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Walled Cities are Worth Visiting

9 Sep

There is something about a walled city that intrigues me.  I do not know if it is the history of the site, as many have UNESCO World Heritage designation or, perhaps the romance.  In my mind, a walled city is connected to a castle, to a fairytale and to a prince and princess. The walled cities in Europe were the fairytale castle cities.

But then walled cities are also associated with war and wealth.  The cities and the castle were walled in to keep the invaders out. Most of these also had forts associated with the walls.  I saw these types of walled cities in South America and the Caribbean and North America, where pirates worked diligently to steal the gold and silver that the Spanish and Portuguese had stolen from the indigenous peoples.

Within the walls people were safer and better off than those who were kept outside the gates.  I think in the days when the walls were important, I, as a Jewish woman, would have been kept out of the gates.  But now, I can walk through these cities and enjoy what has remained.

I have been to many cities throughout the world that still have remains of the walls, and in places where the walls are complete. The highlighted ones are the ones I liked the most. With so many walled cities to visit, I have decided on my top walled cities, some of which I have visited more than once.

Jerusalem, Israel,  is my top walled city.  I lived there for a year when I was in college and had many wonderful experiences.  That was over 50 years ago and the world has changed dramatically since then.  But Jerusalem with its stone buildings, archeological sites and important historic religious importance, has to be number one. You cannot walk through the Old City, or walk along the walls without thinking about all that happened. In Jerusalem. You walk in the steps of our ancestors, wondering about their lives and the intersections of the continents that made Judea such an important part of the ancient world.  You cannot forget Jerusalem and how the sun reflects unto the buildings at sunset creating a glow to the city. (UNESCO World Heritage)

Ephesus, Turkey, is my second amazing walled city. If you have ever been to the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus it will stay in your mind forever. This once walled city that had three main gates was a port city. But over the centuries the port was filled in and the city disappeared. Now the spectacular remains, included the facade of the library, keeps your attention. If you have the chance, this is a place that needs to be visited.

Tallinn, Estonia, really does look like a storybook, fairytale town.  I enjoyed looking out of the walls to the city below and walking through all the shops.  It didn’t have the history or meaning for me as some of the other cities.  But I just thought it was quaint and lovely. (UNESCO World Heritage site)

The entrance to Lubeck, Germany, is so impressive. I thought it was amazing.  What was also amazing is that it survived the Second World War in somewhat good shape.  I loved the Braille 3-D map near the gate, where you could see the city in one place as if from above.  I enjoyed eating the Marzipan and strolling throughout the town.  But for me, seeing that a synagogue survived the Nazi era was important.   It survived because it was close to a church.  To me that seemed to have meaning.  If a church building could protect a synagogue, perhaps the people should be able to protect other citizens.  But as we see now, the world is not very kind or understanding. (UNESCO World Heritage site)

Number three is Vatican City, Rome, Italy. Both a city and a country in the midst of Rome.  I have only spent four days in Rome, but like Jerusalem, this city immerses a visitor in history.  Walking past structures that I studied in school is a bizarre experience. In my mind I could see the past that I studied. As we walked through the endless halls of wonders, I was overwhelmed by all the works of art from throughout the world. It was almost too much to see. Then to see the Sistine Chapel and later the St. Peters Basillica, I was done.  (UNESCO World Heritage)

Since I am discussing Italy, I must mention the lovely walled town of Como, Italy. We went to visit this walled city because my father suggested it. He had been involved in the textile industry for his entire career and used to travel to Italy all the time. Since we were in Milan, he told us we had to visit Como as it was once the capital of the Silk Trade. In fact, at one time there was a school to learn about silk there. Now it is a museum. I loved this city. We spent a day there visiting the museum, walking about and shopping. We ate lunch a little outside of town at a restaurant on the beach of Lake Como. I also must say, there is no car traffic in the walled old city. So it was a wonderful place to walk around and shop!

The college town of Guimaraes, Portugal, was also amazing. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has been a town for students since 1315.  We loved walking around the campus seeing the ‘modest’ student chapel, the spectacular library, the special dungeon for students who did wrong, and the room where students presented their work.  We were there near graduation, so we got to see a group of students having their graduation photos taking.  A great day.

After spending five days in Porto, Portugal, I feel like I really know this city as we walked everywhere.  Probably 30 miles over these days, from the lovely gardens, to the museums, to the port, across the bridge to the Port sellers, up the Funicular, just exploring this lovely UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many of the city’s walls have been demolished. But you can see them along the river and in a few areas. The most important part of Porto are the hills, the views and the gardens!

Santiago de Compostela, Spain, is another city with religious history embedded in its being.  The focus of those following “The Way,” the Camino de Santiago, as people focus on arriving at the Church of St. Andrew, or Santiago.  The walled city is easy to walk through, with all roads leading to the Cathedral.  I enjoyed our three days three visiting the museums, listening to the music, exploring the sites, and watching the pilgrims arrive at the spacious square in front of the Cathedral. (UNESCO World Heritage)

Old City, Barcelona, Spain.  Barcelona is one of my favorite cities in the world mainly because I love the work of Antoni Gaudi.   But I also loved walking through the old city and visiting sites there including the. Old synagogue, that still exists.  My heritage is from the Spanish and Portuguese Jews who fled north to Amsterdam. We have been to Barcelona two times, and each time I have found new places to explore.  Most of the wall is gone, although you can see it in some places.  And although the city itself is not A UNESCO World Heritage site, it has nine sites in the city that are protected by the UNESCO including seven Antoni Gaudi creations.

Leon, Spain, intrigues me.  Even though many of the walls are down, we entered through what was once the Money Gate, or Puerta Moneda, the entrance that lead to the Jewish area. This is the only gate of the city that remains.   It was amazing to walk the streets and know that Leon was once the home to a large Jewish community.   In fact, in Leon here were many reminders of the community that was destroyed, including an old synagogue that is now a church, which you can visit.

