Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
- In: History | Spain | Travel
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During our stay in Tarragona, we took a bus to the mountain monastery of Montserrat, a place I have been wanting to visit for some time. The bus wound its way up into the Montserrat mountains in what seemed like hours. Why would anyone want to build a monastery all the way up here? Our guide, a pleasant and well informed young man named Victor, explained it to us in three languages, English, French and Spanish.
The Montserrat mountains through the bus window.
Legend has it that shepherds discovered a Black Madonna in 880 AD when they heard music and saw a light coming from a cave high in the mountains. The statue, the oldest Black Madonna in Europe, is only 60 cm tall but when the bishop from the nearest town came to have it removed and taken to his cathedral, it proved impossible to move. So pilgrims began coming to the cave to see it. Eventually an abbey was built around the cave.
Once we reached our destination, the view from the top was incredible.
The sanctuary is built against the mountain to include the Madonna in her cave.
The Bascilica of Montserrat
Montserrat is home to the Sanctuary of Our Lady and a Benedictine monastery and has, for almost 1000 years, served pilgrims and visitors to the mountain. The building has been destroyed a few times over the years, including during the Napoleonic wars, when many of the monks were killed. It was also damaged in the Spanish civil war (1936 – 1939). The building standing now was completed in 1949. Many pilgrms come to venerate the patron saint of Catalonia daily in La Santa Cava at the back of the cathedral. Montserrat has been modernised to continue attending to the needs of pilgrims one thousand years after it was originally founded.
Sculptures of monks killed by Napoleonic soldiers. Sad times.
Inside the chapel
Pilgrims and visitors lineup to ascend the stairs and view the Virgin.
The Virgin’s Chapel from inside the Basilica
The Black Madonna
Visitors are not allowed to take pictures while paying homage to the Black Madonna. But Victor explained that from inside the basilica, from the floor of the chapel, I could take pictures. Later by enlarging and cropping, I was able to get a fairly good picture. It is amazing to see and left me awestruck.
Montserrat means Saw Mountain, as the range looks like the serrated edge of a saw and is the name of the Mountains and the sanctuary. It is a perfect place for walkers with many hiking trails available. A place to enjoy nature and contemplate life. There is also a fabulous art museum onsite which I will tell you about in another post.
I purchased a jar of honey made by the monks. I left feeling refreshed and at peace, satisfied I could tick off another place on that long list.
Reus, the Birthplace of Gaudi
Posted on: June 24, 2019
- In: History | Spain | Travel
- 54 Comments
I love everything Gaudi and was delighted to learn that his birthplace was very near where we were staying on our recent holiday in the province of Tarragona. So, of course, we made a visit. Reus is another charming Spanish town with its own flavour. It is known as an important producer of wines and spirits, texiles and the birthplace of architect Antoni Gaudí.
Plaza del Mercadal
We found the old town square, which is the best place to start when visiting these towns as everything stems from there. There are always plenty of cute coffee shops with outdoor terraces, great for people watching and grabbing a snack.
An interesting building around the square is Casa Navas, a house built in 1901 in the Catalan Art Noveau style designed by a contemporary of Antoni Gaudi, for the textile dealer, Joaquim Navas. Surprisingly, there are no buildings designed by Gaudi in Reus.
Casa Navas
In the town hall stands a bust of their most famous resident born in 1852, the son of a coppersmith. He left Reus at age 16 when he moved to Barcelona to study and begin his amazing career.
The bust of Gaudi in the town hall.
A modern building houses the Gaudi Centre Reus dedicated to the life and work of the brilliant architect. The excellent interactive displays on three floors include examples of his inovative structures and details of where he got his ideas, many of them from nature. I noticed a number of school children being taken through while I visited. They appeared to be enjoying the centre.
Inside the Gaudi Centre
A replica of part of Park Güell in Barcelona
The San Pedro church where Gaudi was baptised and confirmed.
I wandered down the side streets, imagining I was treading where Gaudi once walked as a young boy, his imagination already running wild. Looking down I noticed the paving stones are Gaudi inspired.
And then I came across this intriguing statue on the side of a building. Fortunately there was an explanation on a plaque.
The figure is called the Jew of Arrabal. In the mid-eighteenth century, the owner of this building erected a satirical statue pointing an accusing finger to the home of a neighbour he had had a legal dispute with. It became a popular sculpture in the city over the years. The original, from 1768, was badly damaged and has been recreated using the same colours.
