As I get grips with this place I soon realize that it's
the inhabitants that are the capital's key attraction: hanging out in the
traditional cafés or the summer terrazas, packing the lanes of the Sunday
Rastro flea market, or playing hard and very, very late in a thousand bars,
clubs, discos and tascas. Madrid is a wonderful city to spend some time
in.
The Royal Palace in Madrid is actually owned by the King of
Spain. The Palace was built on the site of a former Alcazar that burned down in
1734, It took 26 years to complete. A visitor to the Palace today gets to see 50
of its 2800 rooms.
The Palace is still used for head of state visits and other ceremonies. Many of the ceiling frescoes in the Royal Palace were painted in 1762 to 1766
The Armory in the Royal Palace of Madrid
The Armory... well, armor, swords and other weaponry from the Royal collection. Everything a good knight needs
The Almudena Cathedral, situated next to the Royal Palace,
took well over a 100 years to complete. It was finally consecrated by Pope John
Paul on the 15th June, 1993. Five days before the consecration of the cathedral
the statue of Our Lady of La Almudena, patron saint of Madrid, was moved from
San Isidro church to here. The Almudena will be the place where the King's son,
Felipe, was married
A visit to the mausoleum of the Kings
"San Lorenzo de El Escorial" is more than the
mausoleum of the Spanish Monarchs; it is a Palace and monastery complex.
After winning the Battle of St. Quentin on August 10, 1557 (Saint Lawrence’s day), and as a way of thanking God for his victory, Felipe II started construction on the "San Lorenzo de El Escorial".
Toledo is one of the most important centers of
European medieval history. The first one to report about it was Roman author Titus Livius,
who describes it as a "small fortificated town", and fortification has
always been an important parameter in its history, still evident to today's
tourist for the monumental walls around, and the "Swords of Toledo"
gave to its steel-production world-wide fame. It was capital of Spain from the
Gothic epoch until 1560, fact that explains its really impressive medieval
architecture. Walking through its streets one feels like having stepped back
into the Middle-Ages,
A short drive from El Escorial, Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos
is a
monument constructed by Francisco Franco in memory of those who died in
Spain's civil war. Situated in the Sierra de Guadarrama, the focal point of El
Valle de los Caídos is a 150 meter high stone cross that marks the spot of a
basilica that is carved 250 meters deep into the rocks of the mountain. Inside
the basilica are the graves of Francisco Franco and José Antonio Primo de
Rivera (founder of Franco's Falange Española political party).
Valle de los Caídos, which also houses 40,000 coffins of soldiers from both sides in the Civil War, has long been an uncomfortable reminder of the bloodshed of the War as well as the oppressive rule of Franco's government.
The
city walls are the symbolical emblem of the city. They contribute to the
defining image of the warring and monastic center that Avil was and has
been able to maintain throughout the years. It constitutes a unique symbol that
encloses within its walls mysticism and history, art and heroic chivalry
.
The
Old and New Cathedral are one building. The Old Cathedral contains frescos from
the 1200’s. The 16th century New Cathedral's walls help to support
the Old Cathedral.
Founded early in the 13th century the University
of Salamanca became one of the most important seats of learning during the
middle ages. Today one of its big draws is its language curriculum that caters
to foreign students.
Under Roman rule in 80 BC, the settlement to be know as
Segovia,
was on the front lines of Muslim and Christian conflict until Christian forces
captured the city in 1085 AD. The Roman's had
fortifications on this site, but it wasn't until Alfonsa VIII that the shape of
the present Alcazar started to form. In 1862 a three day fire destroyed the
roofs and framing. The building was restored in 1896. The Segovia aqueduct was
built during the time of the emperor Trajan, in the1st. century. The aqueduct is
a marvel of Roman engineering and the one in Segovia is one of the best
preserved in all of Europe.
Athens is built around the Acropolis and the pinnacled crag of
Mt. Lycabettus, which the goddess Athena was said to have dropped from the
heavens as a bulwark to defend the city. (Athens currently has over four million
inhabitants). The suburbs have covered the barren plain in all directions and
the city is packed with lively taverns and bustling shops.
