SPAIN -- Cerca Madrid -- Two Amazing Historic Towns (July 8th)

On this particular day, Diego and I took a long drive into the countryside, in order to visit two lovely, well-preserved towns. The first one was Avila, and here are some interesting points about it: 


The town of Avila, seen from outside, as we approached the wall (which completely surround the town). 

  • The city is the highest provincial capital in Spain.
  • Distinctly known by its medieval (Romanesque style) walls, Ávila is sometimes called the Town of Stones and Saints.
  •  It is one of the towns with the highest number of Romanesque and Gothic churches per capita in Spain.
  •  It has been considered the most distinctive 16th-century town in Spain. 
  • Orson Wells once named Ávila as the place in which he would most desire to live, calling it a "strange, tragic place".Various scenes of his 1965 film Chimes at Midnight were filmed in the town.
  • Ávila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. 
It was indeed quite beautiful. We walked a piece of the wall-- most of it was closed off to us, unfortunately-- and I was able to capture some fabulous photos:





















This one was looking up, back on the ground...we couldn't quite figure out why a piece of a church or some such thing was stuck there on top... 

It really WAS a spectacularly beautiful wall... 




Only got a glimpse of the most prominent cathedral (Catedral de Cristo Salvador de Ávila)
from the inside, since, in order to proceed further, a several euro admission fee was required. Sacrilegious, to be sure! We refused to pay and enter on principle... 

A piece of the spectacularly ornate door and archway... 


The grand cathedral from the outside... 

Onward to town number two, Segovia: home to the best-preserved Roman aquaduct in all of Europe. I could not get enough of it, and photographed it over the period of several hours, as the light changed... I think you will agree that there are few sights of ancient structures more beautiful than this!!!































As a grand finale to this already magnificent day, we were rewarded with free entertainment on a stage in front of the aquaduct. One of the featured groups consisted of dancers from the country of Georgia. There was also a fantastic harpist, playing a harp almost like an electric guitar... a first for me! All the costumes and performances were stellar. 


















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