by Jim Bellomo | Oct 25, 2024 | Uncategorized
After visiting Favios for bread and muscatel, we decided that was it for us with excursions. The only one left before our return to Porto was to see another church with a long bus ride involved, so we decided to relax with a day on the river when I could work on photos. Instead of a sea day, call it a river day.
As a side note about river days, Kathleen and I have decided that this river cruise is one we could do again (with the same ship, stateroom, and crew). But the next time, we would just sail up and down the river—no excursions. There is so much to see from the deck of the ship. It would be seven glorious days of rest.
Our day on the river would give me lots of chances for more photography of houses, abandoned villas, other boats passing by, churches and castles at the top of hills and the amazing locks. See what I mean by perusing these photos from that day. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
The river and sky were gorgeous all day.
The farmers were burning slash in their vineyards.
The reflections were wonderful.
And I love trains. Especially multi-colored trains.
Just a beautiful river.
That winds its way through narrows.
And gives me views of interesting villas.
And bridges.
Low bridges.
Really low bridges.
From both sides.
And moving away from one without hitting it. But we did have to duck.
I call this my Mr. Bill house. If it could talk it would say, “OH NO!”
Lots of churches on the river.
Lots of bridges as well.
Everywhere you look.
And another damn coming up.
I liked these trees.
Another boat coming out of the lock we were going into.
RAMMING SPEED!
This is our second trip through the highest lock in Europe.
An amazing journey.
You can see how far below us the river is on the other side of the damn.
I did my best to get you a vertical panorama so you could see what if felt like on the deck.
It didn’t work great but you get the idea of how huge this lock is.
Looking up just before we got out of the lock.
The door is going up to let us out.
We can see another Viking boat waiting to get in.
Not sure how long she has been waiting but everyone looks relaxed.
On board our sister ship.
This is the view from our verandah down the side of the ship showing you the six inch distance between the side of the ship and the side of the canal.
The last building before Porto.
And there it is.
The following two hours or so would be spent sailing up and down on the Douro between Porto and Gaia, where we dock. The problem was that there were five other boats tied up at the wharf, but they needed to be in the right order. For us to be able to raft with them (tie up and have to walk through them to get on and off the ship), every boat needed to be in order, with the boat leaving first on the outside and then each one inside of it leaving later than the one moored to the dock. Since our boat would be there for two nights, we needed to be up against the pier with two boats rafted out from us, one leaving the following day. One would be leaving the morning after, while Torgil (our boat) would not sail again until we were off, and another group of passengers was on board and ready to sail in three days. It’s very complicated. But it meant we had to kill time waiting for the other two boats to get ready to move. In the meantime, we sailed almost out to the Atlantic Ocean and back again. This meant I could get a ton of photos of both cities in a really great light that I could share with you. And here they are…you know the rules.
First up is a chance for me to create a black and white I really like.
Here comes a harbor tour boat.
With load of tourists who don’t look that happy.
And a church that has been totally tagged.
Trains on the bridge.
Abandoned buildings on the shores.
Streetcars. We found out later they are used ones from San Francisco.
Looking ahead to the concrete bridge.
And more unhappy tourists.
And more shore side homes.
And churches with amazing tile on them.
Close up of the tile.
One of our favorite wines is made here.
The Gaia side.
As is this one. On the way out I thought that was a church. Turned out to be part on a military base.
I bet we passed 30 harbor tour boats.
But it was a beautiful day.
That was it for our river day. We finally got docked, did cocktail hour, listened to the port talk for the next day and had dinner. I will be back tomorrow with our final day in Porto…or maybe this afternoon. We are back in Lisbon today and don’t have much planned until tonight.