The walls of Loga, Spain, are amazing.  To see them from outside the walls makes you take a breath! But then to walk on the walls later and look out at those same places you saw it for the first time is also amazing.  The walls of Loga were the widest walls I ever walked up.  You could actually have a party there.  And I bet some people do, because there are houses that are built into the wall.  I also enjoyed walking through the old city. But it is the walls themselves that stand out. Although the city of Loga is not a World Heritage Site, these walls have the UNESCO World Heritage designation.

Edinburgh, Scotland, We walked the hill up to the Castle.  Then we walked up the hill in the Castle. Then we looked down upon the city from the top of the Castle. Then we walked down the long hill in the castle, out the doors of the Castle, down the long hill to a street with shops, including ICE CREAM.  What I remember most is the hills.  Most of the city we saw by bus.  Although Edinburgh was traditionally a walled city, much of the walls are now gone. However, the castle makes up for that.  (UNESCO World Heritage site)

The first time I visited Quebec City, Canada, I was on a cruise.  I wasn’t expecting it to be a highlight, I really wanted to see Prince Edward Island and all the Anne Shirley experiences.  But when we arrived in Quebec City and I saw the Funicular I knew I would like it.  I liked it so much with its French and English old-world charm combined together in one city, that we came back a few years later to spend an entire week staying in the old city.  I loved it. (UNESCO World Heritage site).

Just as an aside, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Charleston, South Carolina, both once had defensive walls surrounding them. These no longer exist. But both cities still have the charm of a walled city!

San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a place I have visited many times.  The first time was on my honeymoon.  I have visited it three other times.  Each time we were on a cruise.  The last time was a few months before the big hurricane came and decimated the island. During that trip we took a walking tour through the old walled city, La Ciudad, and even visited the Fort, walking throughout and looking out at the views of the ocean.  I cannot believe that I hadn’t done that before.  I was amazed by the teeny yellow house, La Casa Estrecha.  It was the first time I had seen a house built in an alley.  But since I have seen such a house in another country.    The day we walked around there were artists selling their work, and many people enjoying what was lovely weather. (UNESCO World Heritage site)

I remember the heat of Cartagena, Columbia, as we walked around the old city, the las Ciudad amurallada.  We visited several museums including the one dedicated to the Inquisition in Columbia, which mainly tortured the indigenous people.   My comment was that you did not have to torture anyone, just make the stand outside for hours without water. Between the heat and humidity, they would give in. Cartagena’s walls were used to keep the Pirates out because Cartagena is the port that the Spanish used to ship the gold and silver back to Europe.  Of course we visited the gold museum there, Museo del Oro Zenu.  It had the best air conditioning, which made us all happy!

I have visited walled cities on four continents, on islands in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Each walled city has its own charm. When I travel, I always try to visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites because they each have some special aspect that you do not see in other places around the world. Visiting walled cities makes you think about the people who figured out how to build them to protect their cities. The enormity of stability of these walls to last hundreds, even a thousand years, makes you think about how modern construction does not last as long.

Walled Cities are Worth Visiting. Enjoy!

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Music, Dance, Culture and Unusual Places In Portugal and Spain

28 May

While I covered most of our experiences in Portugal and Spain, there are some special places and experiences that just did not fit into my other blogs.  So here I am doing a potpourri of unique and joyful events and places.

Our boat, used to move salt or seaweed.

Did you know there is a Venice-like city in Portugal? I didn’t. But near the coast is the city of Aveiro. A large channel was dug in the early 1800s opening the town to the sea and canals were cut to bring the water further in and for transportation as the city became an important part of the salt and seaweed industries.  Although these two industries are no longer important, the canals have become a way for tourists to view the city.  We had a wonderful time on our boat ride through the canals viewing the scenes from the boat.  Later we had a chance to walk the streets that line the canal.

A sardine store.

In Portugal, sardines are an important food source and export industry.  Wherever you go you can see sardines for sale and/or you can eat them.  In Aveiro, the city with the canals, there was a lovely store just filled with different canned sardines for sale!  Since I love sardines, I loved seeing this store. I had joy from this little bit of heaven for me.  Later in our trip I purchased some to take home.  I didn’t take a photo of that sardine store, but later on I found another one!

In Spain there is a large area of mussel farms in the Rias Baixus estuary.  We had a lovely boat ride along the mussel farms and learned how the mussels grow and are harvested.  Those who enjoy mussels (NOT me) had a delicious lunch of mussels and shrimp.  I enjoyed watching the birds try to steal the food from the boat and from the others in my group trying to eat!  And YES, of course they served us wine on the boat!!

Before we went into the estuary, we looked at it from above at a wonderful little park on a peninsula bordering the estuary.  There we encountered the Tilting Rock and beyond it a wonderful lookout to view the area from above.

The town of Coimbra and the wonderful grounds of the university had more to offer us as we experienced Fado, the sad and emotional music of the students. Originally sung and performed with guitar by men dressed in black with capes and hats, now occasionally a woman also performs.  We went to a performance by three men that was so interesting.  Lots of longing and drama in the music.

After we left Coimbra we visited the seaside resort of Costa Nova. Wow, I fell in love with this resort. The beach is long and wonderful.  But the fun part are all the brightly colored and striped homes along the beach.  It was great fun to walk up and down the beach to admire them and have a cool drink, which we did. Many cities in Portugal and Spain had designs in the walkways which were made up of little squares of marble and granite. I liked this dophin.

We had other musical events as well.  Did you know that the people of Northern Spain are the origins of Celtic music. In fact, the people fled north to the islands that are now Great Britain and are the original Celtic immigrants.  We had the pleasure to see a show of their music, dance and singing.  YES, they use bag pipes!! But my favorite was the women playing songs using a sort of tamberine/drum and then using spoons for a song.  So much fun!

The first night in Santiago, we also got to see a troop of musicians performing across from the Church.  It was entertaining and joyous.  I think the pilgrims really enjoy their evenings after their long journey.  There is music throughout the town.

