Sunny days in Valencia

 What do we associate with Valencia???? Modern architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences and the sea! But there was much more!!!

As we arrived to our apartment in the city centre, we were welcome by a nice lady, Marlene, who seemed to fulfill diverse roles simultaneously: the welcome committee, the information centre, the cleaning coordinator! anyhow, after greeting us warmly, she directed us to the wonderful market just down the street while the last touches were made to our apartment. We had very much enjoyed Mercado San Miguel in Madrid but the Valencian  Mercado Central was huge and different: one of the biggest markets in Europe, with almost a 1000 stalls selling fish, meat, fruits and vegetables, it made our head spin!!! We bought huge shrimps, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bread...and went back to our sparkling clean apartment fully loaded with our edible bounty.

During our 3 days stay in Valencia, the evenings were mild and we enjoyed meandering the streets, sitting at the Placa de la Reina with an ice cream or with fartons and horchata! We also got to enjoy these typical Valencian delicacies  at the Horchateria Santa Catarina, an institution for that type of sweets in Valencia.  Fartons, like churros, are always made fresh, no matter what time of the day!!!


Besides the area of the Cathedral , other favorite sites at night were small streets of the old city leading to the towers Serrano or de Cuart, lined with Tapas bars and creating a wonderful atmosphere. And once in a while, an angel...

We devoted an entire day to the visit of the Ciutat de las Artes y las Ciencias. This is a giant complex, the largest cultural centre in Europe, which consists of several futuristic buildings designed mainly by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava.

From the Centre, it was a long walk to the seaside...but we could not resist of course. And having lunch at a restaurant by the sea seemed like a great idea! Paella valenciana???? not here..a bit too touristy. The pizza was wonderful though!!!! And we did buy the typical Valencian rice to make paella!As well as smoked paprika De la Vera, another regional specialty.

Valencia was our relaxation stop between Madrid and Barcelona: no mega museums repertoire but enough interesting sightseeing to spend a few days. The old city had its charms, with quite a bit of history in buildings such as the Cathedral, the Lonja, the City Hall and the museum of Ceramics, just to name a few...

 The Serranos Gate with its octogonal towers is one of the twelve gates that formed part of the ancient city (Christian) wall of Valencia, Spain. It was built in Valencian Gothic style at the end of the 14th century.  It is one of the best preserved monuments of Valencia. It was the main entrance of the city and it was originally build with a defensive function but later on, from 1586 until 1887,  the towers were used as a prison for nobles.  More interestingly, it served as a “bunker” during the Spanish Civil war! Indeed, works of art from the Prado Museum needed to be protected from bombardments. Layers of concrete as well as automatic humidity and sensor controls were built to prevent any damage to paintings. The towers last restoration was in 2000 when the stones were cleaned.

The Towers of Cuart (round shapes) have not been restored to the same extent and it is fascinating to be able to see the bullets holes in the wall, dating from the war with France in 1808. This is also the famous gate or tower through which El Cid's dead body was tied to his horse and sent out by his officers, to encourage his troops to continue fighting the Moors. And according to the legend, it was a deciding factor in the victory of Christian Spaniards over the Moors.

 Here we see the Miguelete, the cathedral's tower, a Valencian landmark. The cathedral has a strong presence in the city; it is an eclectic agregate of different architectural styles but with a very strong presence on the Plaza de la Virgen. We loved listening to its bells!










A visit to the City Hall or Plaza Ayuntamiento and its historical Municipal Museum proved very interesting and was our introduction to the Catalan history and culture. Amazing piece of history such as this original flag dating 1238 used by Arabs to signal their capitulation to the troops  of the King James I of Aragon.

The National Museum of Ceramics constitutes another attraction for tourists. The baroque facade of the building is the most stunning of all Baroque style buildings in Valencia. It was without doubt the most accomplished realization of Hipolito Rovira (1695-1765) a Valencian painter and engraver.

On a more contemporary note, the train station Estacion del Norte is a jewel of Art Nouveau architecture. Valencia’s mainline railway station was built in the early 1900's. The exterior is decorated with orange and orange blossom flower motifs but it is the interior of the station that is stunningly elegant. Ceramic murals and stained glass in the foyer and cafeteria depict the life and crops of the farm lands surrounding Valencia as well as from the Albufera, a fresh water area with numerous rice fields (yes, yes, THE paella rice)! This station really evoques the Belle Époque of travelling by rail!

 Adios Valencia! Next time we are here, we may be lucky and have time to get into the art of Tauromaquia!!!!

A day in Toledo

There are several interesting sights around Madrid;we choose to visit Toledo. Leaving early by bus from Madrid's Plaza Eliptical terminal, it was an easy trip.  Set in an arid and mountainous landscape, Toledo's elegant towers reach to the skies. 

Entering through Puerta de Bisagra Nueva, we walkt through its silent and narrow streets, we discovered a small taberna with brick lined walls where we had our cafe con leche and a ham sandwich...for an amazing 2,20 euros per person. 

Tourists were nowhere to be seen...but as we got close to the cathedral, things looked different.

The wait to buy tickets was well worth it: it was a jewel of a cathedral. The Toledo cathedral is one of three 13th century "high"Gothic Cathedral in Spain (the other two are located in Burgos and Leon) and many consider it a jewel of this type of architecture. It took 250 years before completion and so, its interior is rich with several styles, masterpieces of Gothic, renaissance and Baroque periods.

The retable of the Cathedral of Toledo is a wonderful  Gothic altarpiece.  Commissioned by Cardinal Cisneros, the work was begun in 1497 and finished in 1504.

