Merida, Salamanca, Avila, etc.

As my time in Spain quickly comes to a close, I figure I´d do a wrap-up of several of the places that we visited that I never had time to write about.
Merida was the capital of one of the Roman provinces when "Spain" was a major part of the Roman Empire. In fact, four Roman Emperors were born in what is now Spain, and Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus both were major players in the Punic Wars fought on the peninsula. Today, you can see the remains of several buildings from Roman times that are being excavated and semi-restored. One is a colossium that hosted gladiator battles as well as mock naval battles. Another was a theatre. There are also the remains of a Roman home with its accompanying gardens. As a history teacher who studied the History of Rome, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ronda is the site of a massive bridge that connects the plateaus of both sides of a deep river valley. Historically, it was the place where the "rules" of bull-fighting were first written down and codified. It was also the site of one of the most atrocious scenes of Spain´s Civil War in the 1930s where several hundred people were hurled off the cliffs to their death.
Malaga, located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, perhaps the most famous artist of the 20th century. There is a museum now at the site of his boyhood home. It is also famous for its fried sea food.

Alcala de Henares is the hometown of Miguel de Cervantes - the author of Don Quijote. His boyhood home is now a museum, decorated as it was when Cervantes was a boy. One room has a fabulous collection of old editions of the world's first novel in various languages. This town is also home to the old University of San Ildefonso. Although the college was later moved to Madrid, the building remains. It was made famous by its founder, the famous Cardinal Cisneros, who is buried in a sepulcre under its chapel. Today it is the home of the University of Alcala de Henares which awards the annual Cervantes literary award to Hispanic authors of merit from both Spain and Latin America.
Astorga is a small town that has some Roman ruins including a massive wall that surrounds most of the inner city area. The Palacio Episcopal was originally built to be the home of the Archbishop. The architect, the famous Antonio Gaudi, made the mansion so gaudy, however, that the Archbishop decided that he couldn´t live there. It now houses the Museum of the Paths and exhibits art and relics with Catholic overtones as well as items associated with the Camino of Santiago. We also made a visit to the Museum of Chocolate with samples of chocolate from different eras as well as different countries.

Leon, is home to one of the most beautiful cathedrals along the Camino de Santiago. Its stain glass windows are among the most famous in the world. The Basilica de San Isidoro is a museum dedicated to the history of Leon during the Middle Ages. At that time, Leon was the capital of the most powerful city state in Spain. Its king bore the title of Imperator Hispaniarum and are buried in a vault under the basilica.
Salamanca is the home to one of the most famous universities in Spain. On the outer facade, a small frog is carved on the crown of a skull. Whoever can find it without help will, according to legend, be extremely successful in academics. (I found it first ;) It also has a famous double cathedral (old and new). The old one has been converted into a museum, and the ¨new¨one (built in the 1500s) is currently in use. It also has a hidden astronaut carved onto the outer facade - once again I spotted it first. The cool thing about this cathedral is that we were able to climb the tower and even walk along the balcony inside the cathedral and along the spires on the roof.
Avila has the best preserved walls of any city in Europe. The massive walls completely surround the Old Town. Although they have been destroyed at times during the religious wars between the Catholics and Moors, they were rebuilt and are as strong as ever. We were able to walk around the perimeter of about one third of the wall, climbing up the turrets for spectacular views of the city.
Cuenca is the site of the famous hanging houses. Built on a plateau overlooking two river valleys on either side, the town goes right to the very edge of the cliffs. A couple of houses even ¨hang¨over the edge. If we lived there, Mom would have had a heart attack before my first birthday.
Well, that´s all! See you stateside!