On another day we visited the World Heritage Site of Las Medulas, which shows you how you can destroy mountains with water.  The site of an ancient Roman gold mine, Las Medulas are the remains of mountains that were destroyed by the Romans who injected water into the mountains to mine for gold.  It is the most unusual landscape.  Honestly was totally unexpected and really worth seeing. 

Unfortunately last year there was a major fire near the area, actually right up to it. So all around us were blackened trees and shrubs and the grass was gone. But in a way it was more interesting because we were able to see the ancient Roman paths cut through the area.  And a beautiful new viewing site was built.

There were so many wonderful experiences and places to see and explore. Some times we felt we needed a vacation from our vacation. But in reality the memories these places and the poeple who we traveled with will stay with us. It was a most glorious and enjoyable experience.

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Finding the Camino on “The Way” to Santiago de Compostela

19 May

People have been walking the Comino for over 1000 years. Most started for religious reasons.  But now people walk for many reasons. Many still for religion, but for others it is a personal journey that relates to their own needs.  They are searchers and pilgrims.

The are four main paths to the pilgrimage to the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago to visit the cathedral where the relics of St. Anthony are interred in a silver casket. Camino Fraces, the French Way, is the most famous way and is 790 KM. The Original Way, from Oviedo and is 320 KM.  Or one of the two Comino Portugues.  One starts in Lisbon, 600 Km.  Or you can go the Camino Portugues that starts in Porto and is only 240 KM. 

Although we did not walk the 240 kilometers on our journey through Portugal and Spain, we did walk part of the Comino in many of the places we visited.  Throughout our trip we would see the shell symbol of the Comino etched or painted on the ground; carved or placed on the side of a building; posted on signposts along the way. We cannot get credit for walking the 100 km minimum. To be recognized, but along the way, I am sure we walked about 20 kilometers of The Way.

The Comino is a World Heritage Site since 1993, and many walkers start their journey in April.  We saw many pilgrims with the staff and shell adorned backpack along our way. They were intent on reaching their goal…the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

To talk about the Comino, I feel that you must talk about churches.  But for me, I need to start at the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela, the supposed burial site of the apostle St. James.

The giant carved shell, symbol of the Comino outsdie the church.
Inside the church from the back to the altar.
Saint Antony’s relic.
My secret photo from the behind the altar.
This door only opens on special ocassions,.

We were told that when we reached the Praza do Obradoiro, the main square in front of the Cathedral, we needed to look around. If we were lucky, we would see a group of pilgrims arriving at this their final destination.  I was lucky.  I was looking in the right direction when a group four pilgrims arrived.  The face of one woman in particular glowed. She started hugging her companions and crying with emotion.  Yes, I took a photo.  It was intense and lovely. They stopped in front of the cathedral and stared.  I imagine were thinking about the effort and the journey to get there, not about walking in, seeing the church, the relic and getting their certificate.

Pilgrims arriving at the plaza.

But they would not be entering through the large green main doors. Those doors are closed now. You have to enter from a side door, because you cannot enter the Portico of Glory.  Since its renovation 10 years ago, you must have special passes to see it. We were fortunate that Road Scholar obtained passes for our group.  And it is magnificent.

In the movie, “The Way,” Martin Sheen’s character enters the cathedral and places his hand on the statue in an area that over time was worn away to resemble a hand.  The area is still visible, but the 200 statues in the Portico have been renovated, cleaned, and stand to show their beauty. You cannot take photos, but it was so lovely I had to buy a little guide book about the Portico. 

We then had to leave the Portico and go out of the cathedral to reenter another door to see the massive cathedral itself.  To be honest it is a little sad for me.  They removed all the classic statues and art from the original 11th and 12th century building to remake it in the ornate and gold gilded way of the usual European Baroque Cathedral.  It was lovely. The ceiling was magnificent.  But after seeing the Portico, I would have loved to see more of these amazing sculptures.

We went down into the area where St. Antony’s relic is kept and then walked up the other side, which leads you behind the alter and behind the statue of St. Anthony. On his back is the shell symbol of the pilgrimage.  Many people hug the statue, not me.  However, I did touch the shell.  I also took two photos.  Which I found out I was not supposed to do, but no one told us and the guard was very kind to this ‘little old lady’ and just said no more photos.   But I did get a great photo looking out to the cathedral. And the giant incense burner. 

Later in the day we went to the Cathedral’s Museum where we saw a replica of the incense burner and other objects. I was suprised to see a replica painting of the Lady of Guadalupe. We had seen the original at the Basilica in Mexico City. But I guess people go on pilgrimage to see her as well.

The giant incense holder.
THis little statue reminded me of the Portico of Glory art.
A replica of Our Lady Of Guadalupe. We saw the original in Mexico City.

We had a lovely three nights in Santiago staying in the lovely Virze de Cerca hotel.  Opened in 1999, it was once an old home and is now a hotel with some rooms in the ancient building, and others in a newer building on the other side of a lovely garden courtyard.  One day we went to the Mercado de Abastos and purchased wine, bread, sardines, fruit, cheese and meat to have our very own picnic at the hotels garden.  Wonderful.

The entire city of Santiago has a spiritual feeling. You see the pilgrims everywhere. You can tell those who are just finishing and are exhausted from the ones who have been in the city for a day or two and are just enjoying the city’s joyful ambience. There are street performers singing, dancing, and entertaining everywhere. It was the highlight of the trip for me.  But we had to get here, first visiting other churches and sites along the way, and then we had to continue on, seeing wonderful places and had great experiences as we journeyed to our final destination.

Starting from the beginning of our trip.  We had our first encounter with The Way, with the sighting of our first shell symbol in Guimaraes.  It was the first of many signs we saw along the way to Santiago.

In our journey we visited many churches besides the Cathedral de Santiago.  I will only discuss the ones we actually entered. 

The stair way to heaven behind the altar.
The statue on the left for students is being restored.

The first was St. Michael’s Chapel of Coimbra University, which dates to the early 1600s. This chapel is devoted to education and light. “St. Michael was also the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Professors and Students under the invocation of Our Lady of Light,” according to the website about it.  (See below.)

