This is a picture of the most famous monastery in Lisbon called Jerónimos Monastery. We found this in the Belém neighborhood of Lisbon after enjoying a picnic lunch in the Jardins of Belém. Today, this monastery is home to many different things including an archeology museum, the Santa Maria Church, and a ship museum. I was able to see the first two, but unfortunately the ship museum was not open on Saturdays. The church reminded me a lot of the Cathedrals that we saw in Toledo, Salamanca, and Segovia. It is built in a gothic style, with high rising ceilings and an abundance of detail in the columns, walls, and alters. I was also able to venture into the archeology museum that contained artifacts from all over Europe, Asia, and Africa. There was a great exhibit of different coins, jewelry, and armor from the days of the Roman influence in the Iberian Peninsula. There was also a roomed filled with artifacts from Egypt, including sarcophagi, and metal moldings of Egyptian gods and Pharaohs. In a room that focused on the Oriental, there were paintings and early photography that came out of China and India. There was a device in this room, that when you look into it with two pictures on the other side, it combines the two photos to create a 3D image. I really enjoyed this monastery and was impressed by how they had used the space inside to house so many different museums and places of interest. 

 

This is a picture of Praça de D. Pedro IV in Lisbon, Portugal. Sarah, Gabe, Trevor, Shelley, Hannah, and I went to Lisbon this past weekend to soak in a little bit of the Portuguese culture. Lisbon is truly an enchanting city, and in my opinion is one of the hidden gems of Europe. The Praça de D. Pedro IV contains two fountains, a McDonalds, and an enormous statue. According to Wikipedia, Praça de D. Pedro IV, also known as Rossio, takes it’s namesake from both Pedro IV and from the Emperor of Brazil, Pedro I. This enormous statue is actually that of the Emperor of Brazil, Pedro I.  After the earthquake of 1755, all of the buildings within the Rossio had to be rebuilt; the only building that was not destroyed was the Palace of Independence*. Therefore, today all of the buildings existing in the plaza, except the Palace of Independence, date from the late 1700’s and forward*.  This plaza has been an important meeting place for the people of Lisbon for centuries*. Even its alternate name, “Rossio”, means “common” in English*. The plaza is called “common”, because it is a place owned by the common people*. I saw for myself while being there that this is still a bustling scene, filled with people of all classes and social backgrounds. It seems to be a place that every one in the city flocks to, also because it is in the center of many other popular destinations within Lisbon, such as Avenida da Liberdade, Pombaline Downtown, Praça da Figueira, and it even holds a beautiful view of the Castle of São Jorge.

 

*Information gathered, and reworded from Wikipedia.

This is a picture of Avenida da Liberdade. After we walked through the Rossio, we came upon this avenue. This avenue is full of clothing shops, cafes, both indoor and outdoor, street venders, and artists. Also, on this street you literally cannot walk two yards with out being approached by someone trying to sell you drugs. It was definitely an interesting experience. The Avenida ends under an arch at the beginning of a ship port, where you can then find numerous different modes of transportation including: trolleys, the metro, and a train system a few blocks down. One of my favorites, which unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to make use of, was the trolley. Everywhere one looks in Lisbon, there are trolleys and the electrical cables above the streets that the trolleys run on. It was actually the first city that I’ve been to, European or otherwise, that had an extensive trolley system. After looking at a map of the metro system and seeing the trolleys, the trolleys actually reach more of the city than the metro does. One of the most interesting things to me about this avenue, were the artists that set up shop towards the end of it, just before the arch and the seafront. From oil paintings to watercolors, this would be an art lover’s paradise. Each independent artist had multiple works of their interpretation of different hotspots within the city. I was lucky enough to be able to watch a few of the artists as they created their works of art.

