Trip Finale (Spain & Portugal)

So I have finally finished editing my photos from the last several days in Spain and put this blog post together.  Sorry it took me so long, but I have been a little lazy in getting all the information put together.  At any rate, here it is.

 In the last several days spent in Spain we were able to experience some of the best of this country.     Located atop a rocky hill with difficult access in Grenada, Spain; the Alhambra was originally constructed as a military complex and palace residence.  Although Muslim rulers of the 9th century began the construction of the complex there is no record of it being used as a royal residence until the 13th century.    The (Moorish) Muslim influence can be seen even today in the types of arches and ceilings as well as the magnificent tilework throughout the palace.  In 1492 the Catholic Monarchs conquered Grenada and the Alhambra became a Christian court.   

 

The Alhambra is probably most famous for its massive amounts of intricate tilework and plaster carvings that cover the walls, pillars and ceilings of the palace.  The carvings into the plaster have poems and scripture from the Islamic faith and there are even portions of the Koran carved into the walls and ceilings.  The tile mosaics are particularly stunning.  More on the tile in just a moment.

Palace mouser

View from one of the palace balconies

The Muslim builders of many of the palaces in Spain including those of the Alhambra did not believe it was proper to make pictures of living creatures.  This strongly influenced much of their architecture.  They did not decorate with paintings, murals, or carvings of animals or people.  Instead they carved verses and poetry into plaster and developed elaborate tilework mosaics to decorate the interior walls and surfaces of their palaces.  The tiles were made from larger glazed pieces of ceramic that were meticulously snipped and shaped into smaller pieces such as squares, triangles and stars.  These smaller pieces were then fit together into plaster in intricate designs.  It reminds me somewhat of quilt pieces put together on a wall instead of on a quilt top.  The most common colors were white, red, green, blue, and yellow.  The tradition of this art form has been practiced for centuries by master craftsmen called "Maalan Ferach".  It has been passed down from generation to generation with training beginning in early childhood.  Everything is done by hand in the traditional craft.  Today of course there are modern technologies that have entered the process; however a few craftsmen are still learning to produce these tiles and tilework by hand.  Here are some examples of the mosaics from the Alhambra Palace.

Craftsmen cutting small geometric pieces ( squares, rectangles, stars, etc.) from larger glazed tiles.

The small pieces piling up.  These will then be used to create mosaics by putting them together in certainly patterns.  The process is intricate and time consuming.

The mosaics are just amazing

I find this architecture just fascinating not just in its complexity but remember many of these mosaics are hundreds of years old.  To have survived since the 1300 and 1400s and still look so beautiful is astounding.

While in Grenada our group was entertained one evening with a Flamenco performance.  Flamenco dance was developed in the gypsy neighborhoods in southern Spain most notably in the Grenada region.  It flourished in the 1700-1800s.  During the early years of this musical/dance form many mid to upper class Spaniards considered it deplorable and vulgar.  This was likely because it was historically preformed by the ostracized Gypsy population taking place most commonly in seedy urban areas.  Despite their efforts to eradicate the tradition its popularity grew especially with romantic writers and visitors from other  countries.  Over time Flamenco has become an art form that epitomizes Spain.  Even the Spanish have embraced it.  Flamenco is recognized by UNESCO as part of the World's Intangible Cultural Heritage.  There are several school that teach Flamenco in Spain and it is now preformed with national pride.  Here are some of the pictures from our performance.

Another highlight of our visit was an equestrian show featuring the Andalusian horse.  This is a specific breed of horse whos ancestors originated on the Iberian Peninsula of Spain thousands of years ago.  Over centuries it was bred for traits such as prowess and intelligence.  It is strong and compact yet elegant.  These magnificent creatures were prized by all who owned them.  They were extremely versatile being used for riding, pulling carts and farm equipment, performing, and particularly as warhorses.  The Romans used them to pull their chariots and for mounted cavalry.  Julius Caesar praised them for their talents on the battlefield.  In 218 BC Hannibal used them to cross the Alps into Italy.  During the 1800 and 1900s the breed was threatened because many of the horses were requisitioned or stolen for wartime use.  Napoleon's invading army stole hundreds, maybe thousands of Andalusian horses.  One herd was hidden from the invaders and subsequently used to renew the breed.  Today they may be most famous for their use in performing dressage.  We were able to see several perform with and without a rider as well as dancing choreographed with a flamenco dancer.

 

The last several blogs are the highlights from our Portugal and Spain trip.  It really was a wonderful trip, our first to Europe.  We are spending the last of the summer months in Jupiter, FL at Admiral's Cove.  Keith is playing golf and I am doing my best to learn tennis.  I also have been taking a beginners pottery wheel class and participating in the photography club here.  So we are keeping busy.  Keith and I took one other summer trip to the British Virgin Islands in July with Keith's brother Scot, wife Suzanne, and another couple.  I will post a blog in the next several weeks with the BVI pictures.  There will be some friends visiting in the next several weeks so look for some of those photos as well in September and October.

SPAIN - Gibraltar, Marbella, Ronda, and Granada

 From Sevilla we departed via bus to Gibraltar.  This small territory of the United Kingdom is an unusual place.  Part of the Kingdom of Spain from 1462, it was ceded to the British in 1713 after the War of the Spanish Succession.  It is located at the southern tip of Spain and is a major passage point for ship traffic moving from the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.  Spain and Gibraltar form the northern land mass of the straits and Africa forms the southern land mass.  At its narrowest point the strait is approx. 15 miles wide.  Ships needing to enter the Mediterranean Sea must either pass through the "Strait" or go all the way around the bottom of the African continent.  Needless to say, whomever controls this area, controls a major, strategic shipping channel.

