According to Wiki, a necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground usually including structural tombs. The term is usually used for high burial grounds near the centers of ancient civilizations.This word was derived from Greek meaning “city of the dead”. I know it’s rather late talking about this right now because the Halloween season has already passed but since I’m terribly out of trend (haha!), here are some photos taken from our summer and winter travels. Yep, we’re that weird, we go to spooky places too.

So last summer, while visiting the vineyards in La Rioja-Alavesa, we made a detour to this 12th century Romanesque church high up in the hills.

In front of the church, you’ll find this ancient necropolis or what was left of it from centuries ago. I’m stepping on the tombs, yikes! Don’t worry all the remains have been removed and are now kept in some museum somewhere.

Then we visited some dolmens too. A dolmen (here goes the geek again…) is a Neolithic tomb or monument consisting of a large flat stone laid across upright stones. This is also called a cromlech and is found in Ireland, France, Russia, Portugal, here in Spain and even in Korea, India, Israel, Syria and Jordan.

Dolmen de La Chabola, Elvillar (La Rioja,Alavesa)

These are more than a thousand year old burial sites. A lot of artifacts have been presumably buried here but sad to say that a lot of them have also been robbed before the dolmens were discovered. This picture was taken July of this year  while the one below was from early winter of last year.

I’m wearing a thick turtleneck for this one. Below is another dolmen found from another place.

It’s quite tricky finding some of these. I think we got lost twice or thrice because they are sometimes situated on some dirt road somewhere. hehe!

I remember this one too well because EM and I got lost  and had a mild “accident” while finding this (above photo). After traveling a few kilometers, we didn’t find this and so we decided to go back. While trying to reverse the car’s direction, the tires at the back fell on a slightly deep ledge/canal. To make things worse, we forgot to bring our cell phones. EM had to walk kilometers up to the nearest police station while I stayed with the car in the freaking cold looking at  rows and rows of  hibernating grape branches. It’s winter, all of the grapes have been harvested and so what you’ll get to see are brown twigs.The wait lasted for more than 2 hrs. before 2 policemen finally hauled the car back to the main road. Now that’s what I call a true adventure.

This last one was in the town of Eguilaz. A cousin of EM was married on this place. That must have been so memorable. All dolmens in Spain are historical monuments and there a lot of them scattered around. The only thing is, you have to find them with a map.Teheee!

Now leaving you with a super-pose with the mountain of Gorbeia as the background.

This photo was taken on my first winter here.

Ciao for now, uncomplicated things to talk about on my next post.

♥ Che ♥

Ávila is a walled city with an altitude nearly twice as high as Vitoria. It measures 1,130 meters above sea level being the highest provincial city of Spain. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the birthplace and home of  St. Therese (Sta. Teresa) of Ávila.

This is just one of the gates of the city wall. There are others in the other parts like…

this one which we entered to climb to the top. This city is bustling with activity both inside and outside of the wall. The wall is the best preserved in Spain. It was built in the 12th century and today it is 2.5 kilometers long.

When you climb towards the eastern part, you’ll see the spikes of the cathedral and while going farther down northeast you’ll see this church below. This is the Basilica of  San Vicente. Erected between the 11th and 14th century, this church is of Romanesque origin.

The view from the top is marvelous. You’ll get to see almost all of the city. Along the wall route, you’ll find approximately 2,500 battle monuments, 88 towers, 6 gates and 3 wicket gates, the apse of the cathedral and a singular bell tower.

We had a little cam whoring on the side while admiring the view.

The lower right photo is a rare photo of us together, it’s usually me or EM solo but I managed to get us a picture because the walls are pretty even. Hello, timer! We’re a perfect 10, no? EM being the number 1 and I the perfect 0 ( too round). weehehehe!

Going to another entrance near the southeastern part, you’ll see the other side of the cathedral this time. It’s best to visit the walls of Ávila wearing well- heeled and well-cushioned shoes because the steps can be tricky and uneven.

