by David McGuffin | Jun 23, 2011 | David's Journal, Destinations, Experiencing Europe
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.
by David McGuffin | Jun 21, 2011 | Destinations, Experiencing Europe, Hotel Reviews, Restaurant Reviews
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.
by David McGuffin | Jun 18, 2011 | Destinations, Eating & Drinking
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.
by David McGuffin | Jun 14, 2011 | Culture & Customs, David's Journal, Destinations, Eating & Drinking
Fado in Coimbra is different than that of Lisbon. In Coimbra, Fado centers around the university community and is sung by men dressed in traditional academic capes, robes, and leggings. Like in Lisbon, it is accompanied by classical guitar and a specially tuned Portuguese guitar, but sounds totally different.
My group and I arrive early at A Capella, a small 14th century chapel turned tapas bar and Fado venue. The owner and chief Fado singer were practicing a rock and roll set scheduled for performance at 12 midnight. Luckily, we were able to preorder a set dinner menu of lamb or fish.
The actual Fado began at 9:20 p.m. and continued in four-song sets until midnight. We all enjoyed the performances of the male soloist and guitar ensemble.
The food was good and by the end of the evening, the chapel was packed with 80-100 people drinking, eating and enjoying the Fado experience.
by David McGuffin | Jun 13, 2011 | Culture & Customs, Destinations
England has Oxford, France has Le Sorbonne, Florida has Gainesville and Portugal has Coimbra. Yes, Coimbra is Portugal’s university town with lots of interesting things to see and do.
We arrived in Coimbra around 2 p.m. on a Saturday. Having never been there, I was not impressed with the hotel’s location in a sort of dumpy part of the new town near the station and the river. In fact, the hotel staff had to convince me that Coimbra was worth an overnight stay. As it turned out, the Hotel Oslo has a wonderfully helpful staff, a good location to the sights and clean and modern rooms. I am glad I stayed in Coimbra.
I split up my afternoon at a medieval fair in the Cathedral Square and down by the river in a shady park. My friends Susan, Mrs. Mc and Lindsay are traveling with me on this whirlwind trip through central Spain and Portugal. Consequently, we kind of take it slow and easy because Mrs. Mc is a bit fragile and about 25 years older than me. However, she is a trooper and is willing to try and do almost anything. When it comes to climbing up and down steep cobbled lanes, stairs, and paths… it’s slow, but steady, going.
Today, the climb from the river to the top of town was crowded with about 3,000 people attending the medieval fair and once we arrived at the cathedral square we all knew it was not the place for us. There were all sorts of meat being cooked and sold right off the spit. Beer and wine were flowing freely and local were dressed in medieval period costumes acting out their various roles. If it were not so hot and crowded it could have been fun, but with steep streets and unsure footing, this was not a pleasant experience.
Down by the riverside was a different story. Pleasantly cool and shady, we all could have taken a nap on a park bench. Instead, we enjoyed a drink at the riverside cafe while watching local children learning to sail in their own little one-man sailboats.
Afterward, we took advantage of the traditional siesta by resting back at the hotel for a few hours.
by David McGuffin | Jun 10, 2011 | Destinations
Arrived here on a Friday afternoon, just as the local school was getting out for the summer vacation. Apparently, the school occupies an interior segment of El Escorial. El Escorial is the “summer palace” of Spain’s royal family. Built in the 16th century, it is still in pretty good shape today.
Just arrived from Atlanta this morning. Very pleasant… 72 degrees!
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.”
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.
