I had to make a decision between a trip to Avila and one to El Escorial and El Valle de los Caidos. For the weekend of October 19-20, I chose El Escorial because it was closer and cheaper. You can read all about the trip here, but here are some of the photos. As with the Madrid photos, there are no thumbnails due to size stuff.

We caught a train from Madrid's Atocha Station to El Escorial. The train leaves you off about a mile from the town centre but you can catch a bus or walk from the train station. We opted for the bus because a) we didn't know where we were going and b) it was raining. This proved to be a good decision as on the bus we saw that the walk was all up hill to the town centre. The bus station is about a block from El Escorial, but as soon as you exit, you can start to see it because it does standout as it rises above the trees and other buildings. We paid about 6 Euros to take a tour of El Escorial, but I haven't posted most of the photos, again due to space. I really loved el Patio de los Reyes, and this shot of El Escorial through one of the archways. It was indeed raining most of the day but this was a benefit as far as I saw it as it was less crowded. These are two more photos of El Escorial, one with the gardens, and one without.

After meandering about El Escorial, we caught a bus to El Valle de los Caidos, not far from El Escorial. El Valle de los Caidos is known for its cross, which we couldn't see at first because it was so foggy. Luckily, we were able to see the cross later. First we went inside the Basilica which is located just under the main cross. The inside door of the Basilica is very cool, as is the ceiling. I am still amazed at how they are able to do such artwork on ceilings, and no, I've never seen the Sistine Chapel. In the main chapel of the Basillica is Franco's Grave, which is an amazing and --for some reason--powerful site. When I was in the gift shop someone shouted to hurry out, the cross was visible! I did and got some amazing shots. These are two of my favourites, one with the Basilica, and one of the cross by itself.

That's all for now. As I said before, I hope to update these more when I get back to NY.

-October 25, 2002