Lisbon, Portugal

The Belem District is 3 miles from downtown Lisbon.  Belem was the starting point for voyages during the Age of Discovery. 

Belem Tower was built between 1515-1520 to protect Lisbon's harbor.  This tower was the last site that sailors saw as they left Lisbon.  When the tower was built, it stood in the middle of the river.  The river nearly touched the walls of the Monastery of Jeronimos.

This marble map lies in the pavement in front of the Monument to the Discoveries.  It was a gift from South Africa. 

Padrao dos Descobrimentos, "The Monument to the Discoveries" was rebuilt in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator.  The monument was originally constructed for the 1940 Expo.

The monument shows the explorers of the world, standing on a raised prow of a caravel on the shore of the Tejo River.  Prince Henry the Navigator is holding a model of a caravel and a map.

Malaga, Spain

Malaga's bullring "Plaza de Toros "

Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga in 1881.  This statue of Picasso sits in the Plaza de la Merced, near his childhood home.

Picasso's childhood home on the Plaza de la Merced.  It is now the Fundacion Picasso (on the left side of the building) and has been painted and furnished in the style of the era.   The Fundacion also has a permanent exhibition of the artist's early sketches, sculptures, memorabilia, and family photos.

"Hand of Peace" statue supposedly done by a student of Pablo Picasso.



The Alcazaba was begun in the 8th century when Malaga was the main port of the Moorish kingdom.  What remains today was built in the 11th century.  Ferdinand and Isabella lived here after conquering Malaga in 1487. 

Ruins of the Roman theater on Calle Alcazabilla.

Malaga's cathedral was built between 1528 and 1783.  It was left unfinished because they ran out of money.  It is nicknamed "La Manquita," The One-Armed Lady, because it is missing one of its two towers. 

Lanzarote, Canary Islands

The area in and around Parque Nacional de Timanfaya was formed when an eruption began on September 1, 1730 and lasted six years. 

At Isolte de Hilario, there are three demonstrations.  At the first demonstration they put a small amount of hot pebbles in your hand.  You transfer them from hand to hand until you can no longer hold them.

At the second demonstration, they shove a clump of brushwood into a hole in the ground and it catches fire quickly.

At the third demonstration, a pot of water is poured into a hole...

...and it promptly gushes back up like a geyser.

At the Restaurante del Diablo, artist Cesar Manrique designed giant frying pans for the lights.

To see the Ruta de los Volcanes, you need to take a bus.  The excursion takes you through a spectacular volcanic landscape. 

At Montanas del Fuego, we had a 30 minute camel ride...

Our last stop was Los Hervideros...

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

Maspalomas is Gran Canaria's most famous vacation area along with the sand dunes.

Teror is a small town on Gran Canaria famous for its "Virgin in the Pines" legend.  According to the story, the Virgin was found in a pine tree in the forest during the 15th century.  The Basilica de la Virgen del Pino was built in the town square.

Inside the church the Virgin is illuminated in an ornate altarpiece.  Upstairs there is a display of all of the outfits and gifts that have been given to the Virgin.


The Plaza Nuestra Senora del Pino and Calle Real are lined with picturesque houses.

Tenerife, Canary Islands

San Cristobal de La Laguna historic town center has narrow streets lined with colorful buildings.  The town layout was the model for many colonial towns in the Americas.  In 1999, the town became a Unesco World Heritage site.

Parque Nacional del Teide is Spain's largest national park and the most popular.  It became a national park in 1954.  More than 80% of the world's volcanic formations are here.

El Teide is the highest mountain in Spain, at 12,198 feet tall. 

Las Canadas del Teide is the lunar landscape in the park.  NASA has used this area for testing equipment being sent to Mars.

Piramides de Guimar is a site where six step pyramids were uncovered on the island.  The pyramids are similar to those found in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Sardinia, Sicily, South America and other parts of the world. The pyramids are also oriented astronomically to the summer and winter solstices. 

La Palma, Canary Islands

Santa Cruz de la Palma is the historic capital of the island.  The historic center runs parallel to the waterfront and is easily walkable



The Santuario de la Virgen de las Nieves was built in the 17th century.  The church is located in a peaceful area surrounded by trees and other greenery.  The interior of the church is ornate--plush carpet, lots of sculptures and crystal chandeliers.  The 14th century Virgin Mary sculpture is the oldest religious statue in the Canary Islands.  Every five years the Virgin sculpture is brough down to Santa Cruz in a grand procession.

Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente was declared a national park in 1954. 

The heart of the park is the Caldera de Taburiente. The caldera is a massive depression is over 26 feet wide and surrounded by soaring rock walls.

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Ronda, Spain

Ronda is perched high on a rock, surrounded by cliffs, and divided into two parts by a 295 feet deep gorge.

For the Moors, the town was impregnable for many centuries.  The town was taken by the Spaniards in 1485, seven years before Granada fell.

El Tajo (the ravine) divides Ronda into the whitewashed La Ciudad (the old Moorish town) and El Mercadillo (the new town).  The Puento Nuevo (New Bridge) was built from 1751-1793, after the previous bridge fell. 

The Plaza de Toros is one of the oldest in Spain (1785) and the birthplace of modern bullfighting. The Ronda bullring was the first great Spanish bullring. 

Seville, Spain

We drove one and half hours from Cordoba and arrived in Seville.  Seville was Spain's largest and richest city in the 17th century.  Today Seville is the fourth-largest city in Spain. 

Plaza de Espana was built for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929.  Plaza de España has been used for some of the scenes of George Lucas' STAR WARS Episode II:  Attack of the Clones.

Old Seville is bisected by its grand boulevard, Avenida de la Constitucion.  It was made into a pedestrian boulevard in 2007. 

Los Reales Alcazares was originally a 10th century palace built for the governors of the local Moorish state.  Today it still functions as a royal palace.  This is a Christian ruler's palace, built in the Moorish style.



The Sevilla Cathedral was built on the site of the main Mosque.  The Christians kept the mosque's minaret and turned it into a belltower.  They also kept the Patio de los Naranjos to be used as a cloister. 

The Sevilla Cathedral is the third largest church in Europe.  St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican is the largest, the next largest is St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and then the Sevilla Cathedral.  The cathedral is the largest Gothic church. 

The mosque on the site was torn down in 1401 during the Reconquista.  It took the Christians 120 years to build the cathedral.

The Giralda is 330 feet tall and is one of most beautiful and admired towers in the world. 

The spiraling ramp inside the tower was designed for horseback riders who rode up five times a day for the Muslim call to prayer.

Views from the top of the Giralda Belltower: