Christmas Greetings– A little convent from Spain

In Avila, a city walled in almost on all sides, I walk into a small shrine which was built on the home of the famous saint, St.Theresa. The 17th century convent , built after her canonisation is largely closed to public but it opens its doors to tourists who want to visit St Theresa’s chapel inside the Baroque church. We see scenes from her life, besides her relics – a finger from her right hand besides rosary beads among other things she used.

Here is a video of the chapel in the convent.

Skywatch Friday– The Alcazar in Segovia

A fairy tale castle, the royal palace , this is the Alcazar or the Fortress in Segovia in Spain.  It is believed to be the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cindrella Castle.

Read my story on Segovia here 
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Travel Tuesday - A Soulful Spanish Song

We were walking along in Spain when we heard this man on the street singing such soulful music. We could not understand a word of it, but the song was absolutely romantic. The guide later told us that it was about unrequited love. But what a voice !

Skywatch Friday–The Roman Aqueduct in Segovia

Everywhere you go in Segovia in Spain, you cannot miss this imposing Roman aqueduct built around the 1st-2nd centuries. The Romans had a military base here and they built this aqueduct to source water from the mountains to their base. Restored and reconstructed, this aqueduct is the symbol of the city. More on it soon.

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Adios Spain

Its 7.40 pm now and I am sitting in my room in the Parodores Hotel in Alcala De Henares with all my luggage strewn around me . In a few hours post dinner, I will be packing again for my marathon journey back to India. My last night in Spain and am lost in the castles and churches of this country. The hotel which sports a contemporary design was once a monastery and later on a prison . Alcala De Henares is rather charming and is an University town.

I was invited to Spain by the Tourism Board and the flights were sponsored by Turkish Airlines who upgraded us in the last sectors. We landed almost a week ago in a wet Madrid and it was rather cold and damp when we reached Avila, but the blue skies soon greeted us. We went to Segovia and finally landed in Alcala De Henares today . My favourite destination this time around was Avila, an extremely quaint charming town which is also a World Heritage Site. Tomorrow, we will be boarding the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul from Madrid and from there to Mumbai and finally Bangalore. I do secretly wish for an upgrade now as well.. And three flights and about 36 hours from now, I will soon be with you again...Meanwhile, here is a snapshot of Avila

Skywatch Friday

I would probably be in Madrid, Spain when you read this post. And a month ago, I was in Barcelona , going gaga over Gaudi.. Here is his Sagrada Familia .

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The Magic Fountain of Barcelona

This is my first invitation to someone to write on my blog. Anca Ioana accepted and shared with us her point of view of some place. If you like to write I would love to have you on my blog :D Anca Ioana is from Romania and is my first Postcrossing friend and a perfect swapper. Thank you sooooo much.

We arrived in Costa Brava in August 2011 quite late at night. We were very tired because that day we have crossed three countries: Italy, France and Spain. Someone told our guide that we have to go the next day to see the Magic Fountains from Barcelona. He agreed for the next evening to be there but to be honest, I didn't know what it was about... So, at 7 PM the next day, me and my boyfriend entered the bus, curious to see those fountains. When we arrived I saw many people gathered around admiring the show. My first contact with those fountains was like: WOW amazing! I saw many tourists from all over the world. The music was singing and the water was “dancing” according to it showing many colors. A perfect show! I took many photos and filmed a part of the show. I was so happy! I called my mum at home in Romania to share with her my joy! I had tears in my eyes and imagined myself in a fairytale. I was absorbed by it and very impressed. At the end of the show, I realized I wasn't dreaming and all was real! We had to go back to our buses, sharing opinions with our trip companions. The next day we returned to Barcelona to admire some of its beauties and attractions! We returned there by day but the night has its own magic... Marvelous...

The Magic Fountain is located in the Montjuïc neighborhood of Barcelona. The fountain is situated below the Palau Nacional on the Montjuïc hill and near the Plaça d'Espanya. The fountain, like most of the surrounding developments, was constructed for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. The Magic Fountain was designed by Carles Buigas and the first show took place only one day before the Expo. The fountain was badly damaged in the Spanish Civil War and did not operate until 1955. In the 1980s, music was incorporated with the light show and everything was restored prior to the 1992 Summer Olympic Games from Barcelona. The fountain had success after the Expo like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Atomium of Brussels.

41.371153,2.151736 Click for Google Maps or use numbers on your GPS to navigate.

Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.

Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Spain For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

Am decis să invit persoane care să ne povestească despre trăirile turistice personale. Prima care a acceptat a fost Anca Ioana. Ea este primul prieten pe care-l am prin Postcrossing şi mi-a plăcut că a acceptat propunerea mea şi a scris ceva personal şi interesant.

Am ajuns în Costa Brava intr-o noapte din august 2011. Eram foarte obosiţi căci traversasem în acea zi trei ţări: Italia, Franţa şi Spania. Cineva din autocar i-a propus ghidului să mergem a doua zi seara la Fântânile Magice de la Barcelona şi toţi au fost de acord, deşi eu habar nu aveam despre ce e vorba. Oricum, a doua zi la şapte seara, împreună cu prietenul meu am urcat în autobuz şi am pornit curioşi să vedem fântânile. Când am ajuns am fost miraţi de mulţimea care admira spectacolul. Prima mea senzaţie a fost de uimire. Am văzut o groază de turişti din întreaga lume. Apa „dansa” în ritmul muzicii şi totul era foarte colorat. Un spectacol perfect! Am făcut multe poze şi am şi filmat puţin. Am fost foarte fericită, aşa că am sunat acasă în România să-i povestesc şi mamei. Aveam lacrimi în ochi. Credeam că visez. A fost impresionant. Ne-am întors în autobuz şi am povestit despre cele văzute. Am revenit şi a doua zi pe lumină dar nu se compară cu magia din timpul nopţi. Minunat!

Fântânile magice din cartierul Montjuïc al Barcelonei au fost construite cu ocazia Expoziţiei Mondiale din 1929 din Barcelona. În apropierea lor se află şi Palau Nacional şi Plaça d'Espanya. Ele au fost concepute de Carles Buigas şi inaugurate în ultimul moment, cu o zi înainte de Expo. Au fost avariate în timpul Războiului Civil Spaniol şi nu au funcţionat până în 1955. În anii ’80 s-a adăugat muzică spectacolului şi au fost renovate pentru Jocurile Olimpice de la Barcelona 1992. Ele au avut succes după Expo la fel cum Turnul Eiffel a avut pentru Paris şi Atomium pentru Bruxelles. 

Carnivals Around Spain and Brazil

THIS year’s Rio carnival is somewhat more exciting with the crowning of a preteen as the samba queen, leading a parade of scantily-clad sexy female dancers. Yet 2010 – the Year of the Tiger – spells a very adorable climate for the carnival since all walks of life from various parts of the world in various ages will troop to this exotic city to party for a full week. Isn’t that amazing? Nudity is definitely not an issue for these guys and gals. For them, the message is to let loose and hang out.

Spain on the other hand also has parties all year round. Let’s tour the exotic and landlocked city of Salamanca for instance. Incidentally, the carnival in Rio coincides with the carnival in Salamanca – it also occurs on a February. Like in Rio, there are also bullfights and exotic parades in this month. Then by March of this year, there will be the Muestra Nacional de Jazz.

Off to the coast we go and visit the capital of trance music, Ibiza. Ibiza has its own carnivals with occasional so-called air parties with DJs playing music in planes bound for Ibiza. Planes, especially those on red-eye flights, are instantly transformed into house clubs.