There is a stature to honor students and one to honor professors. Its main statute is to honor the Lady of Light.  The statute to students was being restored, so we did not get to see it. But we got the sense of it.  I could see students there the night before a big exam praying for the light of knowledge and the ability to remember all they memorized!!

Some of the walls were tiled with Portuguese tiles and the ceiling decoration was stunning.  Like so many others, it was ‘elevated’ at some time to the baroque view of beauty.  The best was the altar piece that included a depiction of the ‘stairway to heaven.’  If you made it all the way up you were blessed to go to heaven, but along the way you could lose your step and there was a demon waiting for you. Probably a good message for college students!!

The next day we visited a church site, but did not time to visit the inside.  We made the pilgrimage to Bon Jesus de Monte.  Claudia, our guide told us that most pilgrims to Bon Jesus now are those who love to exercise. They walk up and down the over 600 steps to the top of the hill and then back down. 

The grounds and the views from the top of the hill are magnificent. And the outside of the Church is impressive. But we only had 20 minutes on the top, our visit there was mainly for the view.

We took the funicular, which is one of my favorite means of transportation.  This was a very old, 100 years or so, well used funicular.  Very unlike the one we took in Porto.  But I enjoyed going both ways.  Only nine of our group decided to walk down the many, many stairs.  The rest of us waiting and took photos making believe we had walked!

The start of the walk down.
People coming down the stairs.

Our next stop was Santiago, which was a highlight of the trip. Afterwards there was still more to see and symbols of the Comino that came from Spain and from France. So our path to The Way was heading away. However, as we now know, all roads lead to Santiago de Compostela.

The next church was in Leon. And it was a two-part visit.  First was to the Catedral Santa Maria de Leon, or the Leon Cathedral.   Our guide told me that Gaudi got the inspiration from this church and its high ceilings and multi-colors that come in from the 1800 square meters of stained glass window when he design the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia.  I am not sure I see it. But he did live in Leon for a while, and you never know what went through his mind.

In any case, this cathedral is filled with wonderful stained glass, which is in the process of being renovated.  It has taken years and will take many more as they take each window down and restore it and then put a panel on the outside to keep the windows safe from the elements.

There were several statues of religious figures in the church that I found especially appealing because they looked like real people.

While there were also visited the cathedral’s museum, specifical to see the Basilica de San Isidoro and the frescoes that adorn the Royal Pantheon.  It is considered to be the “Sistine Chapel” of Spanish Romanesque style” according to information our guide gave us. It was amazing and surreal as we walked among the graves of Spanish royalty to view the ceilings. 

I am glad we had the opportunity to visit the Pantheon.  I have been to the Sistine Chapel and stood in the middle of the large room to stare up at the masterpiece depiction of God creating the world. The artwork here was not as ornate, but was well worth the time staring upwards.

I truly enjoyed my experience learning about The Way and the people who make the pilgrimage and the places they might visit on their journey of self discovery.

Inicio

https://catedraldesantiago.es/visitaportico/en/welcome-portico-glory

museo

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/347

https://www.centerofportugal.com/poi/st-michaels-chapel-of-the-university-of-coimbra

https://leon.es/en/what-to-see/monuments/st-isidores-basilica/
https://www.fundacionjacobea.org/en/ways-of-santiago/what-to-visit/the-cathedral-of-leon-and-its-stained-glass-windows

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Palaces, Walls, and A Castle In Spain!

12 May

When we planned our Road Scholar trip to Portugal and Spain I was excited that we would be going to many World Heritage sites, including castles and palaces.  Let’s be honest, I was born along with DisneyLand in 1955 and I grew up seeing the Disney castle every week on the Wonderful World of Disney.   I remember so well the evil villain of Babes in Toyland singing, “My Castle in Spain.”  For me this was going to be a highlight.

We saw a number of  castles and palaces on our trip.  Some were absolutely extravagant; others were just empty stone shells without much romance.  I always knew that the tapestries were created to keep the rooms warmer.  But until you walk through a large castle and see the size of the rooms, and the small size of fireplaces and heaters, do you realize that these places would be extremely cold in the winter.  In fact, our guide told use that most people had to walk around wrapped in a blanket.  BRRR

Even still, with this reality check, with knowing when I saw the Castle in Segovia that it had been heavily damaged by a fire and most of it was reconstruction, I could not help but be joyful.  Why? Because was like seeing the real Disney Castle in Segovia, I knew my wish had come true.  So instead of starting at the beginning of our trip and describing our experience in order, I must start with our second to last castle, Alcazar!

Throne Room

The Disneyworld Cinderella Castle’s towers and windows were based on the Alcazar of Segovia, Spain.  Perhaps other elements come from other castles.  But once you see the Alcazar, all you can do is hum, “When I Wish Upon A Star.”  I did that for the entire time we toured the castle.  I might have made my sister and husband crazy.   

After walking uphill through narrow, ancient streets of Segovia we came upon the first sight of Alcazar, which has been a World Heritage Site since 1985. Some castles you cannot enter.  But this one was not only renovated, it had furniture in some rooms to make you realize what it once looked like.  It is also a museum. 

Before I leave Segovia, I must say there is another important site to see there, the Roman Aqueduct that is about six stories high when goes above ground , while its underground route through the town is marked with different stones.  It is an amazing feat of construction!!

Now that I have finished swooning over Alcazar, I will return to the beginning of our adventure and talk about the Palacio da Borsa, the original Board of Trade.  Although it is not a castle, it is definitely a palace.  Some of its rooms are absolutely stunning. I understand why it is an event space for conferences, conventions and if someone could afford it, what a place for a wedding!!

From the Grand Staircase, to the meeting rooms, –  each one has its own character and special artwork, on the ceilings, the walls, the floors, the furniture- the building is elegant.  The trial room with its ornate carved wooden furniture and beautiful art; the views; the room where Gabinete De Gustave Eifel worked when he was in Porto; The Hall of Countries.