On our latest excursion we not only visited Salamanca, but also the little city of Ávila part of the Castille y León region of Spain which is also the capital of the province of Ávila. Avila, a beautiful city, is situated 3665 ft above sea level. At this height, compared to the other capital cities in the country, it holds the highest altitude. Ptolemy wrote a manuscript entitled "Geographia", where he mentions a city called "Abula", while no one is certain, it is a possibility that this city is present day Avila. Abula is supposedly one of the first christianized cities of the Iberian peninsula, but it is also thought that Ávila is actually the city of Obila, and that Abula was what is now Abla. A medieval wall containing eighty-eight towers and nine gateways surrounds the city. The city was great. I loved visiting it. I wish I knew more about the city, but we didn't have a guide to tell us anything, so unfortunately I don't have much information. I do know however, that it was named a UNESCO world heritage site, just like the cities of Toledo and Segovia. 

This past Saturday Chadwell, Gabe, and I visited the Parque del Buen Retiro in Madrid. 

The following information was gathered from Wikipedia and paraphrashed by the author of this blog:

Situated at the edge of the center of Madrid, the Parque del Buen Retiro is about 350 acres and is close to both Museo del Prado and the Puerta de Alcalá. Under King Philip II, the architect Juan Bautista de Toledo enlarged the park during the latter half of the sixteenth century. The park was again extended in the 1620’s by Gaspar de Guzmán. The park has not always been open to the public. It was not until 1767 that the park was accessible to civilians. Before this, the park was meant only for the royal family and the monarch’s court.

During the reign of Charles IV, Juan de Villanueva's Astronomical Observatory was built. Estanque del Retiro, located towards the northern entrance of the park, is a large artificial lake that was constructed next to the enormous monument to King Alfonso XII. A statue stands among the many rose bushes called the Fountain of the Falling Angel that was inspired by a passage from John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”. Among all of the things within the park is a walkway known as the Paseo de las Estatuas or Paseo de Argentina where there are many sculptures of former kings sculpted between 1750 and 1753.

This is one of the two cathedrals in Salamanca, Spain. The two cathedrals are connected to each other, and we visited them both on our latest excursion. 

The following information was encountered by the author of this blog on Wikipedia. It has been interpretted and reworded:

It was built between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries in two different styles, both gothic and baroque. It was custom-made by Ferdinand the Fifth of Castile. In 1887, the cathedral was declared a national monument by royal decree. When the new cathedral was built, at the time the Gothic style of architecture was becoming less popular and began merging with the new Renaissance style. However, the authorities wanted the new cathedral to match the old one, so it still possesses a large amount of Gothic characteristics. In November of 1755, a devastating earthquake (referred to now as the Lisbon Earthquake) occurred that resulted in many structural and cosmetic damages to the Cathedrals. Repairs were made to the copula and the base of one of the towers. Again in 1992, repairs were necessary and an artist carved an astronaut into the outside of the cathedral as a symbol of the twentieth century. Every year on October 31 “Mariquelo” takes place when residents climb to the top of the copula to play music and commemorate the Lisbon earthquake. 

I really liked the Cathedral of Salamanca. It was beautiful and the history behind it is fescinating. Unfortunately, I don't understand Spanish as well as I would like, so instead of using strictly what the guide told me during the excursion, I had to use outside sources, such as Wikipedia. 

The Park Güell, too, is a work of Barcelona architect Antonio Gaudi. As a combination of a garden and architectural elements, walking through the park is akin to walking through Alice’s Wonderland. The financer of the park, Eusebi Güell, originally intended for the site to be a housing development because it was located on the top of a mountain, out of the way of the many factories of Barcelona. However, only two houses were actually built on the site, neither designed by Gaudi, and after they were unable to sell them, Güell encourage Gaudi to move into one of them. He did so, and this house today still sits at the entrance to the park. The park is free to tour, but there is an entrance fee the Gaudi’s house, which contains furniture designed by Gaudi himself. I wasn’t able to go into the house myself, but seeing the park was awe-inspiring enough. After experiencing both the Park Güell and La Casa Milá, I can agree that Gaudi, probably one of the most famous native Barcelona residents in the history of the city, was an utter genius. If this had been the only thing that I had seen in Barcelona I would have been happy with my visit. Seeing the park and La Pedrera makes me wonder how the inhabitants of the city interpreted these things during the tumultuous years of Franco, and the miserable reality that coincided. Obviously, I’ve never been in such a grim situation, but when I was surrounded by the masterpiece of an impeccable genius, I felt as if I didn’t have a care in the world.