Earth 2010

Extremadura the extremes of Spain - Conquistadors, Roman ruins and Storks!

53 days since selling up, David Jones recording.

We are coming to the end of our brief tour of Extremadura.  It is an area of Spain pushed up against the borders of Portugal.  It is a sun-baked landscape of rolling plains and looming mountain ranges. Travelling on the motorways you have the road to yourself apart from the occasional speeding car.

We explored two towns here. The first, Caceres, is a beautiful old town perched on a hill.  The birth place of the Conquistadors who stole the Inca gold which helped build the town.  We spent a lovely couple of days wondering the old town along the narrow streets finding conquistador palaces and searching for ancient gold.  Alas we didn't find any.  But we did have a wonderful time.

In the evening we experienced, certainly for Paul, something better than gold.  Jamon Iberico y Torta de Oveja (ham and big dippy cheese) which is served with country-style garlic bread.  We enjoyed this with a bottle of chilled rose in a wonderful square listening to the storks Rat-a-tat-tating: the noise they make with their beaks whilst nesting on top of the church towers.

In Merida however, the storks have found another suitable nesting place: on top of the roman aqueduct, which is one of the famous sights of the city.  We walked pass this spectacle everyday when we walked into the centre from our hostal on the edge of town.  The other delights of Merida are the famous and possibly the best Roman ruins in the whole of Spain.  The theatre is particularly good, but there are also fantastic villas with mosaic floors and the museum helps to complete the whole experience.  Just a quick plug for the Restaurante Meson Museo Iberico: it's the best.  If in Merida eat here (Calle Sagasta, just along from the roman forum).  Good food, friendly staff and value for money. Here are some pictures of Merida.

Unfortunately the internet connection here isn't the best so will down load more albums when I can. 

Its quite strange to think that we are actually here doing this round the world trip and that I have actually stood on that stage (left, no that's not me in the picture).  There will be proof in the album.

Travelling is odd, you arrive with excitement and leave with memories, and when Paul's around lots and lots of photographs.

We are off to Sevilla tomorrow to stay for 7 nights in an apartment that has a private roof terrace with jacuzzi tub.  It sounds wonderful.  Unfortunately it does not have wifi so I may not be able to keep up with the blog. We will try to experience falmenco and tapas andalucian style.  We then move on to Chiclana de la Frontera to hang out with all the wind surfer dudes.  This is again another wifi free zone.  So our next blog will be in a couple of weeks.

Adios for now and I will leave with you the storks.

Touring isn’t boring, but you get confused about where you are!

51 days since selling up David Jones recording.

 

I am continuing our catch-up on where we have been over the last seven days: a whistle stop tour of different towns in Castilla y Leon, north west of Madrid.

 

Segovia - famous for its roman aqueduct

Avila - famous for its city wall

Salamanca - famous for its university and Renaissance architecture

 

 

 

There, you are all caught up!

 

Of the three we enjoyed Salamanca the most. It was relaxing and the sun shone, so for the first time we could sit in squares and take in the atmosphere with out worrying about putting on our pack-a-macks. It was a beautiful and laid back city.

 

 

 

We have mastered the art of driving into strange Spanish towns and finding our way to the hotel we happen to be staying in. Be prepared to get lost, if there is a direction sign accept it will be the only one and not direct you the whole way.  The best chance is to keep driving around the ring road and eventually you will find it.  The next step is how to park in the garage.  It will be below ground and narrow, your wheels will squeak on the ground.  It will be dark (don’t forget to jump out of the car to turn on the timed light switch).  If the garage is not directly below the hotel beware you might find yourself locked in the stairwell!  I am not saying this has happened but it’s very difficult to explain to the hotel receptionist on the telephone where you are.

 

We are now exploring all that Extremadura has to offer, the most isolated and least known region of Spain.

 

More to come, hasta luego!

The rain in Spain falls mainly…… IN MADRID

51 days since selling up. David Jones recording

 

I am sitting in an air conditioned room at the Hotel don Carlos in Caceres in the Extremadura region of Spain.  The city is famous as the home of the conquistadors and where all the treasures of Mayan gold went.  It is a long way from Madrid 250 miles and 7 days ago.  So I need to catch you up on the last packed week of touring Spain. Madrid is positioned in the centre of Spain and become the Capital thanks to Felipe II who moved the centre of government here in 1561.    

 

Yes we had four days in Madrid and it rained and at times was cold.  So my view of Madrid is a soggy one!

Madrid is pretty.  Some lovely squares, fountains, the usual things, but I’m afraid it didn’t do much for me.  They have lovely art museums the Prado and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.  It’s all very nice but a bit old fashioned and dull in my mind: lots of Goya, Velazquez and El Greco.  Centro de Arte does hold the most famous Picasso “Guernica”, painted by Picasso as a response to the bombing of the Spanish town by the German Luftwaffe with the consent of Franco during the Spanish Civil War.

 

 My favourite is the museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.  This museo holds what was said to be the world’s greatest private art collection apart from that held by the British Royals. The collection was originally that of German–Hungarian Industrialist whose descendant Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen died aged 88 leaving his collection to his fourth wife a former Miss Spain, Carmen Cervera.

