Victor Travel Blog

Spain Square. Seville, Spain.

The most memorable travels are not necessarily the most expensive. This time, I was planning to visit Andalusia with my son who is a student. Since I wanted him to study not only computer programming, but the art of living according to his budget, not mine, he was entrusted with organizing our cheap holiday in Spain, specifically, in Cordoba and Seville.

Spain is one of the most interesting travel destinations in Europe. It has 88 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and it is sunny and warm there most of the time. This climate can be an important obstacle for the unfortunate people of northern Europe. When we enjoy continuous rains or mountains of snow in our countries, in Andalusia you can be surprised by ripe oranges on the city streets.

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I thank novelist, Anneli Purchase, for her help
in the preparation of this blog post.

The Bavarian King Ludwig II is famous only for erecting a notable memorial of his own – the Neuschwanstein Сastle. So, the Count of Torralva Rafael Desmaisieres y Farina also conferred a great favour on all mankind – he reconstructed the ruins or it may be said he re-built the amazing Almodovar Castle – Castillo de Almodovar del Rio, which is more than 1200 years old – near Cordoba, Andalusia.

Castillo de Almodovar del Rio. Andalusia, Spain.

Various fortifications had been raised here since the times of the Romans, and it’s easy to understand why when you come up to the castle – it is a very practical place in terms of defense, right on the Cerro de la Floresta Mountain. Castillo de Almodóvar was built by the Arabians in 760. During Christian times the castle was owned by the kings and two Knight Orders: first the Order of Calatrava and then the Order of Santiago. Finally, almost completely destroyed it was inherited by the Count of Torralva Rafael Desmaisieres.

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For three days, Madrid literally unleashed its treasures on us: Prado Museum, Museo Cerralbo, Museum of America, El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Murillo, Titian, Veronese, Bosch, Van Dyck, Rubens, Dürer, and Poussin.

This painting was Irina’s favorite. She believes the beauty of Amalia de Llano y Dotres by Federico de Madrazo depicted here is much less contested than the beauty of Mona Lisa. Laughing eyes. Eyelashes ready to blink. Dazzling Amalia!

The portrait of Amalia de Llano y Dotres, condesa de Vilches, by Federico de Madrazo

At one point, looking at all these masterpieces was like eating black caviar with a big spoon. Of course, we should not do it with masterpieces, but we had no choice. We were leaving in a few days, but we still had plans for the Episcopal Toledo, aristocratic Segovia, and Avila with its 88 watchtowers and mysterious cathedral church. Sometimes, we dream of coming to Paris, and every-day visiting only the Louvre for a whole week, but now, we have only one day for the Museo Del Prado, Madrid.

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