Month: June 2018

Important public service announcement. If you are traveling make sure you check all forms of communication. If there is an important change on your itinerary from the airlines, they will contact you to tell you.

As we got ready and packed for our impending journey home we got a text from Kiwi.com who we booked our return trip with that our flight had been cancelled by Norwegian airlines.

So Kiwi rebooked us through Iceland.

After securing all the needed details we spent Saturday our last day in Madrid walking though this very awesome city.

The streets were alive with locals and tourist alike. Shops welcomed people in with shinny new merchandise that was there to entice young and old alike. As I always do, I went to The Corte Inglez (local Department Store) and bought a couple of things.

We then grabbed lunch in an outdoor cafe. Suddenly while we enjoyed a Parrillada someone set up a piano, there was a violinist and two young people began to perform and impromptu Opera for us.

It was so delightful to hear the familiar area from Carmen, then The Barber of Seville. The afternoon sun provided us with warmth against the soft breeze and the music provided us with warmth for our heart.

After enjoying our meal and the magnificent entertainment we walked over to the famous Chocolateria San Gines for our decadent dessert treat.

This place has been around for over 124 years. The hot chocolate was as thick as I remembered. Of course it was served with their famous churros. This place has been serving this sinfully delicious treat to Kings, Queens, the world’s elite and chocoholics with out missing a beat.

We soon realized that our time in Madrid was eclipsing and we walked back to our hotel. We had a goodbye drink and headed to the airport. We had 18 hours in Paris before Iceland

Our flight to Paris was fine with the exception of a light cough I had developed. My inhaler was not working so prior to boarding Dan went to the airport Farmacia and got me cough drops.

As we flew to France, Dan happily slept and I watched TV and popped one couch chewable after another.

We arrived at our hotel after midnight. No thanks to our taxi driver. Apparently this was his first night on the job and he did not know where our hotel was and how to get there. I called the hotel to get them to speak to him and tell him but he refused to use the phone.

Thankfully Dan navigated and we made it to our hotel. upon arriving in our room, I had a headache and took to Advil PMs, my melatonin and went to bed.

I slept like a rock… it was so hard to wake up, Dan forced me to get up and head to breakfast.

During breakfast I was so tired, I could not keep my eyes open. Soon any plans of making it to Paris for a few hours did not seem as attractive as getting back in bed.

I requested a late check out and we were told we could stay with out charge in our room until 3:00 pm.

I went back to the room and slept until 2:00 pm. I was trying to figure out why O was so tired. Soon we figure out that the cough chewable I pooped one after the other on the flight are meant to be taken one every 3-4 hours. Taking 5 along with the other stuff really knocked me out.

Note to self: listen to your husband instruction. If not read the directions.

Last night we arrived in Iceland and got to the bed and breakfast we had been booked by Kiwi.com

We soon realized that perhaps everyone on that Boston flight was also staying here.

Our place is apparently a former military base. The building we are staying must have been barracks.

The accommodations are basic and clean. There is a restaurant down the road and we walked there for dinner. We are not in a town and the nearest town is 20 minutes away by cab. We have been told that it is going to cost the equivalent of $100 to get there.

I guess seeing more of Iceland will be reserved for another trip.

Today we hung out, relaxed and got ready to head home.

We are so grateful for our friends who have helped take care of our babies. Crystal has confirmed that Yogi is a drama king. Bella is never satisfied when it comes to food and that Simba is just plain cute.

As we arrive home, summer will be upon us and we have a busy calendar already.

I am exited about the adventure at home with friends and family.

We finally boarded the bus to our next destination Toledo two hours away.

Toledo is what many consider one of Spain’s most magnificent cities. It sits atop a large hill over looking Rio Tajo and was denoted a UNESCO heritage site in 1986.

The history of Toledo dates back to Roman occupation and then followed by Muslim rule before becoming the capital of the Spanish empire until the mid-1500s when the royal court moved to Madrid.

Upon arrival to the city we drove past the San Martin Bridge. You could almost imagine the ancient knights riding their horses over it. We then drove around the perimeter of the city to the “Mirador del Valleto see the wonderful view of the city on top of the hill. The amazing view from across the river included the city, the Alcazar and the towering Cathedral.

The majesty of the city in front of me was amazing once again. I was eager to explore the cobblestone streets and winding paths that held the history of three major world religions. Many of the buildings here have been influenced by the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faith. As you walk around you can see how those influences have been blended together.

Toledo was also made famous by the Master painter El Greco.

Our tour bus dropped us off at the bottom of the city. From down there, we were happy to learn that there were a set of 7 escalators that took visitors up to the city proper. Kudos to Toledo’s forward thinking government that installed this easy access to the city.

