where we could ascend the wall we had to avoid being injured by small boys dressed as Knights with dangerous plastic swords!

Finally we climbed up and walked for more than a kilometre along the top of the walls enjoying the sun and the views.  About half of the wall is able to be walked and it is quite an experience imagining what it would have been like to be patrolling the ramparts and fighting off your enemies.

We located our hotel which was within the old walls, but fortunately not in the middle of the festivities, and had a siesta in the peace and quiet.

Our day was completed by a wander around town sampling the food available - although I'm not sure falafels were popular in medieval times. We had some lovely mint tea and baklava in the Arab 'quarter' before heading back to the hotel to collapse.

Your non- costumed reporter

Dianne

Spiral staircases in Salamanca

I am sitting on a terrazzo (balcony) about 100 stairs up from the ground in the bell tower of the Cathedral of Salamanca.  We climbed through the old Cathedral (begun in 1120) and overlooked the interior of the new Cathedral (1513 to 1733 - late Gothic and baroque) as we climbed higher. 

Ewan is in his element and has headed off up some tiny stone spiral stairs to reach the bell tower.

I took one look at the stairs and the map and decided it wasn't for me!  Too tiny and steep!  So I am enjoying the view of the beautiful old town of Salamanca.  In many of the places we have been the old section of town has been relatively small: sometimes only a few streets have been remained.  Here the old town is most of the town and any new buildings have retained the style so it is very beautiful. 

Salamanca is a university town so this morning we wandered around the University buildings and grounds.  Ive taken endless photos because at every turn there is another huge ornate stone building or cobbled street with iron balconies and flower boxes.

Yesterday  when we arrived we had no idea where the hotel was. When we finally located it, we didn't know whether to be pleased or horrified, as it is literally next door to the Plaza Mayor: a huge square which is one of the main meeting places for locals and tourists. Our hotel room has two sets of glass doors to our tiny balcony to limit the noise,  and we look out over a lovely small square which is much more sedate.

Whilst we were trying to locate the hotel we parked the car nearby and when we went to take it to the carpark there was a very serious looking guy in a truck who was considering towing the car away.  He was all smiles when he realised we were tourists and we were very apologetic in our best Spanish! Phew!

Later.....
Ewan returned without having achieved the success he hoped for - the steps didn't go far and he was nowhere near the bell tower at the end. But there are lots of bell towers here so success may be in one of those!

We set off, map in hand,  to see the sights and:

- meditated in the beautiful cloisters of San Esteban (Saint Stephen)

- ate a horzanas for lunch ( a type of pie with dry bread surrounding a filling, ours was chorizo)

- tried to make sense of an exhibition of archival materials about the Spanish Civil War which included propaganda posters from both Republicans and Nationalists, and weirdly,  an exhibition about Freemasonry because they were oppressed by Franco. It included a replica of a meeting room complete with symbols and men with black KKK hats.

- enjoyed the many statues, paintings, vases, jewellery at the Museo of Art Nouveau called Casa Lis. The collection included Lalique, Limoges and a wide range of European art nouveau pieces.  I would gladly have taken home some of the beautiful graceful statues of dancers made from marble and bronze - just exquisite!  The replicas in the gift shop weren't quite the same so I came away empty handed.

- eventually climbed the Scala Coeli Torres de La Clericia, and much to Ewan's joy, after we had climbed 198 steps ( I counted them!) we were within touching distance of  three huge bells - however , being perfect tourists we didn't touch them,  as instructed.
The last few steps were up cylindrical wooden towers that were very steep.  To Ewan's delight there was a matching tower that reached another set of bells, or so he tells me, as I bailed out on that set!  He still didn't reach the very top but clearly that was an achievement for another day.

- rewarded ourselves with a G&T and a large beer respectively!

And then a very nice dinner after a very busy day,

Your overstimulated and weary correspondent

Dianne

PS In the last photo see if you can find a frog hidden in this intricate design.  If you can find it is supposed to bring you good luck. I spent ages trying to find it but no luck! !

On the road....northern Spain is full of surprises

For the last couple of days we have been driving the highways and byways of northern Spain from Logrono to Leon to Salamanca and everywhere in between.

After the seemingly endless vineyards of the Rioja Valley we started with a visit to the Museo de La Rioja at the vineyards of the Vivanco family.They had the largest collection of anything to do with viniculture  we had ever seen.  From beautiful old Roman wine goblets and jugs to modern art by Joan Miro and Picasso to videos of  barrel making to a display of hundreds of bottle openers!
There was lots of very serious and dramatic commentary initially but sadly the audio guide was so useless that Ewan said I had to give it a negative rating.  The audio guides were Nokia phones and impossible to operate. So we were forced to give up and admire the very impressive collection without any information!  The old statues of Bacchus and the ancient pottery and machinery was really great to see.