It’s hard to navigate wearing high heels, so dearest fashionistas, leave those stilletos at home if you want to get a bird’s eye view from the top. I promise you that its worth the climb.

Aside from visiting the wall of Àvila and the aqueduct of Segovia, we also visited some museums and ate some typical dishes of these cities. I’ll make a separate post of them later. In the meantime, I’m leaving you a view of Ávila from Cuatro Postes. An old shrine with a panoramic view over the city.

Wearing: top- Mango, skirt- Bershka, tights- Zara, boots & scarf- local Spanish store

Have a rad weekend, everyone!

♥ Che ♥

PS: To enlarge the photos, just click them. If you want to see more walled towns, please click here. 

¡Holaaaa! How’s your week so far?

I don’t know why I’m posting this look but this is my uniform these days.  A light turtleneck with a water proof jacket thrown in when it’s raining and v-necks with a scarf when it’s sunny and just cool.When it snows, that’s another story.

Jeans are either black or dark blue and skirts are optional with tights. The thickness of the clothes depends on the temperature scale. Today is 10-12 °C and raining. Not too bad. How boring. I know. But I don’t look too bulky and yet stay warm.

I would’ve liked to dress more “fasyon” but the weather isn’t cooperating and I’m too lazy to dig dipper into my closet. That’s how predictable I am and yes… a little boring. lol!

So what’s your uniform these days?

Curious,

♥ Che ♥

Kaixo, everyone!

Just breaking the travel mood of the posts for a while so you’ll not get bored.

The city where I live has changed it’s bus routes and you know what that means. Confusion + wrong buses taken= lots of wasted time + stress.

I’m glad that my class doesn’t start until tomorrow and so I had time to do a test ride on the new bus routes that I’ll be taking to school and back during those days when EM can’t take me.

Although this city is quite small compared to Barcelona or Madrid, I still get lost. I’ve taken the wrong bus maybe twice or thrice since last year. Heehee! Consequences? Arriving 40 minutes late in class ( good thing the class is 2 hrs.and 15 mins. long) and  taking very long walks towards home shivering ( despite wearing a thick coat) because it’s freaking cold/snowing. The only consolation is that I’ve discovered new sites and new streets.

Have you tried taking the wrong bus too? Hope it wasn’t a horrible experience.

I’m also test riding this combination of top and long skirt. The wool skirt has a high waist band and can look much better with a bling-y silver belt but since I’m a casual dresser, I ended up with this white Zara belt because I don’t have a bling-y belt inside the cabinet.

sabrina top- bazaar( Phils.) wool skirt- Massimo Dutti

I tried cropping the ugly shoes ( which is a fave of mine   ) but the resulting photo keeps on getting longer. Best to leave it as is, my computer skills are non-existent. You’ll see more of this skirt soon. Still finding the perfect black tall boots for it. Stilletos are definitely out of the question although the whole outfit would look much better wearing one.

Ciao for now!

♥ Che ♥

Hi, everyone!

So how did your week go? This post is a continuation of my trip in  Segovia.

So this is how Alcázar looks up front. It has a tower in the middle which we climbed up to the top. The outside walls have an interesting design by the way. Just click the pictures to enlarge.

There goes my knight with a shining armor. lol! A stained glass window of a mounted knight in combat, a bow and that’s me posing outside the palace balcony. Inside you’ll see a lot of things related to warfare. These are just a few because it can be boring looking at those canyons and armor plates, unless you’re a war history buff.

And so up we went carefully navigating on the winding staircase, it can give you vertigo, wearing this  suede winter boots.

It’s a little bit heely. On my 2nd day and after the climb, the soles of my feet and my leg muscles  are starting to taunt me. While climbing the stairs, I was panting like a dog while EM was grinning like a Cheshire cat. How bad is that? Anyway, it was worth it because the view from the top is awesome!

This is the view of the city of Segovia and the cathedral from the tower of Alcázar. Breathtaking, no?