As you come off the set of escalators you can walk about a block to the city center or the Plaza de Zocodover. This is a buzzing center of activity. The main building facing the square is decorated with flags of all the provinces of Spain and all Latin American countries. The day before our visit the city had celebrated their major feast day, the feast of Corpus Christi and all of the regalia and decor was still in the square and around the city streets.

I found it funny that the Main Plaza was once a place where ponies, horses and mares where once traded during Moorish times, and now it has the outdoor cafes sitting for the McDonalds’ and Burger King’s.

Another notable thing about

Plaza de Zocodover is where Auto-da-fé was enacted by the inquisition in the 15th and 16th century.

Our walking tour took us through some of the narrow busy city streets. Soon we made our way to the Cathedral. Like many Christian buildings in Toledo and across the country, Toledo’s Cathedral is built on a Mosque (which itself had been built on a 6th-century church!). This is just an example of how the cultures overlap each other and like in Jerusalem, they create a window into history.

Like many Cathedrals, this one took over 250 years to complete. Once inside you can see that it is not as large as it would seem from the outside. One curious fact too is that it is flanked by two towers. Each of the towers bears different architectural designs based on the period of time it was built. Also when facing it, it is believed that since the city is built on a hill the ground beneath the tower on the right would not have been able to withstand the weight of a tower of equal height as the one on the left.

Inside the church you can find several rich works of art and delicate carvings. I think I heard our tour guide explain that the archbishop of Spain makes this church his home. While we were there I saw several clergyman put on their robes and walk out to the altar to pray. Like seeing a famous person in Rodeo drive, the cameras of tourists went crazy like those of the paparazzi as they tried to capture the clergy man sitting in front of the elaborate altar to pray.

Later on we saw an amazing marble carved sculpture that took up all of the back wall of the Cathedral. It was beautiful and intricate. It depicted Mary’s assumption and Jesus’ life.

In front of this beautiful carving, there was a Archbishop’s hat suspended from the ceiling. It is said that this hat is above a certain archbishop’s grave below. Legend says when the hat falls to the ground it will be a sign that this archbishop has finally made it to heaven. (Apparently this was not a nice guy and residents of Toledo do not think he has made it to the presence of God).

One more notable treasure here is the Statue of the “White Madonna” what is important to note is that this particular depiction of the blessed mother shows her smiling and clothed in white while holding a baby Jesus.

The depiction of Mary is beautiful and moving.

As we made our way outside I was taken back with the thought of the many rich treasures we have seen over the last two weeks in many of these churches.

Often the Catholic Church is critiqued over having such treasures while there may be hungry people in this world.

As I ponder this thought I came to this conclusion. Although at first glimpse it would seem like selling all the treasures could create enough wealth to feed the hungry and poor, this charity would eventually run out.

In my experience with helping those who are less fortunate, we must teach them to fish or eventually the fish provided will run out.

The beauty and extensive wealth of the church is instead housed in these beautiful places to remind us of the history of the faith. Their beliefs and faith inspired countless men and women to create priceless works of art. To this day, it moves people who visit here to act on their faith and become the ones that teach other to fish, to love unconditionally, and provide charity and kindness to those around them.

Perhaps I am naive. Perhaps I just believe that this patrimony really belongs to all of us and the Churches of the world are the ones doing the safekeeping for all of us.

My deep beliefs have also been reaffirmend. History is filled with lessons about men hungry for power and no regard for the humanity of others. Toledo is well known for the ability of three distinct faiths to co-exist and live in harmony. It is possible to achieve this now and I feel compelled to do my part where ever I am planted. I hope other people will heed the lessons of history. Callous powerful men lead to the decline of many great civilizations. It is imperative to standup to injustices. To speak for those who don’t have a voice and most importantly to remember that we are blessed. Always blessed…

As we left Toledo behind I knew that there is a part of me which will always feel at home in Spain. After all this is where my maternal grandmother’s father Francisco came from, and where my maternal grandfather’s mother, Maria Jesus was born.

The culture of Spain reminds me so much of my grandmother Margarita. I have also come to see that this culture influenced my mom a lot while living and studying in Barcelona.

I am excited to note that next year another piece of the Camino awaits me and anyone that would like to journey with me. I am also thrilled that I will get to immerse myself in more of this magnificent culture.

