BACK TO SOGGY SCOTLAND

For technical reasons we have been unable to update the blog till now but here is a brief post to bring you up to date:

Our journey through France was uneventful.  We spent a couple of nights at Amiens where we were able to cycle into the city along the canal towpath.  The cathedral is huge – twice the size of Notre Dame in Paris and the highest nave ceiling in France.  It also contains some lovely old carvings showing scenes from the Bible.

We crossed back to UK on the day of the Royal Wedding and as expected the motorways were relatively quiet for our journey to Derbyshire where our friends’ son Dave was getting married to Alex in the chapel of Newstead Abbey on the Sunday.  By coincidence there was a Napoleonic re-enactment taking place in the grounds.

 

We are now in Scotland (in the rain!) and soon returning to England, visiting family and friends for the next couple of months during which time we will decide where to go next.

Look out for our next blog in July.

OVER THE PYRENEES AND ON TO BORDEAUX

As we journeyed north we had to negotiate Madrid.  We decided to leave a visit to the centre till another time and went round the amazing system of motorway rings that seem to keep the traffic flowing smoothly.  After a night at Riaza we took a slight detour into a village called El Burgo which we thought might be interesting and realised that we were just a short drive from the Cañón del Rio Lobos which turned out to be a magical place.  Driving up the narrow road into the canyon we had no trouble parking in one of several large parking areas (this is a very popular spot with the Spanish during holiday periods).  From there we walked, alongside the stream to a chapel – the Ermita de San Bartolome ...

... surrounded by strange rock formations ...

... through one of which we could see the canyon beyond. (You can see this gap just above and to the left of the centre of the previous picture).  Birds of prey circled above us and when we drove back down the canyon and then zig sagged up the hairpin bends to a view point, we were more or less on a level with them.  

The most majestic were the Griffon Vultures.

Palm Sunday found us in the delightful city of Pamplona, famous for its annual bull run through the narrow streets to the bull ring.  We were able to watch a much more sedate Palm Sunday procession to the Cathedral, less “over the top” than the one we saw last year in Cadiz.

A suitably dressed children’s group with a very enthusiastic leader sang “Hosanna, Hosanna” ahead of a figure of Christ carried by a large group of men and at least one woman.

Pamplona seemed, on a Sunday at least, to be very much a “lived-in” city.  The plazas were places to meet and relax with family and friends and in at least two of them there were interesting activities taking place – Country Dancing ...

... and a display by a local consumer group of organic food (with free samples!)  Although there was a lot of open space and parkland the city was quite compact and in only a few minutes’ drive we were out in the countryside at our next site.

The journey over the foothills of the Pyrenees was less dramatic than last year’s expedition over one of the highest passes but we passed through beautiful forests of beech and then fir trees before saying adios to España and bonjour to La France.  We had two nights on a lovely, quiet farm site before heading for Bordeaux where we are spending Easter as there is an Anglican church here.

On Easter Day we joined hundreds of other Christians from several different denominations and from many countries at 7.00 am for a Sunrise Service, held in the local park, led by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Free Church Clergy supported by a Liturgical Dance group.   

It was followed by breakfast and Communion in the school chapel used by the Anglican congregation here.

Tomorrow we continue the journey north.

MEMORIES OF MOROCCO

The Alhambra is a fortress and collection of palaces set in large, beautiful gardens in Granada.

Its name comes from the Arabic name of the original fortress in the eleventh century – “Al Qal’a al-Hamra” which means “the red fort” now known as the Alcazaba.

It was rebuilt and extended by Muhammed I ibn Nasr  after his capture of Granada (soon to be his capital) in 1237, in 1238 he captured Almería and built the Alcazaba there that impressed us so much (see last posting).  His greatest feat was to divert the River Darro nearly 8 km to the foot of the hill making possible the extensive engineering which supplies water to the whole complex. He founded the Nazarid Dynasty and a hundred years later his descendants Yussuf I and Muhammad V built the Nazarid Palaces. 