Entrance to Golden room.
Some of the detail.
The ceiling
The floor

All of it fabulous. But nothing prepares you for the Golden Room.  Many people oooh and Ahhh over the Amber Room in Catherine’s Palace near St. Petersburg.  And that room is stunning, I admit when I saw it in 2018. But to be honest, the Golden Room with all its intricate carving and inlaid is something special.  It made me think of the inlay at the Taj Mahal. The inlaid wooden floors were reminiscent of the ones I saw in the Hermitage in Russia, but actually more intricate. From floor to walls to ceiling to columns, there is not one spot untouched and plain.  My pictures will not do it justice. But if you ever have a chance to go to Porto, you must visit the Golden Room.  My brain was exhausted after seeing it.

The walls are sitting on granite boulders.

Thank goodness our next stop, the first castle on our tour, was less ornate but also fascinating in its own right: The Castelo de Guimaraes in Guimaraes. We did not actually go into this10th century edifice, we walked around the stone fortifications and massive walls. It is built on top of a granite mountain, and some of its walls are the granite stones.  And they are enormous.  They are everything a castle should look like from the outside.  It was constructed by order of Countess Mumadona Dias to protect a monastery from  Moorish invaders.  Although the castle is not a world heritage site, it is a Portuguese National Monument since the late 1890s.

On the grounds of the castle are two more buildings. First the Church of Saint Michael.  This little chapel was the place where Portuguese King Afonso Henriques was baptized in 1927. There is no furniture in the church as the entire floor are the tombstones of important people.  In fact, you can only walk around the inside perimeter, so you do not cause damage to the engravings.

The Palace of the Dukes of Braganza is there as well. We only walked along the outside.  It was renovated in the 1930s and served as the residence for the then President Antonio Salazar. Although part of it is open to the public, we did not go inside.

Although not a palace or a castle, the University of Coimbra, founded in 1290, definitely feels like one.  I am not sure I would be able to actually go to classes there, especially in some of the older buildings.  I would be too busy looking around.

Underground student prison.
Our tour guide on the ‘toilet.’
Room for presentations.
Ceiling of Presentation Room.
Part of the Courtyward and the view.

 We were not allowed to take photos of the famous library.  It is a stunning work of carved wood and bookcases filled with ancient tomes.  It is still used by students and scholars, but the books must be ordered in advanced and not allowed to leave the campus.

The lecture room, where students present their PhD dissertations also makes you think of a castle great room.  The ceiling is stunning as is the woodwork. 

But I have to be honest the part that capture most of our attention was the fantastic view of the city and the river; watching the students take their graduation photos; and finally visiting the underground ‘dungeon’ that was a special prison for students who got into trouble.  This is not your usual dungeon, because since the students were from the upper class, even when they got in trouble they did not suffer like the riff-raff. In fact, we were amazed that they actually had a two-seat stone toilet to use.  They could spend anywhere from a day to several months here depending on their misbehavior.

Later photo shows me between the window openings.

Next stop the monstrous and magnificent Roman Walls of Lugo. We walked around them from the outside.  And then we walked on the walls in two different places.  Once the walls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, also had multiple towers surrounding the city.  Now just vestiges of the towers remain.

Along the wall, people stroll.
Part of the tower that still exists.
House built into the wall with an entrance.

Walking along the walls give you a great view of both the old and new cities, but also make you aware of how technologically advanced the Romans were as these walls have lasted centuries.  Over time, some people had the opportunity to build their homes right into the wall and have the walls paths as their backyard.  People can no longer do this, but those who have this cannot be destroyed.

Our final Palace was La Granja, or Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, was the summer home of the Spanish kings.  It was walking distance to our hotel, the Parador De La Granja. Our hotel was once part of the Palace grounds and was the home of two children and their attendants. 

This is made in France with porcelain flowers.
These weigh almost 200 pounds each

The Palace is enormous, we only got to see about ¼ of the total rooms, just walking through the open rooms on the bottom floor.  Through the windows we could see some of the fantastic gardens. Unfortunately, they were closed because that evening some of the fountains were going to be opened. But from what I could see these gardens are much like the ones in Russia at the Peterhof Palace.

The chandeliers and ceilings in this palace were stunning. The Royal Glass company is in San Ildefonso, so many of them were made in the town for the Palace. For  this palace I will just show you some of these fantastic and some fanciful chandeliers.  To be honest after going through these rooms I became somewhat overwhelmed.  But it was definitely a great final stop on our tour.

Inicio

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Room

Paço dos Duques – Home

https://www.uc.pt

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/987/ https://www.spain.info/en/destination/san-ildefonso-o-la-granja/

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The Jewish Connection We Discovered While in Portugal and Spain

4 May

Whenever I travel to the Iberian Peninsula, I am intrigued and drawn to any information I can gather about where the Jewish communities lived before the forced conversions and the expulsions. I am a direct descendant of these Jews.  I imagine my ancestors walking the streets, attending the synagogues, traveling between towns and living their lives in joy before it was all destroyed.

For over two weeks we visited many cities and towns in Portugal and Spain.  We saw streets that once were the homes of Jewish communities.  We saw the evidence of Judaism left behind in street names and buildings. 

We started our trip in Porto, where once a large Jewish community existed. We took a food tour while there, visiting the Market, the oldest restaurant and several pastry shops.  At the last one, our guide brought us out macaroons, saying that this was a treat the Jews ate during Passover.  A treat we still eat.  She said that we were eating it here because this was the area where the Jewish people once lived. And she pointed us to the street where the synagogue once stood.  When the tour ended, we returned.

There is not much left of the Jewish presence in what was the Judiaria Nova do Olival.   But we walked Rua De S. Bento Da Vitoria, the street where the community once lived viewing the site of the destroyed synagogue.   Where it once stood is a public building that was originally a monastery. There are two signs, one next to the building and one on the building commenting on the Jewish community that used to live.  It is currently under renovation, thus the plaque on the wall was difficult to read, so the photo I am showing came from the internet.  It says:

“In perpeturam memoriam…In memory of all Portuguese Jews who, by decree of 1496, were given by God the choice between forced conversion or death. May their blood never be forgotten. May the blessed memory be restored to all those – the shepherds and the sheep – who for five centuries kept alive and ever present the word of the prophet Moses on Mount Horeb: the bush burned with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.  Their burning embers were not destroyed by the flames – nor by those who sought to destroy them  through the most terrible tortures – forcing them to renounce their sublime faith at the fount of life: For the Just man lives by his faith.”

