SPAIN
Madrid
3-10-2004
On our way to Madrid
The center of the city
The Prado Museum (Museo del Prado):
The admission price was very reasonable (about $7 for both of us).
Maids of Honor (Las Meninas) 1656-57
by Diego Velazquez
This photo does not portray the beauty of this picture.
It was amazing.
There is so much going on in the scene.
People would gather in front of it for long periods of time.
Maybe you noticed Kevin and I in the center mirror reflection.
Madrid was a great place to walk.
Hotel Emperador: My father and I stayed at this hotel in 1964.
Not sure why I remembered that.
If you wanted to dress up in the garb of the Spanish Inquisition,
there were many stores that could accommodate you.
This is just a view of the street below, that I took hanging out of our hotel window.
Restaurants were very posh and expensive in Madrid,
so we opted to eat at the local department store.
It was strange.
Meals were set out between women's lingerie and sport's equipment.
We could eat tapas (appetizers), while we shopped for clothes and such.
On March 11, 2004, (one day after we arrived),
the Madrid trains were bombed.
The explosions killed 191 people and wounded 1,800.
We e-mailed all, to let them know that we were alright.
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Seville
Our first impression of Seville was that it was more colorful than Madrid.
3-18-2004
The Giralda is a bell tower in the Cathedral of Seville.
The architectural detail is stunning.
Beautiful at night
Very interesting sites as we strolled through the neighborhoods.
The River Guadalquivir
This is a Bullfighting Ring, which is still a big attraction for some.
They were getting ready to re-open for the summer.
In 1964, I actually witnessed the famous matador, El Cordobes,
in a Bullfight in Madrid.
It was gruesome, to say the least, but very colorful.
In the end, El Cordobes was awarded 2 ears and a tail,
as a trophy for his exceptional fighting display.
Another picture of the bell tower and church.
We visited the Alcazar Palace of Seville.
It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe.
An alcázar is
a type of castle, built by kings to live in.
The term means
"fort, castle or palace".
Many cities
in Spain have an alcazar.
Spain also
has Moorish citadels known as alcazabas.
But the
majority of castles in Spain are called castillo.
This is the building of the Captaincy General of Seville.
It opened in 1928, and is exceptionally beautiful.
It is located in the rear of the Plaza of Spain.
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Toledo
3-23-2004
Alcazar of Toledo
The of Alcazar Castle of Toledo located in the highest part of Toledo, Spain.
It was once used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century.
In 1521, Hernán Cortés was received by Charles I at the Alcazar,
It was once used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century.
In 1521, Hernán Cortés was received by Charles I at the Alcazar,
following Cortes' conquest of the Aztecs.
During the Spanish Civil War,
Colonel José Moscardó Ituarte held the castle against overwhelming forces.
The Republicans forces took his son, Luis, hostage.
They demanded that the Alcázar be surrendered or they would kill the boy.
Luis told his father, "Surrender or they will shoot me."
His father replied,
"Then commend your soul to God, shout 'Viva Cristo Rey' and die like a hero."
The Republicans forces took his son, Luis, hostage.
They demanded that the Alcázar be surrendered or they would kill the boy.
Luis told his father, "Surrender or they will shoot me."
His father replied,
"Then commend your soul to God, shout 'Viva Cristo Rey' and die like a hero."
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