We spent some time visiting the city of Almagro in Spain’s Castile-La Mancha region. We explored its narrow cobblestone streets, the town’s rich history and charm unfolded before us.
Known for its beautifully preserved medieval architecture, Almagro felt like a hidden gem.
In the heart of the town, Plaza Mayor, with its green-painted wooden galleries, was especially captivating.
The Corral de Comedias de Almagro, located at the heart of Plaza Mayor in Almagro, is one of Spain’s most remarkable and well-preserved examples of 17th-century theatrical architecture.
It was built in 1628, this open-air courtyard theater, or “corral,” is a living monument to Spain’s Golden Age. What makes the Corral de Comedias truly special is that it is the only surviving example of a corral-style theater that is still in use today. Despite the passage of centuries, the venue remains largely unchanged, maintaining its original wooden galleries, stage, and seating arrangements.
The historic buildings, some dating back to the 16th century, showcased the town’s significance during Spain’s Golden Age.
At dusk, walking through the quiet, narrow streets, we felt transported to another era.
It was quiet and felt like we had gone back in time.
Ray and Shelley in Almagro Spain
Almagro was a great city to explore and enjoy some of the local culture of Castile-La Mancha.
“Encuentra lo mejor de cada día y busca aventuras.”
Here are some of the other neat and interesting things we experienced during our time in Budapest.
There is a detailed replica of the moon’s entire surface, including its far side located in the Piarista köz passageway. The moon floats in the air on very thin wires at a height of 3.5 meters.
Floating moon in the shopping districtShelley “holding up” the moon.
The moon is an accurate replica and you can see the details of the moon up close. At night it is lit up and provides a spectacular view.
We came across a transparent statue which was very unique. The photos do not give it justice. As we walked around the statue it was semi-transparent and would come into and out of view.
There was a lot of unique or interesting buildings and monuments including signs and graffiti.
Sign outside a bubble tea shop in BudapestOne of the many anti Putin stickers in BudapestOne last cheer before heading to Vienna
We headed to the train station and took the two and a half hour train ride to Vienna. Saying good buy to Budapest and hello to Vienna Austria.
“Nem számít az úti cél, de az utazás és az, hogy ki van melletted, az számít.”
We arrived in Budapest and over the next four days explored this beautiful city. We took the Hop on and Hop off bus to get a feel for the city and to see the main sites.
After staying on the bus for a while we got off to check out different areas of this amazing city. We stopped near the Hungarian Parliament building which is located on Kossuth Square in the Pest side of the city.
Hungarian Parliament BuildingJanice and Ray in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest
It is a large and impressive building, which was opened in 1902 . It is the largest building in Hungary and has ornate facades. We walked around the perimeter admiring the sheer size and detail of its construction. There was security so we could not get to see the inside of the parliament building. After exploring the area we stoped to relax in the shade and enjoy the view of the parliament building.
Scott. Janice and Shelley in the courtyard of the Hungarian Parliament Building.
We then walked along the Danube river exploring the bank and sites along the way. We came to a world war two memorial .
Near the Hungarian Parliament buildings there is a memorial on the bank of the Danube River and it is a monument to the Hungarian Jews. This memorial known as “Shoes on the Danube Bank” gives remembrance to the 3,500 people, 800 of them Jews, who were shot on the edge of the Danube river during the time of the Arrow Cross terror in the winter of 1944-1945.
The 60 iron pairs of shoes on the bank of the Danube River in Budapest
The victims fell into the water and drifted down the Danube River. The sculptor created sixty pairs of period-appropriate shoes out of iron.These shoes represent the Hungarian Jews and victims who were shot on the banks of the Danube River.
This monument really moved us. The image of the shoes which included men, women and children really hit home at the cruelty of war and that period in time.
We took a river cruise that gave us a beautiful view of some of the major landmarks of Budapest.
On the cruise boat getting set for our cruise
The city has a different look from the water and has impressive landmarks and scenery.
Buda castle view from the Danube River.
After our river cruise we went to explore the Heroes’ Square, which is one of the main squares in Budapest. It is known for its iconic Millennium Monument with statues featuring the Seven chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian national leaders.
Photo of Heroes Square in Budapest By Paul Mannix – https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmannix/345388204/sizes/l/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5574955
Statues of several of the Magyar chieftains of Hungary
The statues are very detailed and impressive in size.
Andrew II King of Hungary, He is known as the king that leads a crusade to the Holy Land.