You can’t be unhappy in the middle of a big, beautiful river. —Jim Harrison
by Jim Bellomo | Oct 23, 2024 | Uncategorized
Kathleen and I started coming to Europe in 2002 when we went to Italy for the first time. Since then, we have been back at least 20 times. We genuinely love this continent. But I am sure you have seen the protests due to over-tourism. That’s a problem many tourist destination cities are having, with too many people showing up and using up all the local resources and overcrowding cities, especially cruise ports. But our visit to Salamanca, Spain, was like going back in time—a European city before tourism discovered it. Don’t get me wrong, there were still souvenir shops and tourist cafes, but it just reminded us of the first time we were in places like Venice, Florence, Barcelona or Palermo.
Our day (like most days when you cruise the Douro River) started with a long ride on a “luxury motor coach” from our mooring spot on the river up the canyons and then a long drive on the plateau above the river. This one was our longest ride but with the biggest reward. It was also (at nine hours) the longest we would be away from the Torgil. Again, I can’t stress enough how great the “luxury motor coaches” Viking uses here on the Douro are. They are truly luxurious. It helps so much to face a 3+ hour drive (round trip) on a bus when it has so much legroom, decent WiFi and an excellent guide who tells you what you want to know and lets you look out the window (on the way there) or sleep (on the way back).
After a “comfort stop” about halfway there, we arrived in Salamanca around 10:00 a.m. with no expectations. Our first stop was the local Mercado (market). It’s not a big market—about one-tenth the size of La Bocadilla in Barcelona or about one-quarter the size of Pike Place Market in Seattle. Viking had arranged a cheese, sausage and wine tasting. And as our guide, Marianna, said, “It’s 5:00 p.m. somewhere.” The tiny bites (billed as tapas—which they weren’t) were just right for that time of the day. I skipped the wine. It has become my experience that if they give you red wine in the morning at a stand-up spot in a market, it’s not going to be the best wine ever. Here are some shots I took in the market and on the river that morning. No reminder is needed for my regular readers.
Early morning on the Douro.
It is such a peaceful river.
And the natural beauty is everywhere.
Now in Salamanca, the first building we saw.
Where this man was relaxing but had been there far too long.
Outside the market was a woman cutting something.
After the “tapas,” we were broken up into smaller groups, and each group got a local guide who let us explore the city further. We got fortunate with our guide, Maria Carmen (she said to call her Mamen). She was one of the best we had on the whole cruise. She knew her city and had a wonderful sense of humor. Sadly, she was not with us all day, but just enough that we truly got the flavor of her city. Her part of the tour started in the Plaza Mayor (I think every Spanish city has one of these) and took us through the University to the old and new cathedrals. They were genuinely unusual cathedrals as they were attached to each other, and you could move freely between them. Mamen got us right up to the steps of the new cathedral before she let us go off on our own—one note here about how great Viking was on this tour. Once we were no longer touring with Mamen, they had made arrangements in advance that if we just showed our Viking lanyard (attached to our Quiet Vox listening devices—see the one on Mamen’s neck above), we could get into many attractions and Viking paid the entrance fee. That’s classy. I think the best way for me to show you what we saw later in the tour is to post the photos with some short and sweet captions. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Our starting spot in Plaza Mayor.
One corner of the plaza.
Now out of the plaza and moving through the city.
Down narrow streets.
To a nice church we couldn’t go into.
But had a great tower.
Now further along to another old church that is now a library.
With a statue and fountain outside.
And next to it the library with a beautiful façade.
Lots of steps.
This wall with seashells. Mamen said to come back later when the sun was on the wall for diagonal lines.
Mamen explains the sculptures on the walls.
Like this one.
And this one…
And this one…
And this one…
And this one…
And this one that had a very creepy legend about if you could spot it you had good luck with the ladies but then ended up dying and going to hell.
The blue skies and great buildings kept calling my lens.
Just beautiful.
After our first day of rain…
…these skies have been our constant companion.
From in the courtyard of the library.
Looking out.
Reminded me of the shots I got in the Belém monastery.
And now the cathedral.
In front of this cathedral was another church.
Looking up at the new cathedral façade.
And above the doors another set of characters.
Including a spaceman added a long time after the building of the cathedral.
And another shot before I went inside.
