Peñafiel Castle, Spain

If you like your medieval castles intact, then Peñafiel has much to offer. Only guided tours are permitted, but no worries as you’ll see plenty. There’s also a wine museum built into the southern portion of the castle. It’s worth your time. The gift shop has a fine selection of hand blown glassware that is the epitome of class and style. So, let’s have a look at this fortress. Here’s the video:

Impressive, no? I’ll say. It’s hard to imagine someone taking a chance attacking castles like this. There are so may angles for the defenders to launch everything from stones to arrows to boiling oil. Nasty. Climbing those stairs was good exercise, too. There are a few more castle videos and photos essays to come. Stay tuned.

Published in: on May 30, 2010 at 12:44 am  Leave a Comment  
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Segovia’s Roman Aqueduct

By most accounts, Segovia’s Roman aqueduct was built sometime around the 1st or 2nd Century AD. It stands more than 93 feet tall including the foundation, which reaches down about 16 feet. Building this device was no small task, but the Romans were no amateurs. I had the pleasure of visiting Segovia again this May, and made a short video showing the structure as it stretches above the plaza below. Take a look:

The structure has been in use since it was built with a few interruptions and repairs. The Moors destroyed a piece of it, but it was subsequently rebuilt under the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. There are also accessory structures such as the “water house” that are part of the water system. These are less popular destinations but important to understand the thoroughness with which the Romans created their civilization.

I’ll have more photos and video about Segovia soon. It is an interesting city to visit and I hope to get there again.

Published in: on May 4, 2010 at 6:56 pm  Comments (1)  
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Spanish Castles

Any visit to Spain has to include a castle or two. There are plenty to choose from. In fact, the challenge is which ones to visit given the limited amount of time during a particular tour. I found a website that has plenty of photos. Here’s the link:

http://www.castillosnet.org/spanishcastles/source/mapa_index.php

The homepage has a map that you can click on. You are then directed to that particular region’s castles. So many photos that you can spend hours sorting through them. One thing that always amazes me about these castles is simply how many stones had to be cut and stacked. Millions of tons! Incredible feats when you think about the lack of machinery. I’m looking forward to posting my own photos soon of a couple of these castles. You’ll find them right here on The Bent Page.

Published in: on February 19, 2010 at 9:51 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Sir Winston’s Quote for Today

The light of the current goings-on in the United States, may I humbly offer the following quote from a great leader.

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
Sir Winston Churchill

Published in: on July 26, 2009 at 1:16 pm  Leave a Comment  
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