Four Castles

During the reign of the Bourbons, the monarchs built several palaces using French style architecture and gardens in Versailles as inspiration. The winter home was El Palacio Real in Madrid. It is a massive palace that was used by the monarchs into the 20th century. Each room was decorated in a distinctive pattern using various color schemes and decorative designs to made each room unique. Some rooms had hand woven tapestries depicting famous scenes from history or mythology. Others boasted paintings from famous artists showing portraits of the monarchs or additional famous events. Other rooms used decorative tiles or vases from other parts of the world (the orient or Middle East). Some rooms were painted in the style of the Cistene Chapel. Others held statues of famous people from history or mythology. The amazing thing was how almost every inch of the walls and ceilings were painted down to the smallest detail to match the style that was being used. All the furniture, paintings, etc. were originals. Naturally they were roped off and guards were in every room.
The spring home was the Royal Palace at Aranjuez. Although this palace was smaller than the one in Madrid, the rooms were painted with just as much detail. Some were even more impressive than the ones in Madrid. There were gardens and statues outside the palace including a massive park which is the largest fenced park in Europe. We took a small train tour through the park and city, but I think it would have been more enjoyable to walk around them at my own pace.
The summer home was La Granja located at the base of the mountains outside Segovia. Although the rooms weren´t as gaudy as the other two palaces, their elegance was impressive. The collection of tapestries there were the best I´ve ever seen and included a masterpiece depicting Rafael´s famous painting of the Last supper. The weavers used golden threads in sections to make the faces of Christ and the apostles gleam and shine in the light. The most impressive part of this palace were the gardens - acres and acres of fountains, statues, flower beds, ornately trimmed hedges, trees, and footpaths. I could have spent all day exploring the palace and ground without getting bored. Four days each year, they have all 100plus fountains going at the same time. The main fountain uses a natural system using captured rain water that runs throughout the summer on its own power.
The autumn palace is called the Escorial. Although the rooms weren´t as ornately decorated in this palace, it is possibly the most famous because almost every king, queen, prince and princess of Spain since the 1500s are buried in the massive sepulchre in the subterranean levels of this palace. Although I could never live in such gaudy homes, it was pretty impressive to see the exquisite collections of paintings, tapestries, paintings, and other authentic furnishes from an age when artisans took pride in hand decorated beauty instead of austere functional designs that are prominent today.
Until next time, saludos from Spain.

Segovia, Spain

Segovia was my favorite city on the trip. Granted, I came knowing a bit of history about the city already, because it is one of the cultural focuses in my textbook; but I would have been impressed anyway. The first thing you notice about the city is the enormous aquaduct that was used to bring water from the Riofrío to the city for almost 2000 years. It is the best example of Roman architexture in Spain, and the best preserved. It was built using huge stone blocks to build massive arches to support the aquaduct. At its highest point (28 meters) the aquaduct used two layers of arches. The aquaduct is 728 meters long and has survived the test of time as well as an attempt by an Arab conqueror to tear it down. (His men finally gave up and the section was restored by Fernando & Isabel).

Another impressive monument is the Alcazar. It is a castle/fort located on a bluff overlooking the confluence of two rivers making it virtually impregnable to attack. The fort is built in the shape of a ship, and its distinctive towers were the inspiration for one of Walt Disney´s castles. The castle is famous because it was the site of Queen Isabel´s coronation. It also held an astronomy center in one of its towers. AFter the monarchs moved out, it was used as an academy by the Spanish army. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed almost everything inside the castle in the 1862. A massive restoration effort was employed to restore it to how it looked during its heyday. The most impressive room is the Room of the Kings. It has life size replicas of each of the kings and queens of Spain (seated in thrones) from Pelaya down to Juana "la Loca" (daughter Fernando and Isabel). Under each monarch is a written summary of his/her greatest accomplishments. Other rooms hold replicas of the armor and weapons of the day, the throne room, a royal bedchamber, dining room, etc. Climbing to the top of the largest tower offers you a fabulous view of the city and the neighboring countryside.
Although the cathedral looked impressive from the outside, we decided to bypass a tour since we´ve seen at least a dozen cathedrals already this trip. Instead we went on a trip to the royal summer palace known as "la Granja." That was impressive too, but I´ll have to tell you about that in the next post.

