Toledo (Spain): The Alcazar Building

A few shots of the Alcazar building which stands at the highest point in Toledo.

While here, I sensed that this building must've had some interesting history down the line.

And after a quick Internet search, I've just discovered that during the Spanish Civil War, there was a famous Siege of the Alcazar where Colonel Jose Moscardo Ituarte held the building against overwhelming numbers of forces from the Republican regime.  Also just read that in revenge for the Colonel refusing to end his defence, the Republican regime forces murdered his 16-year-old son, Luis, who they had been holding hostage.

After the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the severely damaged Alcazar was rebuilt, and now houses a library and museum.

Was very curious about what the statue below signified, and I've just discovered that it's a monument dedicated to Colonel Moscardo Ituarte's defence of the Alcazar:

Nice shot of the Alcazar from a different angle below:

And the Marian religious imagery on part of its wall added to the grandeur of the place:
 

And of course, having just read about Colonel Moscardo Ituarte, I had to find a picture of him on the Internet:

Another Couple of Decent Polish Beers

Another couple of decent Polish beers here.

Over the last year or two, regional beers have been saturating some supermarkets in Warsaw, which is obviously great for people who like beer aesthetically.

Warsaw: Dark Skies and Glass Buildings

Sometimes, I'm able to see the dark skies blending in with the glass buildings in Warsaw:

And must admit that this blend can create a beautiful effect:

An Interesting-Looking Symbol

This Eastern-looking symbol from a vegetarian restaurant in Warsaw caught my eye.

Połczynskie: Fantastic Polish Beer

Without any exaggeration, the Połczynskie with the green label, a fresh tasting real ale/bitter, is one of the best beers I've tasted in my life, it's that good.

The black Połczynskie below had a kind of caramel-taste, which made it interesting and worth a bottle, but it was still not a patch on the beautiful brown beer above.

Toledo (Spain): City Walls

Coming towards the end of my pictures from a recent trip to Madrid, Toledo, and Avila, and here's a couple of shots from the Old City Walls in Toledo:

Bury (Lancashire): Richard and the Shire Horses

Wonderful couple of shots of Thwaites brewery shire horses that my old friend Richard sent round Facebook yesterday.

 As can be seen, Richard caught up with his friends the shire horses at the side of the Drill Hall in Bury town centre:

Easter Sunday

Again, the less the words, the more the meaning:

Holy Saturday: Blessing the Food Baskets in Poland

This is the wonderful Polish Easter tradition of 'Swięconka', where people take their wooden baskets of food to church to be blessed by Catholic priests.  The shot above is taken from a small town in eastern Poland.

The picture below, taken from the Internet, is of the 'Swięconka' ceremony:

Long may such wonderful traditions continue to exist.

Toledo (Spain): Bisagra Gate

Some shots of the Puerta Nueva de Bisagra Gate.  Just read on the Internet that the Gate bears the coat of arms of the Emperor Charles V (1500-1558).

Also just read that despite being Moorish in origin, most of the structure was built in 1559.

In the courtyard, the place was definitely worth a few shots, and seemed to have a kind of Romantic atmosphere:

While coming into Toledo on the bus from the train station, we noticed that the Gate was going to be well worth a look later on in the morning:

Holy Saturday

Again, a picture can convey more meaning than words.

Good Friday

Sometimes, pictures speak much louder than words.

Toledo Train Station: My Parting Shot

My parting shot of the wonderful Toledo train station.

Toledo (Spain): Church of Santiago del Arrabal

Towards the end of our brief visit to Toledo, we saw this incredibly beautiful church. 

Just discovered from a quick Internet search that it is the Church of Santiago del Arrabal ('St. James of the Outskirts') which dates back to the 1240s:

Of course, this church is distinct for its Moorish (Mudejar) style:

Really glad we got a quick look at this incredible church before leaving Toledo:

After an Ozric Tentacles Gig

Love this shot just after the Ozric Tentacles gig at Warsaw Klub Progresja last year.

For me, the shot shows some young people sharing the excitement they feel after being aesthetically mesmerised and uplifted by a wonderful concert.

Tom's Tadeusz Rydzyk Portrait

Love this portrait of Polish (sometimes viewed as maverick) priest, Tadeusz Rydzyk, drawn by my friend Tom.

While some (mainly young) Poles seem to dismiss Father Rydzyk as a 'businessman', others point to him giving older people the will and determination to live and believe in something.

Madrid: The Archway in the Distance

Zoomed in on this archway from a distance, as it looked interesting.  Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to see what lay beyond it:

Avila (Spain): Saint Teresa of Avila Statue

The St. Teresa of Avila statue at the City Walls in Avila.

And another statue next to it:

Toledo (Spain): A Few Pleasant Views

Here we are walking down from Toledo city centre with pleasant views all around us:

Would love to visit Toledo again, but to get more than a quick glimpse next time.