Tag: europe

Madrid 2025 – post 2

by ginnyinshanghai

Parque del Buen Retiro was our intended destination. Yes, it was a park. Our path took us past these pink blooming trees in the old city of Madrid. They lined several streets.

Most were younger trees, but occasionally we would pass one of these beauties. The gnarled truck and bark had its own attraction.

The park originally belonged to the Spanish monarchy until 1868 at which time it became a public park. It is considered one of the main attractions of the city, having architectural and landscape figures from the 7th to the 21st century.

Walking to the park, we came upon a traffic circle, surrounding the Puerta de Alcala. This gate was one of the five old royal gates that gave access to the city of Madrid.

The Retiro Park has seventeen entrances and we came through the ‘Door of Independence’. The park is 125 hectares and contains more than 15,000 trees. Loved seeing these ivy ‘balls’ on our walk towards the Galapagos Fountain. Most were fully grown, but I found this framework along the path that was waiting to be replanted.

Constructed in 1831, the locally named Galapagos fountain was not only commemorative and ornamental but also used for the water supply at that time.

At the top is a snail-shaped pump, with water cascading down to four children mounted on their own dolphins.

There are four more fountains below the dolphins representing two frogs and two Galapagos turtles, which have given it its popular name. Okay, got it now.

One last photo before moving on. 🙂 Yes, it was that bright and we needed sunglasses.

Next up was ‘The Pond’ with the Monument to King Alfonso XII in the background.

Rowboats could be rented for a small fee. But that’s not an activity for us. Sorry dear, I could see someone leaning to the side and ‘plop’, we’re in the water.

Along with recreational use, the pond also holds rowing and canoeing competitions. We found these cats sitting on the roof where the rowboats were stored. Guess they found a warm place for a nap.

The monument in the background of the pond was from a 1902 competition with the equestrian statue of the king at the top.

A pair of carved lions flank both stairways to the monument.

There was one more intriguing fountain that had to be seen before leaving……..the Fountain of the Fallen Angel. It has the reputation of being the only prominent sculpture dedicated to the devil in the world.

It stands at 666 meter above sea level. Really? Really. The first statement was questionable, but the 666 seems to be solid data.

Personally, I liked the creatures at the base of the Fallen Angel.

What would a garden post be without any photos of flowers. We found more of the pink blooming trees inside the park.

These white flowering trees drew me away from the main thoroughfare.

And behind them was a quiet spot for reflection and solitude.

Those two let me wander off and take my photos of flowers, unconcerned by my whereabouts.

My Icelandic wool friend has enjoyed being in Spain. He will pop in occasionally.

We’re ready for some food. Let’s see what Eric can find.

Ginny

Madrid 2025 – Post 1

by ginnyinshanghai

The journey began with an Uber to the airport. Thank goodness for these ride-share options. Otherwise, parking at the airport would be a huge financial shock upon return. Been there, done that.

Next stop……..The Club, MCO, for breakfast and drinks – coffee for me, not for the other two.

This adventure we used American Airlines – a first for us. Usually, Delta is the airline of choice, but a recent number of delays on other trips, led us to look for other options. We had a layover at Charlotte before going overseas.

We left the states and headed towards Spain.

Airline food is not usually photo worthy………but having real plates and silverware bumped it up a notch or two – just saying.

A glass of wine to help doze off.

But let’s get back to the main story……………….Espana!

Once we chose the country, then selected Madrid as our starting point the next decision was (1) north or (2) south. Eric ran into a couple from Spain several months ago and once he said we were ‘foodies’, they said no choice – go North. But let’s get back to Madrid………

As with most of our flights, landing in Europe occurs very, very, very early on their time. Arrival was scheduled for 5:30am. Let’s just say going through the Madrid Airport was a breeze. We kept walking, walking and more walking before we got to Customs – which was empty. Fastest we have ever gotten through!

We had reserved an AirBNB apartment in the old town of Madrid. We reserved it the night prior to our arrival in order to go straight there and nap. One of the wisest practices we started doing a number of years ago. It is so worth the extra dollars.