The present united Spanish Kingdom was really established by Fernando and Isabella in the 15^th Century and in 1492, they finally captured Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain

(The Moors were the north African Muslims, mostly Berber from Morocco, including the Nazarids).  They converted the Mosque to a Christian Church but did little else to the Alhambra.  It was their grandson Carlos V who destroyed much of the Arabic architecture and art and built a Palace complete with its own bullring in the centre.

His successors allowed the complex to fall into disrepair and it was used as a prison in the eighteenth century.  In 1812 it was captured by Napoleon’s forces who looted the Palaces and tried to blow them up before retreating but they were saved by an injured soldier – José Garcia – who remained behind and removed the fuses.  200 years later the American writer Washington Irving “discovered” the Alhambra and wrote his “Tales of the Alhambra” following which it was made a National Monument and the painstaking restoration of its Moorish origins continues today.

Having seen work by the same craftsmen in Morocco last year, what we saw brought back many memories which enabled us to understand the significance of what we saw in the Alhambra. 

In particular we understood the extensive use of water which was a symbol of power – the one who controls the water controls the whole of the life of an area.

The walk back to our bus to the campsite took us through the pleasant city of Grenada ... 

... past the enormous Cathedral outside of which were stalls selling every kind of tea and herbal infusion imaginable as well as some spices.

The following day we drove to another city with another Cathedral – Jaen.  There were also some Moorish baths beneath a palace that is now a museum.  In neither the Cathedral nor the Museum was photography allowed!  Driving north we soon arrived at the site at Santa Elena with its pine trees and beautiful azure winged magpies that had so delighted us when we stayed here last year.

DESERT, SNOW, SWALLOWS AND FROGS

We had previously arrived at Alicante airport but had never been into the city and as it turned out we had not missed much.  There are a couple of castles and we drove in heavy traffic round one of them with no hope of parking anywhere.  The castle – Castillo de Santa Barbara – did not look as though it was worth the effort of searching for somewhere to park so we drove inland to Elche which is the centre of date production in Spain and is famed for its palmeries.  After the beautiful palmeries we had seen in Morocco they were disappointing!

We continued south to Guardamar del Segura.  On this large site we met many “swallows” – mostly people from UK, Holland, Germany, France and a few from Scandinavia who, like the birds of the same name, spend up to six months over winter on a site here in Spain, returning to their home country for the summer.  Many had huge American RVs (the size and shape of a single decker bus) and several were just leaving. 

This is an ideal site for a long stay if you are not worried about the views – there are none!  It does have free use of a good indoor swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool (lots of different water jets to massage the body), excellent sauna, gymnasium, WiFi on every pitch, flat roads, a big supermarket as well as Lidl and an open air market within easy cycling distance and an English church a short drive away.  There is also the river estuary – a popular fishing spot (unfortunately nobody has told the fish what they are supposed to do!).  We stayed a week and made the most of the facilities before heading inland again to Murcia.

We were about to give up the search for somewhere to park in Murcia when we came across an area being developed with new office blocks as yet unoccupied.  There was plenty of space to park and an easy 15 minute cycle ride into the centre, mostly on dedicated cycle tracks.

The Cathedral, which was closed, is an extraordinary example of Baroque architecture.

And in the river was an interesting fish!

Returning to the coast we spent a windy night at Isla Plana and then drove down the coast through some very pleasant, not overdeveloped little holiday towns, including Garrucha where we stopped for lunch literally on the edge of the Mediterranean.

From there we entered a rather arid Natural Park – Cabo de Gato – where the vegetation was scrub suited to hot dry conditions and the only agriculture was tomatoes grown under acres of polythene netting to protect them from the sun and wind.  A short drive down the coast brought us to Almeria – a large port with ferries to Morocco and elsewhere.  We wanted to see the huge Moorish fort and after driving through the town headed for the beach in the hope that we could park there.  The beach ran from the port area north-east for several kilometres.  Obviously a popular spot with the locals it had car parks all along it and on-street parking which was easier for us because of our size.

We cycled back to the Cathedral, picking up baguettes for lunch on the way.  The Cathedral was interesting having been fortified for protection from the Turkish and North African pirates who terrorised the area in the sixteenth century.

The fort – the Alcazar – is magnificent.

Built on a solitary hill and now completely surrounded by housing ...

... it has been sympathetically restored and developed with beautiful gardens reminiscent of Morocco.

It was originally built by the (Muslim) Moors and added to by the (Christian) Crusaders ...

...  and in front of the Christian fortifications can be seen remains of housing uncovered by archaeological investigation.  At its height 20,000 people would have lived within its walls!  Now the only residents are several cats and beautiful green frogs in one of the cisterns.

Almeria was where we had to say farewell to the Mediterranean and head inland before turning north for our journey home.  A few kilometres drive took us through real desert which has been used as a set for a number of Westerns including “A Fistful of Dollars”.  Some of the sets are now incorporated into a theme park.

As we drove onwards and upwards we could see the snow covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada on our left and from our site for the next few nights we have had stunning views of these mountains. 

It is a few kilometres from Granada where the Alhambra is surely one of Spain’s “must see” ancient monuments which we are going to visit tomorrow.  On Tuesday we move on, so you will have to wait a few days to see the photos of it.



Sunset on the Sierra Nevada







FROM ROMANS TO VISITORS FROM SPACE?

Continuing south we came to Tarragona where the Romans established a major city and port, Tarraco.  We knew we were getting close when the Arc de Bara confronted us in the middle of the road.  The road no longer passes through the arch which is now safely preserved on a traffic island between the carriageways.  It was designed to impress and it succeeded!

 Tarragona itself is a lovely city with well preserved remains of the Roman city walls on top of those originally built by the Iberians using massive blocks of stone.  An outer defensive wall was added in the eighteenth century to protect the city during the War of the Spanish Succession.   The Iberian walls are clearly visible including two fine gateways in the kilometre of walls that still remain.  

 Within the city there are more remains from the Roman and succeeding eras while nearer the sea is a remarkably well preserved amphitheatre used now for re-enactments of the Roman Games.

 We spent a few nights at a lovely little fishing port called Cambrills.  We were able to cycle into town to shop and sight-see.  The harbour still has many working fishing boats and a marina, from which tourist boats operate trips along the coast.  On the quay little cafes crowd alongside an ancient tower ...

 ... and several bronze sculptures depict the life of the fishermen and their families in days gone by.  Here two of the women are mending nets.

 Our next stop was Valencia.  We drove through it first, negotiating the eight-lane roundabouts with surprising ease, on route to our site about six kilometres further south.  From the site an excellent cycle track took us along the coast and into Valencia even crossing the wide river on a separate purpose-built bridge alongside one of the new road bridges.

Running through the centre of Valencia is the dry bed of the Rio Turia most of which has been turned into a park with walks, cycle routes and sports areas since the river was diverted in 1956 following serious flooding.  Towards its southern end has been built a futuristic collection of buildings housing the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences).  This very modern architecture is varied and stunning – one of the buildings looking as if it has just arrived with visitors from space! 

The old city must have been magnificent judging by one of the only two remaining gateways.

One of the old bridges is still guarded by angels – in the Bible, angels are usually described as very scary creatures and these angels certainly fall into that category!

The baroque style of the Cathedral was quite different from others we have seen here ...

 

... and the Central Market – one of the largest in Europe housing over 1000 stalls – which was built in 1928 is a lovely example of architecture of its period.

As the weather became warmer we travelled on to Moraira where we were able to go to church on the Sunday with friends Peter and Margaret who are soon returning to UK after living here for about fourteen years.  The Anglican church meets in a small building – the  Ermita de San Josep – which has an interesting cross on the wall behind the altar.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

After many delays getting the warranty work done on the van we finally crossed  from Dover to Dunkerque on 27th February.  We drove down through Belgium and France using mainly the quiet country roads with hardly any traffic and lovely countryside scattered with interesting villages.  

 

  
We called at Reims and visited its magnificent cathedral with a very impressive main doorway.

The weather was cold but lovely and sunny as we continued south to the ancient fortified city of Carcassonne, not far from the France/Spain border.

The site has been occupied since about 3500 BC and became an important trading centre in the sixth century BC. 

 It was fortified by the Romans, parts of the original walls still being visible, and for many years since had a violent history.   In 1247 King Louis IX founded the “new town”, across the river from the old city, which has since flourished, initially as a textile producer.  

 King Philip III added the outer ramparts strengthening the fortifications of the old city after which it was considered to be impregnable and during the Hundred Years War Edward, the Black Prince, failed to capture it (though he did destroy the new town!).

Following the Treaty of the Pyrenees, which conceded the border territory of Roussillon to France, Carcassonne lost its importance as a military base for the defence of France from Spain and fell into decay, the walls of the old city being used as a quarry!

In 1853 work began to restore the old city under the guidance of the brilliant architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc.  His research was extremely thorough and his plan very practical – restoring the most important buildings first.  Carcassonne became listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997 and is still a “work in progress” today.

 

We crossed the border into Spain and continued south along the coast to Figueres where the main attraction is the museum of paintings and sculptures by Salvador Dali.

The Dali Museum, housed in a converted theatre, has many of his works, some of which are very well known.  Unfortunately, my favourite painting – of Christ on the cross, viewed from above, with the world at his feet - is in Glasgow!

Dali was born in Figueres in the Catalunya province of Spain in 1904, the area to which he returned and eventually died in 1989.  His art was strongly influenced by both the Christian (especially Catholic) faith and the scientific and cultural revolutions of the twentieth century.  In later life his wife Gala was a powerful influence and appeared in many of his works.

Painted ceiling - Dali Museum

Technically his art is very clever, comical, often difficult to understand and frequently seems to reveal a very troubled soul. 

Perhaps he never came to terms with the death of his mother, whom he worshiped, when he was 16 and which he described as “the greatest blow ever”.

Painted wall, Dali Museum

Taking a slight detour further west we visited a lovely old town called Besalu with a fine fortified bridge over the river.  In the centre of the bridge is a gatehouse complete with port cullis!

Returning to the coast, we stayed at a site at Mataro a few kilometres north of the lively city of Barcelona.  The site operates a free bus service into the city which made our visit very easy.  Unfortunately we chose one of the few days when it poured with rain!  However that did not prevent us from visiting some of the main attractions. 

The old Cathedral is surprisingly simple inside, with some beautiful stained glass.  We wandered through the old town and discovered the main Post Office which is remarkable to say the least!

The old fashioned zoo (which we did not go into) is housed in a building resembling a Norman Keep and nearby is their Arc de Triomf (not a misprint!)

The main attraction though was to see some of the works of the remarkable architect, Antoni Gaudi, born in 1852, who died after being hit by a tram in 1926.  He once said that to take inspiration from nature is to cooperate with the Creator.  Most of his work, which now seems ahead of his time, attempts to recreate natural stone formations and living things such as trees.

Between 1904 and 1906 he was involved in the renovation of an apartment block – Casa Batllo.  It is said that the roof represents the back of a dragon and the structure to left above it is the lance of St George, the Patron Saint of Catalunya, plunged into it.

Although ridiculed at first, he was commissioned to design a number of prestigious buildings in Spain but his greatest achievement, which took up most of his later years and which is still being built, is the huge Sagrada Familia church.  Here is a model of it:

Among its many spires are twelve bell towers representing the twelve apostles and inside it is built like a great forest, the columns spreading out at the top like the branches of trees and the ceiling looking like their leaves. 

Many of the windows, begun in 1999, contain beautifully coloured stained glass in abstract designs on which you could spend hours in meditation.

It is a beautiful, stunning, inspiring place.