The following day after visiting the museum, we drove straight to another palace. It’s called La Granja ( de Ildefonso). It’s a summer palace now a museum located outside of Segovia and 80 kms. from Madrid.This is the garden fronting the palace.

The well manicured lawn may not be as spectacular as the Palace of Versailles in France but what caught my fancy were the marvelous statues of the gods, goddesses and cherubs  scattered everywhere. I was in awe all the time! By the way, I’m wearing a Bershka floral dress with a Zara turtleneck underneath.

These are just one of the beautiful sculptures that you’ll see but at the side facing the palace you’ll see a lot of  white cherubs. Wasn’t able to take a photo of them because there were children everywhere on them. The kids liked them so much.

A view of another garden at the back of the palace. The palace is so huge and it has a set of buildings for the servants and the courtiers too. Too bad picture taking is not allowed inside. All the palace rooms and halls are made of Carrara marble and other types of marble from Italy. One of the queens was Italian. You can see lots of Flemish, Italian and Spanish paintings and tapestries. You can also find Chinese jars and figurine, the ceilings are gilded in gold tones with lots of beautiful carvings and paintings.

This palace was built in the 18th century by Philip V ( grandson of King Louis XIV) in restrained baroque style. The palace especially the gardens was patterned after the Palace of Versailles.

That’s all for now. Happy weekend dearies!

♥ Che ♥

PS: Sorry for the long post, I got carried away… as usual.

I love Segovia. Given the chance, I would gladly live there until I grow very old. Segovia is a Celtic name loosely translated as  “fortress or castle”. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This city can be reached 35 minutes from the north of Madrid by a bullet train (TAV) and about 4 hours of easy driving from where I live.

The Aqueduct

You’ll know that you’re in Segovia when you see this Roman Aqueduct built 2,000 years ago by the Romans to bring water to the city from a river about 14 kms. away. Up to the point where the aqueduct enters the city itself, it was actually an underground canal capable of transporting water up to 30 liters/second.

This spectacular creation is supported by an engineering marvel of 166 arches and 120 pillars in two levels.

It is made of 20,400 large, rough-hewn granite blocks, joined without mortar or clamps. Its maximum height of 28.1 m (100.53 ft) is found at the plaza of Azoguejo (see 1st photo). I examined the rocks closely, they were not joined by any cement. Just perfectly placed granite bricks which have calcified through time. Amazing!

The Cathedral

This  Gothic style church made of limestone was re-built in 1527 from an existing 12th century cathedral which was destroyed by an early revolt . The pinnacle reminds me of the ones in Salamanca but in a smaller scale.

a view from one set of tall graceful columns facing the courtyard

A stolen shot inside the church. Most churches don’t allow picture taking nor video-grabbing. I was bad. hehehe!

Alcázar

Built in the 12th century, this castle was once a fort and a residential palace of the kings. In 1764 it was converted into an Artillery Academy( like a Military School).

More photos of what’s inside this palace on my next post. For now, I’m leaving you with what I wore on my 1st day:

I wore a U2 turtleneck top, plaid wool skirt from Promod and a handbag from Zara.

The motorcycle jacket is from a local Spanish store which you’ve already seen in my previous posts. Pictures taken inside a very old but renovated small hotel at the heart of the city. Too bad the hallway wasn’t carpeted. I didn’t sleep well during the night, can clearly hear the clacking of heels and some loud voices way past midnight. No, they aren’t ghosts, they’re real people. Why can’t people be a little bit more respectful during sleeping hours in hotels?

Have a lovely Wednesday everyone!

♥ Che ♥

Hello, everyone! I’m back.

Just got back from our road trip. It was fun but as usual very tiring. Anyway, I’m finally home to finish part 2 of the same title post. A market no matter how old or new  is never complete without:

Food

I’m nuts about nuts. They’re selling hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts, etc. and if you want your nuts sugar coated, they sell them too! Wafer sticks are called barquillos and they also come in different flavors and colors.