Instructions were fairly simple, but since we arrived in the dark, outside photos will come later. Here was the final barrier to bedtime.

A few quick photos before napping. We reserved a 2 bedroom, 2-bath apartment.

Small kitchen with everything necessary. All appliances were behind the white panel doors: fridge, disherwasher and the combo washer/dryer.

But the thing we were looking for…………….

What did the outside look like? Here’s a shot once the sun came up and we went walking. We are on floor 2 (not counting the bottom), corner apartment. Loved having the elevator. I will walk down the stairs, but walking upstairs with luggage is no fun.

The key code to open the building was the same key code to get into our place – sweet!

All were awake and ready to find lunch by 11:30am.

We have always enjoyed the European markets so Mercado de San Anton was locked and loaded in Eric’s phone – 1.1 km away, we can easily do that.

Walked in and this greeted you. Love it! Upstairs were the food stails.

I felt like a sandwich from this establishment. No, that is not a hotdog.

Spanish shaved ham, sundried tomatoes, parmasean crema with arugula was very delicious.

Adrioenne had no problem making her choice – octopus.

Eric ordered a few different things to share: scallops, cheese croquettes and oysters.

Add in local Sangria along with cider and your meal is complete.

Way more adventures to come. This day we took advantage of the ‘dry’ weather to walk more of the city. My next post will take you along our walk. The next day promised rain so that somewhat dictated our plans.

Ginny

The Duomo of Florence

by ginnyinshanghai

Formally called the Cathedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, it is one of Italy’s largest churches. Gothic-style construction began in 1296 and was completed 1436. Here is a shot of the complex that hosts three buildings to include the church, the baptistry and the tower.

Adrienne and I got up early to walk a number of times for several reasons – both equally important. We wanted to get photos without dodging the multitudes of tourists and also walk off the abundance of indulgent calories we had partaken on the trip.

The first building on the site was built 393 AD and had since undergone a number of repairs but was crumbling with age. It was no longer able to serve the growing population of the city. The city council approved the new design two years before construction started for these structures.

The exterior is covered with marble panels in green, pink and white. It truly was magnicifant.

It is the largest brick dome ever constructed and the fifth largest dome in the world. It called for an octagonal dome higher and wider than any that had ever been built, with no external buttresses to keep it from spreading and falling under its own weight.

The use of buttresses was forbidden in Florence, as the style was favored by central Italy’s traditional enemies to the north.

Had a chance to pull in some flowers for one of my photos 🙂 from this outside cafe.

There was so much to see and I had waaaaay too many photos to curate. I tried to include some of my better ones.

We did go inside later when Eric joined us. While it was very nice inside, the grandeur seen outside seemed to overshadow the interior. The relative bareness of the church corresponds with the austerity of religious life.

This shot is from the back of the church, looking towards the alter.

Here’s an inside shot of the brick dome.

One last shot……..

The churches were meant to cause awe amongst the people if not instill a fear of god through story-telling. This was accomplished in Florence.

One morning during our early walks we came across this ‘charming’ sight. What? A pig? Local legend states that touching the snout will ensure another visit to the city. By the looks of this pig’s snout – they will be having a lot of repeat visitors. And yes, we also touched the statue. Adrienne and I will be back!

Most are so involved with touching the snout, I don’t believe they notice all of the other ‘critters’ in this sculpture. The more I circled it, the more I found. This is only a small sampling.

While TOTALLY different in materials and design both were interesting artwork found in the city called the birthplace of Renaissance.

Ginny

Rome to Florence

by ginnyinshanghai

All too soon, it was time to leave Rome and head towards our next stop – Florence, via train.

A few shots of the Italian countryside along our fast-paced journey.

Adrienne brought along a little something extra and it has continued to bring smiles. I found a (very) different item in Rome. It makes me smile whenever it shows up in my photos.

Our next apartment was another AirBNB rental.

Our first order of business was lunch. Our chosen destination was a local market located in the historic San Lorenzo marketplace, which opened in the spring of 2014 to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the iron & glass architectural building by a Florence designer. So sorry – that was quite a long run-on sentence.

