Blogs from El Escorial, District of Madrid, Spain, Europe

This weekend was another opportunity to take a side trip out to El Escorial. Only about 45 minutes outside Madrid, we again went with Professor Alex as our guide (and this time it was only him because the group was smaller... in case you read my Segovia post). El Escorial is the site of the very historical palace where the kings of Spain ruled for about a century in the 16th and 17th century as well as a monastery. It was built in the mid 1500's, at the height of the Spanish empire by King Phillip II who wanted a central place to rule his vast empire from (unlike his father Charles, who was a roaming and fighting King, Phillip chose to remain and rule from one location) as well as a place to build a ... read more

Today we booked a private guided tour of El Escorial & The Valley of the Fallen. Once Mikaley & Kyra were packed off to school our guides Penny & Talia drove us up to El Escorial, about an hour's drive from Aravaca in Madrid. The monastry, its gardens, and the view both up into the mountains behind and the sprawling city in the distance below are stunning. We took our time strolling through the gardens and taking it all in. Penny then treated us to some tappas (grilled muchrooms!!!) and an iced lemon drink which we sat and thoroughly enjoyed in the stone courtyard outside a local cafe. I could get used to this lifestyle very quickly! We opted not to go inside this time, so next stop was The Valley of the Fallen, some 30 ... read more

Come back British Rail, all is forgiven Kate On Saturday we decided it was time for another day trip. We leave Madrid at the end of June, which isn't very long now. We want to see more of the surrounding area before we go. We decided on an afternoon visit to the town of El Escorial and its monastery complex. It's about 50km North of Madrid, near the mountains. We saw there were regular trains from Atocha, the main Madrid train station, which also happens to be close to our flat. So off we went to the station to catch a train. Simple we though. Oh how wrong we were. We got to the station and followed the signs in Spanish for the ticket office. Inside the ticket office it was chaos, there were people ... read more

Ok. So when we left Madrid after like 2 hours of sleep, we took about an hour bus ride to a little town outside of Madrid, called El Escorial. It was crazy beautiful and a tiny little community in the mountains. Here is some info about it: El Escorial, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real (also known as the Monasterio de El Escorial or simply El Escorial) is located about 45 km (28 mi) northwest of the Spanish capital, Madrid. El Escorial comprises two architectural complexes of great historical and cultural significance: El Real Monasterio de El Escorial itself and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat about five km away. These sites have a dual nature; that is to say, during the 16th and 17th centuries, they were ... read more