A few days ago we experienced unsually perfect weather in Scotland… 65 degrees F, few clouds, lots of sun and an awesome vantage point. Just outside of Fort William, a funicular transports visitors to the highland approaches of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest peak. Here is a short video about my experience.
Recently, I’ve been reading two of Ken Follett’s novels, Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. He sets the fictional story in a realistic Middle Ages town in England, which he calls Kingsbridge. Mr. Follett’s description of Kingsbridge Priory, the Earl of Shiring’s Castle, and the town of Shiring came to life for me today upon visiting Carcassonne, a medieval fortress town in southern France.
Carcassonne is located in the south of France about one hour from its border with Spain. Since about 700 A.D., the huge stone walls have provided refuge and fortification for various lords, earls, and their serfs. It is surrounded by two massive outer walls with towers and barbicans, a moat, and a large drawbridge all designed to ward off attacks.
Inside the walls are the restored remains of a thriving medieval city. It is easy to imagine medieval life going on in Carcassonne. Merchant’s shops, pubs, craftsmen and noble houses are easily identified.
There is an inner close, a castle within a castle, where the lord of the town apparently lived. Enclosed within these secondary fortifications is a modest palace and church.
After touring the town, I decided to find a spot for dinner. After rewalking the town to assess dining possibilities, I referred to “TripAdvisor.com” and decided upon “Adelaide Restaurant.” The GPS feature on my iPhone led me directly to the restaurant, where I was lucky to get a table.
This being my first night in France, I was ready for their rich cuisine. I decided upon a Fois Gras starter with fig compote and greens.
My main course was their duck confit cassolette, which included a roasted duck leg and its juices, cooked in a pot with white beans and sausage.
Dessert featured chocolate mousse and raspberry ice cream. This was all washed down with a splash of the local red wine from Corbieres, just down the road from the restaurant.
There are several scenic train routes running through the Alps of Switzerland. The “Golden Pass” route connects Lucerne, Interlaken and Montreaux and offers what many think to be the best scenic alpine train excursion.
I began my journey at the halfway point, in Interlaken. After a beautiful ride along Lake Thun, I transferred to a cog-driven train. Here we climbed the 76% grade trek through alpine meadows to the high point of the expedition. Then we began the journey down to Montreaux offering beautiful vistas of the Alps and Lake Geneva.
Here is a short video highlighting my adventure.
Sixty kilometers southwest of Toledo stands a vast and wide-open plain on which is planted grains, olives and grapes. If, while visiting Toledo, you have a car, it is well worth a trip to visit the small town of Consuegra. It is here you’ll find the famous “Windmills of Consuegra.”
I’ve often seen images of these windmills dotting the pages of “La Mancha” travel articles, but until now, have never had an opportunity to visit. There is a swift new “AutoVia” super-highway leaving Toledo and traveling right by Consuegra. By car, it takes about 40 minutes.
Approaching Consuegra from the north, you can see the windmills from a distance, across the plains.
It was a bit of a challenge trying to locate the road up to the windmills. My GPS was useless, but we found signs pointing us to the Castello and the windmills to be helpful.
The windmills became famous in the 16th century when Don Quixote was first published (BTW – I read somewhere that Don Quixote is the second most read book of all time, after the Bible). These windmills were introduced by the “Caballeros Sanjuanistas,” who brought these machines to help mill grain. They were handed down from father to son. There are still three operating windmills, but only for tourism. All fell out of use in the 1980’s when less expensive forms of milling were introduced.
My friends and I stayed in Segovia last night. A small medieval town of about 60,000, it offered a stress-free beginning to my adventures in Spain and Portugal. An added plus is that it is at an elevation of about 3,000 feet so the weather was very cool and pleasant.
My GPS was useless in the narrow cobbled streets, but the signage was pretty good at directing me to the main plaza. I learned a long time ago not to drive into a medieval town without first walking it. So, we parked in the modern underground parking lot and I walked the pedestrian-only streets to my hotel. Then, I got in the car and drove the route which I was instructed by the hotel staff. If you are interested in the mistakes I’ve made and how I learned to first walk, then drive read my blog entry “Too Much Room for the Road.”
Infanta Isabel Hotel proved to be a good find. Located on the pedestrian-only Plaza Major, we found a friendly reception staff, clean and updated rooms, and a perfect location from which to explore the town.
One of the main attractions in Segovia is the Roman aqueduct. At one time, it carried water over nine miles from the Río Frío to the Roman fort in Segovia. Today, it is amazing to see a remaining section of the aqueduct that is 2,500 feet long and 100 feet high. Roman engineers and workers constructed this section 2,000 years ago out of 20,000 precisely cut, granite stones, which were stacked without the aid of any mortar.
The Cathedral sits right on Plaza Major and dominates the skyline. Since construction began in the Renaissance (1525-1768) it contains a variety of architectural styles, mainly Flamboyant Gothic. However, the church is capped with a dome more closely related to late Renaissance and Baroque church buildings.
I took a stroll from the aqueduct to the Alcazar, trying to get a “feel” for the town’s layout. About 8:30 p.m., the place came alive with locals and tourists taking to the streets for the paseo, the nightly stroll and visit time.
This being our first day in Europe, we were hungry and ready for bed by 8:00 p.m. However, people tend to get a late start on the evening in Segovia (and most of Spain). By 9:30 p.m. we could hold out no longer and decided to eat at “Caesars,” the restaurant associated with our hotel. Dinner was delightful, sitting on the main square and watching the “town” go by. I had a fine meal of gazpacho and a local specialty, roasted suckling pig.
Belém is located about 6 km west of Lisbon, on the Tagus River. Its name is derived from the Portuguese word for Bethlehem. There are four main sights: the Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery, the Monument to the Discoveries and the Belém Pastry Shop.
The Jerónimos Monastary and Church of Santa Maria occupy a lot of ground just north of the river. Both the interior and exterior are decorated in a flamboyant style known as Manueline Gothic. This is very ornate with many nautical themed icons. The explorer, Vasco de Gama is buried here in the church.
The Belém Tower is also constructed in the Manueline Gothic style. The tower was part of the fortifications built to protect the monastery and the river. Originally, it sat in the middle of the river, but over the ages, the river banks have receded almost 400 meters, leaving the tower now at the present river’s edge.
The Monument to the Discoveries was constructed in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. It stands on the river’s edge and is about 300 feet tall. There is an elevator in the monument that reaches a platform, providing grand vistas of the area.
There is a shop/restaurant in town that makes the famous Belém pastries. Known as pastel de nata or pastel de Belém, it is believed these were first made before the 18th century by the nuns of the nearby monastery. Nowadays, the famous shop sells these custard-filled, puff pastries hot and fresh out of the oven to thousands of people a day.
