We drove through the country of Andorra which is located in the pyrenees mountains between France and Spain.
Andorra is the sixth-smallest state in Europe, with an area of 468 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 79,000. The drive through the Pyrenees was very beautiful with winding road and high reaching mountains.
The road was winding throughout the base of the mountains and we eventually drove to the top of some of the mountains.
Along the way we came to several small towns that were quaint and beautiful.
Andorra is the world’s 16th-smallest country by land and 11th-smallest by population. We drove to the capital of Andorra which is called “Andorra la Vella”. It is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 feet) above sea level.
The Capital had some modern buildings and was quite nice looking.
Raised walking platform in the capital of Andorra de VellaView of the Capital- Andorra de VellaMetal statues of farm animals along the road near Andorra de Valle
It was an enjoyable and an interesting drive through the 16th smallest country in the world.
“The most beautiful in the world is, of course, the world itself.” – Wallace Stevens
We went and explored the historic fortified city of Carcassonne in the southern part of France. We began by walking along the Roman bridge towards the fortified walled city.
View of the walled city from the Roman bridge.View of the fortified city
Carcassonne was of a key strategic importance between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. It has a very long history that dates back to around 3500 BC when the first signs of a settlement was established. In 100 BC the Roman empire recognized the strategic importance of the area and began fortifying the hilltop. The hilltop eventually became a rural settlement and later under the control of Julia Carsaco. Eventually the name changed over time to Carcassonne.
The main gate entrance with draw bridge behind it.
The castle itself possesses its own drawbridge and ditch leading to a central area of the castle.
The draw bridge section into the main fortified city.
The fortified city consists of two outer walls with a total of 53 towers and fortified outpost to prevent attack. The walls consist of towers built over the years.
View of the outer wall fortification with a sentinel tower
We could see the different styles in the construction some were Roman and is notably different from the medieval walls.
One of these towers housed the Catholic Inquisition in the 13th century and is still known as “The Inquisition Tower”.
We explored the inner city and enjoyed walking along the narrow streets with unique shops and restaurants.
One of the many narrow streets inside the walled city
We walked the walls of the city exploring the different towers along the way.
Shelley and Ray on the walls of CarcassonneShelley and Ray on one of the sentinel lookout towers in Carcassonne
We had great views of the surrounding areas of the city.
View of the outer wall and the rolling hills of the countryside
There was views that overlooked the outer areas of the fortified city while other views overlooked the inner city. Both were tremendous and beautiful in their own way.
View of the city of CarcassonneView of the Cathedral from the walls of the city.View of the inner portion of the walled city.
We spent the entire day walking throughout this amazing walled city. There was so much history and unique things to see. There was even a Roman Amphitheater within the walled city.
The Amphitheater in the walled city of Carcassonne
We thoroughly enjoyed this UNESCO world heritage site . It is an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town, with its massive defences encircling the castle. Here are a few pictures of the castle and walled city. It was well worth exploring this city.
“Certes, voyager est plus que voir des sites touristiques ; c’est un changement qui s’opère, profond et permanent, dans les idées de vivre. “– Miriam Barbe
We were in Madrid and exploring the streets when we came across the restaurant called Casa Botin. It is known as the oldest restaurant in the world and was founded in 1725. This is according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Shelley Kathy and Dan outside of the oldest restaurant in the world Botin in Madrid
It was featured on several documentaries and was listed by Forbes magazine’s as third place of the world’s top 10 classic restaurants. It is renowned for its delicious suckling pig.
We took a look at the outside of the restaurant and noticed a mockup model of the interior of the restaurant in the window. We stopped and checked out the layout of the nearly 300 year old restaurant.
The Botin Restaurant model layout
Inside the restaurant was packed with patrons and it was very lively with lots of laughter and chatter..
We decided to ask on the off chance that we could get a table for dinner, even though we did not have a reservation. We were greeted by a friendly waiter who after looking for a few minutes found us a table. We were very fortunate to be able to be accommodated and had a table on the second floor. We walked along the main floor past the kitchen area which as we looked in we could see the wood fired oven and an array of meals being prepared.
The Botin restaurant wood fired ovenSuckling pigs and preparing area inside the kitchen area.
So upstairs we went for a meal at the oldest restaurant. We ordered several different meals including the suckling pig. We had some wine and enjoyed the amazing atmosphere of the restaurant.
Ray and Shelley at the Botin Restaurant in MadridKathy and Dan at the Botin Restaurant in Madrid
After enjoying our very tasty meals we mentioned to the waiter that we had seen a documentary on the Botin Restaurant. He was very friendly and we even were given a quick tour of the lower area of the restaurant which was quite interesting.