The Lonely Planet says: “Unesco World Heritage–listed Segovia has always had a whiff of legend about it, not least in the myths that the city was founded by Hercules or by the son of Noah. It may also have something to do with the fact that nowhere else in Spain has such a stunning monument to Roman grandeur (the soaring aqueduct) surviving in the heart of a vibrant modern city. Or maybe it’s because art really has imitated life Segovia-style – Walt Disney is said to have modelled Sleeping Beauty’s castle in California’s Disneyland on Segovia’s Alcázar. Whatever it is, the effect is stunning: a magical city of warm terracotta and sandstone hues set amid the rolling hills of Castilla, against the backdrop of the Sierra de Guadarrama.”

Although I have been to Spain before, my time had been so limited that I never had enough time to visit this world treasure with enough time to see it all.

Knowing that Dan would love to see they rich history of this city and another one, I booked a tour for us.

If you know me, you will surely know that tourist tours are NOT for me and that I rank them almost as low in my list of likes as I do frogs.

However needing to be practical and knowing we had just a day for this adventure I went ahead and booked us on a tour Spain’s two historical cities.

We had to meet our tour group at the Plaza the Toros early in the morning. In order to ensure we were there on time we we took a cab for the crosstown trip from our hotel to the tour meeting point.

We arrived early enough and we walked around. Soon we began to see other people who were looking for our tour guide.

We confirmed that we had the right meeting place. We all confirmed we were taking the same day trip and we waited. Our meeting time came and went and there was no tour guide or a sign of a bus near where we were standing.

Dan saw a bus in the distance and asked if he should go check it out. I told him no since it did not make sense that it would be that far from where we were.

Apparently this savvy traveler was wrong along with the 20 or so other people waiting at the spot described in our ticket.

We soon saw this big blue bus with the tour company drive away without us. As soon as I saw that I got in the phone with the tour company. As I argued with the operator that the tour guide had not come down to look for us and that we had been there early all other stranded attendees began to see what had happened.

As I argued with the woman I saw that this was not going to go far. So I decided to hand the phone off to another frustrated person while I made alternate plans.

I saw that there was another bus and I figured it may be going to the same places.

As I spoke to the tour guide, she told me that she had never had anyone just walk up and pay there. I assured her that if she called her office she could have a sold out bus as opposed to a half empty one.

So although now I am working on a refund from the original compnay we were soon on our way to Segovia.

The ride on the bus was a little over an hour. It was lovely to see the countryside again. We got to view one of the largest crosses in the world up on the mountain.

Legend has it that Chalamagne prior to battle asked God which of his men would die the next day. In a dream he saw a cross on the forehead of each soldier that would die. So upon waking and prior to heading to war he made those men stay behind. When he came back from the battle he found that the men he had left behind had died in a fire.

To commemorate them he had this huge cross built in their burial site.

It is amazing to think that after all these hundreds of years the cross still stands to mark the spot.

A church has also been built inside the mountain but alas it was not on our itinerary this time.

As we arrived in Segovia I was excited to see the world’s most well preserved Roman Aqueduct. It is such a marble that there is no cement or adhesive used to keep the bricks in place. I was in awe how precisely their calculations had to be in order to build something that had stood the test of time and survived kings, wars, discoveries of new worlds, modernization of cities and current times.

The old of Segovia contains a multitude of historic buildings both religious and secular importance, including a large number of buildings of Jewish origin, notably within the old Jewish Quarter. One of the most historically important Jewish sites is the Jewish cemetery, El Pinarillo.

As it is with most tours, once we saw the aqueduct we began our quick walking tour following the girl with the umbrella. She took us around the city giving us bits and pieces of notable info about the building of consequence in the city. As we kept walking, she would tell us that we could spend more time there during the free time. For me, there was so much to see that a day here would not have been enough. It was plenty of time to definitely know I need to come back here and explore the Monasteries, the Cathedral, homes of poets and artist that have contributed to making Segovia so rich in history and culture. Finally as we neared the other side of town we came upon the famous Alcazar of Segovia, the royal palace built on a stone peninsula between the rivers Eresma and Clamores, is documented for the first time in 1122, although it may have existed earlier. It was one of the favored residences of the monarchs of Castile. This amazing architectural beauty is built in the transition from Romanesque architecture to Gothic-and Mudéjar.

I was so excited to go in that I could hardly contain myself. This was once the home of Queen Isabella of Christopher Columbus fame. From what I was able to gather, she was a very independent female that required her independence despite marrying a king. It is said that she had her future husband sign and agreement prior to marriage stating that if she was to die her property and kingdom would not pass to her husband but would remain hers and when he died it would pass to their heirs if any.

I have always been fascinated by strong women in history. Despite the fact that they lived in times where it may have been out of the norm they stood their ground, made their mark and did not conform. My maternal grandmother was such a woman. Perhaps this is why I strive to nurture these traits in myself. I think that seed was planted for me long ago.

