#AHaLoInEurope: Pilgrim in the Palace

Traveling broadens your horizon. It enriches your mind and your spirit. But traveling uses up a lot of your time and treasure. It would be a waste if you missed something on your trip you should’ve seen or experienced. It happened to me several times and I regretted that so much. If you’re planning a trip, I’d like to help you avoid missing out. So, let my blog show you what to look out for. Prepare for your trip by traveling with me through this post. Or you might still be in the praying and dreaming stage. Manifesting your dream into reality starts here!

A Happy Solo in the Royal Palace of Madrid

 

What’s the closest you ever got to feeling like royalty?

 

Me? I stepped into a grandiose palace and felt a bit like Cinderella in rubber shoes.

 

Opulent. Magnificent. Regal. That’s what El Palacio Real Madrid (The Royal Palace of Madrid) is to a T. It’s the largest functioning royal palace in Western Europe with 3,418 rooms, double the size of Buckingham and Versailles.

 

It wasn’t a pilgrimage destination but since we were already in Madrid, we might as well see how the Spanish royals lived.

 

Once upon a time, it was a Moorish castle. Then a royal residence. Today it’s still used for state ceremonies even if the royal family no longer live there. So don’t expect to rub elbows with the king and queen when it’s your turn to visit. But feel free to imagine yourself dressed in your best fairy-godmother-conjured gown (or a bemedalled princely garb for the men) dining and dancing in their noble company. And of course, as modern day princess or prince wannabes, you’ll want to document your “Day in the Royal Palace” with photos in the plush salóns of this imperial edifice. I’ve listed the rooms and things that would be nice to include in your album. By the way, tripods or selfie sticks are not permitted.

 

Another helpful-to-know when you don’t have a tour guide with you: there’s an audio guide available that will tell you about each room that you’ll go through.

 

So, let’s sashay through the palace and feel like a royal for day.

 

Before entering, take the best full view of the palace in the Plaza de Armería (Armoury Square),

 

the square between the south façade of the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral.

 

The parade grounds is where the Change of Guards ceremony takes place.

 

Have your picture taken while regally ascending the Escalera Principal (Grand Staircase). The staircase was made from a single piece of San Agustin marble.

 

Gaze up at the ceiling of the Salón de Alabarderos (Halberdier’s Hall – named after the elite guards of the royal family). There’s a beautiful fresco of Venus ordering Vulcan to give weapons to Aeneas and aid in the conquest of Rome.

 

Get bedazzled by the glitter of the crystal chandeliers and ornate tapestry of the Salón de Columnas (Hall of Columns) a room that was used as a banquet hall in times past.

 

In the Antechamber of Charles III (the beginning of the king’s apartment area), see if you can spot Hercules receiving immortality from the gods in the ceiling fresco by Anton Raphael Mengs.

 

Salón de Gasparini (Gasparini Room) or the Chamber of Charles III was done in elaborate Rococo style. Take note that the plants motif of the floor continues to the walls and even adorns the upholstery. With that dedication to detail, it’s no surprise why it took 55 years to complete this room.

 

Test how good your eyesight is by locating the camouflaged door in this room which served as a small private chapel for the king. The door was for the servants to slip from room to room unnoticed and arrive ahead of the royals they wait on.

 

If you’re fascinated by all things porcelain, this one’s for you – the Gabinete de Porcelana (Porcelain Room). Wall to ceiling porcelain panels are “masterfully assembled that the joints are concealed by vine tendril motifs”. That alone makes your photo here Instagram-worthy.

 

Now picture yourself as one of the 130 honored guests partaking of a sumptuous dinner on this 40-meter long table in the Comedor de Gala (Banquet Hall).

 

Do you love desserts like I do? Here’s a room that tickled my sweet tooth just by imagining it overflowing with delectable confections – the Dessert Room. What piqued my interest was silversmith Luigi Valadier’s deser or dining table centerpiece from 1778. The deser was made from a combination of hard and soft polychromatic stone with gilded silver, bronze, and gold decoration, made richer by jasper, ivory, agate, and lapis lazuli inlay. Just wow!

 

Imagine lounging on this ottoman eating grapes and sipping champagne. The operative word is “imagine” as you won’t be allowed to sit there. So just snap your photo beside this one in the Silver Exhibition Room where you can also view some antique gifts and possessions of the Royal Family.

 

At the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel), I reverted back to pilgrim mode by saying a thank you prayer to God for blessing me with the chance to view this magnificent palace. Before taking photos and being stunned by the frescoes, golden arches and sculpted stucco art, why not offer up your prayers first too.

 

Do you like music? Then don’t miss the photo op in the Queen’s Salon and the Stradivarius Room. Antique musical instruments are on exhibit here including the Stradivarius Palatine Quartet which is unique in the world. These were made in the 17^th century and are still used in concerts held in the Hall of Columns.

 

Let your breath be taken away by the regal splendor of the Salón del Trono (Throne Room) with its plush red velvet canopy and walls, intricately gilded moldings and spectacular frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo, called the greatest decorative painter of 18^th century Europe. 

Lastly, don’t miss taking the most regal mirror selfie you can ever have. There’s a huge antique mirror reflecting a room with paintings and imperial ornaments complete with a chandelier as you exit from the Throne Room to the Grand Staircase. Pose there and thank me later. 😊

#AHaLoInEurope: Walled Cities of Spain

Traveling broadens your horizon. It enriches your mind and your spirit. But traveling uses up a lot of your time and treasure. It would be a waste if you missed something on your trip you should’ve seen or experienced. It happened to me several times and I regretted that so much. If you’re planning a trip, I’d like to help you avoid missing out. So, let my blog show you what to look out for. Prepare for your trip by traveling with me through this post. Or you might still be in the praying and dreaming stage. Manifesting your dream into reality starts here!

