Tag Archives: art

Camino de Santiago: San Sebastion to Bilbao

Last week I spent five days walking the Camino del Norte to Bilbao. The route is full of tough terrain, with mountains and slippery paths throughout. Like my journey… this blog is a long one. Prepare yourself.

Me taking a well earned rest after coming over Mount Avril and finally seeing Bilbao

Basque Country

The area of Spain that this walk goes through is in the Basque region. This historic area sits next to the french border, but has its own culture independent of France and Spain. The people in the basque country are very proud of their heritage. This is made clear through frequent displays of their local flag and colours, multiple museums and exhibitions about basque tradition, and many graffiti pieces asking for independence for the basque people.

The basque people have their own language, which is nothing like spanish or french, it actually predates them. It has lots of Zs, Ks, and Xs, and I can not pronounce any of it.

Many people seem to farm local produce, and animals seem to be a key part of the culture. Everywhere I went on my walk, I was never far from a donkey, goat or horse. This links quite nicely with the area’s great reputation for food.

The basque have their own style of cuisine, and especially well known are pintxos. These are small snacks (the size of canopes), available in bars most of the day. This is useful to know, as you cannot access a main meal during siesta time. The basque clearly love their food. I went to one bar and asked for a menu for some quick lunch, and they just began to bring me out huge dishes one after another… bean/sausage stew… bread… gammon and potatoes… bread…. fruity pudding… fruit. I had to look up the spanish for ‘please stop, I am full’. The chef looked disappointed in me!

The mountain trails

There are so many mountains in this area, and I was really grateful for my walking sticks to help get up them. The paths are a mix of road, track and uneven rocky slopes. The scenery is gorgeous, with lots of screensaver worthy backdrops, and pretty streams and waterfalls. Many mountains have villages (as in three houses), at the top, and small towns in the bottom of the valleys.

I think it is really important to take it slow during the ascents and descents. It is not worth rushing, and hurting yourself by losing your footing or pulling your knee. I started to get a ‘hiker’s knee’ after a few days, and strapped my leg up with K-tape. This really helped, but lots of breaks are also essential.

When heading over a mountain before Lezama I actually met a local lady, who was selling snacks to passing pilgrims from her driveway. For a euro, she gave me mandarins, and a slice of chocolate swiss roll. She also let me sit on her porch and enjoy the views whilst we chatted in Spanish. I really enjoyed this little interaction. The only negative was that she got me excited and told me my destination was only 3km away on flat terrain… it was 8km and not flat at all. I was cursing her a little on my ascent for misleading me! I am past it now though, and all is forgiven.

Mountain maths is very confusing! There were many occasions when I thought I was nearly there but I was not… For example, on one day, the map said I was 4km from my accommodation. I thought, ‘great, I can walk 5km per hour, less than an hour to go’. Nope… it was 2.5 hours walk away, but only 15 minutes by car. I was pissed… and confused. My calculations were not taking into account, the elevation, and terrain. It was 4km, but on the other side of the mountain. Cars could drive through a tunnel going though the mountain. This makes calculating the duration of your walk, really hard. I generally have added at least an hour to each estimate I make.

Forests of autumn colours

The forests I wondered through, were really beautiful because of all the colours. I much prefer the forest floor underfoot (more dry and bouncy, plus kicking big orange leaves is fun!) It was really tranquil and there was the odd shack which I imagine a few pilgrims have made camp in. I have met quite a few people who are camping even in the wet November weather. A highlight for me was seeing a group of vultures flying really close to me on the trail. They probably thought I would be easy pickings!

It hasnt all been sweetness and light…

The rain in the last few days to Bilbao was relentless. The poncho has been out but it is a pain because you need help to put it over your backpack.
The rain has made my socks wet.. equalling blisters. I was managing to avoid them until my shoes started getting too wet.
Some paths are so uneven, that they take ages to navigate carefully. They are also really slippery.
Toilets and other facilities can be very far away at times. This is a positive and a negative, because it is nice to feel in a remote location, but it does lead to wees in the woods. Tricky to do when you have a huge backpack on. Keep leaning forward ladies!

Special highlights on the walk

Seeing the flysch

When I got to Zumaia, I decided to follow a different track for a little bit. I did this so that I could see a special rock formation in the cliffs there called ‘flysch’. It is a type of erosion that creates straight lines in the rocks. Very strange, but cool!

The downside was that to rejoin my path, I had to walk up the cliffside. After lots of rain, it was basically a mudslide, and very scary. I had to be really careful, and it took ages. I would probably not recommend doing this if it has been raining a lot.

Monastery and day of the dead

On part of the trail, you pass through a beautiful monastery. Pilgrims can actually sleep here with the monks for a donation. I didn’t sleep here, but I did take the mass which was lovely and rejuvenating.

I happened to be passing on the day of the dead or all saints day. This is the day after halloween. Whilst some spaniards are starting to trick or treat and do the american halloween, it is mostly not done in Spain. They do celebrate the life of their loved ones though. Many people bring flowers and other offerings to the graves of their loved ones, and the day is a bank holiday.

This did make finding food a bit tricky, as most places were shut. I spent my day eating buttered bread from my backpack.

