Day 5 Travel: Madrid, Salamanca, port



This morning we boarded our coach and left Madrid. We were headed toward Salamanca. On our way we took a rest stop at Avila, a walled medieval city. Pictures also of Los quatro postes. See below.




We loved Salamanca. Prior to our walking tour we had lunch in the plaza. Amazing empanadas and pastries and hornazos. (A pastry filled with ham, chorizo and cheese) Dennis is planning on learning how to make these once home.


 Took a walking tour of the city, home to an old cathedral and 2 universities.  One is a public university that is 800 hundred years old and the other a private university. 





The cathedral took over 200 years to build. Work ran from the 15th through 17th century in the gothic and baroque styles. Construction was halted by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Thus there are parts that are still not finished. In 1992, restoration was performed on the eroding limestone. The artist added a bit of the 20th century with carvings of a character eating ice cream (see below) and an astronaut (at top of page)






Back on our bus we ended at our embankment location and moved into our rooms. The night ended with a great dinner followed by a flamenco dancers.
 See the beautiful dancer at the beginning. Whew! Long day.

Post delayed due to sketchy internet today. So we are a day behind


 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Truly last post Oct 31st

 No pictures. Just random bits of interest on Madiera. There are no snakes on the island.  The highest elevation is 6106 ft. It is 35miles by 14 miles. The uninhabited island was discovered in 1419 by a portugese explorer João Zarco. There were no indegious people, just forests.  Even though the island is small there are 4 distinct microclimates. There are between 100 and 150 tunnels. In 2002 the newly extended runway (9100 ft) at the airport opened. It was built out on the ocean. There are miles of lavedas (or aquaducts) on the island. These are water canals that collect moisture and rain and spring waters in the mountains and deliver it to the cities below. There also miles of walking paths along many of the lavedas. People travel to the island just for some of the hikes. The vast interior which lies mainly above 3000 feet is unpopulated or cultivated.
Read more

Day 6. Cruising the Douro Oct 19

Image
Our first morning on the boat. Hopped on our tour bus and snaked up the steep canyon walls to Castelo Rodrigo, a medieval village, which still houses about 50 locals. It is located on the border of Spain and Portugal. It was first occupied in 500 BC and went through several kingdoms as groups fought over its allegiance. We took a short walking  tour (in a stormy wind) and ended at one of the 2 TINY gift shops and tasting rooms. Enjoyed flavored almonds, local sheep cheese and almond and chestnut liquor. Dennis really enjoyed the church of Our Lady. The dark atmosphere was serene. It houses a statue of St James, the Moor slayer which dates back to 14th & 15th centuries.   St James   Back to the boat, lunch and a trip down the river. Passed through 2 locks on our way to our evening docking at Pinhão. After dinner, A nice evening walk along the dock.
Read more

Day 12 Oct 25 A trip down the coast

Image
 A day of bus travel, but we had some wonderful stops as we headed to Lisbon.  A stop at Nazaré, a sea coast town of about 10,000. Its fame is BIG surfing waves (around the other side of the rock cliff). It's a popular fishing port and holiday location. We saw where the local fisherman were drying the fish along the shore (and yes that's octopus in the foreground) We had a great fish luncheon provided for us. And we managed some nice weather in between showers.  Then on to Óbidos, a medieval city, now inhabited by about 3100 people. Originally a Roman city, it fell to the Moors in the 700s. Later the city was given to the Queen as a bridal gift from King Dinis. She and the queens that followed were in charge of the city. Most of the city was destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1765, but was later rebuilt. At one point the local nuns starting making a sour cherry liqueur called ginja. The locals now serve it in little chocolate cups.  Oh so good.  
Read more