Bathing Optional

Spain, Portugal & Andorra : June, 2003

Continents

Continents

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So close to the French border, San Sebastian, our first introduction to Spain, was so different. Spain really is a different world in many ways.
Inside San Sebastians head church.
School kids playing football in the plaza.
View over San Sebastian from the hill that divides the town.
Back lane cafe in Salamanca.
Salamancas amazing main plaza.
Salamanca is a fascinating city of sandstone buildings in exquisite detail.
Salamancas main cathedral.
A lesser, but still amazing, church in Salamanca.
White nuns in Salamanca.
Giant, inpenetrable door to one of Salamancas churches.
View up inside the church.
Wildflowers growing in the meadows surrounding the walled city of Avila.
Old man walking the streets of Avila.
Avila is famous for its outstanding example of a medieval, fortified city wall.
Storm clouds rolling in over the cross.
Storks nest high in the belfry of one of Avilas old monasteries.
Old monastery in Avila.
One of Avilas treasures, a golden shrine to one of Catholicisms great saints.
Which way? We chose Segovia and were glad that we did.
Us at our campsite in Segovia and immediately following some grocery shopping!
View over Segovia, an amazing hilltop town, and our favorite spot in all of Spain.
Another view across poppie fields to Segovias two skyscrapers the cathedral and the old castle.
The countryside surrounding Segovia is dotted with monasteries. This is a view from one towards Segovias castle.
Old monastery near Segovia.
Making a BIG wish in Segovia.
Another treasure in Segovia is this outstanding Roman aqueduct running right through the heart of the town.
Must have been important in Segovias history.
Suit of armour on display in Segovias castle.
Detailed ceilings inside the castle.
Segovia homes.
Segovias cathedral.
Just outside Segovias walls in the terraced gardens.
One of Madrids main drags, the Gran Via.
The heart of Spanish bull fights, Madrids bull ring.
Posters going up for this weeks fight.
One-of-a-kind billboard.
They LOVE their ham in Spain.
Madrid scene.
Grand buildings just off the Plaza de la Independencia.
Madrids Palacio Real from its gardens.
Ashe in the Palacios hedge maze.
Peacock in the Palacio gardens.
Throne room inside the Palacio Real.
Fine furnishings fit for a King.
Dinner for 80.
Spains royal treasures.
Fantastic full armour for horse and rider.
The Monasterio Del Escorial, not far from Spain, was the royal capital during the reign of one of Spains greatest and more religious monarchs.
Royal tombs in golden setting deep in the depths of El Escorial.
Another royal tomb.
Golden chapel inside El Escorial Monastery.
Way up in Spains remote north west, Ashe and I fall in love with the pilgrimage destination town Santiago de Compostella.
Small church in Santiago.
Inside another of Santiagos churches.
Santiago windows and flowers.
Walking up into Santiagos main square.
The final destination of many a long pilgrimage beginning in France, crossing the Pyrenees and then traversing the breadth of Spain. The church of St.James the Apostle is one of Europes premier pilgrimage sites.
And there he is : a little blurry, but still recognizable, James the Apostle.
Visitors can walk right into the shrine of James the Apostle, rub his back for luck, and continue out the other side.
Another look at the Cathedral of St.James the Apostle at dusk.
Porto, Portugals happening northern city and home to world-renowned Porto wine.
Characteristically Portuguese blocks crowd Portos hills.
Skies over Porto.
World-class Catholic pilgrimage sight, Fatima became a hotspot after the Pope legitimized claims that a group of children had seen the Virgin Mary here in the early 20th century.
The crowds really gather to catch Mass on Sundays in Fatima.
Father and son wearing some kind of pilgrimage or traditional costume while tossing candles into a fire. It seems that Christianity is full of all kinds of superstitious activity too.
We arrived in the very quaint little town of Tomar just in time for one of their annual festivals which included trails of fresh leaves and flower petals winding through the towns lanes and alleys.
More leaves and flower petals in preparation for the local festival.
We found out later that the festival honors important public figures who follow this band and have more flower petals thrown on them by the townspeople.
And here come of the towns top bananas while an old lady feverishly showers them with flower petals.
Ashe got caught up in the festival as well!
Another part of the festival involves woman carrying around these huge baskets of bread and flowers on their heads. This was just a trial run for the big parade to come.
This old castle sits atop a hill overlooking Tomar.
Enjoying a break on a tiled bench.
Flowers and turrets.
Arches at Tomars fortress monastery.
Inside the main chapel where the Teutonic Knights once worshipped.
On the rooftop of the fortress/church.
View over Lisbon from its hilltop fortress at sunset.
Placa do Comercio, Lisbons main bay-side plaza.
One of many things Lisbon shares with San Francisco is the streetcar.
Lisbon scene.
Another trolley making its way up Lisbons steep hills.
Teenagers making good use of those huge flat plazas.
One of Lisbons landmarks, an old naval tower built right into the bay.
Ashe by the sandcastle-like tower.
Another similarity between Lisbon and San Francisco is this bridge which looks more than a little like the Golden Gate Bridge.
Colorful flowers and colorful homes. Lisbon is a real good time on foot.
As usual, you could find us cooking our own dinner and eating it in the local plaza or square.
Lisbon rooftops.
Jesus figure inside one of Lisbons churches.
Ashe in Lisbons ultra-modern waterfront area.
View over Sintra, a wonderful hill getaway less than an hour from Lisbon.
View over central Sintra with its ancient Moorish fortress ruins above.