The Heroes Square is known for large events, rallies and sometimes protest.
Janice at the base of a section of heroes statues in Budapest.The Millennium Monument in the centre of Heroes Square
After exploring Heroes’ Square we decided to take a well deserved rest before heading on to our next adventure.
“Az utazás táplálja a lelket és megvilágosítja az elmét”
We were fortunate to be able to take a tour of the oldest tile factory in morocco, which is located in the city of Fes and is called the Art Naji. We were met by one of the workers who was happy to take us for a tour of the facility which has maintained the art of the ancient craft of pottery and mosaic (Zellige) since 1930.
Our tour guide at the Fez factory
This family run business is known for its amazing craftsmanship and has proved its artistic expertise in the field of pottery and mosaics. All the tiles and work is done completely by hand using ancient processes that makes the tiles unique. The workers were very proud and happy to show us the process and their work.
One of the workers stopped and showed us how he makes the hand painted pottery which is completely made on site.
The work begins with clay that is located in a special area that is used to make the pots. This clay is apparently special and provides a quality product.
Art Naji is a 3rd generation family business and has been working on handicraft pottery and accessories for decades. It is also the biggest facility of handmade pottery in Morocco with over 4000 square meter space dedicated to a pottery studio for different workshops in Morocco. It was interesting to see how each small individual tile is handmade and cut individually. It is long and painstaking process which they take pride in doing.
Worker forming and shaping the small individual tiles
There are rows of workers each making unique and special handmade tiles for different projects that are being made.
The small tiles are then constructed into larger designs making everything from tables, pots, fountains and even building tiles for facades. We walked through the different areas of the factory looking at the many different processes being done.
Forming clay potsHand painting of the clay pots and bowls
Some workers have over 40 years working in the factory and are known as the most talented and professional tile makers in Morocco.
Worker making a tagine pot
It is truly amazing to think that they have adapted to modern life and yet they have maintained the traditional tile making as a viable business. Fountains are made by inserting each small handmade tile into a mold system which is then used to create the fountain.
Back part of the fountain being molded and prepared for hand made tilesSome of the finished fountains and tiles
We saw some spectacular pieces of pottery and tile work. Everything was made with exact details and you could see the quality of the pieces.
Some finished pieces
The tiles are specially made for different projects including the facade of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. They ship their tiles and products globally around the world.
We truly enjoyed exploring and visiting this factory. It was a very unique and interesting tour. Their focus of handmade and quality tiles has survived over the generations in this world of mast production. It truly is a piece of art!
“السفر يجعلك متواضعا ، ترى ما هي القطعة الصغيرة التي تشغلها في العالم.”
We went to see and explore the Roman ruins at Volubilis in Morocco. This site was excavated by the French during their rule over French Morocco between 1912 and 1955. Apparently the French army undertook scientific explorations as early as the 1830s and by the 1850s it was fashionable for French army officers to investigate Roman remains during their leave and spare time. By the late 19th century French archaeologists were undertaking an effort to uncover Volubilis through excavations and restorations of this archaeological site.
Built in a fertile agricultural area, Volubilis was developed from the 1st century BC onward as a Berber, then proto-Carthaginian, settlement before being the capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. It grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onward and expanded to cover about 42 hectares (100 acres) with a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) circuit of walls.
There were lots of areas of Volubilis that remained fairly well preserved. We were able to walk freely throughout the ruins and explore the site. We came to some ruins that still had the original floor mosaic tiles in place. The details and design were ornate and beautiful
Mosaic floor of Volubilis in Morocco known as the Mosaic of the Labours of Hercules.
The details of the mosaic floors were quite unique with designs and images of people and animals. We continued exploring the ruins and came to some large pieces that were still standing after all these centuries.
Shelley in the Volubilis ruins in Morocco
Ray stopped to take a rest and enjoyed a seat on one of the 1st century pillar bases in Volubilis.
The Arch of Caracalla in Volubilis
This arch of Caracalla which stood somewhat by itself in the ruins was quite impressive. It was built in honour of the emperor Caracalla.
Opposite side of the Arch of CaracallaRay taking in the moment
We walked through the ruins and imagined the history and lives that lived here over the centuries. There was a main road system that ran the entire length of Volubilis.
In the centre of the Road were flat stones that covered a ditch which was used for water and sewer run off. It was quite advanced for the times and overall the site was very impressive.
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