Granada. Today was mostly a rest day. The temperatures are above 100 degrees from around 1-6 PM. We slept in and had an English breakfast just up the hill from our hotel. I must say that I love the influx of British tourists in the south of Spain. We get to benefit from aspects of British culture (large breakfasts, English language signage, and early dinners). 'British' doesn't equate 'American', so it helps to have visited England to have some perspective. For example, a British breakfast may include French fries and a pot of baked beans in addition to the fried eggs and bacon.
We took another siesta and worked to organize ourselves for some siteseeing in the evening when it is cooler outside. When we finally set out, we took a walking tour of the town found in our guide book. Our first stop was the Capilla Real de Granada (royal chapel of the Granada Cathedral). It is the place where Ferdinand and Isabella are entombed. We saw the sarchophogi for them as well as Phillip the Fair and Juana (the mad), their successors. A fifth, small coffin, belongs to Prince Michael. Prince Michael would have grown to have ruled a united Iberian Peninsula as he was heir to the Portuguese and Spanish crowns. Unfortunately, he died just before his second birthday.
Phillip I and Juana were succeeded by who we know as Charles V (a.k.a. Carlos I of Spain). Charles V ruled an empire over which the sun never set, as they say. Charles V was followed by Phillip II (Invincible Armada guy). Charles V and Phillip II are entombed just outside of Madrid in El Escorial.
The Capilla Real is where a lot of things came together for me.
We find Ferdinand and Isabella here in Granada because this was the site of the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. In 1492, the Moors were pushed out and into Africa. Granada and Spain became Christian. In 1492, the Jews were also expelled. For Ferdinand and Isabella, a Catholic Spain was their great legacy and so they naturally wanted their final resting place to be here in Granada.
It was cool for me to see this site because of the connection to the Americas. The chapel also has a museum with such artifacts as Isabella's crown and scepter, the box that was once filled with jewels and given to Columbus to pay the cost of his journey, the cross Cardinal Mendoza brought into Alhambra after the defeat of the Moors, and a small collection of art that Isabella collected. Only 30 items remain of the 200+ that she left because it was taken when Napoleon's troops arrived in Granada.
We see remnants of Napoleon everywhere that we have visited in Europe. Here at the Capilla Real in Granada, I finally began to see Napoleon as that 'bad guy' of history. For much of my life, I viewed Napoleon as a kind of liberator of the common Frenchman from the oppression of monarchy and the chaos of revolution. This harkens back to my American history lessons in which George Washington is a 'good guy' and King George III is a 'bad guy'. But everywhere we go, we see where Napoleon's troops have stolen the art treasures of each place they marched.
In Spain, we have seen thriving regional cultures that were just as vibrant in Napoleon's time. The people of these regions have proud traditions and languages. To be ruled from afar by a foreign nation is completely unacceptable. What I see of Napoleon in Granada is the theft of the history of a place. The theft of Isabella's art erases a bit of the past. In the remaining collection, which consists of highly religious themed works by Botticelli, Memling, Perugino, as well as works by Spanish painters, we see the effects of a pious collector. The paintings show the suffering of Christ and John the Baptist, the devotion of Mary, and the betrayal of Judas with the skill of Renaissance and Baroque painting. I must suppose that a person who would have collected these works would have viewed them regularly in the course of daily life and must have enjoyed them. This leads me to believe that Isabella's pioty and zeal were honest.
When Phillip II moved the capitol of Spain to Madrid and built El Escorial, this piece of history was left in Granada. I compare it to inheriting Grandma's velvet Elvis (since I don't have a royal bloodline). 'Grandma' Isabella's things are out of fashion and for a person of substantial means, it is easy to replace the velvet Elvis with something more in keeping with one's own taste. So whether out of respect or disinterest, this monument of Ferdinand and Isabella's time remained preserved until Napoleon arrives on the scene. I have to wonder at the loss. To only see a small portion of her art collection makes me wonder what was taken. Perhaps those pieces were less serious and spiritual. For today, this perspective on history seems swept away by the hands of Napoleon. It leaves me curious to know where everything ended up. Many of the greatest art treasures are housed at the Louvre in Paris. Perhaps some of these items are there.
We left the chapel and strolled in the Bib-Rambla, a plaza with a fountain with Neptune, many restaurants with outdoor eating, and families enjoying the cool evening. Andy and I had pizza at one place and then enjoyed a brownie and ice cream at another cafe. There are so many British tourists here that the menus and eating times fit the British way with equal parts Spanish. We enjoyed being able to eat at 7PM vs. 9 PM as one benefit.
After dinner, we strolled through the old silk market and the area where the silk caravans once convened.
I am so glad that we were able to have this day's sites. The picture of Spain's history became clearer for me by understanding Isabella just a bit more. I also saw something more of modern Granada by seeing the mixture of tourists and local families on the Bib-Rambla tonight. The Plaza Nueva is more for the gypsies and hippies ('black feet').