Santiago de Compostela

On July 15, we visited Santiago de Compostela. The city is home to the most famous cathedral in Spain. It is also the third most popular pilgrimage in the Christian world after Rome and Jerusalem. Every year, thousands of pilgrims (ranging from religious zealots to agnostic adventurers) travel along the approximately 800 kilometer Camino de Santiago to visit the cathedral which is home to the tomb of the Apostle James (Santiago). Although there are numerous variations of the route, the most popular starts in France, crosses the Pyrenees Mountains, and follows the northern coast of Spain to the city of Santiago. According to legend, this was the path followed by James in his missionary journeys after the Savior´s death. After his own death, James´disciples supposedly transported his body back to Spain and buried it in a secret sepulcre at the site where the cathedral now stands. Below the cathedral, a golden coffin holds the purported remains of the apostle.

Shortly after the tomb´s discovery, during the Reconquista, an army of Christian soldiers was waging an important battle against the Moors. Things were looking bad for the Christians until, according to many eyewitnesses, a knight appeared on a white horse carrying a white standard with a red cross. The knight led a charge against the Moors, reviving the flagging spirits of the Christian soldiers and leading them to victory. After the knight disappeared, the leaders of the Christian army determined that the knight was the Apostle James himself. Ever since then, James has been the patron saint of Spain and has carried the nickname ¨Matamoros" - the Moor slayer. He became the symbol of the Reconquista and the Pope himself ordained the site of the tomb as a sacred spot - thus its fame.
Well, I hope you´re enjoying the history lessons. I find them extra fascinating because they apply to both Spanish and History. Until next time... Hasta luego.
Brad

Baiona, Spain & Portugal

Today we toured a fort built on a small peninsula in northwest Spain just north of Portugal. It is part of Galicia which speaks both Spanish (Castellano from Castilla) and Gallego (a local dialect which is kind of a mix between Castellano and Portuguese). The fort was pretty cool with a big stone wall, several turrets, a large guard tower and cannons. Then we went on a small tour of a full scale replica of the Pinta. It was the smallest and fastest of Columbus´s ships and arrived in port at Baiona to announce the "discovery" of the Americas. Up until then, the coast of Galicia had been known as Fines Tierra (the end of the Earth) and the pillars of Hercules had been included in the flag of Spain to designate that belief. After Columbus´s return, they added the Latin phrase "Plus Ultra" which means "plus more" - or in other words, Spain´s empire now extended into the great beyond. After that we drove down to Monte Santa Tecla in which a settlement had been built on a large hill on the shores of the inlet that divides Spain and Portugal. There were the remains of a settlement that dates from 11 BC and an old church on top of the hill. From there we drove down into Portugal for a late lunch and saw a Portuguese fort which was fascinating, but small than the Spanish one. After that we returned to Spain. Overall, it was a spectacular day.

Asturias, Spain

Asturias is a province, not a city; but according to Asturians, Asturias is Spain - everything else is just reconquered country. More on that in a minute. First off, Asturias is green, a lot like western Oregon with a very similar climate. It is on the northern shore of Spain and is beautiful. In 711 AD, the Muslims invaded the Iberian peninsula. By 722, they had made it all the way up to Asturias with little resistance. They awed their opponents with their advanced civilization. By the time they reached Asturias, only a small band of Christian freedom fighters stood in their way of domination of the entire peninsula. This band was led by the famous king Pelaya, who today bears the title of 1st King of Spain. He was actually only king of Asturias, but his heroics at the Holy Cave of Covadonga assured his place in the hearts of Spaniards. With their backs against the wall (literally the wall of the cave in which they´d barricaded themselves), Pelaya claims to have been visited by the Virgen de las Batallas. She encouraged him to lead his men to victory against the enemies of the Faith. There, at Covadonga, the Christians had their first victory against the Moors. The Moors retreated claiming that the climate was too cold in Asturias anyway, and that the band of Christian warriors was too small to worry about anyway. This victory is viewed as the beginning of the Reconquest, which lasted almost 800 years and ended with Fernando and Isabel´s conquest of Granada in 1492, which finally brought the peninsula (minus Portugal) under the control of the Castilla-Leon and Aragon in what is today known as the country of Spain.
Today, we visited the cave at Covadonga. There is a small chapel inside with an altar to the Virgen de las Batallas and the tomb of Pelaya. (I´ve seen 3 different statues of him today in 3 different cities in Asturias). Our hotel is right on the beach with a beautiful view of the Cantaberian Sea. Naturally, tomorrow is Sunday. Until next time.

