One of the many courtyards

Another European Vacation

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June 4th 2017
This morning we caught a 4 am taxi to the airport in Porto. We are flying with RyanAir for our flight to Madrid. On this flight Jim had to book a separate seat just for his guitar! RyanAir is a no frills airline, but they were on time and the plane was clean. We were met at the airport by Pablo, the exchange home owner of where we will be living for the next week. He drove us to his lovely home ... read more

Europe » Spain » District of Madrid » San Lorenzo de El Escorial

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Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in ... ... read more