Geography of Strait of Gibraltar

The land mass of Gibraltar is only about 2.6 square miles of land and much of it is occupied by the "Rock of Gibraltar".  This steeply sloping rock reaches 1,398 feet in height.  The town is located along the western base of the rock and there are approximately 30,000 residents.  The official language is English, but many residents also speak Spanish.  To visit Gibraltar one must go through customs and immigration as you are traveling from the country of Spain into the UK.  This is exactly what we did for our visit there.

The "Rock of Gibraltar"

View out onto part of the Strait of Gibraltar

Closer view of "The Rock"

Lighthouse on Gibraltar

Within "The Rock" there are approximately 34 miles of tunnels constructed mostly by the British Army for military purposes.  These tunnels were started in the late 1700s.  The largest expansion of the tunnels was during the 1900s when they could accommodate 16,000 men, their supplies and ammunition as well as equipment needed in the event of an extended siege.  All tunneling ceased in 1968 and over time nearly all the tunnels have been turned over to the civilian authorities of the Government of Gibraltar.  They are not open to the public.

There are also approximately 150 limestone caves within "The Rock of Gibraltar".  St. Michael's Cave is open to the public.  It is easy to walk through and view the many stalagmites and stalactites.  They do a light show several times a day, lighting the cave with colorful lights that change colors.  Keith and I got to see the show when we walked through the cave.

St Michael's Cave, Gibraltar

Colored lights in the cave

In addition to the unusual and spectacular geography of Gibraltar, there are some unique inhabitants of this rock.  Often referred to as "Barbary Apes", there is a population of macaques or monkeys living on the rock.  These are the only wild monkeys anywhere in Europe.  There are approximately 300 or so individuals in 5 different troops living on the rock.  Most stick to the upper region which is a nature preserve although some make occasional forays into town.  They are a tailless species of macaque originally from north Africa and this is how they got the name "Barbary Apes".  They have been on the "Rock" likely since the 1200s, but how they originally got there is a mystery.  They are quite the tourist attraction, however years of getting treats from visitors resulted in many individuals developing problems with overweight and diabetes; so the British government  and Nature Preserve passed ordinances making it unlawful to feed the monkeys.  Now they receive only appropriate food unless they are successful in stealing a tourists snack (and they will certainly try if you are not watching out for them).

The Barbary Apes (macaques of Gibraltar)

View down onto the "Strait of Gibraltar" from up on "The Rock" (on a clear day you can see across to Africa)

From Gibraltar we came back into Spain and continued along its Mediterranean Coast to the vacation town of Marbella.  This is a lovely resort town where people come to get away and spend time at the beach along the Mediterranean.  We spent two nights here enjoying this area.

View from our hotel room

Pictures from the downtown area in Marbella

View out over the Mediterranean Ocean

Following 2 nights in Marbella we left in the morning for Ronda.  This is a mountain town that sits on the side of a gorge.  We spent half a day in Ronda including a lovely lunch along the gorge.  

Scenes of the town and gorge of Ronda

As you can see, Ronda was a very photogenic town.  It also is the home of one of the oldest bullrings in Spain, "The Plaza de Toros de Ronda".  The building was constructed in the 1700s entirely of stone.  It is the only bullring to have all of its seating covered.  This was accomplished by creating two rows of seating each with 136 sandstone Tuscan columns forming 68 arches supporting it all.  A museum just alongside the main building contains many artifacts, outfits, and weapons from the last two centuries of bullfighting.  One of the most famous bullfighters of Spain, Pedro Romero (1754-1839) was from Ronda.  Over his career he slew more than 5,400 bulls.

Plaza de Toros de Ronda

The history of bullfighting and raising bulls for the fight is very long and extensive.  It is far beyond the scope of this blog for me to get into it too deeply.  Briefly, bulls are bred specifically for their aggressive behavior.  The species of bull is an ancient Iberian type of cattle.  Large ranches are used for the breeding.  As the bulls mature they are kept free range and away from all other interaction with people and other animals except those that may be breeding cows.  Most bulls will be eligible to enter the ring around 4 years of age.  The matador uses a red cape to make it easier for the audience to see.  Bulls are color bling and are excited by the movements of the cape, not the red color.  The matador will take some time to judge the bull and tire him in preparation for "The Tercio de Muerto" (death).  This must be done swiftly as the bull passes the matador and lowers its head; the matador thrusts his steel sword into the back of the bull's neck severing the aorta.  The matador is judged on his performance.  On rare occasions the spectators can call for a pardon or "indulto" for a bull that demonstrates exceptional courage.  

After lunch it was back on the bus to travel farther into the mountains to Granada.  Here we would spend two nights in the Alhambra Palace Hotel perched on the slopes of this mountain town.  The town is most famous for the palace/fortress built here by the Islamic rulers.  Started in 1238 it is the best preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world.  It is called The Alhambra and it is an enormous architectural monument.  Because it has been in existence for so many centuries; there have been many different rulers in residence in the palace. Many types of tiles, tapestries, furniture etc. are found within the palace.  Items from back in the 1500s mingle with modern things such as a statue of American author Washington Irving which was erected in 2009 to commemorate his role in sparking interest in Spain's Moorish (Islamic) past.  For my final post from our trip to Portugal and Spain I will cover the Alhambra Palace and our final few experiences in Spain.  Look for this in another week or two.  To end this post I have a few pictures from our hotel room in Granada at the Alhambra Palace Hotel.  Notice the snow still on the top mountains of Spain's Sierra's.