Popular tradition has it that the cathedral was built on the site of a church from the era of the first Archbishop Eugene (Saint Eugene of Toledo). Hence, the red bishop hat hanging from the high ceilings.

A stunning features of the Cathedral is the Baroque altarpiece called El Transparente. Its name refers to the unique illumination provided by a large skylight cut very high up into the thick wall across the ambulatory behind the high altar, and another hole cut into the back of the altarpiece itself to allow shafts of sunlight to strike the tabernacle...it was a challenge to photograph!

And to our delight, wonderful artwork by El Greco "The disrobing of Christ" whose colours are just stunning.

And a magnificent Goya, Betrayal of Christ, adorning the walls of the Sacristy.

Toledo proved to be a delightful town with a lively street full of interesting shops. One specialty of Toledo is its high quality and unusually hard steel.  Toledo has been a traditional sword-making, steel-working centre since about 500 BC, and came to the attention of Rome when used by Hannibal in the Punic Wars. Soon, it became a standard source of weaponry for Roman legions. Imagine!!! The number of shops selling all kind of weaponry is amazing.





Other Toledian specialties are of the edible sort. Amazing marzipan shops! And, several degustation sites for their regional ham or jamoneria.  While we had been eating jamon since our arrival in Spain, the Iberic ham was an absolute delight. It melted in one's mouth.

Towards the end of the afternoon, realizing that our stay was going to an end, we paid a visit to the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes; This monastery was initially conceived to be the mausoleum of the Catholic Monarchs (Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon). They would change their plans later, choosing Granada as their burial place, after its reconquest in 1492. Although the interior is described as being a fabulous example of  Gothic style with Spanish and Flemish influences with Mudejar decorations, we only admired the outside facades. To symbolize the victory of the Christians in the years-long Granada campaign, the massive granite exterior facades are festooned, as per the Queen's order of 1494, with the manacles and shackles worn by Christian prisoners from Granada held by the Moors (and then released when Granada fell to the hands of Christians).!

Toledo would be worth another visit... Before leaving, we sat down admiring the Tagus river flowing towards Lisboa...where we were last year at that time!!! The Tagus is a very long river, indeed!

And next time, we might be able to appreciate Toledo by night...

Espana 2015 Madrid Toldeo Valencia Barcelona

We got this flight from Montreal to Madrid with transit in Philadelphia on United Airlines. Hum..we were not really enthusiastic about the whole thing but to our surprise, this was a very good experience. Our plane was half empty and the service was just great in a brand new aircraft! Food and wine were fresh and very good...

We landed one full hour ahead of schedule at Madrid Barajas airport; outside is still dark...7h30 in the morning, and cold, 7C. We were surprised by the efficiency and the functionality of the airport: within an hour, we were down town. Wandering around on Gran Via and then heading to Plaza Mayor where we enjoyed our first churros con cafe! sitting on a terrasse and feeling the excitement of this new Spanish adventure about to begin!

Our apartment was located in the old town close to Plaza de Espana and soon after we disposed of our luggage, we went to the Dia supermarket to buy supplies (wine! olives! jamon!) for our week long stay in Madrid. Life cannot get any better!


Later that day, we enjoyed the sun setting on "our neighbourhood"...

And we discovered the Mercado San Miguel. And a discovery it was...a gourmet paradise that we were to visit every day of our stay in Madrid!

Yes, it was a touristy place and ovepriced but how could we resist???? The vermut on tap was delicious, their olives out of this world!  It was so packed that it was difficult to take pictures...

 But attractive food offerings were everywhere in Madrid, not only at the  Mercado San Miguel!

We were positively surprised to be able to walk Madrid..no need to take the subway. And walking, we did: from Plaza de Espana to Plaza Mayor, the district of Lavapies, the area of the Reina Sofia Art centre and the handsome Atocha train station, Paseo Prado up to Plaza Colon and Alfredo Martinez! In all, we were charmed by the architecture and the harmony of its streetscape.

We enjoyed Parque del Retiro and joined the locals for a stroll, admiring the fountains, but also the park's 2 palaces, Palacio Velasquez and Palacio de Cristal. amidst the fall colours.

Closer to us, the Palacio real, the Madrid Catedral and the romantic grounds of Campo del Moro and Jardines Sabatini enchanted the end of some afternoons and our evenings.

Here on Campo del Moro with a beautiful view of the western face of Palacio Real.
There were beautiful structures, dating back to the Habsburgs, English -style gardens, all very charming.

When the capital of Spain was transferred from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the Church in Spain remained in Toledo and the new capital had no cathedral. Plans to build a cathedral in Madrid dedicated to the Virgin_of_Almudena". Its construction only began in 1879. The cathedral is believed to have been built on the site of a medieval mosque.  


We really enjoyed our nightly walks around Palacio real..especially with moonshine!

Our visit at the Prado Museum was amazing: we viewed all Goyas,  El Grecos, Velasquez and other great chefs-d'oeuvre of Spanish and European paintings. There was an interesting collection of El Bosco (Hyeronymus Bosch) and Flemisch paintings. We wish we could take "weekly" art bites instead of spending 6 hours in one shot! But such is today's tourist reality!!!

Summertime ... on Lake Ontario

Back from our recent travels, Cuba, China, Paris, we now enjoy our summer in our home waters on board of La Buena Vida.  

And indeed, summer has finally arrived.  While the fist dip into the waters were painfully cold,

 we are now getting to "warmer" temperatures, with Marleyne enjoying an extended swim in the waters!

 

Enjoyable days ....

 

 

 

 ... and for those who want to go to Church on a Sunday: there is this open air opportunity: Half Moon Bay, Gananoque!

It was empty when we were there ...

 

 

And here a warm, although a sad, song about summertime ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOtaWyEzaI