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This is an
approximate
overview of our trip. We flew to Lisbon and made a clock-wise circuit through
cities and town in Portugal and Spain, ending back in Lisbon. |
Here are three views of the Monastery of Jeronimos (St Jerome) in Lisbon,
near the banks of the Tagus River. The right picture shows an internal
courtyard.
tourist
attraction
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(L) The tomb of Vasco da Gama, inside Jeronimos Monastery,
and (R) The Monument to the Discoveries, a tribute to Portuguese
navigational skills in exploring the New World was built in 1960 to mark to
500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator (tomb at far
right).
tourist attraction |
Detail of the Holy Door of the Cathedral Vieja housing the remains of St
James in Santiago de Compostela. "Santigao" itself is a contraction of
'saint Yacov', another of James's many names (Iago, Jacob, James, Jacques).
"Compostela" derives from the words for 'the field of stars' as legend
states that the remains of James were located by an arrow of stars showing
the way. The original shrine was built in 868. The earliest recorded
pilgrimage was in 1092. On the left, James and his two helpers are above the
door. The right - a detail of the inside of the door.
tourist attraction
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Main view of the
cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, and a view of the cathedral's shadow on
the cloistered nunnery next door.
tourist attraction |
The Portuguese medieval walled town of Obidos. The name of the town derives from the
Latin term oppidum, meaning "citadel", or "fortified city".
Obidos city wall, walled city, walled town
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A view of Oporto from
Vila Nova de Gaia, on the other side of the Douro River. |
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The House of Sandeman, a prestigious maker of sherry and port. (R) Naimah in
the aging caves.
Both the wine name "port" and the country name "Portugal" come from the Portuguese city name Oporto. |
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The
Oporto Bolsa
(Porto stock exchange, or business club). (L) exterior view, (M) interior view,
and (R) historic marker plaque. |
The "Tower of Hercules"
(Torre de Hercules) in La Coruna, Spain is a still-working lighthouse
built on the base of an existing Roman lighthouse. The tower is known to
have existed in the 2nd Century. It is said to be the oldest working
lighthouse in the world and
is the 2nd tallest lighthouse in Spain.
In 2009, it was designated as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
oldest lighthouse in the
world tourist
attraction |
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The shell of the
magnificent Dominican Batalha Monastery,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tomb of Prince Henry the
Navigator and his mother (Philippa Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, the
richest man in Europe in the Middle Ages) lie here.
tourist attraction |
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Fatima, Portugal, famous for the religious visions that took place there in
1917 is a shrine for many pilgrims. |
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Jerrold Patz sitting with famous Spanish (Catalan)
architect, Antoni Gaudi in Leon, Spain. |
El Greco's masterpiece, "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz"
("El Entierro Del Senor de Orgaz"
) was painted in
1586. It is housed in a small church, Iglesia de Santo Tome in Toledo, Spain. On the
right is a detail of the painting's lower section. Note that only two heads are
facing forward
to the viewer: the little boy on the left (El Greco's son), and El Greco himself,
~7th from the left. El Greco is also waiving at us.
picture: entrance to "El
Entierro Del Conde de Orgaz"
tourist attraction |
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The Tomb of Francisco Franco, at the
Valley of the Fallen
Basilica, near Madrid. The site, officially called Monumento National de
Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caidos (National
Monument of the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen) honors the
people killed in the Spanish Civil War. It has the tallest memorial cross in
the world, 152.4 meters (500 feet) high. It has a funicular to assist those
in getting to the top of the mountain and the base of the cross (R).
tallest cross in the world
tourist attraction |
Knights Templar Castle in Ponferrada,
Leon Province, Spain. Although the walls are strong
and thick, they did not prevent the city's conquest by the Moors, Norsemen,
and even Napoleon. On the right - a sign detailing preservation works on the
castle, and, finally, Jerrold Patz at the Ponferrada Castle gate.
tourist attraction, walled city, walled town
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Statue in tribute to
Cervantes in Plaza de Espana, Madrid depicting his fictional character Don
Quixote. |
(L+R)
Panoramas of the walled city of Avila, (M) Naimah peeking through the walls.
Avila city wall, walled city, walled town |
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(L) A Roman bridge in
Salamanca that is still in use, (M1) a gateway on Salamanca's Plaza Mayor,
(M2) detail of the gateway to the University of Salamanca, Spain's oldest
extant university (founded in 1218) - Columbus, in order to gain funding for
his voyages, made his case to geographers at Salamanca University, and (R) a Moorish bridge at Toledo.
"Spain's oldest
university" "one of the oldest universities in Europe" "oldest
university" |
The Alhambra in Granada is the
most-visited site in Spain. The name is derived from the Arabic word
for 'red', probably due to the color of the clay, the complete name was
الْقَلْعَةُ ٱلْحَمْرَاءُ = al-Qal'at al-Ħamrā' = "the red fortress") . It
was the palace for the Moorish Caliph and was built between 1248 and 1354.
It was the palace, administrative center, and court for the Moorish rulers.
Its intricate plastering are detail-rich and its gardens are refreshingly
cool. It is one of Spain's many UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
In 1527, Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor erected his palace there.
tourist attraction
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Additional
Alhambra detail work. (L) a
dome and doorway detail, (R) The
Alhambra as seen from the
Garden of the Generalife, and a view of the old Granada city wall.
tourist attraction |
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The Gardens of the Generalife
('gardens of heaven') are adjacent to the Alhambra. They are lush and full of
flowers and water features. |
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(L) Jerrold Patz at
the Patio of Lions in the Alhambra
and (M) at a water feature in the
Gardens of the Generalife. (R) Naimah posing in the sculpted hedges
of the Gardens of the Generalife.
tourist attraction |
Cordoba Spain's Mosque of the Caliphs.
A major mosque built in 784 by the Moors, it now contains a small church
added in the 1236. At the time, it was the 2nd largest mosque in the world.
The building is known for its giant arches and over 1000 columns. The archway details
show red sandstone interlaced with white granite. (R) details of the
intricate carvings of the mirhab and geometric details of the niche and ceiling dome.
tourist attraction
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Spain is noted for its
bull fighting. (L) Here is a plaque for the bull ring, and (R) the Seville
bull ring |
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Three items of curiosity at Seville: (L) A multi-lingual sign for a
bookstore. Note the irony of the store name - "Babel". (M) Our hotel room TV
greeted us by name, and (R) A multi-lingual historic marker for the home of
La Giralda. |
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(L) Seville Cathedral
where Christopher Columbus is buried and (R) a statue honoring Columbus. Note the "1492"
in the capital, and the ship hanging mid-high. |
Seville's Royal Palace, Real Alcazar,
originally a Moorish fort, then a palace for King Peter I. The courtyard
building (R) was begun in 1364.
tourist attraction
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(L) Detail of the wall
painting (in the arches) from the
Real Alcazar [above (R)]. (R) Detail of a courtyard wall.
tourist attraction |
Details of the interior of the Real
Alcazar: (L) Wall decorations, (M) gilded ceiling, (R) intricate door
details.
tourist
attraction
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Spain is the largest
producer of olives (and olive oil) in the world, producing more than all
other countries combined. We saw hundreds of miles of olive groves on the
plains of southern Spain. |
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No trip is ever complete without a few group portraits. On the left, our
travel group on Plaza de Espana in Madrid, the site of the 1929 World
Exposition. On the right, we are in the House of Sandeman's Port cave on the
banks of the Douro River. |
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