Monday, March 30, 2009

Las Fallas 2009 in Valencia

During the Fallas we stayed in Valencia. We wanted to go for a weekend before Fallas to visit Toledo and Segovia, but we were ill and didn't go.

Since the begining of march we wanted to go to see the mascleta but we couldn't, because we had classes at the politecnica at these hours. Finaly our classes have ended and we went to Plaza de Ayutamiento to see it. It was a new experience for us because in Poland there is no such kind of fireworks. We really liked it, especialy because the fireworks are fired in such way that there is a rithm and people are jumping and clapping their hands. Unfortunately, we were a bit ill and we couldn't go to see mascleta one more time.

Every day from monday till thursday we were walking along the streets and watching fallas statues because we wanted to see as much as possible of the special ones.

In Valencia during the Fallas there is a lot of noise and party. Whole city is decorated with lights. There were many beatiful dressed Falleras walking along the streets.

We were also going to see castillo at nights and we liked it a lot.



The best, off course, were the fireworks during the noche del fuego. The same day when we were walking near to the river we came across the parade of L'Ofrenda floral and after the final castillo we went to see the statue of Virgen composed of flowers.

The last day we went once again to see the fallas that we liked the most to take more pictures and then in the evening we went to see the crema of one falla infantil which was quite a nice and strange experience. Then we saw the crema of a big special falla. It was the first time we've seen such a big controlled fire in a city - it was amazing. We admire firemen, who have a lot of work during the last day of Fallas. We were standing so close to the falla that when it started to burn we had to move back 15 meters becouse of the heat. As a last thing we went to see the fireworks and the crema of the falla at Plaza de Ayutamiento .

All the Fallas was a great, new experiance for us and we think that it is a really worth seeing fiesta. We would recommend it for sure.

You can read more about Fallas on Wikipedia or Fallas Official Site and see a short film showing one piece of a Falla - one ninot - from the forming of the scale model right through to the burning.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Pisa


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9th and 10th of February we spent in Pisa.

Pisa is a city in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the Arno River on the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. The city is known worldwide for its famous bell tower.


While the Leaning Tower is the most famous image of the city, it is one of many works of art and architecture in the city's Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), to the north of the old town center. The Piazza dei Miracoli also houses the Duomo (the Cathedral), the Baptistry and the Camposanto Monumentale (the monumental cemetery).


See also A virtual travel to Pisa and the leaning tower.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Albacete

On 6th of March we went to Albacete - our flatmate's homecity :).

Albacete is a city in southeastern Spain, 258 km southeast of Madrid, 190 km from Valencia. Albacete is the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha.

The cathedral in Albacete ->


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<- Pasaje de Gabriel Lodares

This place was named Al-Basit, "the plain," by the Arabs. The city has been known as a center for the manufacture of fine daggers, scissors, and knives.
Albacete is not known as a tourist destination, but its sights include the cathedral and the Museo de Albacete.

Friday, March 20, 2009

La Coruña


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On 23rd of February we went to La Coruña, to see the ocean, but Adam's phone didn't like it :)

La Coruña is the second largest city in Galicia in northwestern Spain. The city is also the capital of A Coruña Province.

The city is recognizable by the site of the Roman Tower of Hercules, which is a lighthouse that has been in continuous operation for nearly 2,000 years.

The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers. The name Corunna is said to be derived from the ancient columna, meaning column. The structure is 55 metres (180 ft) tall and overlooks the North Atlantic coast of Spain. It is almost 1900 years old, was rehabilitated in 1791, is the oldest Roman lighthouse still used as a lighthouse. Unfortunately The Tower was under renovation on this time...

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Santiago de Compostela

22nd of February we spent in Santiago de Compostela.

Santiago de Compostela (also Saint James of Compostela) is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in the north west of Spain in the Province of A Coruña.



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One etymology for the name "Compostela" is that it comes from the Latin phrase campus stellae, i.e. "field of the star", making Santiago de Compostela "St. James of the Field of the Star". This would reflect the belief that the bones of St. James the Greater were taken from the Middle East, to Spain and then buried where a shepherd had spotted a star. A church was eventually built over the bones, and later replaced with the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela.

The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James (Spanish: Camino de Santiago).

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Florence

Thanks to Ryanair we had great weekend in Italy. 8th February we spent in Florence.


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Ponte Vecchio ->

Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany and has a population of 364,779.

The city lies on the River Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

<- Piazza della Signoria

One of the bridges in particular stands out as being unique — The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), whose most striking feature is the multitude of shops built upon its edges, held up by stilts. The best-known site and crowning architectural jewel of Florence is the domed cathedral of the city, Santa Maria del Fiore, known as The Duomo.

Santa Maria del Fiore ->

In 1504, Michelangelo's David (now replaced by a reproduction as the original was moved indoors to the Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno), was installed in front of the Palazzo della Signoria (also known as Palazzo Vecchio).


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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Milan

21st of January we spent in Milan.

Milan (Italian: Milano) is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the regional capital of Lombardy.

<- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele



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Castello Sforzesco ->

The Lombard metropolis is famous for its fashion houses and shops (such as along via Montenapoleone) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo (reputed to be the world's oldest shopping mall).

<- the Milan Cathedral

The biggest and greatest example of Gothic architecture in Italy, the Milan Cathedral, is the third largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Cathedral of Seville. Built between 1386 and 1577, it hosts the world's largest collection of marble statues with the widely visible golden Madonna statue on top of the spire, nicknamed by the people of Milan as Madunina (the little Madonna), that became one of the symbols of the city.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Rome

Our favourite airlines (which name we will not mention here:)) gave us an irresitible proposition to see Italy so we began the conquest with spending 18-20th of January in Rome.

It is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,726,539 residents in an urban area of some 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi). It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber river.

Rome's history as a city spans over two and a half thousand years, as one of the founding cities of Western Civilisation. It was the centre of the Roman Empire, which dominated Europe, North Africa and the Middle East for four hundred years from the 1st Century BC till the 4th Century AD.

Rome has a significant place in Christianity and is the present day home of the Roman Catholic Church and the site of the Vatican City, an independent city-state run by the Catholic Church within as an enclave of Rome.

As one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character. Rome is the third-most-visited tourist destination in the European Union, and its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. As a modern city it has been capital of the unified Italy since 1870, and grew mainly in two periods either side of Word War II.

There are tons of books about the sites of interests in Rome so there's no point in mentioning them here. Enought to say that after spending there three days we had the feeling of not beeing even close to seeing all the best that the city has to offer.



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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Sagunto

18th of October we spent in Sagunto.

Sagunto is an ancient city in Eastern Spain, in the modern fertile district of Camp de Morvedre in the province of Valencia. It is located in a hilly site, c. 30 km north of Valencia, close to the Costa del Azahar on the Mediterranean Sea.



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Sagunto is one of the most popular day trips from Valencia, and with good reason. It’s extremely easy to reach: just an inexpensive 30 minute trip on the Renfe Cercanias train system that binds the Valencian Community. And most importantly, the city is fascinating, especially for fans of history.

The remains of the Citadel (Castell), may be seen on top of the hill. It preserves much of its picturesque walled ramparts, of Roman and Moorish origin.

Make a virtual trip to Sagunto.


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