Sanctuary of Poseidon and Athena at Sounion
Istanbul, Turkey is a huge metropolis connecting
continents, different cultures and religions; being home to eleven million
people and one of the greatest business and cultural center of the region… Istanbul
is both the nearest European city to Asia and the nearest Asian
city to Europe. It has been a merciful shelter to people since 3000 B.C. and the
great capital of Byzantium and Ottoman Empires. An irresistible beauty with its
precious Bosphorus, unique historical inheritances adorning its silhouette, and
of course with its hospitable people…
We had a really wonderful guide "Emir Aksalih" to show us around for the day. "I will try to show you Blue Mosque (was built 1609-1616), Hagia Sofia(371AD), Under Ground Cistern (532AD), Topkapý Palace(1468), Hipodrom, Old city wall, Grand Bazaar (1461), Süleymaniye Mosque (1550-1557), Pierloti Cafe, The Bosphours, Asia side and some local place. We will make about 120 miles in the city" I would highly recommend him.
Soooo....If you get to Istanbul Email Emir
The town of Nesebar is one of the oldest towns in Europe. It
is the successor of the ancient Thracian settlement called Mesambria founded in
the Second century AD. Its name means town of Melsa. Since 510 AD it was turned
into Greek colony town by Dorian settlers. They called it Mesambria and turned
it a rival to the town of Apollo for the Black Sea trade. There was a theatre
and a temple of the Greek God Apollo in it. Brass and silver money were coined
there, and in the third century AD - golden ones. It was occupied in 72 AD by a
Roman garrison. The town was of secondary importance during the Roman era. It
started to play important role again in III-IV century. Around the year 680 the
town was an Episcopal centre, and in VII-VIII century - an important, and strong
and protected Byzantine naval base.
In 1956 the town was proclaimed an architectural and archeological reserve. The remnants of an antique fortified wall with a gate dating from III-IV century, the churches from V-VI century and the ones dating from the medieval period (X-XIV century), which are fine works of the medieval Bulgarian and Byzantine architecture, the 60 houses of the revival period, give the town unique appearance and atmosphere.
Constanta Romania
Located on the Black Sea, the city is the chief trade and fishing port of the
country, its harbor kept open in winter by icebreakers. It also is a major
manufacturing, railroad, and cultural center and, with its mild summer climate, a
popular resort. The city has several museums and theaters and an opera
house. A colony from ancient Greece may have once occupied the site of the city,
and Crimean Tatars traded there in the 14th century. Odessa itself was founded
in 1794 as a Russian naval fortress on territory annexed from the Ottoman Empire
in 1792. By the early 19th century the Russian settlement had become an
important grain-exporting port. During the Crimean War (1853-56), Odessa was
bombarded by joint French and British naval forces. In 1905 the city was the
site of a workers' uprising, supported by the crew of the Russian battleship Potëmkin.
Odessa suffered heavy damage during World War II, when it was occupied from 1941
to 1944 by German and Romanian forces; many civilians were killed by the
occupying armies.
Sevastopol'
(Ukrainian Sevastopil), also called Sebastopol, city in southern Ukraine, on the
Crimean Peninsula. Located on an inlet of the Black Sea. A Greek colony
called Chersonesus was founded near the site of modern Sevastopol' in the late
5th century BC. Chersonesus later passed, successively, to the Roman Empire, the
Byzantine Empire, and Genoa. By the 14th century AD the site of Sevastopol' was
occupied by the Tatar settlement of Akhtiar. After the Crimean Peninsula came
under Russian control in 1783, the site was made a strongly fortified naval base
by Catherine the Great and was named Sevastopol'. During the Crimean War
(1853-1856) the city sustained an 11-month siege and was severely damaged.
During World War II (1939-1945) Sevastopol' was captured by German and Romanian
troops in 1942 after a nine-month siege; Soviet forces retook the city in 1944.
In 1954 Soviet leaders reassigned Sevastopol' from Russia to Ukraine, when both
were republics in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
Founded in the 15th century, the monastery is built in caves
in the limestone walls of a spectacular valley leading to the ancient `cave city
'of Chufut- Kaleh.
It is said that an icon of Mary the mother of Jesus illuminated by a candle miraculously appeared high on the cliffs and was discovered by a shepherd. The local prince ordered the icon to be carefully moved to his palace, but when he awoke the next morning he found that the icon had returned to its position on the cliff.
A further attempt to remove the icon met with the same result, and the people realized that they were meant to leave it where it had appeared. Accordingly they built a small chapel in a cave about 20m up in the cliffs and a flight of steps to reach it. The icon was placed in the chapel.
It is likely that the site of the existing monastery had religious significance well before the 15th century, and there is evidence of monastic activity here from the 9th century AD. The valley was originally settled by the Greeks and later by the Genoese, and there are Christian graves in the area dating from the 6th century.