These are the gems you find when you venture down the side streets of these wonderful Spanish towns. I’m sure Gaudi had passed by the statue many times.
Note – I didn’t take many pictures of this visit as my camera’s battery died just as we arrived. The pictures shown were taken with my cell phone and aren’t very good. But I hope you get the idea.
Tarragona, a City of Living History
Posted on: June 10, 2019
- In: History | Spain | Travel
- 99 Comments
I love history and can never get enough of it. Visiting sights and structures from long ago makes it all seem so much more real to me. On a recent visit to Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain, much to my delight, I was immersed in it.
The entire city of Tarragona was deemed a World Heritage Site in 2000. And I can see why. Roman ruins are everywhere and appear naturally amongst more modern apartment blocks, restaurants, coffee shops and commercial buildings. It is fitting as, after all, they were there first.
Amphitheatres always intrigue me and the one in Tarragona, built in the time of Augustus, is quite intact and overlooks the Mediterranean sea. Imagine watching a play there. It is still used for reenactments of gladiator fights, plays and even weddings.
Not far from the amphitheatre are the remains of the Roman Circus built in the first century which was used for horse and chariot races. It doesn’t take much to imagine the excitement of such an event.
The old indoor market, Mercat Central, still sells fresh fish, meat, fruits and vegetables and was worth a visit. I bought some lovely tea to bring home.
Coming across the Forum, the remains of a Roman street and basilica, in a residential area, was incredible. It was as if timelines had blurred together. And I had the place almost to myself!
Tarragona is famous for its Concurs de Castells where people called Castellers in matching outfits and sashes, compete for building the tallest human pyramid. This exciting and well-attended event is held every other October at Plaza de Toros, the former bull ring. (Bullfighting is outlawed in Catalonia.) I found posters for the event and in the middle of the Rambla Nova, the city’s main business street, is a bronze sculpture commemorating the .
Tarragona has wonderful buildings, fountains and statues everywhere and much to see is in walking distance.
As if all this wasn’t amazing enough, we drove 4 kilometres outside the city on a quest to find a two-thousand-year-old Roman Aqueduct. We drove past the entrance three times but eventually found the parking lot. A short hike through the forest and there it stood as it has for centuries. I truly felt time stand still.
I touched the stones that centuries of folks before me have, and all that history ran down my arm and into my heart. I was so happy.
Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives -#PotLuck – #Travel -Ten Reasons to visit Medicine Hat, Canada by Darlene Foster
Posted on: May 25, 2019
- In: guest posts | Memories | Travel
- 15 Comments
In case you haven’t read it before, Sally Cronin dug this post about my hometown, out of my archives. Check it out.
Welcome to the series ofPosts from Your Archives, where bloggers put their trust in me. In this series, I dive into a blogger’s archives and select four posts to share here to my audience.
If you would like to know how it works here is the original post:https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/smorgasbord-posts-from-your-archives-newseries-pot-luck-and-do-you-trust-me/
Children’s author and travel writer Darlene Foster is a regular visitor to the blog and has shared some amazing posts. She gave me permission to explore her archives in search of more treasure. In her final post in this particular series, I am sharing a post on her birthplace.
Ten Reasons to visit Medicine Hat, Canada by Darlene Foster
Many people are intrigued by the name of my birthplace and tend to want to know more about it. So I thought I would share an article I recently had published in Travel Thru History, a wonderful ezine featuring great…
View original post 722 more words
Amanda’s Adventures in Holland ARC
Posted on: May 7, 2019
- In: Books | Travel | Writing
- 60 Comments
We are almost there. Amanda in Holland – Missing in Action has been edited and edited and edited some more. How could I miss so many commas and how did all those ‘ly’ words sneak in? And what is with the word just? I just use it too often. However, I am very happy with this book and am pleased to announce it is available on NetGalley for a free e-version for those of you who would like to read an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) and possibly write a review. You can access the e-book here.