Guernika

Guernika is a town on the walk that is full of character and clearly proud of the basque culture. It has quite a few monuments related to well known basque figures from history, and two museums. I would have liked to spend another night here, but I had to move on to the next section of the walk. Apparently this town is a stop on many guided tours from Bilbao though, if you want the highlight reel on a quick trip.

Bilbao

Reaching Bilbao was a great milestone for me. I felt soggy and more tired than I was before the walk, but also stronger and more confident. Bilbao is a huge city, with a lot to see but I only had two nights, and the first night, I basically went into a coma.

It poured during my whole visit, but determined, I stuck some carrier bags in my shoes and went out to explore.

Guggenheim museum

The Guggenheim is a landmark attraction for Bilbao, and is what most people think of when they imagine the city. The museum is for contemporary art, and the architecture of the building itself is unique. It is located on the riverside, a little past the centre.

I am not very big on contemporary art, I prefer traditional portrait paintings, but once I reached the museum to see the outside, I was soaked. I wanted to dry off, and I was also curious, so I wondered in, squelching as I went.

The cost for the museum was €15, which I thought was pretty steep, more than I have paid for most attractions on my journey so far.

The building is spectacularly designed, and the rooms inside are huge, with thankfully lots of places to sit. I think the art was lost on me though. I had no idea what I was looking at most of the time. At one point, I saw a canvas that was almost completely black, and thought ‘this seems like easy money’. These thoughts were even more solidified when I saw a big piece of paper that I think had been folded into a paper aeroplane and unfolded again, so now just flattened creases…

I am probably not a good judge of these works to be fair, and there were plenty of people taking their time to look and discuss what they saw. There were two pieces I liked. One of what looked like a mushroom that was coming out of the canvas. That was cool.

One of the reasons that I walked up to the museum in the first place, was to see a giant puppy made of flowers. I was wondering around for 30 minutes following my google maps to try and find it. Getting more and more annoyed as it was raining, and I was confused. I finally realised that the puppy was covered in scaffolding and I had been circling it. Apparently they were swapping out the flowers, so I guess it is wrapped up often, which is a shame.

Casco Viejo (Old Town)

The old town in Bilbao is home to many narrow streets, and the cathedral dedicated to Santiago (St James). Due to this, it turned out that it was free admission for pilgrims 😀 I still paid €2 for an audio guide, which was useful to explain the artwork and architecture. The building is basque gothic, and has three naves which is unusual to me.

I also visited the basilica of Burgos which is on top of the hill up literally hundreds of steps… I walked to the top of these in the rain, then I saw the elevator…🥵😤

I really liked the style in the basilica, and the atmosphere was really calm. I would recommend a visit, on your way into Bilbao, (to avoid going up the steps).

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

I decided that on the last morning of my stay in Bilbao, I would take a bus (for only €2.50 each way) to Bakio, and walk the steep 30 minute trek to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. This is unique location, as an island off the coast connected by a stone bridge, and topped with a hermitage building. It is also ‘Dragonstone’ from Game of Thrones. Another one off my GoT list! ✅✅✅

The past week has been tough. I have walked through about 26 villages and towns and walked over at least six mountains with over 10kg on my back. The views have been amazing though and I can feel myself getting stronger! Physically, and mentally.

Now I just need to decide if I should keep walking or take a few more days off. The weather will get wetter and colder, but I am due for some days of flat terrain, which should be a welcome relief. What do you think?

Zaragoza: hidden gem of Aragon

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Last week, I made it into Aragon, (which until now, I had thought was a made up place…), and into the pretty city of Zaragoza!

I left Madrid with a full blown hangover, and met up with a local, Alejandro, who was driving to Zaragoza for work. I used the rideshare app ‘Bla Bla Car’ to link up with him, and this saved me over a hundred euros in train fare. It also made his car journey more efficient!

I had hoped that it would be a good opportunity for me to practice my spanish… Unfortunately, I had been having too much fun the night before in Madrid, and had to make my entire focus of the journey, not being ill…

Anyway… back to Zaragoza! I had been told by a man in Madrid ‘why are you going to Zaragoza, its really small, and nothing there’. This worried me, as I already had my stay booked. I am happy to report that he was quite wrong though!

Zaragoza is actually the fifth largest city in Spain. As someone, that personally walked 22km around the centre exploring, I can confirm that there is a fair bit there..

As soon as I ventured into the ‘old town’, I was greeted with beautiful architecture and a pleasant and huge plaza to enjoy.

Seo Cathedral & Pilar

There are two cathedrals to see, and helpfully, they are next door to each other! That is the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pila and the La Seo: Catedral del Salvador. They also share one joint ticket (although you don’t need a ticket for the Pilar, but this way you are supporting them). It also gives you access to other attractions in the city, and for one euro more you can access the top of the tower for a panoramic view. I did opt for this, and was pleased to see an elevator. 😍

The views are quite pleasant and for only a euro it is worth it!

Both the Pilar and the Seo Cathedral are beautiful, but the weird thing I found was that both looked one way on the outside and was the opposite on the inside. For example, the Seo Cathedral looked fairly ordinary from the outside, but inside, it was stunning. Sadly, they do not allow photos, so I only have my memories… I can tell you that the ceilings and alters were beautifully designed though.