Toledo, Spain

Today we went to Toledo, the old capital of Spain. It was the capital of the Visigoths until it was captured by the Moors. Then, when the Christians reconquered it during the Reconquista, it was made the capital again. During the reign of Felipe II, however, he decided to move the capital to Madrid, which had hitherto been a small town of no importance - and only a couple thousand inhabitants. Evidently, the monarch chose Madrid because of its central location in the peninsula, but even more important, he wanted to mold the city to fit his own desires. Thus the city of Madrid was built to be the capital of the Spanish empire.
Toledo, on the other hand, lost much of the prestige that might have come its way. Nevertheless, Toledo has retained its fame for metal work - particularly with steel. Swords from Toledo are famous around the world. Also, the city boasts the principal cathedral in all of Spain. We´ve seen several impressive cathedrals already, but I think I liked this one the most. It was built in the classical gothic style with a large vaulted roof and many stained glass windows. Its ¨coro¨or choir loft is especially impressive with intricately carved wooded reliefs above each chair featuring portraits of Jesus´ancestery on the top level, biblical prophets on the second level, and scenes from the Reconquista on the bottom level. The podium features a large eagle which represents the gospel of St. John. (The international symbols for the other Gospels are an angel for Mathew, a lion for Mark, and a bull for Luke). The main chapel features Christian scenes from the Bible crafted in pure gold with the Nativity in the middle and the Atonement at the top. On the back side of the main chapel is a stone sculpture of the Last Supper and several other Christian symbols. The ceiling above is painted Renaissance style with pastel colors leading to an alcove in the cieling gaurded by carved figures of several prophets who stand watch over the portal into the alcove with Christ and a large window that through which shines beams of light from the sun (representing heaven).
Other things to be seen in Toledo are the Alcazar (a fort which is going through the final stages of reconstruction) that looms over the city (which was built in the bend of the Tajo River providing natural protection from invaders on two sides), the childhood home and museum of El Greco (which was closed), a famous chapel with a famous mural painted by El Greco (a famous Spanish-Greek painter) covering the far wall, and a famous Jewish sinogogue. In the sinogogue are copies of the keys that were handed over to the Catholic king by the leaders of the Muslims and the Jews when they retook Sevilla. The Jewish key´s teeth say in Spanish ¨God will open the gate¨and on the ring it says ¨The King of kings will enter.¨ I thought it was kind of interesting.´
That´s all for now. Brad

Madrid, Spain

We´ve seen many wonderful sites here in the capital. Our first full day here, we went on a bus tour of the city. The next day, we left on a tour of southern Spain; but since we´ve gotten back, we´ve seen some amazing sites. The Royal Palace is a majestic building with several wings. Each room was designed with a different theme in mind. Some have statues of famous kings or personages from mythology. Others have tapestries and intricate rugs with scenes of famous events - most with a religious or mythological theme. All of them have painted ceilings - some Renasaince style similar to the Cistene Chapel, others with geometric designs in color coded patterns. Each room had it´s own purpose, and the king and queen had several rooms each to take care of various functions (sleeping room, dressing room, personal dining room, etc.) The palace also had wings for the Royal pharmacy, the Royal armoury, the Royal theatre, etc. The palace is no longer used as the personal residence of the king and queen, but is being preserved as a national monument.
The Cathedral of Madrid is a massive church on par with the cathedrals in Sevilla and Granada. It´s main claim to fame however is that it is still used by the monarchy to perform royal weddings. It is located right next to the palace.
The Prado is the most famous museum in Spain. It has four floors with paintings, statues, and sculptures of famous artists from around Europe. Although most are Spanish (Goya, Velazquez, El Greco, and Murillo among others), there are many sculptures and paintings from other famous artist from Italy and France. The most famous name I recognized was Rafael. The main themes were once again Christian themes (particularly Christ´s death and birth) and mythology. Naturally, there were many works of art that portrayed the human body in its natural form.
The Retiro is the most famous park in Spain. It has acres and acres of footpaths, trees, and lakes. On a typical weekend, thousands of visitors will flock to the park to jog, row boats on one of the lakes, look at the statues, fountains, and "palaces", feed the fish and ducks, or walk around and enjoy the various entertainments. Others make their money by selling food or nick-nacks to the passersby, performing small skits, puppet shows, songs on musical instruments, juggling, magic shows, or posing as statues in exotic outfits. I probably saw only 20% of the park in the hour and a half we were there.
If you go for a walk downtown, you will see marvelous buildings built with arches, columns, and spires in various architectual styles from classical to gothic to modern. There are dozens of plazas with statues and fountains and monuments at almost every major intersection. It would take a full size picture book to do justice to the many sites to be seen - I know because I bought one. We could spend another month here going through the various museums and parks; but instead we´ll probably visit some of the smaller towns on the outskirts to get to know another part of Spain that isn´t as evident in the cities. We did see the temple from the outside (it´s beautiful) and plan on doing a session later. I´m looking forward to it. You may have noticed that I´ve posted three long posts today. That´s because the museums are closed on Mondays. I´m planning on going back to El Retiro after this - now that it´s starting to cool down. See you later, Brad.

