San Lorenzo del Escorial

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30 September 2016

About 10k beyond El Valle de los Caidos there is another huge edifice built on the orders of a Spanish ruler. Between 1563 and 1584 Felipe II had constructed San Lorenzo del Escorial, a vast monastery, palace and basilica complex, to commemorate victory over the French at the battle of San Quentin. We visited the buildings and gardens.

Then it was a 95k drive south around Madrid to a pleasant campsite on the banks of the Rio Tajo in the outskirts of the town of Aranjuez.

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