On Day 7 we went to Coimbra, the site of the Coimbra University and Library.  It was a truly lovely site up on a mountain, where you could see the river below.  Of course, a college town would have had a Jewish population.  In fact, the street where the Jews lived was directly across from the main church. Rua Dos Coutinhos, an ancient narrow street. No sign of any Jewish life now.

Santiago Jerusalem Street

In Santiago de Compostela, the city that is saturated with spirituality as it is the end of the pilgrimage at the Cathedral of the Portical of Glory, we saw Ruela de Xerusalem, Jerusalem Street.  Our guide told us it is believed this was the street for the Jewish population.

Puerta Moneda. The Coin Gate, where the Jewish People lived, the money lenders in Leon,
The first marker we saw put up by the Network of Jewish Quarters in Spain.
The full house with the plaque.
The Jewish area of Leon. Here is one of the symbols embedded in the ground to show the entrance to the Jewish quarter.

In Leon, we saw much more signs of Jewish life.  We entered what was once a walled city through a street where there was once a gate, the Puerta Moneda, or the Coin Gate.  Immediately we guessed it was the entrance to the Jewish area where the money lenders lived.

Our guide pointed out a long, narrow street that once was filled with vibrant Jewish life, as well as the square where they held a market.  In was in Leon that we first saw the markers placed by the Red de Judarias de Espana (Network of Jewish Quarters in Spain.)  Their symbol includes the Hebrew letters that spell out Sefarad and mark important Jewish sites.

The first one we saw was on a plaque on Calle De Juan De Arge marking the home of a Jewish family that lived there from 1370 until 1481.  We saw another marker later on that was embedded in the ground. 

Sergovia last remaining synagogue. Now a church
The symbol embedded in front of the former synagogue.

Finally Segovia, where we visited the only surviving synagogue in all the towns we visited. Once a synagogue, now a church, this synagogue used to be one of five that served the large Jewish community of Segovia, where about a third of the town was Jewish. It was the MAIN Synagogue, La Sinagoga Mayor, located in the center of the Jewish area.

When you first look at it, it seems to be a small building.  I wondered how it could be the MAIN synagogue. But it is a false front.  When it was opened later in the day, my sister and I entered the courtyard and explored the building.  There are still indications of its use as a synagogue.  It is an open room where the bima would have been in the center. And there is a women’s balcony above, with screens so that the men could not see them, but they could see what was happening below. It remained a synagogue until 1419.  In 1899 the Synagogue/Church was damaged by a fire.  It was restored in 1902 and remains open today.

The visit to this synagogue was a highlight for my Jewish journey. We are descendants of Iberian Jews who left Spain for Portugal, then left Portugal for Amsterdam, then made the mistake of leaving Amsterdam for Galicia in Austria.  But then even in Amsterdam the Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis.

The one final sign of Jewish life in Spain startled me.  Although Portugal had a Jewish community before WW2. In fact, Jewish people started returning to Portugal in the 1800s.  But Spain was a different story.  It wasn’t until 1869 that the new Spanish Constitution allowed Jewish people to settle in Spain. But there were not many.  However, it is believed that about 15,000 Jews survived by escaping to Spain.

But the “Stolperstein,” stumble stone, I found tells a different story.  Fermin Cristobal Lopez died in Dachau. Born in 1894, he was exiled from France, and Deported from Sergovia on the Ghost Train in 1944.  I do not know if Fermin was a Jew or a political prisoner.  But I do know he died in Dachau.

In these times of Jew hatred, for me it is important to know where we once lived and how we were forced to find new homes and new places for sanctuary.  In Spain it was very obvious that the status of Jews is precarious.  In every city in Spain we visited, except Sergovia, there were giant banners calling supporting the Palestinians.  But nothing to recognize what the Israelis and Jews have suffered.

I asked our tour guide if she felt the Jewish people of Spain were safe.   She differentiated between Israelis and Jews.  Saying the government and people were angry at the Israeli government. But she believed Jewish people in Spain were safe. I guess we shall see.

In Portugal it was different. No Palestinian Flags.  No feelings of queasiness as I walked down the streets.  For me, as a Jewish person,  I will not soon return to visit Spain.

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A Hidden Gem: Kansas City Automotive Museum

5 Nov

The current home of the Kansas City Automotive Museum is a little bit hidden away in Olathe, Kansas.  This 10,000 square-foot museum is PACKED with all sorts of cars and information. Much more than I anticipated.  Founded and opened in 2014, the Automotive Museum houses many cars and other objects that are on loan from their owners, where they are safe but also provide a place for others to share in the joy of their uniqueness.

There are race cars, turquoise-colored cars from the 1950s, an original Model T, 1912 Ford Model T, Packard Roadster, Studebacker, Bentley, Jaguar, Chevrolet Sport Phaeton, a bubble car, children’s go-carts, and so much more.  I am not a car enthusiast, but I definitely enjoyed this experience.

We went with friends in October and were delighted to have a docent go through the entire museum with us.  He was fantastic in explaining the different cars and what made them special; the special exhibits; the history of cars in Kansas City, and answered all of our questions, even the naïve ones.

Along the walls was information about the Kansas City automotive industry.  I knew we have factories here, but I had no idea how long cars have been made in the area.  I also did not realize that in the early years there were many small car companies that made perhaps dozens of cars before they closed.  But that makes sense as all cars were originally made by hand.  It wasn’t until Ford came up with the assembly line that car making became quicker and cheaper. 