The only frustrating limitation to these two sites, and in general with religious buildings in Spain, is that they all shut during midday. I had a train at 5pm, so I had to squeeze both buildings into the morning. The receptionist told me that I should spend an hour in the Cathedral. I only had 20 minutes… I managed it though! Even managed to sit on a pew for a minute. I am very church efficient!

With the Pilar, it was impressive outside, but generally traditional inside. I think I am just spoilt at this point to be honest! The special thing in El Pilar and why it is called this, is because this is supposed to be the location that Santiago (St James- Patron Saint of Spain) was approached by the Virgin Mary when he was feeling discouraged. Mary gave him a jasper pillar and told him to build a temple to her in that place. James did this, and supposedly it became the first church dedicated to Mary. There is a huge chapel dedicated to it inside, and many people make pilgrimage to see the spot where the pilar is thought to be.

Courts of Aragon / Palace of Alajaferia

I made a special effort to reserve a visit to the former palace (now courts building) whilst I was visiting. This was very cheap (€5), and you just needed about an hour. The palace still retains lots of muslim designed decor, which I thought was unique to see outside of Andalucia.

The really great thing about the visit was that the tickets are limited to small numbers of visitors. So this is a great opportunity for taking photos and looking at the detail in this sort of architecture, without crowds. Once you go through security, you can make your way round the one way route of the site, unsupervised, very special.

Parque Grande José Antonio Labordeta

After a long walk across the city, whilst everyone was taking their siesta, I managed to make it to the park that I wanted to explore. The city’s biggest green space, Parque Grande Jose Antonio Labordeta.

Public parks in Spain are generally gorgeous, with sculptures, fountains, and roses. This one in particular has one very good first impression. On entering the park, you are greeted with a line of fountains in a row, and overshadowed by a grand white staircase with a waterfall. Very fancy!

It was quite a big walk to get to the park, and in hindsight, it would have been better if I was there for more than one day, as I was rushing through it too much. It deserved a good lounge around with a sketch book in hand.

So overall, Zaragoza definitely has some great things to shout about. Most of all, I just thought it was a very relaxing place to be.

Next stop… Irun, for the beginning of my Camino!

Madrid: A casual visit

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Last week was my second visit to Madrid, and so I had already done most of the tourist stuff. I just checked off a few quirky bits off the list. So here is a fast run through…

A visit to Círculo de Bellas Artes

I made my way to this not for profit arts venue to have brunch in their beautiful cafe. The cafe has a sculpture of a naked woman lying dead on the ground in the centre or the dining room. This lady is supposed to be Aphrodite, when after being left heartbroken from unrequited love, she throws herself off a cliff to her death. I thought it seemed quite poetic and dramatic of course. There are other sculptures in the room and lovely ceiling paintings.

The venue also offer a scenic rooftop lookout point, and regular exhibitions.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

I visited this art museum as one that I have not been to before. Not all the art was for me, but I did like the below piece about Expulsion. The light and shadows in the painting are done really well, and it reminds me of a scene from Lord of the Rings.. ha!

Mass at Inglesia de Santiago

I travelled to the Santiago church three times in one day to try to get hold of my special pilgrim passport, from their volunteers. After I eventually got it done and stamped, I was there just in time for the mass and so decided to join in. I didn’t understand most of what the vicar said (in spanish) but I still felt cleansed and grateful.

A meal at Botin

I had seen the ‘world’s oldest restaurant’, Botin, from the outside in my last visit to Madrid. To get a table there though, you need to book a few weeks in advance. I was having a stressful day (going shopping 😖) and was walking past so decided to ask if I could come in for a drink as I am alone. I had no booking and I thought it might be a waste of time, but not only did they let me in because I was solo, they let me have a full meal! Huge result!

I had half a jug of sangria and a plate of mushrooms, garlic and ham, and was completely cheered up again! I also had the pleasant surprise of befriending two lovely ladies from Denmark on the next table. We were chatting and toasting for my whole dining experience, so I wasn’t solo after all!

As usual, Madrid was very pleasant, and I experienced much more of the local nightlife and culture this time round. I will probably go back again and again in the future.

Cordoba: A city of craftsman

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After an excellent and short train journey from Seville, I arrived in Cordoba. Once the Capital of Islamic Spain, this city is a beautiful mix of styles and culture.

I arrived in the evening and enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the city as it was filled with people bustling to shops and restaurants under the sunset sky. The city actually reminded me a lot of Pisa, the sort of place that is usually seen as a day trip, and is quite suburban, but actually has a lot to offer.

I had a wonder around the city outskirts, and came back around along the riverside. The city’s river is its focal point, and most of the historic area is by the riverside.

The river is also home to the beautiful Roman bridge, which happens to be another Game of Thrones location! It was actually used with CGI to create the bridge to ‘Volaris’, still counts though. Another one off the list. ✅✅✅

Me at roman bridge in Cordoba, another GoT location.

The buildings around the city are also very pretty, and often you can spot silversmiths, leather workshops and tile shops. These have been the ancient crafts of this town for quite sometime, and still are now. If I could carry a tile in my backpack, I would have got one to stick somewhere at home.