The good thing about eating in a food market……………we can each chose our own type of food. Eric was hankering for seafood and picked up these dishes.

octopus & potatoes

seafood medley of shrimp, calamari & cuttlefish

Naturally a few oysters were purchased by Eric. I tried one – still not as good as the ones I tasted in the north of France last year.

I felt like a sandwich, accompanied with wine. I only expected to eat half of it. Nope, it was all gone when my wine was finished. The focaccia bread for my sandwich – absolutely delicious!

Topped it off with some gelato – which filled in the cracks. Coffee and strawberry were my flavors of choice.

After a short nap (I needed one!) we went in search of a ‘wine window’. What was that? exactly like what is sounds.

The tradition of wine windows dates back to the 16th century when aristocratic families were granted permission to sell the wine they produced in the countryside to consumers directly from their houses, without any middlemen or taxes. Cosimo de Medici, a clever banker and lord of Florence, was the mastermind behind this new sales practice.  The window below was fairly close to us.

The true genius of these wine windows came to light during the plague that hit Florence in the 17th century. With the city in the throes of a deadly epidemic, the wine windows proved an ingenious architectural solution that allowed commerce to continue without risking further contagion.

Wine windows were in use until the 1920s. But – as we are all well aware – , history repeated itself in 2020 with the onset of the most recent pandemic. Many savvy restaurateurs and bar owners were able to weather the storm by serving customers through these windows. It’s a fun way to drink some wine.

The full experience continued when we went inside in for dinner at Osteria Belle Donne. The kitchen offers traditional Tuscan and Italian dishes prepared with genuine and seasonal raw materials cooked according to ancient recipes. We started with a simple but very tasteful bruschetta – excellent way to clean your palate. We had bruschetta several times, but I believe this was the best of the best.

It was a nice evening for soup, soup and salad.

Ginny – minestrone
Eric – bread minestrone
Adrienne – salad

Loved the interior of the restaurant. An interesting ceiling, lined with plants and lights added to the ambience.

Eric needed more than soup and got the pasta with fresh truffles.

Notice the yellow flower on the table? They were very prevalent on our day of travel and were seen everywhere. Why? The yellow mimosa became the symbol of International Women’s Day in Italy and we were in Italy when celebrated. 🙂

Ginny

Rome History – part 4, The Vatican

by ginnyinshanghai

Vatican City – a landlocked independent country gaining independence from Italy in 1929. At 121 acres it is the smallest state in the world by area and population.

After stepping across the ‘boundary’ into this country, we came across the double-helix staircase. Eric assumed we were going down the staircase – no. You can see him in the blue shirt and backpack. He had to hurry back up to join the tour.

We stopped at this balcony to get a photo of St. Peter’s dome before exploring the treasures of the Vatican.

Our first little portico we stopped at had these statues.

This twisted archway was different and interesting.

Leading us to this rotunda of statues, with the dome reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome.

Everyone is always looking up but artwork also abounds on the floor – like this floral mosaic.

One hallway was dedicated to tapestries.

Right before we walked through the map room.

No photos are allowed within the Sistine Chapel. I searched on the internet and found this shot which I liked. A lot of story-telling going on and our tour guide educated us on the different panels before walking through. While we were there, prayers were given in several languages, making it a bit more realistic and special. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescoes that decorate the interior.

One of the functions of the Sistine Chapel is as a venue for the election of each successive pope in a conclave of the College of Cardinals. On the occasion of a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel, from which smoke arises as a signal. If white smoke, which is created by burning the ballots of the election, appears, a new Pope has been elected. If no candidate receives the required two-thirds vote, the cardinals send up black smoke—created by burning the ballots along with wet straw and chemical additives—it means that no successful election has yet occurred.

The last part of our tour was St Peter’s Basilica.  It is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world by interior measure.

The dome was closed for touring, but I could get a shot without showing (much) of the scaffolding.

Most of the alter was also blocked but I could squeeze in a tiny photo from the side.

St. Peter’s is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as “holding a unique position in the Christian world” and as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom. There is sooooooo much to this place. It was one of our last activities in Rome and took me quite a while to go through the large number of photos I took.

Ginny

A view of Rome from Vatican City