Monasterio de El Escorio

Remarkable condition for its 400+ age. Built by Phillip II using New World gold for his campaign to bolster the Catholic Church and resist the Protestant Reformation. The Inquisition was alive and well here and the library contains thousands of books and manuscripts confiscated by the Inquisition.

El Escorial and Segovia. And snow!

November 16th 2013
Geo: 40.9494, -4.11921Today a visit to two towns in the Sierra de Guadarrama, about 80km north west of Madrid.El Escorial's main feature is a massive monastery/royal palace built by Phillip II in 1584. Nearly all Spanish monarchs from that time to the present are buried in the basilica, after their bodies spend 50 years in the Puridero (decaying place). We only looked at the outside, but ... read more

Europe » Spain » Castile & León » Segovia

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

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