Dan walking down the stairs into the lowest level of the Botin restaurant in MadridShelley, Kathy and Dan in the basement level of Botin Restaurant in Madrid
Down in the lowest level of the restaurant we could see the old curved brink walls of an ancient wine cellar. You could almost see the history come out of the walls. Earnest Hemingway was a regular at the Botin restaurant along with many other celebrities over the centuries. It was truly a great experience to see and have a meal at the Botin restaurant.
We stayed for a few days in the city of Valladolid which is located in the autonomous region of Castile and León. This is also in the Riebera del Duero area. The city of 300 thousand is very beautiful with lots to see and do.
Statue in front of the Calvary academy in Valladolid. Spain
There were lots of statues that appeared to be randomly placed throughout the city.
Statue of person wearing a pointed hood which hides the identity. Traditionally this is done on the holy week where their faces are covered in mourning, and also as a sign of shame for the sins they have committed throughout the year. .Statue to honour a police officerStatues in water fountains
Many times we would be walking along a street and come across a bronze statue of some kind.
Bronze statue of a walking man with umbrella, Shelley taking a stroll with him.
It was easy to see where people sat or touched the statues by the polish on the bronze.
Bronze statue of a person with suitcase and umbrella- Note the polish of the suitcase where people have used as a seat
One in particular that we came across was part of a fountain and was a little bit unexpected and surprised us.
As we got closer to this particular statues it was clear that they were naked men. It was not hard to see where the bronze was polished.
There was a beautiful park located in the centre of the city, so we decided to walk through and check it out.
It wasn’t long after we entered the park that we were being followed.
Peacock in the park in Valladolid SpainWe stopped to take a selfie at one of the fountains located in the park.
We explored some of the many different churches in Valladolid. They were very ornate and quite beautiful.
Modern Church in Valladolid
We explored the streets of Valladolid and worked our way to the Plaza Mayor.
Shelley and Ray in Plaza Mayor in Valladolid Spain
The Pisuerga River flows through the city and has beautiful trails on the shoreline. We walked the trail for a while exploring this area of the city.
The city of Valladolid was a great experience and we enjoyed our time very much. I can see us returning in the future to explore more of this city.
“La vida se trata de las aventuras que tomas y los recuerdos que haces.”
We went for a day trip into the Tuscany country side. The scenery was amazing and the photos do not give it justice. We took a wine tour at a winery called Casa Emma in the Chianti Classico Wine Region of Tuscany.
Sangiovese grapes in TuscanyShelley in the grape vines at the winery in Tuscany.
We explored some of the scenic towns in the Tuscany region like Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa. Our first stop was Siena which is a classic medieval town located in Tuscany. The town is known for several interesting facts.. It has a large fan-shaped piazza which is the Piazza del Campo,. It is one of the location where the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” was filmed.
The Piazza del Campo is also the location where they hold the bareback horse race for the Palio of Siena. It is one of the most popular and well-known festivals in Italy.
The Piazza del Campo in Siena.Torre del Mangia in the piazza del Campo, SienaThe oldest operating bank in the world-The Monte dei Paschi di bank in Siera Italy
Siena is also home to the oldest operating bank in the world. It is called the Monte dei Paschi di and was founded in Siena in 1472. The top of the bank’s facade was unique it has different heads carved and looking down on the plaza.
After Siena we went to explore the town of San Gimignano, known as the walled medieval town of Beautiful Towers. The town overlooks the beautiful Tuscany countryside with rolling hills and wineries. San Gimignano is known for the 14 medieval towers that still exist today.
View of the medieval walled town of San Gimignano
Inside the walled section of the town were shops, bars and restaurants. We walked throughout the area exploring the town.
We came to an area that overlooks the countryside and valleys below. We stopped to admire the views of Tuscany.
A view of the Tuscany countryside from San GimignanoSan Gimignano with a view of some of the historic towers in the town.
After visiting San Gimignano we went to the city of Pisa, in northern Tuscany. It is known for the famous leaning tower, of Pisa. We went to the Piazza dei Miracoli which is a walled 8.87-hectare area located in Pisa. Inside the walls are the Pisa Cathedral, the Baptistry, the Campanile and the leaning tower of Pisa. We are of course had to do the traditional photo for all tourist.
Shelley doing the traditional tourist photo.
The leaning tower was truly spectacular and we were in awe at just how white and beautiful it was.
Shelley and Ray in front of the tower of PisaThe Pisa Cathedral with the leaning tower of Pisa in the rear located in Piazza dei MiracoliThe facade of the Pisa CathedralA view from the base of the leaning tower of Pisa
This was one of the amazing pinch me moments we experienced during our time in Tuscany.
“La vita stessa è un privilegio, ma vivere la vita al massimo, beh, questa è una scelta.”
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