Now that Mamen had let us go, I decided to tour the cathedral quickly before heading back to Plaza Mayor, where Kathleen awaited. I am truly glad I did. I don’t usually take a lot of photos of the insides of churches. I leave that to my buddy Mike. In fact, Bob (my best Canadian friend) and I like to make fun of Mike for all the cathedral photos he takes. Don’t believe me? Wait until Mike posts his review of this trip, and I will link it so you can see 10x the photos I took in this church…and all the other churches in the world ?.
But this cathedral was so beautiful, I just kept taking photo after photo. See for yourself. Pretend the usual warning about phones is here, OK?
This spot was awe-inspiring.
As was this one.
The doors were very traditional but some of the art was very “interesting.”
Like this piece which was as big as a garage door.
Which was right across from this very traditional chapel.
And that was right next to this more modern piece which was as high as a three-story building.
Which was across from this very traditional altar piece.
All of these were in this wing of the new cathedral.
Including this huge door.. It was the size of two garage doors, side by side with five more doors on top of them.
I couldn’t get into the middle of the cathedral so this seems off-center.
Sorry.
One of the side chapels.
The pulpit.
Looking to back of the cathedral from the center of the choir area.
The stalls in the choir area. Intereting carving.
The back side of the organ.
The knave leading to the old cathedra.
Looking towards the altar of the old cathedral.
The up close view of the altar of the old cathedral.
Looking up at the dome of the old cathedral.
Maybe, the founders of the old cathedral are buried here.
The last room in the old cathedral.
Once outside two photos of the cathedral looking back.
This is number 2.
They do nice manhole covers.
One last thing before we leave Salamanca. While waiting with Kathleen, I took did street photography and want to share them. It’s the best thing a photographer can do to capture the heart of a city.
I love the look of European school kids.
And old men in bright jackets on the phone.
And people trying to figure out where the hell they are.
Locals looking in disgust at tourists.
People with dogs…
And college professors coming out of tobacco shops fully dressed for success.
After our excursion, I met Kathleen, and we grabbed a snack (a pizza and two glasses of wine for less than 12 euros—what a deal), met the rest of the gang, had a gelato (so we could have a place to sit), met up with the big group and then went to an old casino (now used as a convention/banquet space) where Viking had snacks for us. We skipped them (pretty dry sandwiches), but we were returning to the ship in less than 20 minutes, which was GREAT! We had a fantastic time in Salamanca, which to me is what Europe used to be like. Sadly, I am sure if I came back in five years, it would be overrun as well.
Overtourism is like planning a dinner party for 12 and 12,000 showing up. —Elizabeth Becker, noted tourism expert
by Jim Bellomo | Oct 22, 2024 | Uncategorized
One of the most challenging things for me when posting while on a trip is finding time to process photos and write. It is twice as difficult on a river cruise because there are no sea days. This means that all my photo processing and writing must be done first thing in the morning (like it is right now when it is 4:30 am in Portugal or between activities). Day two was a good example. We cruised the river on our first truly beautiful morning day. Then, we had lunch and went off to the Castelo Rodrigo. We didn’t return until about 15 minutes before the port talk for the next day and dinner. By then, I would just be too exhausted to write or process photos. And guess what? I have a cold. Yes, the deadly travel cold has caught up with me again. And that sucks. Last night (Monday), I slept on the couch in our suite’s living room. It was not fun, but I had to do it because I coughed most of the night, and Kathleen needed her sleep after yesterday’s full-day trip to Salamanca, Spain. More about that tomorrow.
But that means I was up early and can start this post. Not that I will finish it today because we are off on another shore excursion at 8:15 this morning, and we are not back on the ship until 3:45. Then it’s a short time to work, attend the port talk for tomorrow, have dinner and go to bed. It’s crazy busy, and if it weren’t for the cold, I would love it.
But back to day two. Here are my photos of our float up the river. I think I went overboard because the blue sky and sun were so incredible to see three days of nothing but rain. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Dawn is breaking and it’s going to be beautiful.
My kind of sky.
My kind of reflection.
I am loving the promise of a good day and a great sky.
