Faith

It's funny how a holiday can end up having a common thread running through it.

We discovered the Museo Sorolla in Madrid earlier in our break, not realising that impressionist artist Joaquin Sorolla had the strongest of links with Valencia, where we would spend most of our break.

We then went to Valencia by train from Madrid, arriving at the new Estacio de Joaquin Sorolla.

Then today we visited the Museu de Bellas Artes, where there were several Sorolla paintings on display.

They took a bit of finding, however - the impressionist section was hidden away at the top of the building after seemingly endless religious paintings and portraits of the aristocracy (plus, I hasten to add, magnificent works by Goya and Velazquez, among many others).

But it was worth the effort after a slightly frustrating day in which I was caught out again by the Spanish custom of closing museums and galleries on Mondays. The Bellas Artes was open only because a special schedule had been introduced for August and September.

The photo was taken on a stroll in the city centre and shows a crucifix above the doorway to a church.

Christianity is said to be on the wane even in a strongly Catholic country like Spain, but you would never have guessed it this week.

Pope Benedict visited Madrid for a world youth gathering and the capital was full of young people in 'JMJ 2011' T-shirts long after he had returned to the Vatican.

Even in far-away Valencia, enthusiastic youngsters sang and prayed in the streets and you couldn't help but be moved by their excitement.

But there are plenty of long-lasting examples of Spain's adherence to the Catholic faith. On the same road as our apartment there was a school run by the church, a convent, a massive monastery and a church.