Tag Archives: Vitoria-Gasteiz

Spain

Demons, creatures and strange sculptures

We walked by a park called la florida which was near a church in Victoria which had a large alligator. We stopped to check out the Alligator and then the church.

Ray with Alligator in front of the Catedral de Maria Inmaculada

After “wrestling the alligator” we headed to the “Catedral de Maria Inmaculada” to look at the ornate sculptures that surrounded each arch. The cathedral was built in 1912 in a neo-gothic style.

Ornate arches of the Catedral de Maria Inmaculada in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

When we began looking at the sculptures up close we could see some very different and strange ones. Below are a few of the sculptures we found on the outside of the church.

Chained dragon with two elf looking creatures

After looking at the sculptures on the outside of the church we went inside to explore the interior.

Inside view of the “Catedral de Maria Inmaculada”

We noticed ornate sculptures on every pillar in the church. They were also very different and evil-looking.

Man strangling another man
Man picking or poking the nose of another man
Dragon with monkey head
Creature standing over the skull with crown
Devil faced creature with human body

Pig on human body holding a woman’s head severed in his hands
Man with arm around eagle
A dragon with the head of a human in his mouth.
A man pecking out the eye of another man with tool
A person pulling out the tongue of a dragon

One of the sculptures that I thought was really different was the one below.

Sculpture of an animal creature eating the intestines of a human

The significance of these sculptures within a catholic church is unknown to me. I have read that these sculptures signify the tormented souls of individuals in the afterlife. It is certainly different from what we normally see in the catholic church.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

A Flamenco concert in Vitoria-Gasteiz

We were fortunate to get tickets to a flamenco concert being held in the Santa Maria Cathedral in Victoria-Gasteiz.

Jose Thomas Jiménez renown guitarist on stage  playing flamenco music

The concert featured the renown flamenco guitarist José Tomás Jiménez. The small venue was at the Cathedral of Santa Maria which is located in the old quarter of Vitoria-Gasteiz. We arrived early and managed to get seats which were close to the stage.

Vicki, Mark, Ray and Shelley in the Santa Maria Cathedral in Vitoria-Gasteiz

The Cathedral of Santa Maria was built in the late 13th century in a Gothic style. It was built as a church-fortress as part of defence system of the city. The area where the concert was held had a large arched ceiling and provided great acoustics.

Arched ceiling in the concert area of Santa Maria Cathedral.

José Tomás Jiménez began playing flamenco on the guitar and it was amazing the music he produced. We listened intently as he played for about 30 minutes non-stopped. He then had a drummer and a flamenco singer join him on stage.

Flamenco singer and drummer on stage with José Tomás Jiménez

They played flamenco music and the singer would sing along with her amazing voice. They played for about two hours with spectacular and intense flamenco music.  The concert was great and a fun way to spend the evening.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

North to Vitoria-Gasteiz

We decided to take a trip to the north of Spain to explore some of the area. We headed out by high-speed train with some friends to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Ray and Shelley on High speed train to Vitoria-Gasteiz

The train had lots of leg room and was quite comfortable. It is a great way to travel at 247 kms per hour.

247 Kms per hour speed sign on the train to Vitoria-Gasteiz

We arrived in the early evening to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, which is the capital city of the Basque region. This was our “base” and we would stay here and take day trips to explore the region. We got unpacked and settled in before exploring the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The following day we began exploring the city, which was very vibrant and interesting. We walked through the streets towards the centre of the city.

The streets of Vitoria-Gasteiz near the old quarter of the city.

We came to a main plaza called “Plaza de la Virgen Blanca” which is one of the oldest meeting points in the city.

Plaza de la Virgen Blanca in Vitoria-Gasteiz
Ray and Shelley at the base of the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca

There were some cafes and restaurants around the plaza with a larger monument in the centre. The monument called “La batalla de Vitoria” is a monument to remember the battle which took place in the city during the Napoleonic wars in 1813.

La batalla de Vitoria monument in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, Vitoria-Gasteiz

We walked through the old quarter which dates back to the 11th century.   We came to the 11th century “wall” of Vitoria-Gasteiz which was a fortified wall to protect the city.

Section of the fortified wall of Vitoria-Gasteiz built-in the 11th century

We explored the old city centre and came across many unique and interesting buildings and architecture. Below are a few of the pictures in the old city centre of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

13th century building in centre of the old town in Victoria-Gasteiz
View from the church area to the Plaza Virgen de la blanca.
Ray overlooking the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz from the old city streets.
Plaza de España
Government building with gardens in old centre of town
Church in Vitoria-Gasteiz old centre

The city is rich with history dating as far back 581 AD. We spent the entire day exploring the streets of the old centre of the city. It was truly amazing to see such historic features in the city.

“Ados eta egun handia”