And that means more photos of houses….
…and villages…
…bridges…
…and if you look in the back of this photo, an ENORMOUS dam on Douro tributary.
This blue house really stood out in a world of brown and beige and rocks.
Oh, I forgot about the train.
And the heron.
And the cliffs.
And just the beauty of the river.
At places, the river was very wide.
At others the river that got VERY narrow.
Especiallly leading up to this lock.
Just above the lock.
Going into the lock.
Not as high as the one we hit the day before in the rain.
But still, crazy high.
This one was tough to get into because of the angle it was built on. The captain checks his side here.
We are going up…
And we are out.
Looking back at the damn.
And forward to more beauty.
We passed under a very low bridge when everyone had to be off the top deck.
To find another peaceful stretch of river beyond it.
This one really reminded me of Tuscany.
Especially with the tall trees.
Wineries were everywhere.
The river is great for reflections.
Especially with something like a bridge to reflect.
Or a beautiful sky.
Or even another river boat.
The river narrows again.
As you can see…the Douro can get VERY narrow.
Castelo Rodrigo
This castle/fort was first built by the Romans, then rebuilt by the Portuguese and then rebuilt again and again by whoever was in charge at the time. Different kings made different additions. Today, it is a hilltop town and a UNESCO World Heritage site where somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 people still live. The castle itself is in ruins, and the village reminds me a lot of Ez, the French hilltop town near Nice. We have toured there twice and loved it. One of the significant differences is that the people who used to live there got tired of going all the way up the hill, so they started a village at the bottom of the hill. So now the people who still live there are very old, and as they pass, no one moves in to take their place.
Luckily for me, a place that old combined with a gorgeous blue sky makes for perfect photography conditions. So here are some photos of the castle and the village around it. As well as one of the valley below. I will try and impart some additional info in the captions.
Mariana, our Viking Guide for the entire week shows us how a piece of cork looks after harvesting.
The top of the old castle.
More castle ruins.
More castle ruins.
Inside the church.
Our guide pointed out this strange statue that is totally out of proportion.
And this one of St. Pincushion.
The town’s tiny church. Still in use today.
There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds. — Gilbert K. Chesterton
by Jim Bellomo | Oct 20, 2024 | Uncategorized
We are on board and sailing. Sorry about the lack of posts yesterday, but it was a very busy day, and I am still not sure I will get this one out today. There are lots of things to take pictures of, lots of food to eat and lots of other stuff going on. So away we go.
After our long bus ride from Lisbon to Porto, we boarded the Viking Torgil. And I took the photo at the top of this page from our verandah on the ship. We are in Suite (yes, we got a suite) 320. It’s an actual suite with a living room and a separate bedroom. It’s really nice. And it has a balcony and a verandah. I will take some pics later and let you see it.
One thing that is totally different about this river cruise from our Danube Christmas Market cruise last December is that the ship sailed down (or was it up?) the Danube in the middle of the night. We would go to bed in one place and wake up in another. This does not happen on the Douro. The authority that makes the river’s navigation rules will not allow ships to sail in the dark. There seems to be some discussion of when dark really is (the ships go by what is called Nautical Twilight—about an hour before actual dawn), but they can’t start moving until then. So that means we get to see a lot more of the river…which is beautiful. We left Porto early in the morning (around 6:00 am) when it was still almost dark. I was up and shooting when we pulled out and here’s my first set of photos of Porto in the dark. A bunch of bridges and some great churches and hotels are lit up. It was just beautiful. So, take a look at my first batch, and I will be back with the narrative in a few minutes. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
The city as we left.
This beautiful hotel is totally lit up at night.
It just draws your eye and my lens.
This church did the same thing.
Here’s the hotel again.
And the general harbor area.
As we sailed on, it got lighter (that is how the earth works…I think ?), and we got to see much more of the river. When you sail the Duoro, you soon discover that about half the buildings you see are very old and, in many cases, abandoned. But they are great subjects for photography. The other subject that grabs the eye is the terraced vineyards. You will see them throughout my photos on this trip. Here are a few more from later in the morning (I had to stop to eat breakfast ?.) By now, you know how to see them.
