Blogs from Castile-La Mancha, Spain, Europe - page 2

Es ist fast nicht zu glauben, aber es schien den ganzen Tag die Sonne. Warm wurde es allerdings erst gegen Abend, bei der Abfahrt war's nur 10 °. Ein Tag der Nebenstraßen, manchmal nur einspurig, aber auch wenn zweispurig waren sie leer. Eine große Schafherde, der Hitze ging mit der Zeit und saß im Auto. Allerdings ist mir unklar, wie das Oberschaf ganz vorne weiß, wohin? Eine kleine Siedlung, umgeben von einer hohen Mauer. Die kleinen Häuser eng nebeneinander. - Ach so. Für die nach dem Verfallsdatum. Und wer etwas auf sich hält hat auch da sein Eigenheim.... Blühende Mandeln. Die Bäumchen ganz so wie auf dem Bild von van Gogh. Lange Zeit über die Sierra mit Schneebergen im Hintergrund Brr auch mit Schnee am Straßenrand. Der letzte Schneefall ist noch nicht lange her.... Und wieder ... read more

13 décembre 2017 : Il est l'heure de rentrer à,la maison. Sur le chemin du retour nous faisons étape à Tolède.... read more

The following day, we went to Toledo which was about an hour drive southwest of Madrid. Toledo is this old little town on a hill that is surrounded on three sides by water and the fourth side by walls. Due to its position, it was very easy to defend and was the capital of Spain for a long time. For many years it was home to three different religious groups all living in relative harmony - Christians, Jews and Muslims. Because of this harmonious living arrangement (granted, this didn’t last forever but prior to the late middle ages/early Renaissance), there are influences from all three groups. Apparently, many of the builders at the time were Muslim which meant that many of the buildings – religious buildings included, were in the a more Arabic/Moorish style. These tended ... read more

After a quick breakfast at a little coffee shop we gathered up our suitcases and headed downhill to the parkade. Once on the road and heading east we stopped in the town of Aranjuez for a coffee and to view the palace grounds before continuing onto Cuenca. Aranjuez is a name of a song Jim plays on his guita, so we wanted to see it. We passed through grain fields and vineyards and forests on our route. The city of Cuenca started as a fortified settlement on a steep bluff between two river canyons. Our little hotel was in the old town, high on the bluff. We checked in and then went to a very nice restaurant for lunch. In the evening we headed out to see the principal sights, the Hanging Houses and the old ... read more

When I first started thinking about where I wanted to go on this trip, my first thought was Toledo, Spain. Essentially, all the other destinations for my Europe 2017 travels are an outgrowth of that. I was here in Toledo in 2005 and found the city attractive and rewarding. Consequently, today was the day for my return and I was pleased to see some of the same sights as well as some new ones. The train from Madrid is only 30 minutes (and $12) each way, so it's an easy day trip. Toledo has a dramatic setting on a rocky ridge above the Tagus River and this provides lots of great views (see photo). My first stop was the awesome cathedral, perhaps the best one I have ever been in - and I have been in ... read more