Links to Spain

Just thought I'd link up our trip to Spain day by day.

Day 1:here. (Madrid)
Day 2:here. (Aranjuez)
Day 3:here. (Segovia)
Day 4:here. (Toledo)
Day 5:here. (El Escorial)
Day 6:here. (Manzanares el Real)

Day 6: Manzanares el Real

Our last day in Spain we ventured to the small town of Manzanares el Real. Trav had been there once before and we went kind of on a whim when we realized that we couldn't get a bus to the city we originally wanted to go to.

It was a happy accident.

This was a cool city, and a great way to end our trip.

The first thing you see when you get in the city is this beautiful old bell tower, home to nesting storks. There weren't many people in the city that day, and as we walked the quiet streets the bells were ringing and it was really quite lovely.


We only had to walk about a half mile to get to this amazing castle, The Castle of Mendoza. (If you've seen or heard of the movie El Cid, this is the castle that was used in the film). The castle was constructed in 1475 for one of Spain's most powerful families, the Mendoza's. I thoroughly enjoyed touring this castle for a few reasons, 1-it was almost empty while we were there. There was one other couple we saw outside, and a few tour guides. It was so nice to be able to just take our time and stroll through this amazing castle. And 2-this castle just felt old. Parts of it were still in ruin. This is the last time on the trip that I had the chance to wonder why I'm not Queen.
This is the wall that is built around the castle. I couldn't believe all the detail work that was done and can't imagine how they managed to do it clear back then. Astounding.
The courtyard here is surrounding by a few different 'coat of arms'. This one happens to be the Mendoza coat of arms.

Inside was pretty awesome. The paintings and tapestry's were just beautiful, and so freakin old!
This is the view from one of the balcony's, it overlooking the lake.
1 of the 4 towers.
The view from the top of this castle was just beautiful. The mountains here are worth seeing and draw a lot of attention due to the rock formations, and you could see the whole city from here. I imagine the Mendoza's view was quite different back then though.:)
This is overlooking part of the ruin. I so wish we could have explored there too.
These keyholes surround the entire wall. The details of this castle were all so beautiful.
Awesome, just awesome.
After seeing the castle we walked through the city to see the medieval bridge that the town boasts.
And after crossing the bridge we found the 'old castle'. This is where the Mendoza's lived while building the castle we just toured. It used to be fairly big, but is obviously in ruin now. Still pretty cool to see.
We then made it to the main Plaza where we dined on the biggest Spanish Tortilla sandwich ever made. Seriously, this was half a baguette. And only 2 euros! And sooo tasty. It doesn't look like much, but yum.
We left Manzanares el Real both excited to be coming home to our comfy bed, beautiful ladies, and regular life, and so sad that the trip was almost over. We decided to make the best of our last night and went to the Prado located near the beautiful banco de espana. The Prado is one of the worlds most greatest art galleries and it is huge. I was a little overwhelmed when we got there because I knew there would be no way to take it all in. We were able to see some of their most prized pieces, and Travis really wanted me to see Goya's dark pieces. A whole room with some of the most disturbing art I've ever seen. We were a little bummed because the night we went the Renoir exhibit started, and we were all excited to see it, till we finally got there and realized you had to pay extra, all the way downstairs, and we were only a half hour from closing time. We bagged it, and opted to go out to dinner instead.

Here's a cathedral located right above the Prado. Another gem in the city.
The Prado

We went to a little restaurant near our hotel for dinner and learned that Spaniards like to take their time when they eat. We were quite ready for our check by the time it came. And when it came it came with complimentary mojitos. We felt a little bad just leaving them on the table, but I couldn't get Trav to drink em with me. (I kid.) That night Real Madrid was playing Milan (Futbol), and we were able to watch the game in the restaurant. It was really cool to watch the game while in the city with some serious fans. We were talking about how we should have got tickets when they showed a clip of the policemen beating some fans from Milan for causing a bit of a riot, and I was glad we were no where near the stadium. They love them some soccer!

Our trip really was a dream come true for us, and ended up being completely amazing and time we will cherish forever. Someday we hope to take the ladies along for the ride, you know, when they are old enough to really appreciate it. It is so nice to be home though. We missed our girls, we missed our home, our bed, our friends, our family, and our boring normal life. We have it good here!

Day 5: El Escorial

Day 5 was dedicated to the city of El Escorial. While in Spain Travis and I really enjoyed walking from the train or bus station to wherever we were headed. Most of the time it was a good mile or 2 walk, but the weather was perfect and we got to see so much on the way. So we did our usual routine when we got to El Escorial, and I wanted to die by the time we got to the Monistary there. It was straight uphill. Beautiful, but straight uphill.