There are different types of honey. EM prefers Miel de Brezo ( I forgot to ask what that is) and they also sell Jalea Real ( Royal Jelly) for vigor and strength… ?

Different kinds of cheeses. Each region has it’s own cheese specialty. The Spanish basque region’s specialty is the Idiazabal cheese made from sheep. I would say they are really tasty and you have to try it. There’s a basque restaurant in New York which sells hamburgers with Idiazabal cheese. They even hold competions for this type of cheese here.

Spanish chorizos

Spanish dried sausages in different varieties ( from pig, cow, wild boar,deer). They also sell Jamon Serrano such as these.

Entertainment

No celebration is also complete without dancing on the streets and a showcase of …

Something Exotic

Exotic birds for everyone to say ‘wow’ and an exotic cat below:

This isn’t just any ordinary cute cat. It’s a lynx.

Lastly, the Middle Ages is best remembered with these “soldiers” in uniform.

These “guards” remind me of  The  Crusades. They look and acted the part. What do you think? Now if only their swords are a lot larger or longer…

Have a glorious week, everyone! Road trip photos to follow soon.

!Besitos!

♥ Che ♥

Hi, everyone! How’s your week so far?

Imagine, you are about to go to a fair which sells something one of a kind  but you’re on a shopping ban. The instruction is explicit: You can look but you can’t buy. What’s the closest thing to do? Take pictures! That’s exactly what I did.

My eyes grew wide as saucers when I saw these bangles. Looove bangles! Too bad can’t bring home one.

Would you believe that these cute accessories are made from errrhmm, a broom stick? Yes, it’s true! I swear! So creative,no?

This studded and “coined” leather bag is being sold in an African stall, the exact stall where I saw these masks.

Glass Carriage ( Mercado Medieval 2007)

Taken from my first Mercado Medieval here in Vitoria. This year I haven’t seen any glass decor such as this. Good thing I took a picture. This was done using the “glass blowing” technique. I did glass blowing once in a college using a capillary tube, I almost fainted due to lack of air. The worst part is the tube just bloated with no design, whatever.

EM’s favorite. Flavored jelly candies called gominolas.

Something to keep you warm. Silk and handmade knitted scarves. Upper right are  cone-shaped hats worn by the women centuries ago and below something for the little tots. So cute, wanted to have a pair of those but sadly we don’t have a baby right now.

Now leaving you with what I wore today:

top-Bershka, jeans- Mango, bangles- Misako, Sfera, shoes- Ulanka

Something  casual to wear to school and to visit MIL.

Happy Friday, dearies! We’re going on a road trip starting tomorrow. Will be back Sunday night.

♥ Che ♥

PS: Pardon the photo overload and the crappy shots, hundreds of people milling around the stalls. It’s so hard to take decent shots. Part 2 to follow soon, this is just a sampling of what’s more to come. I hope you’re liking the pictures.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a food entry in my blog and so this entry is all about food. EM invited me to lunch at this quaint little restaurant somewhere in La Rioja ( we have to pass by a lot of vineyards to arrive there) which serves delicious food. The first thing that you’ll see are the grape vines on the roof top and…

this cute white lady with a jug beside the wall leading to the bar at the left side of the restaurant. Can’t help but take a shot of her.

We chose rose wine  produced from a nearby bodega and water in a glass bottle to accompany the meal. The cork broke while the waitress was opening the wine and so she had to get another bottle.

I had Pencas Rellenas con Bacalao(cod fish). EM says the pencas are a type of plant but I tasted white asparagus  stuffed with cod fish in cream sauce.

EM had Patatas a la Riojana which is really a simple dish of chorizos and potatoes  ( my version is actually tastier ) so no photo here. For the 2nd dish,  he had Bacalao a la Riojana. There’s also Bacalao a la Bilbaina, they taste and look the same to me. Codfish in tomato sauce ( and probably with bell peppers for a la Riojana?).