The town also boasted an unusual amount of ice cream and cake restaurants. I was struggling at one point to find regular food! I did enjoy my ice cream milkshakes though, as temperature was still around 30’c.

Mesquita Cathedral

The Mesquita (meaning mosque) is what most people visit Cordoba to see. You can see why when you visit. I was excited to see the building but it truly left me speechless, (well other than repeatedly saying ‘WOW!’)

The site was originally home to a roman temple, but later the foundations were used to build a mosque,when Spain was under muslim rule. When the catholics conquered the area, the mosque became a cathedral. The original mineret tower was wrapped around with a christian structure, and much of the mosque internally was maintained as it was so remarkably beautiful. The christians did do three extensions to the building over the time though. This included getting permission from the King to build a traditional catholic chapel inside. Whilst pretty, most people agree that it is very out of place within this beautiful mosque.

Within the mosque, the builders actually reduced costs by recycling columns and pedestals from the previous roman temple, which makes each one unique. The craftsman that provided some of their columns also left their trademark logo and signature on their pieces provided, which can still be seen. I love a bit of ancient graffiti!

I had a guided tour during my visit which was very helpful. The guide provided a lot of detail about the history and showed us what to look for. The entrance area / plaza is actually available for anyone to visit for free. It is only the inside of the temple that is ticketed, and this is limited and to restricted hours.

My tour also included a tour of the jewish quarter and a former synagogue. These are free to see generally. The jewish apparently moved into the centre of the city after the muslims were expelled for a period.

Alcazar Gardens

In my short visit to the city, I also decided to book a visit to the Alcazar there. You must have a reserved time slot, and the website is abit tricky, but just persevere with it! It is only five euros and worthwhile. The Alcazar building itself was quite small and hollowed out, but I went for the gardens. They were lovely…

Full of fountains, flowers, sculptures and impressive topiary, I parked myself on a bench, and sketched the scene in the sunshine for an hour.

Before I knew it, time was up and I had to head to the bus station. Cordoba should definitely be on your list to visit. There is so much culture here, and it has a very friendly feel.

Next stop… Madrid!

Sevilla: Pearl of Andalucia

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Following on from a week in Portugal, I decided to travel four hours by bus, to one of Andalucia’s best known cities, Seville (or Sevilla).

The journey to Seville was reasonable by bus, and cost only about €30 from Lagos, Portugal. There was no border restrictions and I didn’t even have to go through a passport check. The only downside was that the bus was very hot! It was 30’c outside and hotter inside the bus. Thankfully, we made plenty of service station stops to get some air and water.. (makes me sound like a car haha).

On arriving to Seville, I was able to walk the short route to my hostel. I definitely had lots of strange looks though, carrying a huge backpack and sleeping bag on my bag in 30’c weather. I must have looked mad, in a place where no one even owns a coat, as apparently it hasn’t rained for five years! I stayed at the La Flamenka hostel in the city centre, and this was a lovely place to stay. The staff and volunteers were very friendly and helpful and the environment makes it really sociable. Due to a chilled out kitchen and terrace layout, I was able to strike up conversation and befriend a Brazilian, a Norweigan, an Austrian, and a Barcelonina. Great practice for my language skills! All guests were solo travellers too, so we all had that in common.

Alcazar

On my first day, I had prebooked a visit to Seville’s Alcazar through Viator, which also included a guided walk of Santa Cruz neighbourhood, and a visit to the Cathedral & Giralda.

I have visited Granada’s Alhambra on a previous trip, so I knew somewhat of what to expect in this Alcazar visit. The Alcazar in Seville is still beautiful though, and has its own charm. It seemed to have a lot more gold in the decoration and many more tiles and christian influence too.

The site also had several lovely gardens which set themselves apart as unique, due to different sections being created based on different styles from around the world. There is a french garden, italian, and even english! The english garden is home to many wondering peacocks, I was wondering if I had missed something in this, are peacocks English…? 🤔

I also ticked off another Game Of Thrones filming location from my list! The site was used as one of the locations for imaginary kingdom of ‘Dorne’. ✅✅✅

There is also a hidden away area in the garden which is quite cool. That is the mistress’ bath underground. Apparently, the Peter ‘the cruel’ built this bath for the the lady he was wooing, so she would have somewhere refreshing to relax. Considering the heat here, that seems like an act of true love to me! The bath is accessed through a tunnel and is a very pretty space.

Seville Cathedral

Connected to the Alcazar, is Seville’s Cathedral. The Cathedral is built on the site of the former mosque. The mosque was gradually destroyed after the Christian conquest of 1248, except for the minaret or Giralda that remains today. The cathedral is very grand inside as you would expect from any catholic cathedral, but it does have some additional advantages.

There is the Giralda, which actually means ‘weather vane’, (I had to question the guide about this as I knew tower is ‘torre’.) You can climb this to the belfry area and get a good view of the city. Wierdly, it has 35 ramps rather than staircases, so there really is no excuse!

The cathedral also makes links to lots of important figures. I was very excited about the abundance of seashells used as shapes in the decor to symbolise Saint James (Patron Saint of Spain) and the symbol of my upcoming pilgrimage.

