My Spanish rectangle…

Unwillingly following a sad tradition, I hadn't posted about Spain yet… until now! I can only hope I may be forgiven, since there's a lot about Spain and the Spaniards that I do like very, very much! ¡Por supuesto!
Westwards from Madrid, four cities give shape to a kind of a rectangle on the map that I call "my Spanish/Castilian rectangle". In alphabetical order they are: Aranjuez, Ávila, Segovia, and Toledo. They've given me what I consider to be the very best of Spanish culture.
Shall we go for a walk together?…


Aranjuez is known for the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, a royal residence, and its vast gardens. The strawberries of Aranjuez are also famous throughout Spain; they are shipped by the carload to Madrid every day during their season. Internationally, Aranjuez has become known through the fabulous Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo: "Aranjuez, mon amour"…


Ávila is renowned for Saint Teresa of Ávila (c. 1515-1582), the Carmelite reformer who lived there. Another prominent native was Tomás Luis de Victoria. The convent and church of Teresa mark the supposed birthplace of the saint whose name they bear. Ávila also possesses an old castle – the alcázar.


Segovia's old city is spectacularly situated atop a long, narrow promontory. It contains a wealth of monuments, including the cathedral, a famous ancient Roman aqueduct, the Alcázar, and various churches built in the Romanesque style including San Esteban, San Martin, and San Millan. The old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is surrounded by walls, built probably on a Roman base.


Toledo is located in central Spain, 70 km south of Madrid. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, due to its extensive cultural and monumental heritage as one of the former capitals of the Spanish Empire and important place of peaceful coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Moorish/Arab cultures. Famous people and artists were born or lived here, including Garcilaso de la Vega, the Renaissance poet, Alfonso X, the wise, king and poet ("Cantigas de Santa Maria"), and El Greco, the painter.

Em duas ocasiões reservei os últimos dias de viagem para explorar com calma o que eu chamava o meu rectângulo castelhano, atitude que levantou suspeitas entre alguns companheiros mais patrioteiros. Espanha?! Madrid?! Mas o que é que isso interessa?! A mim, interessava-me. E muito. Adjacente a Madrid para ocidente, há uma região compreendida entre Ávila e Segóvia, a norte, e Toledo e Aranjuez, a sul, cidades que muito me fascinam e ajudaram a conhecer e a compreender melhor a realidade castelhana. Nunca mais escutei do mesmo modo aquele delicioso concerto para guitarra e orquestra de Joaquín Rodrigo, o Concierto de Aranjuez. Aqueles sons não são apenas a sensibilidade de um homem posta em música. Revelam a alma de um povo no seu melhor, pelo elaborado dedilhar das cordas de uma guitarra.

RIC