I initially ordered Solomillo ( beef sirloin) but the waitress served  me the wrong dish. I ended up eating lamb chops grilled using grape wood. Good thing they tasted so good and I was hungry at that time so I didn’t correct her. You all know the waiting time to have your dish changed. It could take ages. Sensing her mistake ( probably one of the diners was already looking for his lamb chops), she offered me to change it but I was half way through the chops and so I politely said no.

For dessert, EM ordered goxua, a typical basque dessert of  sponge cake layered with thickened/whipped cream and topped with sugar caramel.

While for me, the STAR dessert which is this, tadaaaahhh!!!!

Two scoops of red wine ice-cream.Yep! You read that right , wine ice-cream. from tempranillo grapes, drizzled with grape caramel and a dash of strawberry syrup. So yummy and heady, I ended up drunk.

That’s me after the meal. The puffy eyes came from the puffy eye gene made worse by non-stop crying the whole night. No, EM and I didn’t have a fight. We rarely fight, if we do it was usually about my forever growing  shoe collection which he usually finds hidden under our bed. Darn! Shouldn’t be hiding my new shoes in there anymore.

I was crying over some soppy movie (which I forget what it was) the night before. I must’ve cried too much because my nose turned Rudolph red just before I slept and my eyes still sting when I woke up. So there I am smiling with those cream puffs on my face. Not so delectable, no?

Where: Rivas de Tereso ( La Rioja, Spain)

Later at the house:

EM: ¡Qué mal! ( Bad!)

Che: ¿ Qué ha pasado? (What happened?)

EM: Mira la cuenta y la factura. ( Look at the bill and the receipt.)

The restaurant has mistakenly charged us for 2 bottles of wine instead of one!

Lesson of the story: Always check your bill before paying and count the change too! I was at the ladies room while EM was paying the bill. After paying it, he just pocketed it together with the receipt without looking at them which is unusual because either I or him usually checks them before paying. Must be the ice-cream, no must be the wine… no… oh well… that’s life. Good thing it was just a bottle of wine and not a one whole meal.

And so it was. This was actually the first time that we had this problem. At least the service was great (except for the dish switching). How about you? Have you had problems like these when dining out?

Have a fruitful Tuesday everyone!

♥ Che ♥

This is not funny at all. The sun is out but the temperature continues to go down. For three days in a row, it’s 10-12 °C down the street in broad daylight. It’s not even winter yet.Today, I think the situation’s going to be the same too. Missing summer and missing the hot tropical sun at my old home. Time to pullout those turtlenecks, the low-heeled booties, the thick jeans and the scarf.

This scarf is one of my favorites. It has a pretty floral design bursting with lots of vivid colors and aren’t those pom poms, cute? I bought this in one of those traveling stores during fiestas. I have this design in red too. It’s perfect as an all year round accessory.

You can drape this around your shoulders on a cool night in late spring or summer or just let it hang upside down with your unbuttoned jacket in autumn like in the photo below.

If the weather gets nasty (really cold and windy), you can wrap it around your neck and voila! It’s not so cold anymore. Pardon the moon face, I’m still bloated. heehee!

A scarf has many uses actually. Can you tell me more? Now leaving you with this last photo of me prancing around. Central heating is not fully cooperating (usually happens during the first few days, it’s like testing an old car). Most of the rooms are still cold, at least that heater at my back is alive.

If the street is a lot colder than the house, better stay inside, drink wine or hot cocoa, move a lot, dance or just prance around to make you warm. Good thing I’ve accumulated a lot of fat ( no, make that grease) in the summer and so that helps too. If this continues, might as well take out the portable heater soon or maybe take a nap inside the mall. Hmmm…that’s another good idea. In there it’s always warm until 11 pm.

Anyway, here’s wising that you’re Sunday is a lot warmer than mine!

Ciao!

♥ Che ♥