They also pay tribute to Justa & Rufina, in the cathedral and all over the city. These were two sisters who lived as potmakers across the river, in 3rd century. They became martyrs when they refused to take part in a pagan festival due to their faith and broke a statue of Venus. For this, the authorities, imprisoned, tortured, starved and killed them. They are remembered all over the place!

Lastly, the Cathedral is the place that you will find the only DNA certified tomb of Christopher Columbus. His body has moved around the world to different countries before finding its way back to Spain. It makes sense that he is in Seville, as he set sail from nearby town of Huelva, before first discovering America.

Not only is this an interesting figure but the tomb itself is very beautiful and unique. Columbus is not buried underground, but is actually overhead. His tomb rests on the shoulders of four men which represent the different kingdoms of Spain (Castile, Leon, Aragón and Navarre) symbolising that not one kingdom can claim his accomplishments, but they belong to all of Spain as a union.

More art

As well as seeing beautiful art and sculptures at the Cathedral and Alcazar, there are many pieces in city plazas, numerous churches and galleries/museums.

I visited both the church of San Salvador in the centre and Santa Ana church in the neighbourhood across the river, called Triana. I would definitely recommend wondering into Triana, as it has a very sociable vibe and lovely views from across the river. Prices are slightly better too. Both these churches were very cheap to visit, under 5 euros each.

I also enjoyed free admission and air conditioning 😀 from the art museum ‘Museo de bellas artes de Sevilla’. The art displayed in this ex- convent is a mix of very renowned artists such as Murillo and Picasso. I must admit that I was not a fan of all the Picassos as they are so odd. There were many portraits and religious art that I loved though. The building is really beautiful and has many courtyards to sit and relax in. The gallery is only two levels so not too intense which is nice.

Other ideas for a fun time in Sevilla:

Spend some extra time across the river in Triana. The atmosphere is great here and you can also visit the local food market at the bridge for an affordable and fresh lunch.
Visit one of the many convents in the city and purchase something from a nun. Many convents and monasteries sell goods to sustain themselves, often you can get homemade sweets. I went to one in Sevilla, and bought from a nun though a strange turntable window!
Visit the Plaza de Espana and the park. The plaza is an obvious tourist spot, and very pretty, but the adjoining park of Marie Luis, is full of beautiful places to sit and relax in the shade.
Head to the big mushrooms in the sky! The huge ‘setas’ monument is named this because it is the shape of mushrooms. Get there a little before sunset, and you will see wonderful views of the city.

Overall, I thought Sevilla was a very romantic and beautiful destination. It was also easy to walk around and had good transport connections, and of course reliable weather! I would certainly visit again.

Next stop… Cordoba!

Historic Ely and Stained Glass Museum

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As I sit in my room, unable to travel due to Covid -19, it seems like a good time to catch up on my draft blogs! So… this short piece is all about a day trip we made to the city of Ely.

Ely is a small city (second smallest in England) in Cambridgeshire, less than two hours drive or train journey from where I live. If you have read my previous blogs you will see that I have a strong interest in history, and especially churches. So for my birthday a few years ago, we decided to visit Ely as I heard lots of good things about the cathedral there and the special Stained Glass Museum!

It was really easy to travel to the city and park and the drive was actually quite pleasant as you pass by many long stretching fenlands. The area is actually so clear and flat that you can see the cathedral dominating the landscape as you approach the city.

The Ely cathedral site was originally a monastery founded by St Etheldreda, the granddaughter of an East Anglian King. She died of ill health, and later became a saint, and a shrine was built for her at the site, which pilgrims to the area would visit. In 970 it was refounded as an abbey for Benedictine monks (same as the Norwich Cathedral)! The current building was created in the 11th century and the abbey became a cathedral in 1109. It continued to have a monastic purpose until 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved all the monasteries in England. Unfortunately, St Etheldreda’s Shrine was destroyed due to this, but there is a marker within the cathedral, to show visitors where it once stood, and St Etheldreda is still remembered there.

The cathedral itself is famous for its unique Octagon tower and for being a very long cathedral (fourth longest in the country at 537ft). It does seem as if the cathedral goes on forever and it looks quite magnificent against the landscape there. It is actually nicknamed the ‘ship of the fens’. When we went, we found lots of interesting features to discover inside, especially some of the poses of various statues and the grandeur of the lady chapel and art there.

Tower Tour

We were welcomed quickly on arrival by volunteers, and decided to book onto a tower tour to climb the various levels of the cathedral, see the lantern area and get up onto the roof! At the time, I think that we paid around £20 each for this, but from looking at the website today, it seems that they are charging more at the moment, due to the extra safety measures in place.

The views throughout the tour were brilliant! It seemed extremely high when climbing the steps, and you had to be a little careful in places. As you’d expect, the higher you get, the more narrow and un-nerving the climb can become. Getting up to the roof is well worth it though, to see the detailed stone work of the roof design up close, and the view of the city and fens stretching out in front of you.

The coolest part of the tour, in my opinion… was the lantern area. The octagonal shape came about following a rethink of the tower when the original Norman one was replaced. It took eighteen years to build and apparently the shape is a symbol that relates to the link between earth and heaven, and time/ eternity. The whole cathedral is centred around the octagon.