There were many bids for the collection including Prince Charles, but Spain’s bid won, obviously influenced by Carmen.  Who also had influence on how the paintings were hung in the gallery, insisting on salmon pink walls.  The collection does hold the original portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein and this has been confirmed as the original. (Yah boo sucks National portrait Gallery!)

 

From the amazing Madrid train station we took the high speed train to Toledo the original capital of the country.  A town perched high on a hill with medieval streets and beautiful cloisters.  We had a wonderful day exploring the streets and getting lost, sitting in cloisters with fountains, having contemplative moments, and experiencing la vida medieval.

 

 

 

 

I leave you with this thought: if in Madrid, go to Toledo. 

Cuenca and the Enchanted City

46 days since selling up. David Jones recording.

We had a fabulous day and night in the wonderful city of Cuenca. The old town was perched on the top of the hill, and is most famous for its hanging houses!  The sun shone which was a delight.  Its other claim to fame, well in my mind anyway, is that it has the most scariest bridge I have ever tried to cross, well so far.  I am not even that scared of heights but this bridge was spooky!  The St. Paul bridge (Puente de San Pablo) was built from 1533 to 1589, to link the old town to the St Paul's Convent on the other side of the gorge.  The convent is now a Parador and the bridge was rebuilt in 1902.  

You can just make me out on the left handside holding onto the rail.

We then moved on from Cuenca to Madrid but before we left the area we went to visit the famous Enchanted City.  In Spanish it is Ciudad Encantada, which helped me understand the Spanish greeting that I have been learning on Rosetta Stone Spanish.  The greeting is encantada de conocerlo which means enchanted to meet you. How polite! Though as yet I have not put this greeting into use.  Though I am waiting to tell somebody my name and nearly asked the waitress in the restaurant in Cuenca her name just so I could tell her mine.

The Enchanted City is made of various rock formations which was originally the sea bed when the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

For all you Conan fans and lovers of Arnold Schwarzanegger here is a treat.

The Enchanted City was used as part of the set for Conan the Barbarian.  I am just full of interresting facts today.

We have now moved on to Madrid where it has done nothing but rain, rain, rain, but what would you expect when you are on the plain!

Anyhow I will fill you in on Madrid in my next post, but I wanted to leave you with a picture below for those of you who have known me for many years. It is taken in the Enchanted City in a place called the Sea of Stone.

Hasta Luego!

Valencia

43 days since selling up. David Jones recording.

 

I am writing this sitting in our room in Cuenca in central Spain. It’s an old Spanish town perched on a cliff and is famous for the hanging houses of Cuenca. I am looking out through the Juliette balcony across a quiet road to a babbling stream.

 

But enough about Cuenca I will tell more about its joys in the next blog.  This is to catch you up on our last few weeks.  Firstly we had a wonderful time on our mad dash weekend to the UK.  Special thanks to Graeme for cutting our hair for the second time in four weeks!

 

We attended the “perfick” Kentish wedding and I think a fab time was had by all.  I thought I would just show a quick pic of the happy couple.  Congratulations and thanks to Nikki and Lee.

 

We returned safely to Valencia and stayed for five nights in a hotel near the city of arts and sciences.  The opera house and science museum are designed like a set from Logan’s Run: a fab 1970’s sci-fi movie. I certainly think it should be used for the set of the remake, will the director please take note!

 

The hotel was the medium Valencia, good and clean, a/c and we had a fridge and balcony.  Unfortunately the pool was not open, which was a bit of a disappointment.  We made full use of the balcony having several G & T’s and a couple of light suppers there: bread and cheese! It’s strange, but when you are travelling you forget about the words cholesterol and liver disease.

 

 

The other highlight for me whenever we are in Valencia is the famous musical fountains that perform to music Saturday and Sunday 12- 2 and 8-10pm. If you’re lucky, on Sunday lunch time you may be treated to some Disney tunes.

The fountains are in the Turia Gardens and Park set in the old river bed that runs through the city.  It’s a wonderful place for a stroll, jog or bike ride through the palms and Moorish water gardens.  Perfect to sit in on a hot sunny day.

 

I have a confession and those of you that know me well will not be surprised.  I found a Starbucks and have had several frappaccinos.  I know I am supposed to be soaking up the Spanish culture, but it’s my one weakness!

 

I tried a bit of Spanish culture only the other evening, before dinner we had Agua de Valencia, now one of my faves: orange juice, cava and some other spirit which we have yet to identify.

 

We also ventured out of the city and visited Sagunto, which has a partially reconstructed roman theatre and extensive ruins of a Moorish castle.  We enjoyed a fabulous Menu del Dia at a local venta in the medieval city. My Dad would be proud: lomo, huelvo y patatas or ham, egg and chips – Spanish style. It sounded exotic when I ordered it! But it did the trick along with a lovely flan for my postre. We had a wonderful day.

 

There are photos in the Valencia album. Hasta Luego!