Homes in Spain (Madrid)

Madrid is the capital, and most populated city, in Spain. We will be spending about a third of our time here either in Madrid or the surrounding towns. Like most cities, there are no residential houses in Madrid - at least that I´ve seen. Everyone lives in pisos - apartment style homes. For this middle week of our trip, we are staying with residential families. The home I´m staying in is probably an average sized piso. It is on the fourth floor and has three small bedrooms (mine is the smallest - about 7´by 12´), a small living room, a small dining room, a small bathroom, and a small kitchen. There is also a small porch outside one of the bedrooms (about 2 ft. by 4 ft.) and a small enclosed area between two pisos with cords to hang laundry. The bottom floor of most apartment buildings is reserved for small businesses. The entryway for our apartment building is between a bank and a store. The mailboxes are located in the entryway, and there is a small elevator and set of stairs leading up. Most apartment buildings are probably between 5 and 10 floors high.
Hardly anyone has a garage - even though most families in Spain now own a small car. They are an impractical form of transportation in major cities, such as Madrid, so most people continue to use public transportation (bus, taxi, or subway) or walk to work because it is extremely hard to find places to park. Most curbs are packed with automobiles, so you need a tiny car to fit into any nook that remains. Any parking lots are underground - and there aren´t many of these either. That is why many people double park with their emergency lights flashing if they´re not going to be gone long. It isn´t legal, but the police usually turn a blind eye because they understand the problem.
Also, the water heaters are small. When you take a shower, you are expected to turn off the water while you are lathering up your body or hair, and then turn it back on again to wash off. Otherwise, someone is going to be stuck with a cold shower. Spaniards are very conservation minded and always turn off lights when not in use and turn off the water while brushing their teeth, shaving or washing dishes. Since Americans are notorious water wasters, most hotels have signs posted in the bathroom reminding the guests of these useful measures. Since the pension I´m staying at usually has at least one student staying there, the dona has small stickers posted in the bathroom saying the same thing.
I hope you´ve gained a better appreciation of how things are in other parts of the world. Keep in mind that Spain is a European country with one of the highest standards of living in the world. Only in the US (and maybe Canada) will you find the type of living conditions we take for granted. Waste not, want not. Maybe we should take note.

Food, meals, etc.