The lantern (an internal open space within the tower structure), really blew me away. Mostly, because of the materials used. The lantern area is constructed by hundreds of tons of wood and lead. You can see how raw this wood is up close though, the giant (60ft long) oak beams are pretty much entire trees diagonally stretching the space. Each one is around 1000 years old and still extremely strong. When we went on the tour, you could look up close and touch the wood, and it feels like you are actually able to visualise the ancient forests that these would have travelled from. The oak beams also have a number of graffiti markings carved in from key times in history, which adds to how special it is!

Stained Glass Museum

Of course, the other amazing thing to see in the cathedral is the Stained Glass Museum! I love stained glass, and had been hearing about the museum for a while. I believe there is only the Ely museum and a museum in central London that specialises in the history of stained glass. In Ely, you can pay a little more for your cathedral ticket, so that it includes the museum entry too.

When we visited, the museum was under some refurbishment, but we were still fully able to enjoy our visit. There was an introductory video explaining to visitors how stained glass was originally made, and some of the history. They then have a full gallery of stained glass over time from different locations. The varying images and stories within the stained glass was really interesting and the craftmanship is so professional that you can really respect this ancient art. Something that I picked up from the visit which I have found useful since, was the fact that you can tell the older glass from the later glass, from the colour pallette used. Originally the artists only had use of a very limited number of colours and methods to place them on the glass. Artists used yellow frequently, so if it is heavy in yellow and little else, it is probably quite old!

Loved all the below windows!

We spent a lot of time enjoying the cathedral, our tower tour and the stained glass museum, and with the addition of lunch, the day was almost gone. We did have time for a final short walk around the city and lovely waterside before heading home, though. This is when we realised that Ely was also the home of Oliver Cromwell!

Oliver Cromwell was an English General who took over the ruling of the British Isles in 1653 under the name of Lord Protector. This was after he led armies against King Charles I during the English Civil War. He ruled the country as a dictator until his death, five years later.

Oliver Cromwell’s parents were from Ely and he lived here with his own family for about ten years. You can visit their former house which also houses information about the civil war and doubles as the Tourist Information Centre. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time left to visit, but I certainly would like to come back and visit this as the English Civil War seems really intriguing to learn about, when the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and Royalists (Cavaliers) fought for power over the way Britain was governed.

Overall, I thought Ely was very pretty, and the history is fascinating. I will definitely return as it is so close to Norwich, and perhaps spend the weekend there, next time.

The best of Tuscany; Florence & Pisa

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This is a blog that I meant to post a while back but didn’t get around to it. Hopefully, it will make some good post lockdown reading… Please check the actual websites for attractions for Covid-19 related information, I have not updated the information to reflect any new rules.

Last Autumn I visited Florence and Pisa with a friend and it was a great opportunity to do a fun twin centre trip within the Tuscany area.

We decided to visit Florence as it is a bucket list destination known for its beautiful architecture and cultural atmosphere. We wanted to make the most of the close location to Pisa and so decided to spend two nights in Florence and then travel by train to Pisa and stay one night there. This was especially convenient because our flight was from Pisa.

A city of art

Florence is well known for its art galleries, specifically art from the Renaissance period. We visited the two main galleries; Uffizi and Accademia, but everywhere you went housed some sort of artistic reference. Even the walls of buildings had sculptures, frescos and patterns to admire.

With the style of art that is popular here, you can see hundreds of different views and interpretations of the same religious stories over and over again. Some really popular ones included of course; The Annunciation (Mary finding out from Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus), The adoration of the Magi (the presentation of gifts to Jesus by the three kings), and The Crucifixion of Christ (I think everyone knows this story).

museum florence

museum florence

There were also some really odd ones that caught my eye such as the ‘Birth of Venus’ by Sandro Botticelli. This painting from the 1400s shows the Greek goddess, Venus arriving nude on the shore of what is most likely Cyprus, fully grown in a large clam shell.

Birth of Venus

Another interesting piece that I really liked was ‘The Seven Virtues’ by Piero del Pollaiolo which Botticelli helped complete. It was commissioned by a court, for the judges’ high seat backs. The court decided that they wanted a painting of each of the virtues — the “three Christian values” (Faith, Hope, and Charity) and the “four universal values” (Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, and Justice). These were really interesting, with each lady looking different in their expressions and holding something different in their hand; for example faith who holds a crucifix, justice who holds a sword and globe, and hope who holds her hands in prayer.

Seven Virtues

The Uffizi gallery is probably the most popular attraction in Florence and holds a massive collection of paintings across an absolutely huge building. People can spend a whole day in this gallery, but on average you should allow up to 3 hours. There is also a good chance that you will have to queue for a long time! We waited over an hour to get into the building.

The Accademia Gallery is much smaller and it houses many sculptures.

museum florence

It is also home to Michelangelo’s David, the most famous statue in the world. Originally located in Piazza della Signoria where there is now a copy in its place. There are other copies of this icon around the city including a bronze statue at the Piazzale Michelangelo.

Michelangelo’s David

Piazzale Michelangelo

The amount of art in this city was simply overwhelming and after a few galleries we felt completely mind boggled by it all. If you have no interest in art at all, this probably isn’t the place for you!