Tomorrow we are off for Gibraltar and will stay the night in Tarifa. The following day, we will ferry across to Tangier, Morocco. Tomorrow, Andy will pick up our car at the train station. He will drive us because I can't drive a stick shift. It's a little more than 3 hours to Gibraltar. We definitely have another full day ahead of us.
We took another siesta and worked to organize ourselves for some siteseeing in the evening when it is cooler outside. When we finally set out, we took a walking tour of the town found in our guide book. Our first stop was the Capilla Real de Granada (royal chapel of the Granada Cathedral). It is the place where Ferdinand and Isabella are entombed. We saw the sarchophogi for them as well as Phillip the Fair and Juana (the mad), their successors. A fifth, small coffin, belongs to Prince Michael. Prince Michael would have grown to have ruled a united Iberian Peninsula as he was heir to the Portuguese and Spanish crowns. Unfortunately, he died just before his second birthday.
Phillip I and Juana were succeeded by who we know as Charles V (a.k.a. Carlos I of Spain). Charles V ruled an empire over which the sun never set, as they say. Charles V was followed by Phillip II (Invincible Armada guy). Charles V and Phillip II are entombed just outside of Madrid in El Escorial.
The Capilla Real is where a lot of things came together for me.
We find Ferdinand and Isabella here in Granada because this was the site of the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. In 1492, the Moors were pushed out and into Africa. Granada and Spain became Christian. In 1492, the Jews were also expelled. For Ferdinand and Isabella, a Catholic Spain was their great legacy and so they naturally wanted their final resting place to be here in Granada.
It was cool for me to see this site because of the connection to the Americas. The chapel also has a museum with such artifacts as Isabella's crown and scepter, the box that was once filled with jewels and given to Columbus to pay the cost of his journey, the cross Cardinal Mendoza brought into Alhambra after the defeat of the Moors, and a small collection of art that Isabella collected. Only 30 items remain of the 200+ that she left because it was taken when Napoleon's troops arrived in Granada.
We see remnants of Napoleon everywhere that we have visited in Europe. Here at the Capilla Real in Granada, I finally began to see Napoleon as that 'bad guy' of history. For much of my life, I viewed Napoleon as a kind of liberator of the common Frenchman from the oppression of monarchy and the chaos of revolution. This harkens back to my American history lessons in which George Washington is a 'good guy' and King George III is a 'bad guy'. But everywhere we go, we see where Napoleon's troops have stolen the art treasures of each place they marched.
In Spain, we have seen thriving regional cultures that were just as vibrant in Napoleon's time. The people of these regions have proud traditions and languages. To be ruled from afar by a foreign nation is completely unacceptable. What I see of Napoleon in Granada is the theft of the history of a place. The theft of Isabella's art erases a bit of the past. In the remaining collection, which consists of highly religious themed works by Botticelli, Memling, Perugino, as well as works by Spanish painters, we see the effects of a pious collector. The paintings show the suffering of Christ and John the Baptist, the devotion of Mary, and the betrayal of Judas with the skill of Renaissance and Baroque painting. I must suppose that a person who would have collected these works would have viewed them regularly in the course of daily life and must have enjoyed them. This leads me to believe that Isabella's pioty and zeal were honest.
When Phillip II moved the capitol of Spain to Madrid and built El Escorial, this piece of history was left in Granada. I compare it to inheriting Grandma's velvet Elvis (since I don't have a royal bloodline). 'Grandma' Isabella's things are out of fashion and for a person of substantial means, it is easy to replace the velvet Elvis with something more in keeping with one's own taste. So whether out of respect or disinterest, this monument of Ferdinand and Isabella's time remained preserved until Napoleon arrives on the scene. I have to wonder at the loss. To only see a small portion of her art collection makes me wonder what was taken. Perhaps those pieces were less serious and spiritual. For today, this perspective on history seems swept away by the hands of Napoleon. It leaves me curious to know where everything ended up. Many of the greatest art treasures are housed at the Louvre in Paris. Perhaps some of these items are there.
We left the chapel and strolled in the Bib-Rambla, a plaza with a fountain with Neptune, many restaurants with outdoor eating, and families enjoying the cool evening. Andy and I had pizza at one place and then enjoyed a brownie and ice cream at another cafe. There are so many British tourists here that the menus and eating times fit the British way with equal parts Spanish. We enjoyed being able to eat at 7PM vs. 9 PM as one benefit.
After dinner, we strolled through the old silk market and the area where the silk caravans once convened.
I am so glad that we were able to have this day's sites. The picture of Spain's history became clearer for me by understanding Isabella just a bit more. I also saw something more of modern Granada by seeing the mixture of tourists and local families on the Bib-Rambla tonight. The Plaza Nueva is more for the gypsies and hippies ('black feet').
Tomorrow we are off for Gibraltar and will stay the night in Tarifa. The following day, we will ferry across to Tangier, Morocco. Tomorrow, Andy will pick up our car at the train station. He will drive us because I can't drive a stick shift. It's a little more than 3 hours to Gibraltar. We definitely have another full day ahead of us.
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