Year: 2017
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Ronda and the White Cities, 2017
To the east of Cadiz and Jerez are several small hilltowns, known as white cities for their whitewashed buildings. The best known city in the area is Ronda, which is also a center of bull fighting. Ronda must have one of the most extraordinary settings in all of Spain, high a top a plateau. On…
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Granada, 2017
Granada is best known for the Alhambra and Generalife, Moorish palaces and gardens from the 14th century. The two palaces, together with Charles V’s palace are atop a steep hill with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada in the background. Granada also houses royal tombs, including those of the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, and Mad Queen…
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Sevilla, 2017
Seville was my introduction to Andalusia, and a wonderful introduction it was. The Alcazar and cathedral were fabulous. I was enchanted with mosaics and decorations in the Alcazar, plus the beautiful gardens, which were a lovely retreat in the heat of the day. we also visited the Bull ring, the Plaza de Espana, site of…
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Avila, 2017
Avila was an excursion I took on my own to visit the home of St Teresa. Her house is attached to a church — or rather, the church attached to the house. Avila is also famous for its walls which completely encircle the city. The interior of the cathedral is sandstone giving the building a…
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Bruges, 2017
What an amazing small city! I took the train to Belgium at the end of the family trip and spent several days in this small city. The city is a trove of art (van Eyck), chocolate, moules frites, medieval buildings and the beautiful bell tower in the center of the city — I kept 5hinking…
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The Hague, 2017
My sister Tricia, her husband and I visited The Hague during the family trip to Amsterdam. We wandered around the historical center, visited the Mauritshuis, which has an exceptional collection of Dutch paintings including Vermeer and beautiful still lives from the golden age of Dutch painting. We were particularly lucky to visit during the brief…
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Kuekenhof, 2017
My sisters and I enjoyed a sibling trip to Amsterdam in 2017. The highlight of the trip was a day spent at Keukenhof, the amazing spring gardens outside Amsterdam. Each year after the blooms have faded, the gardens are plowed under and replanted for the next spring. Even though we spent a full day in…