As much as we prefer to travel on our own and take our time, we felt overwhelmed with the planning it would involve to visit all the places in Spain that we wanted to see. So we opted to take a bus tour around Spain to better see its many regions and beautiful cities. It will be a whirlwind tour, so hold on tight!
Before leaving Madrid, we took a day trip to Toledo.
TOLEDO: Toledo is an ancient city set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. Here is a view of Toledo from across the Tagus River.
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| Toledo |
This ancient city has narrow and winding cobblestone roads that take you past beautiful old buildings. We took some time to visit the Santa Iglesia Cathedral.
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| Santa Iglesia Cathedral |
Of course we had to make a stop to buy locally made marzipan! There are lots of almond trees in and around Toledo so these are ground and used in the making of their marzipan. Looks like Wendy and Penelope ate my last 2 marzipan treats!
Our bus tour left Madrid and we are now going north.
SEGOVIA: We stopped in Segovia which is in central Spain's Castile and León region. Its centuries of settlement have resulted in a rich architectural legacy, including medieval walls, Romanesque churches, a Gothic cathedral and its iconic ancient Roman aqueduct.
This aqueduct was built around the first century AD and has more than 160 arches!
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| Segovia Roman aqueduct |
The Segovia Cathedral is a stunning example of Gothic architecture!
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| Segovia Cathedral |
This is just one of the amazing ceilings:
Thinking 🤔 about lunch now. Our guide told us about how acorns are used in the making of Iberian ham (Jamón Ibérico) which gives it a unique flavor. Can't go wrong with a ham sandwich!
BURGOS: Our bus tour stopped next in Burgos, which still has much of its medieval architecture intact.
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| Burgos gate into historic center |
We visited the French Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria. The tomb of El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar), the 11th-century military commander, is in this cathedral.
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| Cathedral of Santa Maria |
We admired the many ornate chapels and ceilings.
Tomorrow we will see a very modern building!