Holiday in Spain: Return Home

 Some thoughts about our 3 weeks in Spain

1.  We found the Spanish people as a whole to be very receptive to tourists and in most places, at least some English was spoken (except in, of all places, Madrid).

2.  Food was interesting and quite tasty, but we found that getting onto the Spanish eating schedule was next to impossible.  It was sometimes difficult to find an open restaurant when our stomachs were ready to eat.

3.  In most places, except for Madrid, food was inexpensive by American standards.  We generally spent no more than $70 for dinner for 4 including wine (which is cheaper than water). The one exception was a restaurant in Madrid where the waiter thought we ordered 4 large portions of squid ( we were planning on 1 portion to split 4 ways as an appetizer) at $17 a pop ($72 worth of squid!!!) and then another $70 in paella and an entree for Molly.

4.  We were shocked that after the expulsion in 1492, the Jewish population never recovered in Spain.  There are somewhere between 15,000 and 50, 000 Jews now living in Spain,  a tiny fraction of the population.  Spain has offered citizenship to Jews and even conversos (those forced to convert during the Inquisition) who can prove a familial connection to Spain.

5.  We are also surprised to learn that the Catholic Church holds little or no political power in Spain nowadays.  After Franco's death and return to a parliamentary monarchy (as in Great Britain), the Church lost its power.  Gay rights and abortion rights are solidly established in Spain.  Spain was the 2nd country in the world to permit gay marriage, and Madrid's Gay Pride Parade is the largest in the world.

6.  Masks were required on all public transportation including any flights on Iberia (to and from the US) or Vueling Airlines, trains, busses, and cabs.  They were not required anywhere else, and none were worn (except by the 4 of us).  Bars were packed with patrons seemingly unconcerned about the spread of COVID.  

All 4 of us would highly recommend Spain as a great holiday destination (but keep your mask on 😉 .

Spanish Holiday Day 21

 Day 21:  El Escorial and Segovia and Evening Flamenco

We met Guy the guide this morning for visits to El Escorial and the city of Segovia.  On our way out of Madrid, we passed the  Valley of the Fallen, a controversial monument and burial spot for over 40,000 who lost their lives during the Spanish Civil War in the 1030's.  Franco had this built as a way to reconcile the factions after the civil war, but it had the opposite effect.  Anti-Franco Republicans were buried here against their families' wishes, and the general feeling was that they had died because of Franco.  The problem worsened when Franco was buried here.  Eventually, there was enough public sentiment against his burial with the many he killed, that his body was exhumed in 2019 and reburied in a Madrid cemetery.  The cross is 500 feet high, the tallest in the world , and can be seen for 20 miles!

Shortly after getting over our excitement of seeing the world's largest cross, we arrived at El Escorial.

El Escorial was the royal residence of the King of Spain in San Lorenzo del Escorial built in 1583 by Phillip II.  It is the largest Renaissance building in the world, housing the royal residence, a monastery, hospital, basilica, library, university, and probably a slew of things I forgot.

Photos is some of the areas were not permitted, but I "accidentally" bumped my shutter release button a few times. 

Basilica

Solar clock

The Panteon des Infantes was completed in 1888 and comprises 9 burial chapels for aristocrats of Spain.  37 of 60 spots are taken.

Panteon des Infantes (Pantheon of Princes

Just past the pantheon is the Royal burial chambers housing the remains of all Spanish monarchs from Charles I.  Again, a couple of accidental hits of the shutter.

Royal Tombs

After leaving El Escorial, we drove about 45 minutes to the ancient city of Segovia.  Segovia's history dates back to the 1st Century BCE with evidence of Celtic, followed by Roman settlements here.  The city was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO .

Upon approach to the city walls, you can't miss the massive Roman Aqueduct that runs through the city from the hills above.  The aqueduct was built during the 1st Century BCE with no mortar or other adhesive material to keep the blocks together. Each one (weighing up to two tons) is  placed on top of another, a testament to the precision of ancient Roman engineering.

The aqueduct was designed to bring water to the city from the Frio River about 10 miles away.  The remaining portion of the aqueduct stands nearly 100 feet high

Segovia had large, vibrant Jewish Quarter until the expulsion.  As with the rest of Spain, the synagogues were repurposed and now house shops and offices.

Old Synagogue

The main square (Plaza Mayor) of the city is now full of shops and restaurants.  We sat out here and had lunch.

At one end of the square is the Cathedral of Segovia.

A short walk past the cathedral after lunch took us to the gates of the Alcazar fortress. Standing at a promontory above the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores Rivers, El Alcazar's first recorded evidence as a fort is from the 12th Century.  It was used as a royal residence as early as the 13th Century and final phase of construction was completed in the 1587. 

Moat and Drawbridge

The interior of the castle had museum pieces from all over Spain from a variety of periods.  I found it not terribly interesting compared to the exterior.

In 1764 it became the Royal Military College.  There are many field pieces on display.

The early Roman foundation can be seen below the walls of the castle.

Segovia from the gardens of the Alcazar

Alcazar from the river.  (Easily defended heights)

We then had about an hour ride back to Madrid, nap-time for some of us in preparation for the evening's festivities.  The last night in Spain had us acting very Spanish.  We met Angela, who set up our entire trip for us, for a drink at our hotel at 8:30 followed by a walk  to the Royal palace

and the Cathedral of Madrid

on our way to the Corral de la Moreria Flamenco show.

Saying goodbye to Angela

Dinner Choice

The dinner and show began at 10:30 (way past our bedtime).  We were embarrassed by the fact that the 7 year old at the table next to us was obviously more wide awake than any of us Americans.  The show was great but way too late!  We finally got back to our hotel and to bed at 1:30.  Argh, tomorrow is going to be a very long day traveling home.