The monastery continued to function during the centuries of Tatar rule, and some of the Russian prisoners held in Chufut-Kaleh higher up the valley were allowed by their Tatar captors to attend services there, and to meet the Russian envoy there too on occasions.
It fared less well during the soviet period and 7 years after the 1917 revolution it was closed by the government.
The `Fountain of Tears' is still there in one of the palace's
inner courtyards. Pushkin's 1820 poem tells the story of one of the last Tatar
Khans, Krim Girei, who is said to have fallen in love with a Polish girl in his
harem. Girei was famous for his heartless cruelty, but when she died, he was
grief-stricken and wept, astounding all those who knew him. He ordered a marble
fountain to be made, so that the rock would weep, like him, for ever.
"Sarai" means palace, and "Bakhchi-sarai" means garden palace. Khan Mengli-Girei began building it in the early 15th century, and it was gradually added to over the centuries. The Divan Hall, where the State Council met, has stained glass windows dating from the 16th century, and the Great Mosque, designed by the Persian master Omer (who also made the `fountain of tears') was built in 1763.
The palace is not only a unique example of Crimean Tatar architecture but a testament to a strong and enduring community . Some of the rooms have been made to look `lived-in' in Tatar style.
Kusadasi is one of the most swollen resort towns
on the southern Aegean Coast, overflowing with shiploads of tourists in summer
who enlarge the year-round population several times over. Once a small fishing
village, today the busy town is packed with curios and carpet shops; its
proximity to the ruins of Ephesus making it an ideal base for Aegean cruise
ships. Despite the frenzied tourism, Kusadasi is situated amid splendid coastal
scenery and several significant archaeological sites, including the three
well-preserved Ionian settlements of Miletus, Priene and Didyma.
Ephesus is the best-preserved classical city on the Mediterranean, and
perhaps the best place in the world to get the feeling for what life was like in
Roman times. As a strategic coastal gateway to the Eastern World, this Ionian
refuge grew to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire, the site of
a Christian shrine, and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Legend
has it that the Virgin Mary, accompanied by St. Paul, came to Ephesus at the end
of her life, circa 37-45 AD. Renaissance church historians mentioned the trip,
and it is said that local Christians venerated a small house near Ephesus as
Mary's. In 1967 Pope Paul VI. visited the site, where a chapel now stands, and
confirmed the authenticity of the legend. Also the Basilica of St. John is
located near Ephesus. St. John is said to have lived the last years of his life
here and after his death, a shrine was located over his grave .
City of Naples and Castel Nuovo
The
castle was built between 1279 and 1282 by order of Charles I of Anjou, from whom
it gets its original name, the Maschio Angioino (the Angevin Keep). The project
was entrusted to the French architect Pierre d'Agincourt. It was called the
"new" castle after extensive renovations commissioned by Alfonso of
Aragon, following his victory over the French. Its original appearance is today
visible only in the Chapel of Santa Barbara, with frescoes (almost entirely
vanished) by Giotto and his student, Maso di Banco. The reconstruction,
entrusted to Catalan and Tuscan artists, was directed by the Majorcan Guillermo
Sagrera, who extended and fortified the structure. The marble entrance arch of
the castle is of considerable interest: numerous artists participated in
creating this celebratory declaration of the Aragonese victory, among them
Francesco Laurana and Domenico Gagini. Within the castle are housed the
Neapolitan Society of National History (founded in 1875), possessing roughly 170
thousand volumes, drawings, prints, and manuscripts; and also the Civic Museum,
which guards a rich collection of art works originally in Neapolitan churches.
(Francesca Del Vecchio)
A brief (extremely brief!!) history of
Pompeii
Pompeii was first occupied in the 8th century BC.
The Etruscans soon dominated the region and Pompeii was no exception. The
Etruscan occupation lasted throughout the 5th and 6th centuries BC. After
the Etruscans came the Saminites. The Saminites turned Pompeii into a pure
Greek town. Their reign ended when the Romans took control of Pompeii
around 200 BC. The Romans retained control over Pompeii until the end...
a fateful day in 79 AD when Mt Vesuvius unleashed its fury on the 20,000
inhabitants of this thriving Roman city.
However, as my father is fond of saying, every dark cloud has a silver lining. Although this tragic event ended the lives of 20,000 Pompeian residents, the ash that buried the town served as a sort of mummification for the entire city. The eruption of 79 AD which buried the town in ash actually captured a moment in time. Under the ash everything remained as it was at the time of the eruption. Artwork was preserved. Buildings were preserved. Several important clues were left behind. These clues give us a little glimpse into the past.