[6/23 Madrid -- Toledo -- Alarcón]
[6/24&25 Alarcón -- Valencia]
[6/26 Valencia -- Peñíscola]
[6/27&28 Peñíscola -- Barcelona]
[6/29 Barcelona -- Zaragoza]
[6/30 Zaragoza -- Ordesa]
[7/1 Ordesa -- San Sebastián]
[7/2&3 San Sebastián -- Madrid]
Map of Itinerary
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July 2 ...
Today we will drive back to Madrid via two old fantastic cities: Burgos and
Segovia.
- Burgos
Founded in 884, Burgos has played a significant political and
military role in Spanish history. It was the capital of the united
kingdoms of Castile and Leon from 1073 until 1492. Burgos is rich
in ancient churches and convents: three most notable are the cathedral, with
its chapel of the Condestables
de Castilla, the monastery of Las Huelgas, and the Carthusian monastery
of Miraflores.
Construction on Burgos' Gothic Cathedral
began in 1221 and spanned mainly from the 13th to 15th centuries.
Although we have visited many churches, basilicas, and cathedrals, Burgos
Cathedral's grand cloister and numerous splendid chapels were really
impressive and worth the visit.
- Aqueduct of Segovia
Set high on a rocky spur and surrounded by the
Rio Eresma and Rio Clamores, Segovia is the most spectacular sited city in
Spain.
The Aqueduct of Segovia, located in the
much-visited Plaza del Azoguejo, is the defining historical feature of the
city, dating from the late 1st or early 2nd century. Acknowledged as the
most important Roman civil engineering work in Spain, it consists of about
25,000 granite blocks held together without any mortar,
and spans 818 meters with more than 170 arches, the highest being 29 meters
high. The Aqueduct had been kept functioning throughout the centuries
and preserved in excellent condition, and it provided water to Segovia until
the mid 19th century.
- Alcazar of Segovia
The Alcazar of Segovia, the
royal palace located on top of a rock between the rivers Eresma and
Clamores, is documented for the first time in 1122, although it may exist in
earlier time. it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by
virtue of its shape – like the bow of a ship. The Alcázar was originally
built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a
Royal Artillery College and a military academy. In 1862 a fire
badly damaged the roofs of the treasury, keep, armory, sleeping quarters,
and framework. It was only in 1882 that building was slowly restored
to its original state It was said that the Alcázar is one of the
inspirations for Walt Disney's Cinderella Castle. I checked
Google Map a few times to try to find the best spots to get the perfect
shot of the "Cinderella Castle".
- Plaza Mayor, Madrid
After arrived in Madrid in the evening (~9PM), we walked to Plaza Mayor to
have another Paella dinner (and beer of course). This beautiful 17th
century square is one of the focal points of Old Madrid. The
Plaza Mayor has been the scene of multitudinous events: markets, bullfights,
association football games, royal coronations and, public executions.
The Plaza Mayor is now a major tourist attraction filled with cafes and shops.
July 3 ...
- El Escorial
The Monastery of El Escorial is the monument which
best represents the ideological and cultural aspirations of the Spanish
Golden Age. The project was conceived by King Philip II, who wanted a
building to serve the multiple purposes of a burial place for his father,
Holy Roman emperor Charles V; a Hieronymite monastery; and a palace.
Construction of El Escorial began in 1563 and ended in 1584. One of
the most unique and impressive place is the
Pantheon of the Kings. This chamber consists of twenty-six marble
sepulchers containing the remains of the kings and queens regnant (the only
queen regnant since Philip II being Isabella II), of the
Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties from Charles I to the present.
Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the building so I had to
buy a photo guide of El Escorial to help keep my memory.
After the visit,
we walked across the street to have a lunch with the view of the palace.
It started to rain and hail as we enjoyed our lunch with a nice and warm
blanket provided by the restaurant.
- Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio
Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family
at the city of Madrid, but is only used for state ceremonies.
The palace is on the site of a 9th-century fortress, called mayrit.
The old Alcázar ("Castle") was built on the location in the 16th century. It
burned 24 December 1734 and King Philip V ordered a new palace built on the
same site. Construction spanned the years 1738 to 1755. Charles
III first occupied the new palace in 1764. The palace has 135,000
square metres (1,450,000 sq ft) of floorspace and contains 3,418 rooms. It
is the largest palace in Europe by floor area. The interior of the palace is
notable for its wealth of art and the use of many types of fine materials in
the construction and the decoration of its rooms. Again, no
photography
is allowed inside the palace....
- Family Reunion Dinner, Madrid
Linus and Iris arrived in Madrid
with the school groups in the late afternoon, and we finally had a chance to have
our first family
meal together in 2 weeks, and get a few family pictures taken afterwards at Royal Palace of Madrid.
July 4, Going Home ...
We checked out of the hotel before 4:20AM to catch our early flight at
6:10AM. The return flight was much smoother than our outgoing journey
(no surprised calls ...). We arrived at SFO pretty much on time and got
home in the early afternoon. 4 hours later, we were back to SFO to pick
up Linus and Iris to conclude our "family trip" this summer: 13,000 miles of
flight, 1600 miles of driving, 11 nights at 8 different cities, 4 concerts,
and 3000+ of photos.
[6/23 Madrid -- Toledo -- Alarcón]
[6/24&25 Alarcón -- Valencia]
[6/26 Valencia -- Peñíscola]
[6/27&28 Peñíscola -- Barcelona]
[6/29 Barcelona -- Zaragoza]
[6/30 Zaragoza -- Ordesa]
[7/1 Ordesa -- San Sebastián]
[7/2&3 San Sebastián -- Madrid]
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