A Happy Solo in Ciudad Rodrigo and Avila

 

Adeus Portugal, Hola España!

 

After four blessed-by-sunshine days in Portugal, we were off to Spain. Our itinerary was a whole day drive from Fátima to Madrid. The trip was made interesting by visits to two historic walled cities of Spain. 

Walled City of Ciudad Rodrigo

If you’re curious like me why Spain has quite a number of walled cities, let’s first look into that before I take you exploring. You see, Spain sits at strategic crossroads where battles between kingdoms occurred. Clashes often erupted between Romans, Arabs and Christians in this part of the Iberian Peninsula. To protect its people from invasions, Spain had to fortify its cities with defensive walls. Many of these walls are still intact and the cities they protected provide a glimpse into Spain’s rich history and culture.

 

 

Our first stop was for lunch at Ciudad Rodrigo, a small cathedral city perched on the riverbank of Río Águeda. The city walls date back to the 12^th century. It claims its place in history as the site of the 10-Day Siege by the Duke of Wellington against Napoleon’s troops. The fall of the city was a significant inroad into French-occupied Spain by the Anglo-Portuguese army. 

 

While in Spain, make sure you treat your taste buds to their famous jamon Iberico. Our first Spanish meal in the restaurant of Hotel Arcos included that and other cured meats, queso, croquetas, carne and patatas.

 

If your time in this walled city is limited like ours was, make sure you at least take a quick peek at the Catedral de Santa María, a Spanish Cultural Heritage monument. 

 

As for me, aside from the cuisine and must-see sights, I’m always on the lookout for flowers to paint. I snapped these dewy petunias on the town’s main square

 

and rendered them in watercolor as my Recuerdo de Ciudad Rodrigo – Petunias.

 

Next stop: Ávila, sometimes called the Town of Stones and Saints. It tops the list of the best walled cities of Spain due mainly to its impressive centuries-old stone walls that are the most intact in Spain. The Old Town and its Extra-muros Churches have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

View of the City of Avila from Los Cuatro Postes Lookout

 

Let me take you with me on our two-and-a-half hour stopover in Ávila. I’ll also be dropping some travel tips along the way.

 

Tip No. 1: MAKE THE Centro de Recepción de Visitantes YOUR FIRST STOP. The Tourist Office is where you can get all the information you will need for your visit. Make sure you get a free map of the city. It’s also where the WCs (Water Closets as the toilets are called in Europe and even in the Holy Land) are located. For our group, this is always the first and most important stop. 😊

 

We made our way up the Tourist Office and out to the street where we were greeted by the magnificent walls of Ávila, all 82 semicircular towers and 9 gates of it.

 

But we didn’t enter the city just yet. We still had things to see like the Basilíca de San Vicente, one of the four iglesias extramuros (churches outside the walls).

 

We were also scheduled to hear mass at the Convento de San José, a monastery for Discalced Carmelite nuns. Saint Teresa of Jesus, Ávila’s favorite daughter and beloved saint, was the driving force behind the foundation of the monastery.

We walked to the convent under the rain.

 

Tip No.2: ALWAYS BRING RAIN GEAR in the bag that you take with you off the tourist bus. I had a small umbrella, waterproof shoe cover and a raincoat which proved very useful. I recommend a poncho-style raincoat as it is easier to put on and will keep even your backpack protected. Also don’t forget to put the umbrella in your checked baggage when travelling by plane.

 

Tip No. 3: LOOK UP especially when you’re visiting castles and churches. The most awe-inspiring features are usually on the ceiling. Even out in the open, there are interesting things to see above like this heron’s nest on the ruins of a wall.

 

LOOK DOWN there may be informative things that you can learn like Ávila being on the Camino de Santiago (the ancient route taken by pilgrims to the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela). This shell marker guides Camino trekkers on their way.

 

LOOK AT THE SMALL DETAILS if you want to capture some not-your-usual-touristy photos. This quaint downspout cover beckoned to my camera. 

 

Tip No. 4: KNOW THE MODES OF TRANSPORT AVAILABLE that will take you around the city and give your aching feet a rest. In Ávila, you can take  the Tuktuk and the Tranvia.

 

The terminal is near the statue of Sta. Teresa by the city gate.

 

Tip No. 5: SAMPLE THE LOCAL CUISINE. On my to-do list for Ávila is “taste the Yemas de Sta. Teresa”. Since we were on an extremely short visit, that was all the cuisine we could sample. Lucky for us, our tour guide brought us to La Flor de Castilla, a traditional pastry shop, for a free taste. It was just a little chewier than our local yema and a bit pricey, so I didn’t bother buying a pack. But at least I got to check that item off my list.

 

Tip No. 6: STAY FOR AT LEAST ONE WHOLE DAY for a satisfying visit. You need time to discover Ávila. With only two and a half hours, we hardly saw any of the notable places inside the walls except  the façade of the Catedral de Ávila.

 

One of my biggest travel frustrations is not being able to see all there is to see in a place rich with history, culture and art. It’s sad and such a waste of time and money when you’re already in your dream destination and not be able to fully EXPERIENCE it.

 

I am praying and planning that in my future trips I will have time…

…to gaze at the treasures a museum and other iconic buildings hold…

…to savor the native cuisine (or a cup of tea or coffee or chocolate with traditional pastries) while soaking in the ambiance…

…to collect unique mementos and memories to cherish…

…and when I see photos of the place or read articles about it, to be able to say with a grateful smile, “Been there, done that. I seized the day.”