See what I mean about buildings…
they just keep coming.
But sometimes you get a rower.
Or a whole bunch of them.
In differeent skulls.
And more buildings.
And more.
And more
And terraced landscapes.
A palatial estate.
A statue in a town we floated through.
Another villa.
Passing another cruise ship going west.
These are the boats that dredge the river.
Lots of green everywhere.
I liked the orange on this house.
I find this photo very restful.
Mour houses
These guys were fishing and one of the crew says they throw the fish that are too small back down the tubes.
Saw a heron/crane/bird.
This is the ultimate calming photo. Totally serene.
Terraces again.
Houses again.
Birds again.
Another ship coming…
…and going.
Houses again
See
A different kind of fisherman.
A cool winery.
A close-up of their tile.
More terraces and a building
Another calm spot on the river.
And a beautiful rock formation.
One of the great things about being on a boat this small is that you get to know every person on the crew. I have made friends with a sailor who works with the captain (who is only in his 30s—YIKES! I have kids a lot older than that), and he asked the captain if Mike, Steve and I could join them in the wheelhouse. That was cool. Watching him navigate the river and the locks is something. The Douro is a twisty river with some very narrow spots and five large locks we have to go through. The depth also varies from 100 meters to as little as three meters. That’s almost scary, but our captain does a great job. And it was nice of him to let us tour his work area.
Our captain may have been young, but you should see him pilot this boat. He had to transition five locks on the Douro, including the Carrapatelo Lock, Europe’s highest lock. If you have been through the Panama Canal, imagine a smaller lock that is 35 meters high. That’s just over 114 feet high. Sailing into that lock is scary. And what made it worse was that it started to pour just as we arrived. My photos of our transitioning this lock don’t do the experience justice, but here they are.
Sailing into the lock.
The walls are VERY close on both sides.
Looking up 114 feet.
It really makes you feel small.
Especially once they close the gates behind you.
We are finally there.
And sailing out.
This was most of our morning and early afternoon. Around 2:00 pm, we docked at a tiny port town called Lamego. I need to note that there really aren’t any places to tour directly on the river. To tour, you must get into a “luxury motor coach” and drive. Sometimes, it is a short distance (in the case of the tour I am about to tell you about to the Mateus Palace) or sometimes long (as in the case of where we are going today—Salamanca, Spain). Either way, it means some time on a bus. But again, these are the nicest buses we have ever had for our tours. Lots of space, about two-thirds full and genuinely a nice bus. They even have WiFi.
As I mentioned, our visit on this day (Saturday) was to the Mateus Palace (if you are in our age bracket, you probably remember the Mateus rosé ads on TV as a kid) and then on to Quinta do Seixo. The palace itself was a bust. Or maybe I am just worn out from visiting palaces, libraries and monasteries. After the ones we saw while visiting Madrid, this one seemed shabby. It was dark and dreary, but the guide was fun. If you are a Parks and Rec fan, imagine your tour guide was April Ludgate. She even looked a little like her. Here’s my pics of the Palace. They did have nice grounds and we had plenty of time to walk around them. So much so that I even resorted to flower photos, which I never do. But some came out, so I thought I would show them to you anyway. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Entering the gates of the Mateus Palace.
They say the palace is Baroque. I say if it’s baroque, fix it.
Sorry, I had to say that previous caption.
In the reflecting pool is statue of a sleeping woman.
The chapel next to the Palace.
inside the chapel.
A rose.
Looking into the garden via a long, dark tunnel.
The gardens.
A zen garden.
Some cool arches.
Some pretty flowers.
Another rose. Smelled as sweet.
This is my best rose. Really different.
The Arnold Palmer tree.
A diorama in the palace. All done in miniature.
The library in panoramic.