One of the biggest differences Í´ve noticed since coming to Spain is food. First of all, mealtimes are different. In Spain, people typically eat breakfast at about 8:00 or 9:00. Lunch, the big meal of the day, is usually between 1:00 and 4:00. Dinner is typically between 8:00 and 12:00. For breakfast, most people eat bread and coffee - maybe a fruit on the side. Another popular breakfast is churros with chocolate - they dip the churros in a cup of very thick hot chocolate. Lunch is usually 3 courses. The first plate is a starter - a salad, soup, rice plate, etc. The second plate is usually the main dish. Then the third course is a dessert or coffee. During the lunch hours, most shops and stores are closed so that their employees can eat too - and maybe take a siesta. In southern Spain especially, where it is too hot to be out and about (think Phoenix or Tucson). Because most business take a break in the early afternoon, businesses close later, so people go out for dinner later too. Dinner can be a 3 course event too, but is typically smaller (two courses). Another popular variation is to go out for "tapas." Basically, a small group of friends will often go bar hopping. (These bars are more like English pubs, where you can order drinks, meals, or both.) Usually, someone will order a large plate of something divided into portions to share. The person who ordered it will pay for it; then someone else will pay at the next place. Or, if they go somewhere where everyone orders combination plates, they usually just get one bill and split the price among everyone - without worrying about how expensive each plate was. Also, most restaurants bring out a couple of bread rolls and a bowl of olives to eat while waiting for the first course. Taxes are usually included in the listed price (for everything, not just food) unless is says IVA (impuestos van aparte). Also, the servers salaries are already figured in as well. You aren´t expected to tip unless you felt the service was really good - but most people leave the change anyway. Another interesting novelty is the menu del dia. Most restaurants will have a posted menu of the day. They make it in bulk that day because most people will order it: 1) because it is usually cheaper; 2) because it is usually a house specialty; and 3) because it doesn´t take as long to be served. It is usually 2-3 courses and usually has a 3-4 options for each course. Smoking is permitted in most small restaurants, but large restaurants must offer a non-smoking area. Also, restaurants usually have certain hours. It is hard to find one open between 10:00 and 12:00 in the morning or 4:00 and 7:00 in the evening. And if you do find one, the available menu will be limited. Also, if you go late, they often run out of many items on the menu. Since meals are a major social event, most people tend to stay for 30-60 minutes after the meal to talk. Waiters do not rush their clients and won´t bring the bill until asked. This is why the veranda seats are extremely popular. Many restaurants charge slightly different prices for the same food depending on where you are sitting - the bar is the least expensive, then the tables inside, with the outside dining being the most expensive (up to 10%). Some popular Spanish dishes are paella (Spanish rice with many things mixed in - vegetables, sea food, meats - with many different varieties depending on the region), gazpacho (a cold tomatoe soup with other veggies mixed in), and Tortilla Española (an omelate type dish made with potatoes instead of eggs). They´re all delicious - even the gazpacho.
Like I said, it´s a different culture. Buen provecho!

Cordoba, Spain

Our last stop on our tour of southern Spain was Cordoba. The city was the most advanced city in all of Europe during most of the Middle Ages in such areas of medicine, art, architecture, etc. It was the capital of the Moors in Spain and the most important Arab city west of Damascus. During the reconquest, the Catholics took Cordoba and the Moors retreated to Granada where they held out for another 200 years through various pacts etc. During their stay in Cordoba, however, the Moors built a massive mosque famous for its candy cane horseshoe arches. The arches alternated red brick with cream colored rock to give them a candy cane look. Later additions used paint rather than bricks. When the Catholics took over, the king instructed his subjects to convert the mosque into a cathedral. The resulting mix of Arab and Christian architecture creates an odd combination. It is easy to see the Catholic additions - small enclaves around the outer wall have been converted into chapels, a central chapel built in the middle along with several adjoining additions, and ceilings painted with figures associated with Christianity. Many have lambasted the conquerors for destroying a unique, historical edifice that had no parallel in western Europe. On the other hand, the Moors had originally destroyed a Christian church that had existed earlier on the same site to build the mosque in the first place. Also, by converting the mosque into a cathedral rather than destroying it outright (as was done with all other mosques throughout Spain, some of it is preserved today in what is known as the Mesquita Catedral. In any case, it is truly an impressive site that portrays the stark differences between the architecture and art of two distinct cultures.
Other sites we saw in Cordoba were the remains of a Roman temple and a Roman bridge that has been restored and fortified and still in use today. Cordoba and Sevilla are typically the two hottest places in Spain. It was over 100 degrees F in both places. Now that we´re back in Madrid, it is back down to the high 80s.
After Cordoba, we made a stop in la Mancha en route to Madrid. La Mancha is famous as the home of Don Quijote. Before Arab occupation, it was forested; but the Arabs cut down much of the timber and the whole area is pretty open today. Few people live there, but there are acres and acres of olive trees, sunflowers, and various other crops. We were able to see several windmills such as those that inspired the most famous episode in Quijote´s adventures - when he attacked a windmill thinking that it was a giant with swinging arms. Once he crashed into it and was swept off the ground by one of its arms, he claimed that his rival (an evil magician) changed the giants into windmills. We were able to go up into one to see how they worked. Naturally, the old windmills are no longer used, since they are now being replaced by electrical counterparts. We also explored the ruins of an abandoned castle that was once used the the Knights Templars as well as several other groups during its history.
Until next time,
Brad