I was also amazed about how streets were developed. There was not always all the pavedc roads everywhere. They had to be built. One fun fact I learned was the origins of  the term Jaywalking. It was a term for people who crossed the street in front of cars, making them seem not very smart..  Unlike now when motorists is blamed if they go too quickly and hurt someone, then they turned it around and blamed the pedestrian if they went in front of a car or were hit by a car!!!!

The Homer B. Roberts Gallery is in honor of the first African American car salesman in the Kansas City area. In the early 1900s he had an office at 14th and Vine where he sold cars to the African American community.  I had not thought of that before, white salespeople did not sell to African Americans, but in order to make more money they needed a salesperson.  Enter Homer B. Roberts and Roberts Motor Mart.

There is so much information in the permanent displays of the museum, a car enthusiast could spend hours looking at cars and listening to the stories.  But there is also an exhibit room for special displays. When we went there were motor homes/campers from the early 1970s.  Some were all in one, others were ones that were pulled by a car.  I enjoyed seeing those as well.

The Kansas City Automotive Museum is building a new home in Kansas City, Missouri, on the north side of 31 street between Broadway Boulevard and Southwest Trafficway.  It will be much bigger, 40,000 square feet, and able to display many more of the community’s antique and special cars.

This is a fun and informative museum, a hidden history gem, in Olathe.  But when it moves to Kansas City, Missouri, set to open in 2027, I believe it will be even more impressive.  I look forward to visiting the new museum then. For more information go to the website, https://kansascityautomuseum.com/

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Danger! The Warning Signs of Yellowstone

13 Oct

My week in Yellowstone made me aware of the importance of signs.  Especially the cautionary ones along the paths, in front of some of the park’s wonders and when entering certain area of the Park.  People really need to pay attention to what is around them.  (See blog below.)

Every year people get injured, and many times it is because they do not pay attention to the signs.  Bison injuries are usually the fault of the visitor. Close encounters with wild animals is often a bad decision.  Getting a selfie with a bison is not a good idea.  Stay away from the bison. They do not want you wandering in their way.  A head nudge from a bison could send you flying, if not worse.

Often when we saw wild animals close to the road or nearby, there would be a park ranger also there directing traffic or blocking off the area close to the animals. At Mammoth Falls Terraces, a bull elk and his harem were hanging out on the terraces. So the walkway was closed for our safety and the animals. It might have been great to get better photos, which people with better cameras could. But in reality, we need to stay away from them and respect their space.

Hot Springs are very hot and the land around them is very fragile. Do not walk on areas that specifically say, “do not walk here.”  But every so often someone does.  And unfortunately, they pay the price. Geysers erupt, which is why they are surrounded by fences or barricades. Don’t climb over.

The warning signs are everywhere, and some are very specific!

Be careful when you bring young children and dogs into the park, especially around Old Faithful.  The sign above tells it all.  In 1970, a 9-year-old boy died after he fell into Crested Pool.  Horrifying.  Now there is a permanent sign warning people of the danger. Another sign warns guests specifically not to bring dogs into the basin.  If they get off their leash and run into the off-limits area, they could be killed. But since the sign is there, I think we can assume that some people just do not believe it. And their pet pays the price.

I am posting some of the many signs that we saw along our travels in Yellowstone so people realize that what they are seeing and enjoying must also be respected. I am happy to say that no one in our group took any risks or defied the signs and warnings.  Yellowstone is a beautiful, exciting and awe-inspiring adventure.  Seeing the sights and the animals and birds is exciting. But like any adventure, you have to pay attention to your surroundings and respect the animals and the warnings.

Yellowstone, Yellowstone, and More Yellowstone.

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Peaceful Kinderdijk Windmills

17 Aug

The windmills of Holland were always a site I wanted to see since I was a child and read the book Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates. I was mesmerized by the idea of the dykes and the water issues that impacted the Netherlands.   But even though I read the book, I never realized how important the windmills were to keep the water at bay.  Now I know.

I actually learned several important facts about windmills during our visit to the Kinderdijk Windmills, a UNESCO Site.  The most important is the actual reason the windmills were there, and that is to pump the water out of the ground and put it into canals that then are pumped out into rivers that run to the ocean.  Without these windmills doing this work for centuries, the Netherlands would be under water.  Now, of course, the windmills have been replaced with upscaled motors and water engineering that works much more efficiently.

I also learned that people actually lived in the windmills!  It never occurred to me that the ‘miller’ who cared for the windmills and made sure that they were facing the right direction lived in them with their families.  But now I know.  We were able to enter one of the windmills and see how families lived.  It was tight quarters, with low ceilings, but they made it work.  All windmills have two entrances so that they can always get in and out as the blades of the windmill do get reoriented. That made sense to me!  I always want an exit.

The guide told us that the people who lived in the windmills were the poor of the poor.  So they also had vegetable gardens and some animals for food.  We were able to see the recreation of one of the gardens at the windmill.

So a windmill was both the work and home of the millers who kept the area from being flooded, as much as possible.  As a side note, the people really did wear wooden shoes.  Since the ground was so swampy. Wooden shoes were the best way to keep their feet dry.

The Windmills at Kinderdijk encompasses 18 windmills, a pumping station, a visitors’ center, canals, and a statute of a cat, cradle and baby. As well as a lovely pathway to visit the site.

We really enjoyed the walk around to the windmills.  It was so peaceful and serene. The canals looked lovely with the lillypads bobbing in the water , and the wildflowers growing on the banks along side the canals.  Besides the tourist visiting the windmills, locals were riding their bicycles along the path.

Touring the Windmill
The Windmill we entered. The garden and the interior.

I like history, and I love learning how things work. So seeing the demonstration on how they moved the blades of the windmill and then watching it catch the wind and twirl was great.  Later we walked into the Wisboom pumping station and spoke to the docent about the different engines and how the pumping system changed over time.  I really enjoyed that.

Wisboom Pumping Station.

