May 24-26 Granada
The bus and train station is a ways out of the center so with the 3
of us, it made sense to hop in a taxi to get to our AirBnB apt. It was quite nice and the owner spent a
lot of time circling and marking up a map with recommendations and such. My phone issues made it hard to
connect as planned with a guy named Jed who has a blog I’ve been enjoying called
“Bucking the Trend.” He and his
family are from Wisconsin, and moved to Granada a year ago intending to stay a
year. They were recently featured
on house hunters international, though I have yet to see it. We eventually caught up and enjoyed a
beer on his rooftop patio, from which we had a great view of the Alhambra. He
told me they got their visas extended and are staying another year! I'm so jealous. Same story I hear over and over from
people who come…they love the quality of life, the rich culture, and the
friendly people.
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| Alhambra from Jed's balcony |
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| Cordoba Cathedral |
We started day 2 with a visit to the Cathedral where Isabela and Ferdinand are buried. Their Grandson, Charles V, b. 1500 (who was also the Holy Roman Emperor, and had the title of King CharlesI of Spain) had it built per their wishes. It was started around 1519, and opened in 1561, but took 181 years to actually complete. Several towers in the design were never built, either because the foundation wouldn’t support them, or the money dried up. It evolved from a Gothic to a Renaissance/Baroque style.
Just a little Charles V trivia: He was actually born in Belgium in 1500,
was of Hapsburg heritage on his father’s side, and was mostly raised by his
aunt in Belgium. His dad “Phillip
the Handsome,” was also born in Belgium.
When Phillip died in 1506 it supposedly sent his wife Juana totally off
the deep end, though she had already begun showing the signs of mental illness
the year after Charles was born, 5 years earlier. From what I’ve read, Phillip
sounds to me like a real jerk. After
her husband’s death Juana was basically sequestered away in a distant town. Ironically, she lived a long life for
those times. Charles’ Grandma,
Queen Isabela died in 1504 and grandfather Ferdinand died in 1519. Charles supposedly didn’t even speak
Spanish when he succeeded the throne upon his grandfather Ferdinand’s death.
I thought Spain had became rich right after Columbus’ voyage, so was surprised to learn that the wealth of gold and silver from the Americas didn’t filter back to Spain until around 1550, toward the end of Charles’ reign. The Ptosi silver mine in present day Bolivia was a great source of wealth for Spain. Drew and I visited the mine in 2001 when we spent a month in Bolivia. It is still use today, using essentially the same dangerous archaic methods we were told. We were actually in the mine while it was being dynamited. I’ll never forget the arsenic dripping down the walls and seeing the underground effigies…blue eyed devils named Jorge (per our guide)… to whom the native miners would make offerings of coca leaf, and alcohol. It was interesting for me to relate these two experiences, past and present.
I thought Spain had became rich right after Columbus’ voyage, so was surprised to learn that the wealth of gold and silver from the Americas didn’t filter back to Spain until around 1550, toward the end of Charles’ reign. The Ptosi silver mine in present day Bolivia was a great source of wealth for Spain. Drew and I visited the mine in 2001 when we spent a month in Bolivia. It is still use today, using essentially the same dangerous archaic methods we were told. We were actually in the mine while it was being dynamited. I’ll never forget the arsenic dripping down the walls and seeing the underground effigies…blue eyed devils named Jorge (per our guide)… to whom the native miners would make offerings of coca leaf, and alcohol. It was interesting for me to relate these two experiences, past and present.
Our visit to the Alhambra, the 9th century, red fortress
built by the Moors on the hill overlooking Granada, with its elaborate palace,
built in the13th century was central to our visit to Granada of
course. Supposedly 6000
people a day visit the Alhambra. When
Drew and I went in 1999, it was mellow, we had a private guide, and it was no
big deal to just show up and get a ticket…oh how times have changed. We entered and wandered the extensive
gardens, blooming and teaming with people taking selfies. We had a good day. The artistry and detail of the
architecture, not to mention the quality of the restoration work are
phenomenal. The overall ambiance is more Disneyland-like than it used to be,
but it’s a wonder worth seeing. The
south of Spain really relies on tourism economically, unlike the industrially
strong north. The Alhambra must be
of huge economic importance to the area.
I tried to imagine what the last Moorish ruler would think, had he known his palace would be viewed and admired by thousands of people a day.
*note that the decorative plasterwork was originally colorfully painted. Some of the original lapis blue paint can still be seen in some of the photos
from all over the world.
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