Granada, Spain

I´m a little behind because I didn´t have much internet access on our trip through southern Spain. Now that I´m back in Madrid, I should have a little more time. We were in Granada on June 30 - July 2. While there, we got to see the famous cathedral that was built by los Reyes Catolicos Fernando y Isabel (Ferdinand and Isabella). They are credited with completing the Reconquest of Spain by driving the Jews and Muslims out in 1492 and thereby creating the nation of Spain by uniting the various provinces under the Catholic church. There was no separation of church and state at that time; thus, one of their first acts was to tear down the local mosque and build the cathedral. There is a central chapel located on a raised platform with a backdrop, and there are open chapels surrounding the main room, but the only area that can be closed off from the rest of the cathedral is the vestibulario which was used by the catholic priests to change into their robes. There is a sign over the door (in Latin) which advises the priests to remember that they are removing their street clothing and putting on the robes of Christ. The cathedral doors, walls, and chapels are adorned with Renaissance style paintings and carvings representing the various saints and heavenly figures related to various historical episodes of Christian history. Next to the cathedral is the Royal Chapel. Inside is the sepulchre of Fernando and Isabel. Evidently, they chose Granada as their final resting place because they felt that the reconquest of the city and thus uniting the various provinces under one kingdom was their greatest legacy. Inside the chapel is a small museum that houses the sword of Fernando and the crown and scepter of Isabel.
The other great building we saw was La Alhambra. It is a series of palaces, gardens, and fortifications on top of a large hill in the center of the city. The fort, a mosque, the gardens, fountains, and palaces were built by the Arab Muslims that ruled Southern Spain for about 800 years. Since Islam prohibits the adoration of inanimate objects, they didn´t use any representations of living beings in their artwork. Instead, they used intricate geometric patterns to decorate their buildings. The arches, columns, ceilings, fountains, and gardens are awesome works of art. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died halfway through and my extras wouldn´t work, so I´ll have to get some copies from the other teachers. After the reconquest, Carlos V, grandson of the Catholic kings, built himself his own palace with an amphitheatre in the middle on the site where the mosque had stood.
Granada was amazing! I bought a book if anyone is interested in looking through it later. I´ve got to go. Hasta luego!

The Eurocup

When we arrived in Spain, the European Cup was already underway. Last Thursday, Spain beat Russia to advance to the Finals against Germany. The streets were full of people celebrating and honking horns, etc. But that was nothing. Sunday evening was the final game. We stayed in Malaga Sunday and went to a local ward - the mission president happened to be there - at 10:30. In the late afternoon, we drove down to a small town on the coast where the mom of one of the BYU professors grew up. We got to see what a small Spanish town was like while she took pictures of the neighborhood, etc. The streets were empty because everyone was in the bars or restaurants watching the game on the big screens. (Usually the streets are full of people all evening until about 1 am.) We drove back to Malaga and arrived right about the time the game ended. Spain won 1-0 and people started pouring into the streets chanting "Ole, ole, ole!" or ¨"España!" Then cars and mopeds full of teenagers started cruising the streets, hanging out of the windows, waving Spanish flags, shouting, singing, etc. Some girls had the flag wrapped around them superhero style while they clung onto their boyfriends´ backs as they cruised around on mopeds. Groups of kids stood out in the plaza with their parents waving flags, singing, chanting, jumping up and down. It was pure pandemonium. I took way too many pictures of the cars that drove by because I wasn´t sure which ones would turn out. I´ll have to figure out how to attach pictures later because I´m not sure how to do it and I only have two minutes left on my internet usage. Anyways, it was the first time Spain won the Euro Cup in 44 years. Needless to say, they were excited. The noise lasted until after one in the morning when I finally fell asleep. Things are going great here. I´ll post more about my adventures the next time I´m able to get ahold of a computer. Hasta luego!