From what I have read about Queen Isabela, I believe my grandmother was strong minded and loved by a man who admired her independent spirit and resolve. Needless to say this apple does not fall far from the tree.

My visit to the castle did not disappoint. It was filled with treasured and if the walls could speak I would be transported with their tales of knights and the Spanish court long ago.

I was fascinated to see that despite a crippling fire in the 1800 many of the original furnishing and artifacts have been saved for us to catch a glimpse of an era long ago.

In one of the rooms, there was a beautiful painting that according to the story, when the fire broke out the town’s people rushed in to save it and the many books within the library. Out of the hundreds of books, many that survived did so because they were thrown over the castle walls down to the river down below. The painting was cut out of it’s frame and to this day you can see the crease marks where it was folded in ordered to be carried out to safety.

Once again I was disappointed we had little time to explore the inside of this marvelous place. Currently there is an artillery museum inside and I know Dan would have liked to have seen it had we not had to run back to the bus.

Here is a bit of advice. Do your home work, make your own tour as you travel. What may appeal to you may not be that which appeals to the masses. Most world cities have made it so easy to navigate and visit these treasures.

They are a part of our heritage as inhabitants of this wonderful world.

There is something for everyone out there. Perhaps we get too comfortable in our own back yards. However, seeing history come alive and meeting other people from the other side of the world does wonders for your perspective and view of life.

As we ran to the bus, I made a mental note of what to see next. Needless to say we arrived on time at our designated meeting point just to sit and wait for those who lacked the consideration of being on time back to the bus.

Next we headed to Toledo…

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Woke up early enough with aching feet and grateful hearts. We have had such a wonderful Camino experience. However all good things must come to an end we need to get back to Madrid. We have a flight out Saturday night. We head to Paris and have an 18 hour lay over before our Sunday flight to Boston.

We are taking two days in Madrid to see the sights since Dan has never been.

As cities go, Madrid is one of my favorites. Well I guess there are very few cities I don’t like. Madrid is a fashionable well laid out city. It has the classic European architecture that can take your breath away. There are green areas, fountains, and lots of outdoor cafes.

I was able to score a room at the Double Tree Hotel near the Prado Museum. It is easy accessible to all the main sites.

Our 3 1/2 hour bus ride to the city took us through more countryside and parallel to the Camino for a while.

As we rode the bus, my heart was with those many pilgrims who were continuing their journey. I was looking at the beauty of the road they were traveling and wishing I could be experiencing the flowers, the sunshine, the view close up as opposed to from behind the glass window of the bus.

We arrived in Madrid a bit after lunch time. We made our way to the hotel and checked in. We were greeted by the doorman who smiled broadly and asked if he had just finished the Camino. We told him we had and he seem excited and happy to greet and help a couple of weary pilgrims. During check in, we were told that we had been upgraded to a king suite and a couple of other perks. It was nice to see that membership has its privileges. However, it also seemed that the more we assimilated to this new stage of our trip the farther away we were leaving our Pilgrimage.

I was feeling I was internally divided between the comforts and to some luxuries I am used to and the simplicity of living as a pilgrim.

Once we had secured our room, we headed out to explore and grab a bite.

I was so excited to show Dan the Real Madrid. We walked the short distance to the original “patatas bravas” Restaurant where this typical Spanish dish is believed to have originated.

Our meal was delicious and soon we walked around getting to the sites and sounds of a buzzing city.

After waking we headed back to our hotel and we took a siesta and woke up refreshed.

Madrid like most European cities begins to come alive later on as the day gets later. In the evening we had made reservations to go to a typical Spanish “Tablado” where we would watch a group of Flamenco Dancers.

Growing up in El Salvador for the first 10 years of my life, I got to experience a lot of the influence of the Spanish culture. I remember playing that I was a Flamenco Dancer/Bull Fighter.

I have seen Flamenco Dances live several times and I love the passion and precision it takes to tell a story through the art of dance.

As the show began at 10:30 pm, we were lucky enough to have a table close enough to the front. As we enjoyed a bottle of wine, the dancers, guitar player and singer took to the stage the excitement within me grew. Once the few first steps pounded on the wooden floor in rhythm with the guitar I also felt my heart beat in time.

I looked over to Dan and he was just as captivated as I with the beauty of the dance. The experience was beautiful and exhilarating. It was well after midnight as we made our way through crowded streets to our hotel. The streets of Madrid were alive and well with crowds of people enjoying a typical Thursday night.

As we walked into our room ready to get a good night sleep, I realized that we are now a pair of travelers in a new city. We had completely left our pilgrim ways behind.

Tomorrow, we have a new adventure planned.