Amanda is in Holland to see the tulips with her best friend, Leah. She travels the canals of Amsterdam, visits Anne Frank House, checks out windmills and a wooden shoe factory, and takes pictures of the flowers of Keukenhof Gardens. She is keen to find out what happened to her great uncle who never returned from WWII and was declared missing in action. What she doesn’t expect to find and fall in love with is Joey, an abandoned puppy. While trying to find a home for him, she meets Jan, a Dutch boy who offers to help, a suspicious gardener, a strange woman on a bicycle, and an overprotective goose named Gerald. Follow Amanda around the charming country of Holland, filled with colourful tulips, windmills, and more bicycles than she could have imagined. Once again, intrepid traveller Amanda encounters danger and intrigue as she tries to solve more than one mystery in a foreign country.
Here is a short excerpt
They disembarked at the next stop in front of a shop with large wheels of cheese piled high outside the door. Once inside, the sour milk scent of cheese greeted them.
A cheerful girl in a pointy white hat with wings on each side handed out samples.
“Yum, this cheese is so good.” Amanda smacked her lips. “Let’s buy some for a snack later.”
Mr. Anderson took out his wallet. “Good idea. We’ll take a wedge of Gouda and one of that one we just sampled.” He pointed to the cheeses.
“You mean the Edam?” asked the sales clerk. “These are good choices.”
While Leah’s father paid for the purchase, the girls went outside. Amanda heard a whimpering sound. “Did you hear that?” she asked Leah.
“Did I hear what?”
“A sound like a baby or a baby animal. I think it came from over there.” Amanda pointed at a large garbage can across the road. “There it is again!” She stepped off the curb.
“Amanda, watch for bikes!” Leah shouted.
One whizzed past, barely missing Amanda. She didn’t even notice. She headed for a cardboard box sitting beside the smelly garbage. Bending over, she opened it. Curled up in the bottom, a brown and white puppy, with the biggest chocolate brown eyes she had ever seen, stared up at her.
The puppy whimpered and put his head between his front paws.
Amanda in Holland – Missing in Action will be released on September 1, 2019 and is available for pre-order.
An example of the gorgeous flowers Amanda sees while in Holland.
Lorca Easter Parade in Video
Posted on: April 30, 2019
- In: Events | Spain | special occassions | Travel
- 28 Comments
I promise this will be the last post about the fabulous Lorca Easter Parade. It’s just that the pictures didn’t entirely depict the excitement so I thought I would share a few of the videos I took. Performing horses and chariots need to be shown in action. So here are a few short videos to make you feel like you were there. Try watching in full screen if you can.
Trick riding, impressive!
Chariots in action, so exciting.
Fabulous performing horses and marching band.
Women displaying their horse handling skills.
I do hope you enjoyed these videos. Thanks for all the great comments on this event.
Lorca Easter Parade 2
Posted on: April 26, 2019
- In: Events | Spain | special occassions | Travel
- 60 Comments
Easter week, Semana Santa, provides the most impressive and emotional fiestas here in Spain. Processions and parades around the country mix historic, biblical, artistic, cultural and social themes. Members of the different brotherhoods, dressed in their characteristic robes, parade through the streets while dozens of costaleros on foot carry ornate religious icons called pasos. This is a spectacular sight whether you are religious or not. No where do they do this better than in the town of Lorca where in 2007 their Holy Week was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest. Its origin dates back centuries ago. I was lucky to have witnessed this event last week and wrote about what we saw before the parade started in the previous post.
As promised, here are some pictures of the actual event.
I was especially in awe of the horse-drawn chariots and performing horses. At times I felt like I was watching a scene from the movie Ben Hur.
The magnificent robes depict biblical and historical scenes
The lavish floats were incredible and kept me spellbound as they passed by.
I found the religious icons and penitents very moving
Nazarenos or penitents
Costaleros,wearing the colours of their brotherhood, carrying ornate religious icons
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
All ages take part in these events
The youngest parade participant representing the White Brotherhood, Paso Blanca
A number of brotherhoods participated in the parade, the two largest being Paso Blanca (White Brotherhood) and Paso Azul (Blue Brotherhood). There is much friendly competition between these two fraternities trying to out do each other with costumes, floats and icons each year. Onlookers are encouraged to cheer for a group creating fun audience participation. We sat on the Paso Blanca side where we all waved white handerchiefs and yelled, “Viva Blanca”, cheering as the white group passed by. The drums and marching bands added to the excitement. You couldn’t help get caught up in the atmosphere.
A truly impressive and unique experience.