Sevilla Espana

So far we've visited Madrid, Talavera, Merida, and Sevilla. Sevilla has been my favorite so far. We saw the Plaza of Spain which was built during the Franco era as a show of strength and prosperity. The plaza is so beautiful, that George Lucas used it as the backdrop for the government offices of Naboo in Episode 2. We also saw the Cathedral of Sevilla which is a marvelous work of art and houses many beautiful artifacts including many made of pure gold brought back from the Americas. It is also one of the three churches that claims to house the remains of Christopher Columbus. We saw his tomb and climbed the Tower of La Giralda which offers a fabulous view of the city. It is also the only tower of its size in the world that can be climbed on horseback. Also, on the banks of the Gualdalquiver River is the famous Golden Tower. It isn't made of gold, but was built on the banks of the river to house all the gold shipped in from the Americas until it could be packed off to Madrid. It's hot down here in southern Spain (much like Phoenix in the summer) but also beautiful.

Driving in Spain

I´ve been in Spain for 3 days now and learned so much about the culture. I´ve decided to post a few things about transportation. In the big cities, almost everybody lives in "pisos" which are apartment buildings (I only saw one house in the whole city, and it belonged to the diplomat from France) and have close access to public transportation. You don´t really need a car unless you´re traveling to another city. Nevertheless, many Spaniards have cars as a status symbol. However, because everyone lives in apartment buildings, it´s almost impossible to find a place to park because cars are packed along every street. Therefore, most cars are tiny and Spaniards are experts at parking a six foot long car in a seven foot space. Most Spaniards are very aggressive drivers which is a stark contrast to their typically casual attitude to tardiness. There is a joke that a nanosecond is the amount of time it takes from the time the light turns green until the time someone starts honking for you to go. Also most intersections use roundabouts instead of stoplights. That way, no one has to stop, rather they yeild. Another interesting thing I noticed is that often, at a crosswalk, the light won´t stay red the whole time that the "crosswalk man" is green. It will often start blinking yellow so that cars can start going again if the crosswalk is clear, and then turns to green when the "crosswalk man" turns red. Most roads are smaller too. Because the cities were built before cars, many streets are very narrow (8 to 20 feet wide). Therefore most secondary streets are one way. Many are cobblestone, making use of the old Roman roads that were built. Also, 99% of the cars are stick shift. I tried it, but I finally had to switch to an automatic. It was just too stressful trying to restart your car with ten drivers behind you honking for you to keep going. Especially since the traffic lights turn a lot faster than in the States. While we were in Madrid, we took advantage of the subway and bus systems instead of driving around. They were inexpensive and covered the whole city. I wish the US would improve its public transportation routes so that it would be more practical to travel that way. It would be a practical way to cut down on smog, and with the price of gas, more people might take advantage of it. Right now we are taking a week long tour of southern Spain. In any case, I´m enjoying the sights and customs of Spain and will post more later on some of the things we´re seeing. Until next time!

Spain

I arrived in Spain Tuesday morning at 9am after an all night flight. I only slept about an hour on the plane and we lost 8 hours overall, so I had a severe case of jetlag. We did some shopping and walked around the central plaza of Madrid (Puerta del Sol) during the evening. Today, Wednesday, we took a bus tour of Madrid, and saw various important building including el Palacio Real and the famous park of Madrid - el Retiro. I´ve tried several famous Spanish dishes including Tortilla española (a type of quiche with potatoes) and gazpacho (a cold tomato soup). Life is different here. All the meals are a couple of hours later then the US, the keyboards have different symbols in different places, and everything is smaller - the streets, rooms, beds, cars, and food portions. I´m enjoying everything except the smoke. It seems like more than 90% of the people smoke - especially in the streets and restaurants. Well, that´s all for now. Saludos!

Brad