Below is Plaza Mayor - it was started in 1617 and was the site of parades, bullfights, executions, and trials by the Spanish Inquisition. Often, the reigning king and queen would officiate these events in this square.

One of Amy's favorite things to look at are mosaics ... this museum was filled with galleries of them.

We lost track of the names of all the churches we saw in Madrid's Old Towne area - but each and every one was was amazing.

On the way back to the motel, we saw a giant lizard made out of 4,200 CDs hanging from the side of a building!
Spectacular!!

Amazing artwork to appreciate!

After another day of more travel and fabulous adventures, we stopped for lunch ... and had a
Spanish serenade to go with our meal.
 

Cooper Jager (Bro) found our exact location in Spain using a photo we emailed simply using the embedded information from our camera!
That is scary ... and so easy to do.

Newva Square with a statue of King San Fernando
 

Below is the Seville Cathedral or Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Catedral de Santa María de la Sede)


"Seville Cathedral was built to demonstrate the city's wealth, as it had become a major trading center in the years after the Reconquista in 1248. In July 1401 it was decided to build a new cathedral. According to local oral tradition, the members of the cathedral chapter said: "Hagamos una Iglesia tan hermosa y tan grandiosa que los que la vieren labrada nos tengan por locos" ("Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will think we are mad"). Construction began in 1402 and continued until 1506.

Five years after construction ended, in 1511, the dome collapsed and work on the cathedral recommenced.
The dome again collapsed in 1888 [earthquake], and work was still being performed on the dome until at least 1903."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Cathedral
 

The largest Gothic Cathedral and the third largest church in the world.

To be a cathedral, there must be a bishop in residence, because it has a bishop, it is also the second largest cathedral in the world.

The nave itself is almost 138 feet high.

The mediation pools, tiles, and pierced worked lattices were amazing.

Originally. and in Moorish times around 1220., it formed part of the walls that defended the city. In those days a metal chain hung over the river to a matching tower on the other side of the river. The turret was added in 1760. The name of gold or "oro" may have come from the treasures unloaded here from the exploration of the Americas. Over the years, it has been used as a chapel to prison. (p435)

Did I say that Bob wanted to climb the stairs on this one? So I want back across the street to get "the shot".

Unfortunately, I took his camera and forgot to give him mine. Would have loved to see the view from up there!

As the sign to the left says (paraphrased): Five ships and 250 men left from Seville under the the command of Captain Ferdinand Magellan to reach the Spice Islands. Two years later with only one ship and 18 men return to Seville.

However, this is the first time in history ships have circumnavigated the world.

This QR code will give you access to the
digital version of the
Naval Museum Foundation.

In 1676, poor and elderly priests were were begging in the streets just to survive. They were homeless and hungry. The church and and leading figures in Seville made contributions to build this hospital. It included a church, refectory, infirmary, and the priests' quarters. It also housed traveling clergymen.

The church was spectacular! While we were there it was absolutely empty giving us time to enjoy the grandeur and escape the heat.

https://www.museodelprado.es/en/exhibitions/exhibitions/at-the-museum/murillo-y-justino-de-neve/exposicion/el-hospital-y-la-hermandad-de-los-venerables-sacerdotes/

            Carved coral devotional works

Carved from a single piece of stone with a brownish-green color and white matrix that formed the shell, this piece was fantastic. So much so, that when we were told it was $800. euro, we were simply going to buy it.

And then we asked what kind of stone it was, so the sales person called the owner, and to our disappointment, the price was marked incorrectly.
It was actually $2,000. euro.

Oh well ...
 

When you are a tourist, you are suppose to do stupid touristy things ... so Amy did.

She squirts it on, you let it dry for an hour, and rinse off the extra goop. Volia!

Should last for 20 to 30 days.

Tip 2: If you are ever thinking about getting a tattoo,
do this first! It was extraordinary how disconcerting it was to be on my arm.
Seemed like every time I saw it I was surprised.  :)

Evidentially, they glue together small rods of different shapes and woods into a long stick of sorts. The use a very fine blade to shear off sections from the ends. These are glued together to form the mosaic patterns.

I bought a beautiful little box for Nathan from here. 

Many of them had intricate inlayed pebble designs.
 

La Ahambra
(condensed from the official tour guide we got on arrival, also http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/placesandspots.asp)

Although this area has been inhabited from as early as the Roman period. The start of the Alhambra that we know today began with Muhammad I al-Ahmar from
1237-1273. Construction continued throughout the Nasrid Dynasty rule (1237-1492). The Nasrid dynasty was the last Muslim dynasty to rule Spain.

On January 2, 1492, the Alhambra was handed over to the Catholic Monarchs when they overthrew the Muslim regime. Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, conducted extensive repairs and built the Royal House. The Royal Palace was added as the Alhambra continued to grow in size and beauty. 

It is said that the Comares Tower is where Christopher Columbus convinced the Catholic Monarchs to sponsor his travel to the West Indies
(which lead to discovering America on October 12th 1492). It was the Queen that gave up her jewelry to finance the trip. 

During the 18th century, academicians were conducting planimetric studies of the area (a fancy way to say developing 2 dimensional maps).
 

To the right is a view overlooking Granada.

The fountain to the right has three dolphins with boys "riding" two of them.

