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VPG-DVD-188 - GALICIA Our journey through romantic northern Spain travels south through Galicia along the Atlantic coast. A Coruña is the region's largest industrial city and shipping harbour and it thought to have been founded by the Phoenicians in 60 A.D. The Romans conquered this harbour city that has always been associated with the sea and it was from A Coruña that the invincible Spanish Armada set sail in1588 to invade England. Santiago De Compostela is the capital of Galicia and since the Middle Ages it was, apart from Jerusalem and Rome, the most important pilgrimage destination in Christendom. Half a million pilgrims came here each year from all over Europe and Spain's most religious city continues to attract the faithful. Some centuries ago each of the large villages of the Rias Baixas prospered due to fishing, as did Pontevedra. However, all this changed when its harbour was engulfed by sand some three hundred years ago. In contrast to Spain's many other harbour cities, the old town of Pontevedra is almost the same now as it was in bygone times with cobbled streets, intimate squares and the residential palaces of the city's former elite. Across a huge chain bridge that spans the mouth of a deep river is Galicia`s largest city, Vigo. Its name is of Roman origin and it is believed that Vicus Spacorum was the starting-point of Caesar's campaign against Britannia, as well as a storage area for his Empire's oil, fish and wine. For many centuries A Guarda, 'the Female Guard', has watched over the river border with Portugal and in the wooded mountain city of Monte Santa Tecla the Celts established a settlement that contained more than a thousand buildings that dated back to the 6th and 3rd centuries B.C. and formed part of a prehistoric settlement. Throughout the centuries life in Galicia was not representative of that in the rest of Spain and both Romans and Moors considered it to be too remote for their interests. Maybe that's what makes it such a special place to be!
Vista Point GALICIA Spain
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 201 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m24s
Views: 25  | Comments: 0
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OTT-DVD-112 - On Tour...  ELÉCTRICOS DE LISBOA Tram Rides In Old LisbonELÉCTRICOS DE LISBOA In the capital of Portugal, Lisbon's hilly old town is wonderful to explore on its historic trams, the Eléctricos, a living museum that soon changed the travel routine of Lisbon's population. In August 1901 the Eléctricos were introduced and the first electric line was inaugurated. Little has changed since that time and the original rolling stock has been in use to the present day, the electric motors and magnetic brakes of the small twin-axel 'carros' providing amazing acceleration and excellent brakes. The Sé Patriarcal Cathedral dates back to the 12th century when it was constructed on the site of a mosque at the command of Portugal's first king, Alfonso Henriques. Within its inner courtyard there is a unique Roman iron balustrade and the remains of columns that contain ornate reliefs. Excavations in the courtyard reveal the remains of walls that date from Phoenician and Roman times. The Moorish knights' castle, the Castelo de Sáo Jorge, is located above the Baixa district. In 1300, the 110 metre high castle mound was transformed into a royal palace in which, up to 1511, the kings of Portugal resided. As the journey continues, most of the carriages groan and rattle through the alleys, shake and clatter on the bends, and inch by inch stagger up the hills in streets so narrow that the houses appear to touch each other. The Torre De Belem is regarded as Lisbon's emblem. Its battlements and lighthouse, built in Manuelistic style, were for many years the state prison. Today it contains the King's Hall and Governor's Room. Originally, the Torre was located in the centre of the deep Tejo but changes in the flow of the river brought it closer to the land. The prison was housed in the lower sections and as the water level rose, prisoners were forced to stand waist-deep in water. There's a lot to see in Lisbon and its atmospheric Eléctricos make the tour just that little bit more special!
On Tour... ELÉCTRICOS DE...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 201 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m35s
Views: 12  | Comments: 0
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7DY-DVD-113 - In the south of the country, the Algarve is the mainstay of Portuguese tourism with golden sandy beaches, bright red rocky coasts and a profusion of castles built by the Christian kings during the Moorish Wars.Faro is the capital of the Algarve and today its huge old city wall indicates its past importance.  Close to the Baroque cathedral, the attractive centre of the old town has been well preserved and indicates the town's historic and dazzling past.Lisbon is the heart of Portugal and is located on the massive Tejo Bay.  The Marques De Pombal rebuilt the city after it experienced the most devastating earthquake ever to hit a European town when only the plain, pointed arches of the Carmo Monastery's distinctive roof withstood the catastrophic earthquake.  Baixa is the name of the lower city from which a lift ascends to the heights of Bairro Alto from where there are amazing views across the rooftops of the old town of Alfama.  'Electricos' are Lisbon's quaint and unique trams which squeak and roar through the old town, travelling along the narrow streets and up and down the hills.The Torre De Belem once guarded the approaches to Lisbon's harbour.  Shimmering white like a fantastic mirage, the city's most famous landmark is located on the shores of the Tejo.  It was from here that ships crews were bid farewell as they set out on their long voyages of discovery.The town of Sintra is situated on a forest slope on the Sierra De Sintra.  Its mild climate and proximity to the capital city led the kings of  Portugal to build their summer palaces here and there is an abundance of grand residences and palaces each surrounded by beautiful gardens and tropical plants.  Located atop a tall rock is the Palacio Da Pena, a pseudo-fantasy castle which dates from the Middle Ages.The long bridge over the River Douro was built by Gustave Eiffel and is in the form of a huge arch constructed solely of iron and from which, on two levels, it connects the town of Porto with Vila Nova De Gaia.Portugal is a country of churches and cathedrals, massive fortresses, magnificent castles and prosperous towns.  The sunshine and glorious coastline are mere bonuses!
7 Days PORTUGAL
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 201 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m36s
Views: 33  | Comments: 0
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7DY-DVD-140 - We begin our journey in the Spanish province of Galicia.  The Romans conquered San Diago de Compostela, a harbour city that has always been associated with the sea and since the Middle Ages it was, apart from Jerusalem and Rome, the most important pilgrimage destination in Christendom.  Some centuries ago each of the large villages of the Rias Baixas prospered due to fishing as did Pontevedra whose old town has been well-preserved with cobbled streets, intimate squares and the residential palaces of the city`s former elite.  Vigo is reminiscent of Liverpool in the United Kingdom and is the largest city in Galicia.  In 1529 the city began to trade with South America and this brought with it a new wave of prosperity.  Then followed the Industrial Revolution which gave rise to a modern commercial city with a huge fishing industry.  Madrid is Europe's most geographically elevated metropolis, a royal capital of history, outstanding buildings and cultural treasures.  Madrid has a boulevard that has transformed it into a major metropolis, the Gran Via, which compares in both design and dimensions with the exquisite streets of Paris and New York.  Toledo is one of the oldest and proudest cities in Spain where during Roman times one of the greatest settlements was established, not surprising as it is located on a mighty rock foundation which served a useful purpose for its eventual defence.  Barcelona is one of the most lively harbour cities on the Mediterranean and, after Madrid, Spain's second largest city and the capital of Catalonia.  On the wide and shady boulevard of La Rambla that passes through the old town to the harbour, life goes on both day and night. The Costa Del Sol is the name of the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain.  In former times a variety of bumpy roads connected this region's sandy bays and remote fishing villages where once the Phoenicians and Romans settled long before the arrival of the Moors.  Malaga, Seville, Cordoba and finally Granada, the conclusion of our journey through a world of rocky coastlines and sandy beaches, magnificent cities and Moorish castles, an atmospheric land steeped in a wealth of history.
7 Days ESPAÑA Spain
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 201 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m34s
Views: 15  | Comments: 0
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