The historic buildings

With strong catholic connections, Florence holds many historic churches and buildings. The most popular one to see is the Duomo (Cathedral) along with the Giotto’s Campanile (Bell Tower) and Baptistery. You can get access to all these buildings and the museum on one ticket, but again be prepared to queue for a long period of time to get into the cathedral, and also for the bell tower.

You can pay extra to climb the dome of the cathedral which we considered doing, but after climbing the 414 steps of the Campanile we didn’t have the energy to climb, plus the tower is actually taller than the Duomo so the views were probably just as good if not better.

Duomo view from bell tower, Florence

Florence Bell Tower

Baptistery Florence

Duomo

Baptistery

Duomo

The opening times of the buildings can be quite frustrating as they don’t open until 10am so if you want to make an early start then you have to find some way to fill your time before you can go in. We had an extra large breakfast! Also be aware that these are catholic buildings where you will be required to cover up! We kept light cardigans and leggings in our bags so we could quickly cover up without carrying around too much weight the rest of the day.

Santa Maria Novella

The Santa Maria Novella church was also a lovely place to visit though we did find the pricing very difficult to understand as it didn’t seem to be well communicated to us when we tried to go in.

Viewpoints

There were a couple of great viewpoints that we found in Florence, including Piazzele Michelangelo, which is quite far from the centre, and is best travelled to by bus. Especially as to reach it by foot you have to climb a lot of very steep steps! The Piazzele is very popular for tourists and can be quite busy; with people, vehicles and food vans. Apparently it looks great at sunset but we only saw it during the day, it looked very pretty during the day as well though.

Piazzele Michelangelo

La Terrazza Continentale is also a great place to view some of the city centre. This was more of a special find… a roof bar tucked on top of the Continental Hotel. This is a very fancy bar and quite expensive, so we just had the one cocktail with our free snacks! It started raining too so we didn’t stay long but it was great to see the views and feel part of the Florence night scene. Also the elevator was very cool, but I will leave you to discover that yourself!

A couple of free sliders at La Terrazza Continentale

La Terrazza Continentale

The town of Fiesole

Whilst in Florence I wanted to take the opportunity to visit the town of Fiesole just 300 meters up the hill from Florence. My grandmother had often told me about the town as she lived their with my mother around 30 years ago and so I was curious to see it for myself.

This has a very different feel to the City of Florence as a very quiet local town only a short bus ride away which has great views of Florence and what seemed to be local vineyards and farmlands. There was also a lovely little church and a site of Roman ruins to see. We were only there for around two hours so I am sure there is plenty more to explore in the town for next time I visit the Tuscany area.

Fiesole Roman ruins

Fiesole views

Fiesole Roman ruins

Fiesole viewpoint

The train journey to Pisa was only around 10 Euros and takes about one hour. This short journey meant we could still have a full day in Florence before leaving for Pisa to have dinner in a lovely Pizzeria in Pisa and explore the city in the evening as well as the following day.

Pisa

The city of Pisa is normally just an excursion for many tourists but it was really interesting to see the city by night as well as day. The city actually has a booming nightlife with a large university residing over the river, the city fills with students by night and has a number of bars and cheap eateries to enjoy.

Pisa

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Baptistery

During the day we looked around the shops, saw Pisa’s Duomo, and baptistery and also their bell tower better known as ‘the leaning tower of Pisa’. The tower is normally open for tower tours but was sold out when we were there, I also don’t know that I would want to climb up a tower that is mid way through falling down! Apparently the tower keeps falling and so every so many years they have to refill the dip with cement again and prop it back up… sounds a bit risky to me!

There was also a museum that gave some background about the tower and an exhibition of different fresco paintings available to see.

Overall, this was a fun area to spend a few days, and I would definitely return. I would probably book more time away next time and spend some time in the rural parts of the region to see the contrast, and taste some of the local foods.

Me in Florence

Madrid: Memoirs of fancy parks and poor pronunciations…

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Last week, I travelled to the capital of Spain with the aim of having a relaxing week away with my partner and put the nine months of Spanish lessons i have had into practise. The holiday in the end was quite different to what I expected.

After some very difficult months, I packed my bag and was on my way to my budget flight to Madrid, crossing my fingers and toes that the flight wouldn’t be delayed and the infamous airline wouldn’t take my cabin bag from me. Thankfully the flight was okay but I did realise that I had forgotten probably the third most important item on this holiday… the Spanish dictionary and phrasebook! What a plonker! Well now I knew that the holiday would be somewhat more challenging…

We decided to take the Metro into Madrid from the airport, which would have been fine if I had done any sort of research previous to the holiday, but instead we got to the platform and realised we had no idea where we were going. Embarrassing for me really. Eventually we realised what we needed to do but the ticket options weren’t great, we ended up opting for the 10 trip ticket + airport travel but in hindsight this was a bit of a waste because we walked almost everywhere and returned to the UK with four unused journeys. Never mind! But a tip for those of you thinking about a visit, just get the airport ticket, because your 10 trips don’t count towards your journey back to the airport and you may find yourself having to pay extra to get back through the security gates… (Not that I’m talking from experience or anything *cough* cough*)

On arrival to the address of our apartment, (another AirBnB bargain) we had to enter a local hair salon to get the keys, and the apartment owner did not speak a word of English. But thankfully! I remembered the word for keys! LLAVES! Remember that one, you never know when you might need it. So after a lot of challenging conversation and frantic hand gestures, we made it into the apartment which was in the centre of Madrid, and a great price at £49 per night, although was missing some essentials.. like toilet paper. But just a minor thing!