After the Palace, it was back on the “luxury motor coach,” and we headed off to the Sandeman Winery for a tour and a port tasting. This is where we ran into the best guide of the entire cruise (so far), Manuela. This woman was funny and knowledgeable, with a breadth of experience that made her great at her job. She seemed to have done just about every job in the winery, from being a tour guide to crushing grapes (yes, they really do crush grapes by stomping on them just like “I Love Lucy), and you could tell she loved all of it.
One other thing about this winery. It sits on top of a hill. A very high hill. With a one-lane road (not one lane both ways, just ONE LANE) and, our “luxury motor coach” went up this hill. Looking out the side away from the hill was not for the faint of heart. Here are the photos from the visit. You know the drill.
On our way to the winery, we passed our boat heading to meet us up the river.
The Sandeman Winery logo. We were repeatedly told, “He’s no Zorro.”
Looking down from the winery to the road we came up on.
Manuela, our awesome guide.
She knew EVERYTHING!
And was a superb model for the perfect light I had in the darkened hallway.
A whole lot of bottles of port.
In barrels as well.
Inside the winery, these are the vats where they crush the grapes.
Looking down to the village where we would meet the boat.
Thought I would frame the shot with olive trees. Kind of artsy.
Looking down on the village again.
And our boat is now arriving.
After we safely drove down the hill (how do those drivers do that?), we were back on board for dinner and bed. It had been a very long day, and I hope you enjoyed traveling along. I have to go now. It’s time for Salamanca, Spain.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full. —King Solomon
by Jim Bellomo | Oct 15, 2024 | Uncategorized
This was another long day—a very long day. Mike had found us an outstanding tour guide who would take us north to see two incredible places: the monastery at El Escorial and the town (with castle and more) of Segovia.
To start the day, I slept in. I know—me? Sleeping in? Well, it was only until 5:45, but that’s late for me. What was GREAT for me was getting a full night’s sleep after waking up the day before at 1:45 a.m. But that’s why your post for yesterday was delayed.
We met for breakfast at the hotel at 8:00, were picked up by our wonderful driver, Guillermo, at 9:00 and were off in Madrid traffic to our destinations today—the monastery at El Escorial and the town of Segovia. Word of warning here: I took a lot of photos yesterday, and I could not decide which ones I liked the most, so you will be seeing a lot of them.
Guillermo got us to the monastery on time, and our guide for the day, Coral, met us. Her name is Coral (like reefs are made from), but it is pronounced like the OK Corral. No matter how her name sounded, she was excellent. And we had her for the entire day (except lunch), making our experience more personal and engaging.
I could spend a lot of time telling you about the monastery, but it would be easier if you were interested in its significance in Spanish history and checked out their website by clicking here. I will give you the rundown through my photos, and hopefully, that will intrigue you enough to get you to research a little more or perhaps be lucky enough to tour it with Coral someday. So, without further ado, here’s El Escorial in my photos with captions. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
We arrived to find the monastery draped in fog.
But I kind of like the spooky look.
Right inside the door you can see in the previous photos is this courtyard…
…decorated with the usual bunch of…
…interesting, Spanish statues…that seem to have an attitude all their own.
Then we went into the basilica itself..
It is magnificent. This is the enormous organ that was exactly the same on both sides of the church.
The ceiling (as are many ceilings in Europe) was exquisite.
The details is amazing. I thought it was one of the best ceilings I had seen until…
We went upstairs to the library.
Talk about incredibly vivid colors.
We learned that painter, Luca Giordano painted (as did DaVinci) with both hands.
I don’t care how many he used…
…this is incredible.
Here’s some of the beauty close up.
Amazing.
In another room, more of the same.
What a ceiling.
And now down to the crypt where most Spanish monarchs are buried. The first group are the queens who died childless.
Then the graves of royal children who died at birth or while young.
Sad but amazing.
Next different queens and consorts that had produced heirs.
Followed by some special royal family members who got their own special tombs.
So many dead people, so little time.
We then moved up to other rooms in the monastery where we saw this puzzle box.
And a lengthy hallway filled with paintings of a battle or a war…Steve asked but I am still not sure what the answer was.