After a coffee to revive us we headed for Leon, and as the vineyards decreased the fields of sunflowers and stubbled sunburnt pastures increased. As it's the end of summer I guess they are waiting for rain before planting the next crops. Finally we started to climb until there were impressive mountains all around. Many of them with wind turbines slowly rotating.

Today in our travels we also saw some fields of solar panels.  Apparently Spain is quite progressive when it comes to sustainable power.

We decided to be brave and do a Truckstop  for lunch.  So Ewan edged our little car through the heaps of trucks to find a park. Surprisingly there seemed to be a fine dining area with white tablecloths etc but we chose the cafeteria which sells beer and wine to travelers: a sobering thought when you consider the size of some of the trucks parked outside!! I was expecting ghastly food but we had potato tortilla filled with tuna, salad and mayonnaise - delicious and healthy!

Leon turned out to be a lovely old city which was the seat of power for all of Spain at some point. The 13th century Cathedral was huge and had a free and very useful audio guide which described the history of architecture and then described the specific architecture of the Cathedral itself, and even the reasons why it almost fell down: poor quality stone and a baroque roof in the middle of Gothic arches. It did have some of the most beautiful stained glass we had seen,  which unfortunately doesn't photograph well. I gave the audio guide a 10 but Ewan thought it was too long - it's hard to please everyone!

One of the joys and frustrations of travelling is trying to anticipate when attractions may be open. You have to factor in that many close on Mondays and EVERYTHING closes for siesta time in the middle of the day for a few hours - just when we are ready to go there.  However there is always the unexpected.  I was keen to go to a Casa Museum which was in a old house next to the Cathedral. We checked the website - times were no problem -  but arrived to find the door firmly shut.  It was the 1st September and they were closed for renovations in. .you guessed it! !....September! I give up!

Today we pulled off the highway into a town we had never heard of: Astorga. I was delighted to see lots of signs advertising chocolate and wait for it: a  CHOCOLATE  MUSEUM!!! After multiple cathedrals, castillos, fortresses, basilicas and museums it was time for a change l thought. This region was famous for Chocolat in the 17th centuries when cacao beans were traded across the Atlantic and everyone drank chocolate. But it wasn't meant to be so for me: we arrived in siesta time and alas!  It was closed. Aaaaagh!

Our other eating experiences today were a surprise.

We both needed a mid morning coffee so we followed the signs into a tiny town next to the highway. It appeared to be totally deserted: honestly I wouldn't have been surprised if tumbleweeds had rolled down the streets. After driving around aimlessly we finally found a tiny Cafe/Bar all on its own. A young guy with no English made some strong coffee and served it with a tiny magdalena - a mini cupcake with no icing.  Apparently you're supposed to dunk it in your coffee. It was just what we needed to get us going. On the way out of town we did see a bit more activity but we were glad to leave!

For lunch we decided to head for the nearest town and have a picnic in the local Park as my supermarket trip had left us with an array of delicacies - jamon,  cheese, a range of brightly-coloured tiny tomatoes, and a bakery at our previous stop had provided crusty rye bread and an apple tartin slice.  So we headed for the nearest bit of green on the map and arrived at a Park with an ancient town wall along one side and two huge old buildings on the other side of it. One was clearly an impressive Gothic church, and the other turned out to be a Palacio designed by Gaudi himself. How serendipitous!! We feel as if we have stumbled onto a Gaudi tour as we had seen another Gaudi building in Leon the day be before.

After lunch Ewan was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel so I drove. Let me say that I haven't driven in Europe before so it was with some trepidation that I took the wheel.  Mind you I drove about 120kms down an almost deserted Highway with only a few trucks to contend with.  I bailed out when we neared Salamanca as I wasn't sure how I'd cope with traffic.

We came across a number of the 'pilgrims' trudging along the Camino Trail. Some of it looks very monotonous and boring but it would be quite an achievement I am sure. Even a couple of donkeys were making the trip!

The only other place we stopped today was Ponferrada to see a Castle of the Knights Templar that looked a lot like a Hollywood version of a castle. Very old and nicely restored with a moat and drawbridge and all.  Ewan was pleased to see some stairs to climb to the top - made his day!