Generalife

This was quite a hike from the main part of Alhambra, but well worth it. It was constructed as the recreation area for the Kings of Granada.
These spaces, palaces, and gardens allowed them to escape from the official routines.
 

Then it was a short walk (down hill, thank goodness)
to our hotel.

The Cathedral of Granada or
The Cathedral of Incarnation

It was started in 1523 on the site of an ancient mosque after the conquest of Granada.
As usual, the scale and beauty amazing.
 

Royal Chapel (Cappilla Real)

 Around the corner from the Cathedral is the Royal Chapel which is the final resting place of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. It was started in 1506 and finished in 1521. They were responsible for uniting the Spanish people under one monarchy and linking the Spain to numerous neighboring countries through the marriage of their children. They also gave Columbus the charter to go west, and after the discovery of America, they world-wide expansion of Spain was sealed.

Two small lions rest at the their feet to symbolize loyalty and vigilance.
Beside them is the sculpture of Joanna I and Philip I, their heirs and successors to the throne. He was known as Philip the Handsome and Joanna the Mad. We were not allowed to take pictures so the actual carvings and tomb are from the Internet. Their bodies lay in small, simple caskets under the carved sculptures.
 

https://artsofadventure.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/p1040731.jpg

Spain doesn't open until 10:00 am.
So, this morning and before we could start our touring, we decided to walk up the streets of the Albaicin (the old Arab quarter).
We stopped at the Iglesia de Santa Anna (not open, but pretty from the outside), then continued on.
There were wonderful views of Alhambra from the street below.
 

The statue was commissioned in 1892 to commemorate the 4th centennial of the discovery of America.

It depicts Queen Isabella and Columbus with the
signed charter for him to set sail.

Santa Fe was a nearby city where Isabella I of Castile and the Catholic Monarchs signed the "Capitulations of Santa Fe" that outlined the who got what if the adventure was successful.

Ultimately, this document was signed because the Queen was putting up the money, the church had nothing to lose, and if successful, much to gain. The charter was then drawn up and given to Columbus.

Amy loved the detail, including the back end of the Queen's pillow spilling out of her throne.

This 200 foot monument marks the spot Columbus stepped on dry land after returning from the Americas with six Caribbean Indians.

Okay, so this was the day of fortunate mistakes. We were headed to another part of town, but got off on the wrong metro stop. So, we decided to just head down to the monument where Columbus eternally points out to sea.

Needless to say, the heat wave was still entrenched in Spain, but in Barcelona, the humidity was ever present. It felt much hotter - more like a very hot day in
mid-August at home.

Amy had read "The Cathedral by the Sea" by Ildefonso Falcones which is a historical fiction book/ebook about this church. Bob said she literally jumped up and down
(a few times) on entry.

Everything in the building of the church became so real. The book itself is a bit simplistic in the read, but the story and characters are well worth it (especially if
you will be standing on the grounds and in the building it describes).

It took just 55 years to build using money donated by the local merchants and the free labor/sweat of the commoner. It was "the church of the people" and the city's favorite.

http://www.santamariadelmarbarcelona.org/history/

Fortunately, the fire did not climb to the top of the church. Afterwards, the restoration tended toward a more modest and spare decor.

It is lovely.

Well ... let me think ... Oh Yeah!

The guide was amazing! She was enthusiastic, spoke English with only a slight accent, and was a history PhD candidate (okay, in WWII, but whatever).

To the right is the Royal Chapel bell tower. It was reserved for the royal family and upper class to worship in. She also told us that those folks would build permanent
bridges between their buildings so they
did not have to walk on the dirty streets.
(Think what it would have been like
in the 14th century!)

The Barcelona Cathedral (The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia)
 

A group of students were performing as we arrived. Ethereal. It was interesting to see the TV monitors - a good indication of the size of the columns.

 There was a series of catwalks
across the top.
 

This walkway was not for Amy.
Bob loved it though.

The cloister area surrounds
The Well of the Geese which always contains 13 geese - the age at which Saint Eulalia was said to be martyred.

The city has all the things one would expect - from distilleries, to grain rooms,
to homes and shops.

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia

This was Antoni Gaudi's life time work. In 1883, he took over the design and build of this cathedral. He worked on it for 43 years until his death in 1926. Around 1914, Gaudi became so engrossed in the church and its modernistic style, he became somewhat of a hermit sleeping in a small workshop and working constantly.

Some estimate "completion" (if there is such a thing) to occur in or around 2030 or later. Making the construction period 148 years from the first stone laid in 1882.
 

As were the height and carvings. The columns were interesting in that they resembled tree trunks rather then
"straight columns" to the ceiling.

For more on the geometry and naturalistic properties of this cathedral, click here.

The first area built or planned for the entire cathedral was this chapel below the entire structure. It is now used to hold mass and visit Guadi's grave/crypt.

A little covered that makes a cone to put over your stemmed wine glass to make it into a little lamp using battery operated
tea-lights. Cool idea!

... And we got one ...

Two cheese burgers, two beers, two baskets of chips =
HELLO!!!!
$70.00 dollars USD!!!
(Could have saved $10 without the cheese ... what the heck - add it on!)

Actually, all our flights were smooth and happy compared to previous years with their trials, tribulations, and stories once home.