Zooming in.
A close up of the previous photo.
Back outside the fog was starting to lift.
And blue sky was showing above the monastery.
I need to mention that the most amazing room (for me) was down a narrow, winding set of stairs to the actual burial chamber of the most important Kings and Queens of Spain. No photography was allowed from the time we started down the stairs until we came back up again, but I did steal this photo online so you could see what you missed.
If you’re interested at all, please make sure to click the link to the monastery I posted above.
After we finished touring the monastery, it was time to travel to Segovia, where we would have lunch next to a Roman aqueduct and see the most fantastic castle. The ride from El Escorial to Segovia took about 45 minutes (the ride from Madrid to El Escorial had taken about an hour with traffic). Coral did not come with us in the van but said she would meet us at the restaurant right after lunch.
When we arrived in Segovia, we were going to lunch at Mesón de Candido, a very old restaurant…probably the most famous in Segovia because it sat right at the bottom of the Roman aqueduct. At this point, it is time for some aqueduct and Segovia square photos because words can’t describe it. Maybe my captions can.
It is just an amazing site.
From both sides.
Looking either way.
Mesón de Cándido. The aqueduct is just barely to the left of this photo.
Looking back up the stairs to the center of the village.
A view between two of the pillars.
After lunch, the rains came back…but only for a few moments.
Lunch was wonderful. We ate outside. The only drawback to eating outside in Spain is the smoke. Cigarettes are still prevalent here, especially when around Asian tour groups who seem to have no problem surrounding you with smokers. We were seated under umbrellas in the square, and at one point, when it started drizzling, non-customer tourists surrounded us, many smoking like chimneys. It’s kind of a sad way to ruin a good meal.
After lunch, Coral found us again, and we told her how truly impressive the Segovian aqueduct was to us, and she said, “Just wait.” She wasn’t kidding. Our next stop was a short break to an incredible site below the Alcázar de Segovia castle. This was an authentic medieval castle, but when you see it, you start thinking that maybe someone in Segovia ordered up a Hollywood castle, just like you would see in the movies. Well, it’s not a set. It’s real, and it’s incredible. Not only was the castle impressive, but from there, the views in every direction were astounding. (I know, that’s a lot of superlatives, but look at the photos and tell me I am exaggerating.) Here are the rest of the shots I took in front and inside this amazing edifice.
Once we got in front of the castle, the skies just blew me away.
And you could see them beautifully beind the village.
With the tower of the basilica framing them, just perfect.
See what I mean.
Amazing stuff.
Sorry for so many cloud photos.
It also shows you the weather to the north.
It looked cold and dark.
But wait until I have gotten sick of photographing clouds.
And villages to give you a view in the other direction.
The castle…in the sunshine.
And views in the opposite direction.
The castle demands your complete attention.
From every direction and distance.
But still behind you is the amazing village.
But that castle…
Looking down into the left side of the moat.
And the right side.
And up to a glorious blue sky.
And inside to the armory.
And beautifully tiled rooms.
With incredible stained glass.
Ceilings that went on forever.
Some with Moorish influence.
Finally to the actual room where Columbus presented his plans to Queen Isabella.
The view from the back of the castle.
Reminded me of Tuscany.
This painting of Isabella was impressive.
As was this ceiling.
And ths statuary just beneath it.
All kings but these three.
And more Tuscan-like views.
And amazing altar pieces.
Parapets leading to the smaller towers.
The original city wall can be seen where the modern dirt has slid away.
Below were the formal gardens.
Looking back as we left.
Another tower peeking out.
A group of girls decided this was the perfect place for a fashion photo shoot. Really?
Ah, that village again.
And exiting the castle, the village came into view again.
All I can say to sum up this wonderful day is WOW! From start to finish, we had a fantastic time. A great driver, a very comfortable van (not a “luxury motor coach”), a superb tour guide, a great lunch and so many incredible sights. It was just a totally WOW day.
In Spain, the dead are more alive than the dead of any other country in the world. — Federico Garcia Lorca