Flowers in bloom over Sintra.
Colorful tiled facade in the heart of Sintra.
More tiles -- thats what Portugals famous for!
Quaint back courtyard in Sintras hills.
The day we missed the last daily train from Lisbon to central Portugal, was the day we truly began to turn down campgrounds altogether and just camp rough all over Europe...
Evora in central Portugal is a town of whites and yellows.
Old aqueduct runs through and above town homes.
When all else failed (ie : the reliability of bus service in remote Portugal is pretty bad) we had to hitch our way around Portugals countryside.
Far off in Portugals hills we made stops in two spots. The first was Castello de Vide.
Elaborate home fronts in Castello de Vide.
Sunset over the plains.
Quaint whitewashed homes fill Marvao which is essentially a town of two streets only.
Great views from Marvaos hilltop position.
Marvao homes.
The wonders of Portugal never cease, we thought as we waited for our train to Spain from Marvao. Even at this tiniest of train stations, the walls are decorated in wonderful tiled images.
Hilltop Marvao was our second stop. This was perhaps the tiniest town we visited in all of Europe.
View of Marvaos church tower and fortress beyond.
Flowers in bloom.
Back in Spain and in the town of Caceres not far from the Portuguese border. We just had a few hours in this town but it left a strong impression on me.
Ancient church building in Caceres.
View over Seville from its main churchs tower and just an hour from the time we were robbed.
Seville rooftops.
Inside the choir area of Sevilles immense cathedral.
Golden crown in the Seville cathedrals treasury of Catholic spoils.
The Alhambra in the town of Granada is one of Spains top tourist attractions. This sprawling Moorish palace and fortress is an architectural gem.
Alhambra is a collection of many, many buildings and courtyards.
The Middle Eastern influence of the Moors is evident throughout the palace.
Us smiling into our cheapy disposal camera (a poor replacement for the camera that was stolen in Seville).
Amazing details and carvings fill many of the Alhambras stunning rooms.
View to the ceiling inside one of the rooms.
One of the Alhambras many courtyards, each with its running fountain.
With into another courtyard through arches.
View down to gardens from balcony.
More splendid Alhambra wall carvings.
Another fountain.
Carvings with Muslim verses.
Carved, arched doorways are the norm at the Alhambra.
Mix of decorations.
Alhambra wall.
Ashe dancing at the Alhambra.
The fortress portion of the Alhambra complex.
One of the garden-filled courtyards.
Ashe looking out over Granada from one of the Alhambras balconies.
View over Granada.
Entering the Alhambras formal gardens.
Roses in the Alhambra gardens.
Maciej in the flower bed.
Maciej not too impressed by the scent of the roses.
Matador statue in front of Rondas famous bull ring.
View of white-washed Ronda, a typical Andalusian town, through gate.
High on a cliff, Ronda gives great views of the surrounding countryside.
Ronda, built right on top of a massive cliff.
Sunset.
Abandoned building deep in Rondas gorge.
Rondas most outstanding feature is this amazingly high bridge which is almost 800 years old!
It was kind of an afterthought, and our stay was short, but Toledo was well worth the visit. This medieval city close to Madrid has lots of character.
Toledo street scene.
Sunset over Toledo.
Toledo street.
Toledos grand main cathedral.
A quick stop on the way to Barcelona from Madrid. Cuenca is a great town built on two sides of a deep gorge.
Cliffside homes are the norm in Cuenca.
Church and home in Cuenca.
Before Barcelona we made a stop in Figueres to check out the Salvador Dali Theater Museum.
Quirky is the name of the game at the Dali Museum.
Only at the Dali Museum.
Another Dali original. At the Dali Museum his works stretch to all mediums, a change from the painting he is primarily known for.
All that tile, it must be Gaudi. In Barcelonas Gaudi designed park.
More Gaudi designs in his park.
Gaudi tiled lizard.
Rock tunnel in Gaudis park.
Another Gaudi creation, the Sagrada Familia is his legacy work.
The Sagrada has been and will continue to be under construction for decades. The final church will truly be like no other in the world.
A look at one of the Sagradas entrances.
Gaudis work is also seen in a handful of Barcelonas apartment blocks.
Another block.
Another Gaudi facade.
One of many grand buildings lining Barcelonas happening Las Ramblas central avenue.
Tower in Barcelona.
Pigeons and families fill a Barcelona plaza.
Ashe would always stop to feed the birds!
A bird in hand.
Barcelona scene.
Giant gate at the entrance to the Parc de la Ciutadella.
Fountain in the park.
Performers are lined up the entire length of Las Ramblas.
Another performer.
One of the more creative performers -- a talking head in a plate of pasta.
Another performer.
A good view of Las Ramblas : performers, trees, and a long pedestrian-only street stretching sa far as the eyes can see.
Scooters.
Ashe on our first day in Andorra, making our way for Andorras highest summit : Coma Pedrosa.
Relaxing in the meadows before the steep ascent.
Alpine flowers.
Rushing waters from melting snows.
Pyrenee cascade.
At the snow line.
Tiny alpine lake at the snow line.
Finally at the summit, Ashe doing her victory dance.
View over the Pyrenees from Coma Pedrosa peak.
Typical Pyrenees.
Another one of Ashe doing a victory dance.
Day 2 in Andorra : valley hike.
Crystal clear brook which we followed deeper into the valley.
Green meadows, wildflowers, and rugged peaks; Pyrenee beauty.
A wonderful spot to hike into.
Ashe enjoying the meadows.
Ashe with wildflowers.
Maicej a bit worn out.
Ashe in the shade.
Pyrenee meadows.
Wildflowers and peaks.
Following months of camping in city parks and eating out of our backpack we couldnt help but call these folks : richies.

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