Toledo/Valle de los Caidos

Welcome to Toledo, Spain.
I believe on the upper right that the building is El Escorial. Its a massive building and the history is amazing. The building was completed in 1584 and houses a monastery, royalty, museum and a school. Give yourself at least two days to check out El Esocrial, El Valle, and Toledo.
A gothic church in Toledo. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. The attention to detail though is amazing.
This was the view from our hotel, Hotel Beatriz Toledo. I really enjoyed this hotel, its away from everything. The staff is bilingual English/Spanish.
This is Valle de los Caidos or Valley of the Fallen, a monument memorial for those who fell during the Spain Civil War. The remains of 40,000 lie here and can be found in a registry. It was built between 1935-1955 by Spanish prisoners. 
This is a shot of the dome inside of the monument. What I hope you get to see is how the gold color really shines and is quite beautiful.
Another shot of the entrance, the sculpture is moving even if you are not a religious person.

An open plaza where we ate lunch for the day. Toledo was warm and sunny in July.

Another shot of Toledo as the sun sets. Its beautiful and old buildings are worth the trip.

Happy Travels,

Carolyn

Madrid, Spain

Madrid has some very beautiful gardens and art museums. Unfortunately, most of the museums do not allow flashes so I would recommend you bring a tripod for your camera. For those of you not non-photo types, a tripod will stabilize the camera long enough to get the shot. This allows enough light to come in without the shake of your hands.
A court yard near one of the churches we went into. Some churches allow photography, some allow photography with no flash, and some do not allow pictures at all. Be sure to look for signs, most are translated into English :)
The Royal Palace or el Palacio Real in Madrid. It is used but not owned by the king of Spain. As a visitor you can see 50 of the 2800 rooms. This is the entrance and where I believe you can buy tickets to get it.
Corridor, everything is beautiful and white.
One of the courtyards inside the the grounds.
One of the amazing views, ahh the life of royalty.
There is an armory museum attached to the outside of the palace. There is interesting armor and history of Spain's military. You should check it out while you're at the palace. There is another museum across from the Palacio but I didn't go in, if anyone checks it out write a comment!

These pictures don't sum up the great shopping, art museums, food, or nightlife that Madrid has to offer. Great places to shop include Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti, and El Corte Ingles. I figured no one wanted to see pictures of me dancing, but email me and I can give you names of night clubs or discotecas I thought were a lot of fun. My pictures are all over the place on my computer right now, I'll try to find some more to give you a better idea of Madrid. 

Happy travels,

Carolyn

Santander, Spain

The time I spent in Spain was during the summer. I was there for a study abroad program. This is the town the university was located in. Aside from school, during the week the only other thing we did was spend time at the beautiful beaches located below.

The picture above is la playa (the beach) Primera de El Sardinero. There are two Sardinero beaches, this is the larger one. This beach has a beautiful boardwalk, seen above, and is about 5 minutes away from a casino. 

Another view of Primera de El Sardinero. The weather was beautiful the whole month of July and water is warm for swimming. This is a topless beach, however most women are not topless.

This is, I believe, is la playa de Bikinis. 

Again, another shot of la playa de Bikinis. There are several beaches I visited including la parque de la Magdalena, which has the former summer palace of the royal family. Its more of a park than a beach, but it is still located off the water.

Leave any questions! More pictures to come!

Happy travels,

Carolyn

Why Use a Travel Consultant?

Many people today are using resources on-line to book their own vacations. This leaves many wondering what the benefits to using a travel agent are. I want you to know there are many reasons to use a travel consultant!

What percentages of travelers are using travel consultants? What type of traveling are they doing?

• 87% of all cruises
• 81% of all tours/packages
• 51% of all airline tickets
• 47% of all hotel stays
• 45% of all car rentals

(source Travel Industry Survey/ Travel Weekly)

The Benefits to Using a Travel Consultant:

• We can save you money! We use the latest technology and work hard to make sure you are getting the best deal possible. In addition we do the work for you, time is money. You'll pay the same amount, if not less, than using an on-line service. We can get you packets with information and recommend places based on personal experiences. We know when to travel for seasonal prices, what time of the year is the busiest, etc. 
  
• Who are you going to call when things take a trip for the worst? Often car rental places or hotels will not to anything do help you. You're one guest of hundreds. You can call us and we can talk to management for you! They are more likely to help someone who books trips, because they could lose business if they don't. If they don't listen to us, we can do whatever it takes to find you new accommodations, what on-line service is going to do that?
• We can research trips, things to do, where to shop, where to eat... we have the resources to find out what there is to do with the budget you have. We can make all of the arrangements for you. 

If you have any other questions about why using a travel consultant is beneficial, please email me :)

Happy travels,

Carolyn

My travel blog

I'm hoping to be able to use this blog as a place for potential clients to check out. Soon I will be posting pictures of places I've been with comments to give travelers an idea of places to go. I look forward to reading other ideas and comments on places! I included my email for anyone who is interested in getting in contact with me.

Happy travels,
Carolyn