spain – Page 7 – PigTailz

Salamanca, Spain

After the endless rain in Santiago, we were happy to see blue skies. Unfortunately, strong winds bore down on the city for our entire stay. That also meant, we were able to enjoy the stunning views without too many other tourists. We arrived in Salamanca in the late afternoon, so there was not much time for site seeing. This bull with a wheelchair was the only notable part of the adventure occurring before dark.

We stopped for tapas and cortados, at a bakery/bar in the touristy old-town. After the food in Santiago, we were all a touch disappointed in the fare. The highlight of the snack was reemerging from the cafe after sunset.

The sky was dark and the the entire city had been illuminated by streetlights and ground lamps placed to create dramatic angles and contrast. Coupled with the early modern stone architecture, the yellow lighting was reminiscent of a movie set. If only I could remember my lines!

Stepping into the Plaza Mayor for the first time was surreal. I half expected women in corsets with heavy skirts to walk the balconies arm in arm with men in skirted coats.

We visited a number of beautiful buildings constructed in the middle ages and early modern periods. Modern shops and neon lights stood in stark contrast to craftsmanship and enduring beauty.

The streets were narrow and lined with stunning, high walled cathedrals, offices, convents, churches, and… Each of the historic buildings was covered by intricate patterns or sculptures.

I had been told about the church of shells, but I had imagined something entirely different. Growing up in a tourist town where shells were glued to everything. I thought it was going to be some hideous conglomerate of dead sea creatures and mortar. Needless to say, I was quite pleased to discover it was actually scallops carved in stone to honor Santiago.

In order to take in the magnitude of any of these monuments, I was forced to stand against the equally beautiful building facing opposite.

These are buildings from the University of Salamanca. One of the oldest Universities. Apparently local folk lore is that first year students must find the frog skull, the astronaut, and the ___________ in order to pass their examns.

We made our way down to the roman bridge, possibly constructed as early as 27 bc-14 ad.

One part of the city reminded me of the set for an old pirate movie.

We unfortunately stumbled on the modern art museum only moments before it closed. It does look like a pretty cool vampire mansion though.

Serra d’Irta Natural Park, Spain

Spent the day at this beautiful natural park. It was a bit of a hike to get to the beaches. But late December, 70 degrees, and sunny on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea… Yeah definitely hiking to the beach weather. This was the first pebble beach I have ever visited.

We stopped here for a bit and enjoyed the sun. We found bits of beach glass here and there. A few birds. An adorable dog that followed us for way too long.

Albarracín, Spain

The drive here from Toledo was a little intense. We left too late and drove through the night. We passed some weird curly horned goat cows. I still don’t know what they’re called! The night sky was incredible, because there was no light pollution in the remote region. We, finally, arrived several hours behind schedule. The concierge was much displeased.

We stayed at the Hotel Albarracín. We didn’t have time to visit, but apparently they have an underground basement pool. I would love to swim there on my next trip to Spain.

I woke up to this view from our hotel window.

The remote, walled city was absolutely stunning as we watched the sun rise over the mountains.

This city had an over abundance of stray cats.

This was one of my favorite spots in the whole city. We sat here to enjoy the view while making the pesky “we’ll be late turning in the rental car” phone calls.

It’s possible I maybe got a little obsessed with the sandworm door knockers.

Apparently the sand worms from Beetlejuice are from Albarracín.

We didn’t do much besides walk around the city, but one store was open. All beautiful hand made ceramics.

Madrid, Spain

So this time, the destination was “Spain.” No, not just a city in Spain, but “Spain.” We drove to Chicago, flew from Chicago to Madrid, Madrid to Santiago, and took a week long road trip from Santiago de Compostela to Castellon.
We arrived in Madrid around 9AM local time, which was about 3AM Michigan time. We were a little tired, but ready to start the adventure. Our first stop was, of course, coffee and Spanish hot chocolate at La Lonja del Mar. My first cortado was divine, and my Tiny Grown Up was thrilled by what appears to be a hot cup of chocolate pudding with our first ever churros. We also shared a goat cheese salad. Everything was delicious, and even being right in the midst of the tourist district, the prices were very reasonable by American standards. We sat on the patio and watched the magpies and parrots in the Plaza de Oriente.

Our next stop was across the plaza. So we bothered the birds a little as we made our way to the palace. Many rooms were preserved with the period furniture, art, and sculpture. Other rooms were made into a museum hosting reliquaries, intricate tapestries, and religious art. My favorite was the armory. It featured weapons and armor preserved from many generations of kings. The horses had their own, very elaborate, armor, which was displayed on statues throughout the room. Photos weren’t allowed inside, but we did manage to snap a few when it was acceptable.

Next stop was the Parroquia de Santa Maria. Beautiful place, but we didn’t snap too many pictures inside. It always seems strange to take photos while people are actively engaged in worship.

Of course we needed more coffee and hot chocolate to continue on our journey.

We ended the first day with a shopping and dinner at a large market. We avoided most of the tourist shops, and spent our money on local foods and experiences instead. I did come home with a clay bull of course.

We woke up early to avoid the lines at the Museo Nacional del Prado. Again, no photos allowed inside, but I enjoyed not having my camera in front of me for the whole trip. The food inside the museum was a touch pricey, but actually very good. We managed to catch an exhibition of Goya’s sketches while we were there. It was all pretty amazing. I think it would take a couple of days to make it all the way through everything, so I won’t bother listing everything we saw. If you’re interested, details of the collection can be found here.

Immediately behind the Prado was a wonderful park and I cannot wait to visit again in summer. Even in amidst the bare trees of fall, Real Jardin Botanico had some beautiful blooms, citrus trees, begonias, and camellias. There was a rock garden, a wishing path, and some lovely indoor greenhouses filled with water plants, hanging plants, and cacti.

And… more hot chocolate.

We spent our last night adventuring in Malasaña. We went shopping at PopLand and Chopper Monster. And I was somehow inspired to purchase had made one of a kind heels from ioli.

Although I’m mostly a vegetarian, I’m not typically inclined toward vegan foods, and definitely not avocados as anything more than a garnish, but I was genuinely impressed with Avocado Love. The seating was a little cramped where they sat us, but the lighting more than made up for it.