Happy to have finally arrived in Salamanca,

You're weary writer

Dianne

Tapas, pinxtos. ....and La rioja

One of the joys of traveling is adjusting to a new hire car.

Whilst trains and buses can be a fabulous way off getting from A to B, if you want to see more remote spots then a car is the way to go. As we headed off to mooch around the Northern Spain countryside, with the final destination being Madrid next week, we had to cope with some challenges.

Firstly who knew there was a car called a SEAT Spaceback?? Not us! But for a mere 21 Euros per day who could complain? AND it fitted our bags in easily because there was so much space in the back.

First challenge of the day:

Driving on the right hand side of the road.  Ewan is very proficient at this now after having endured a month of Erin yelling at him in Turkey every time he was about to venture down the left hand side of the road.  The trick is to remember which side of the car to get into as the steering wheel is on the right hand side.  Today we walked towards the car and both of us went to the wrong side of the car and had to swap, feeling rather foolish.

Second challenge of the day:

The tunnel: plenty of them on the way from San Sebastian to Pamplona and then to Logrono as we discovered.  So Ewan had to work out how to turn the headlights on whilst doing 120kms - not an easy task as the usual turning/pushing/ jiggling of the lights control stick didn't appear to do much. When we finally stopped the lights were on but I'm not sure he knows how to do it again!

Third challenge of the day:

Somewhere between Pamplona and Logrono the heavens opened and it absolutely poured, and I mean poured. There were sheets of rain that completely obscured our vision and meant Ewan had to slow down very rapidly.  AND find the windscreen wipers in a hurry.   He managed to get them on but only for a few swipes and then they stopped!  With some relief he found the right button and they stayed on, and worked perfectly well, which was a relief to both of us!!

Fourth challenge of the day:

Google maps goes mad. Having booked a very modern hotel in the Old town in Logrono I merrily tapped the address into Google maps so our best friend Gloria the GPS could show us the way.  All good until we got to the last street which looked like a very narrow pedestrian street in the Old Town style: cobbled, overhanging balconies and very narrow (see photo).  We both looked at each other and decided "maybe not". When we parked and walked to the  hotel ( the Marques de Vallejo - very nice) the receptionist was horrified when we told her where Gloria had led us: definitely not a roadway. Phew!

Fifth challenge of the day:

Buying a parking ticket. Today we had the experience of a parking ticket system that only a Mensa member could work out. ....or someone who speaks Spanish I guess!  There was an array of at least 30 shiny buttons with endless options and we had no idea. In the end we decided that probably Spanish parking inspectors wouldn't like the rain any more than Melbourne ones so we gave up and walked away. ...and didn't get a ticket.  Another phew!

In between all of this excitement we had a lovely day driving through the base of the Pyrenees admiring the mountains and noting the increase in vineyards as we came closer to La Rioja country.

We had a quick look around Pamplona, a large town. There were no signs of any real bulls fortunately,  but the streets in the old town where they run have distinctive red signposts...and of course there is no shortage of ghastly souvenirs all bull-related.

We did visit the very impressive Cathedral: we were in danger of going into cathedral withdrawal as we hadn't seen one for a few days. This one had a long history and  included some Roman archaelogical ruins complete with skeleton and some very beautiful cloisters.

Logrono is known for its food so after a wander around and just one pinchos and a coffee for lunch we went in search of the Museo de La Rioja which of course was closed because it's a Monday!

So Ewan continued to wander whilst I went to the supermarket - not noted on the tourist list of things to do , but I love going to supermarkets in foreign countries to see what the locals really eat. It took me about half an hour to decide on some jamon/  ham and some cheese as there were so many varieties: so I stocked up on some basics and found Ewan at the hotel.
Equipped with our umbrellas as it was still drizzling we headed off for the famous tapas street only a block away from our hotel. The choice is remarkable but some of the most highly recommended bars were closed: Monday? Rain?  Hard to say!

There were still plenty open and lots of people enjoying them,  particularly some bowls of a delicious looking potatoes.  So we found a bar with an array of pinchos and ordered some of the same potatoes and some of the mysterious pinxtos. The Potatoes Brava  consisted of fried potatoes with sour cream and a bright red peppery sauce: definitely not diet food but delicious on a cool wet night. The wine was very cheap and very drinkable.

We spent some time chatting to an NZ couple who were having a rest day from doing the famous Camino trail which sounded very challenging,  but very rewarding. My leg ached at the mere thought of it!

After finding another of the recommended bars closed we opted for ice cream instead before heading for home.

Your ever expanding correspondent

Dianne