We also took some time to enter  the Visitors’ Center and have a snack, visit the gift store. And learn more about the story of the cat that saved the baby by rocking the cradle in the water during a flood in 1421. This story is the basis of the statute that sits in the pond at the site.  So of course I had to buy the book, Katie, the Windmill Cat, to take home for my granddaughters. This story is also why the city and the site is called Kinderdijk, or Child’s Dyke, to memorialize this story.

 

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The Tavern in Trzciana Comes To Life

29 Jul

I vividly remember when the movie version of “Fiddler on The Roof” was released.  It was the first Broadway show I had seen in person as a child.  So seeing it again in the movie theater reminded me of the special trip into New York City with my parents and the delight I felt while listening to the songs and learning about Anatevka.  One of my favorite scenes occurs in a tavern where the Polish and the Jewish citizens end up in riotous dance!

The tavern scene has so much more meaning to me now.  I was with my maternal grandfather the first time he saw the movie.  Grandpa was from a small town in Austria/Poland called Trzciana.  When he watched the tavern scene, he turned to me and said, “My family had a tavern just like that.  It looked just like that.”  Anatevka/Tzrciana taverns were interchangeable in my grandfather’s eyes. He said the movie brought back memories of his childhood.

Grandpa did not often speak freely about his family.  Stories came in bits and pieces of memories.  But it was not something you asked about.  It was something that he had to offer because Grandpa’s family all perished in the Shoah.  His parents, his siblings, his aunts and uncles, his cousins, everyone who was in Europe died, except for three.  (See blogs below.)

But that tavern memory has so much more meaning because now I know more about it thanks to the research of Izabela Sekulska who started the Mayn Shtetele Mielec Facebook group.   Izabela has been helping me find out information about my family for about a year now. The documents she finds make the stories I was told by Grandpa come to life.

Izabela recently found a document from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry that  brings the family tavern to life.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry document

My great grandfather Gimple Feuer applied to open a tavern on April 10, 1912, when my grandfather was just over 12 years old.  My Grandpa did grow up with a tavern in his life.  This document from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry states that the location was in Trzciana, Galicia, which was then part of Austria as Poland.  Throughout his life Grandpa said he was Austrian as that part of Galicia became part of Poland after the war. 

At my family’s tavern they sold beer, wine, other alcoholic beverages and tobacco according to this document.  I knew my great grandfather had a farm that included a crop of  grains and grain silos to store the grain.  So having a tavern makes sense, he had the grain to brew the beer.

Grandpa told us stories about cleaning out grain silos and how one time he and his cousin became intoxicated on the fumes from the silo.  They actually became sick and ran to a nearby stream/creek to drink the water and wash the fumes away. He said they almost drowned, they were so drunk.  

As I remembered this story, I  looked for  a map of current day Trzciana online and saw where the Cichawka stream goes through the town.

Thanks to Izabela, I know that there were no street names in Tzrciana, the homes and buildings  were just numbered during the time my grandfather lived there..  And the number of the tavern was 129.   

On the map that  I found online all the buildings are numbered.  There is one numbered 129 close to the creek. Could this be when my great grandfather had his tavern?  I am not sure, but it perhaps the numbers remain the same. 

Now there are addresses and streets. So perhaps with this information we can one day find out exactly where the tavern was located in the town. Perhaps this address is where the family lived, and the tavern was located on their farmland?   

Izabela has asked for help in finding out where this location is now in Trzciana in the Facebook group.  That would make this amazing find so much more amazing.  And it might be that the number 129 is in the same place. And the numbers around it are the places where the other members of my family lived before the war.

Knowing my great grandparents had a tavern, perhaps explains to me why there was actually a trial after the war concerning the murder of my great grandmother during the Shoah.  Perhaps their standing in the community created lasting friendships that existed after the war and lead to people actually testifying about her death. (See blog below.)

No matter what I find about where the tavern actually stood in Trzciana, I do know that from now on whenever I see the story of Anatevka and see the tavern scene, I will think of my grandfather and his family that perished, but I will also remember how they lived.

 

These two pictures are from Google. The show the new house at 129.
If you look closely at the other picture you see this building right next to it. It could be the home of my great grandparents or other relatives!!
Zissel and Shalom: Survivors and Heroes
March 9, 1942: The Destruction Of Mielec’s Jewish Population
The Trial For the Murder of Chava “Gimplowa” Feuer
An Unexpected Email Reveals Family Shoah History

Renewing A Family Connection: My Mother’s Day Gift

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Little Tikes Purple Princess Cars Are Needed

1 Jun

Years ago, I wrote a blog about my daughter’s purple princess Little Tikes car and how much it meant to her to have it returned to our family after 17 years being loved by another family.  (See blog below.)

I thought that was the end of my need to comment about this car. I was wrong.

Recently I received a message from a man in the United Kingdom who was looking for that very same Little Tike’s purple princess car as his daughter had loved hers as well, and he now had a granddaughter he wanted to have the same experience.  He asked if he could buy my car.

I told him I felt his pain, but since I had a family member who was loving it, and I had promised my daughter to never give that car away again, I could not help him.

He was happy I had someone enjoying it, and that he would continue his search!

When I told the story to my daughter, she had a different point of view.  “Mom,” she said, “Maybe you can start a campaign to connect people with purple cars.” 

Maybe I can!!!  What a great idea!!! I like doing things to make peopel happy. This could be one of those callings.

I have two thoughts.

First:

 If you have a little Tikes purple princess car, or a pink one, please comment on this blog.  If you are looking for one of these cars, please check this blog and comment!

I am hoping I can help all people who love these cars find new homes for them with loving children. 

Second: 

Little Tikes are you listening?  People want to have this lovely Purple Princess car.  Perhaps you can start making it again!!!

In our home the Purple Princess Car will always be loved. So Little Tikes, I am sure it will be loved by families everywhere.

PS: I did contact Little Tikes and had a nice conversation with a representative. She sadi: Wewill certainly pass your request on to our Marketing Team for consideraton. Thank you for shairing and loving our product.”

In response to my saying that the purple princess car has such personality. She responded. “It does. Itwas called the Model T.” And added that her son loved it as well!!!

The Purple Princess Car is Home!

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