Next on the list was to plan our visits to attractions and local hot spots for the week, of course I was trying to relax so managed to narrow this down to only about three locations per day, not bad I’d say. We were on a serious budget, but there is a surprising amount to do for free in Madrid, even some of the top ranking attractions.

We headed out to fill our apartment with those must have essentials at the local supermercado, and then hit the Mercado de San Miguel, a classy market full of local cuisine for the all important Tapas ingredients. This market is one of many in Madrid devoted to stalls of Ham, Olives, Fruit & Veg and lots of seafood.

Parks

It was boiling hot when we were there and so we wanted to take advantage by strolling in the local parks, we spent a full six hours within the El Retiro Parque in the East of the city. This popular park is full of attractions to enjoy.

Lake at Retiro Park

Lake at Retiro Park, Madrid

There is a lake which you can sail around and a beautiful monument alongside it with strange figures of mermaid like women riding various animals. There is also a few gorgeous buildings, one is a glasshouse with a pond in front of it filled with turtles.

Hidden away on one end of the park is also a peacock park where you can spot the birds hiding in every corner and formal hedge lines and fountains.

Peacock Park in Retiro Park

My favourite part of the park though is the Rosaleda or Rose Garden, which is very pretty, full of fountains and neatly trimmed rose bushes. Very beautiful.

Me at Rosaleda at Retiro

Retiro park – rosaleda

Me at Rosaleda at Retiro

There are so many other parks and gardens in the city to relax in as well, they all seemed to be taken well care of, and are clean and tidy.

One of the other reasons we spent so long in the Retiro park was because it was close by to the Prado art museum which is worth a visit. The museum is free during the week between 6pm and 8pm and we waited outside ready to go in, but turned our back for a moment and there was a queue of hundreds of people that had been formed. It would have taken an hour so we decided to give up and come back another day and pay, which was worth while because we ended up getting buy one get one free! The museum was full of paintings and sculptures, including some really brilliant work showing examples of heaven and hell and the artist’s perceptions of those journeys.

Palacio Real

The palace is also a lovely monument to view, we didn’t pay to go in, as the queue was quite long and we didn’t feel like it but the outside was pretty and it is right next door to the Cathedral. The Cathedral has great colours everywhere and a variety of chapels.

Evenings

In the evening, the city becomes very vibrant with street performers in all the large plazas, and the Spaniards have their late night dinners and high street shopping trips. One of the nights we stayed in Madrid we booked to enjoy a tapas dinner with a show in one of the many tablaos.

We chose to visit Torres Bermejas because of the wonderful decor replicating the interior of the Bermejas Towers of the Alhambra in Granada , which has a great Arabic feel to it. We watched an hour (with a break in the middle) of Spanish Flamenco dancing, singing and guitar playing, which was excellent. You could watch the show and just have drinks for about 30 Euros, but add another 25 Euros and you will get your dinner thrown in, ( a tapas that is, of course). The food was lovely as well, so generally a splendid night of entertainment and food.

There are also a few good view points to oversee the city; the Temple of Debod which is a park with ancient Egyptian monuments as well as the tower, Faro de Moncloa, which is a little towards the outside of the city but cheap to do – only three Euros. The downside of this attraction is that it has no facilities other than a vending machine so make sure you get some food on the way from one of the many restaurants alongside the Oeste Park next door.

An overview of the city

One of the other great things to do, to get a real feel for the city is to take a tour of Madrid. We spent some time considering whether we should do a bus tour or a walking tour but after looking at reviews and considering costs, decided to go for a walking tour. We took a free city tour with a gent named Miguel, which gave us a great overview of the city and its history and allowed us to discover a number of streets, alleys and landmarks that we would have never noticed on our own. For example did you know Madrid hosts the world’s oldest restaurant? Or that in many of the convents you can go and buy freshly baked cookies from the local nuns?!

I never knew until we had the tour that we had been walking around a city with such a mixture of origins. I had been passing through streets of Austrian, African, French and Roman influences. Much of the city is also influenced by the different religions and cultures that came with these countries.

We heard that the origin of the Flamenco music and dance that we had enjoyed a few nights before was an outcome of the oppression in Madrid and the persecution of Gypsies, Jewish and Muslim people within Spain during various invasions. It remained very dominant in Andalusia in the South of Spain where much of the original African migrants were dominant. We plan to see a bit more of the Flamenco art during our stay there next Summer.

Unfortunately, we took the tour at the end of the week but it would have been much more useful to go at the beginning. That’s what we get for being indecisive!

In general, it was a pretty nice place to visit, with lots of places to see cheaply, and the culture was really interesting. Word to the wise though, many of the people living and working here do not speak English, so don’t assume that you’ll get by because your a tourist going to tourist places. Remember your phrasebook! I think my boyfriend is pretty thankful that I knew enough Spanish to ask for food and beer, shame I still haven’t mastered understanding the responses back though.

Adios!