Anyhow, after about killing over, we made it to the beautiful monistary. Built in 1563. I was blown away by sheer size of it. Huge and amazing. This was both a monistary and a palace for royalty and now is the burial site for most of the Spanish Kings of the last 5 centuries.

(Image stole from the web)
We were pretty bummed to find that it's closed to visitors on Mondays. Travis told me a little about the inside and it sounds pretty amazing, but it was still very cool to see the grounds and be in the beautiful city.



After checking out the Monistary we walked up to the main city square and I fell in love with it. It was just beautiful, and somehow I forgot to take a picture of it! There was a gorgeous waterfall fountain and the trees shaded the cobblestone streets to perfection. I could have shopped there in their darling boutiques all day long. It sits just above the Monistary so the view is just lovely. After seeing the square we started the trek down to the other part of the city, and found this beautiful trail that runs along an old rock fence. The fence surrounds the prince's royal hunting lodge (also closed on Mondays!). But the size of the garden alone was astounding. And walking the pathways was lovely. They had plaques up along the way with sayings from the monks who used to walk the same trail each day. Very cool.
The prince's house is in there...can you spot it?
We then walked to the 'downtown' area of El Escorial and dined on our usual lunch of a tortilla sandwich for T and a queso manchego sandwich for me. We sat in the park and ate and just relaxed. It was one of my favorite moments of the trip. After our picnic lunch we opted to walk just a little further and stumbled on this beautiful church built in 1594. I still can't get over just stumbling into these amazing, and very old buildings. It was such an adventure!

Then we reluctantly made our way back to the city via the train. T reading the paper-catching up on some Spanish news.
Self portrait right after saying, "I really should capture my sexy hair."
I must add that I really, really loved not doing my hair for a week straight.
It was heaven!
Tomorrow:Monzenaares El Real.
The last day! Boo!

Day 4: Toledo

Travis was pretty excited to take me to Toledo. Another city just an hour away from Madrid, and another city that was completely amazing. I was awestruck with so much history in one city. Toledo was at one point the capital of Spain and during the 13th century was one of the few places where Moors, Christians, and Jews could live together semi-peacefully which makes the architecture and history of the city very unique and rich. We were able to see many churches, synagogues, and mosques while there. While doing a little research on the city, most people would say that Toledo is one of the most amazing cities in Europe.

We decided to walk up to the city, and I'm so glad we did because we were able to walk along the city wall.

Yes, the old city is still surrounded by a city wall. And it was beautiful to see.



When we reached the top we went right through the City gate.


And once through the gate you are brought back in time. Breathtaking.


Every single turn you take in Toledo you find some eye candy. I just walked around with my jaw dropped open at the beauty of this city.
If the streets in Segovia are narrow, then the streets in Toledo shouldn't really be called streets. The cities pathways are crooked, and I found myself turned around very easily there. You can go from ally to ally and you may only be seeing people's homes, they are still just stunning. I loved being there because Travis and I would be in an ally all alone, strolling, and then all the sudden we'd run into another ally full of people, with a gorgeous church in the middle. It was just really, really cool.
A cathedral on the streets in Toledo.

I wish I would have taken a picture of the signs in front of the buildings so I could remember what they all are....
The City Hall, 16th Century.
Toledo Cathedral,1226.






Walking towards the bridge in Toledo, T under the keystone.

The bridge in Toledo spans the Tagus river and was built by Romans after they founded the city. Back in the middle ages is was one of the only ways to enter the city. It still has defensive towers on each end.
The door on one of the towers at the end of the bridge. The book nerd in me could totally picture slamming the huge door down when invaders would try to come to the city. (I should really stop showing you all how completely and totally nerdy I am.)
View from the bridge.
The other end of the bridge. Notice the gate doors that can be slammed shut. Beyond the bridge lies the Castillo de San Servando, a castle we would have liked to have gone in, but weren't sure how to get over there and inside.
A view of another really old bridge, from the really old bridge we were standing on...
View of the cit from the bridge.

Love birds. And if you haven't noticed yet, I didn't do my hair once on the trip. And I'm quite aware that I look like scum.
This is the bridge we were standing on moments before, it's beautiful don't you think?
After the bridge we shopped in the city for a while. Toledo is famous for making swords and also for making the lladro figurines. We browsed, ate in the plaza, and said goodbye to this amazing city.
That night back in Madrid we went for a stroll in the Banco de Espana area. This part of the city was by far my favorite part of Madrid that we went to. It was gorgeous at night, and very quiet. The buildings there are all just amazing to see, and lit up in all their glory. There is also a really cool fountain in the center of the road here of a Greek goddess being pulled by 2 lions. The artist forgot to put reins on the sculpture when he was done, and they killed him. Crazy! It was a very nice way to end a very, very good day.
Tomorrow: El Escorial