El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen

The Monastary at El Escorial is beautiful. For a small fee you can tour the building and see the large collection of masterwork paintings and frescos. The virtually unknown masterpieces were commissioned by Tinteretto, Goya, El Greco, and many other greats. They are very well maintained and much of the furniture are works of art as well. The royal crypts are located in the lower levels of the monastary and are an opulent reminder of the power and wealth of Spain. 

Valley of the Fallen

The Valley of the Fallen is a monument erected to memorialize the fallen civilians and soldiers of the Spanish Civil War (well, those that were on Franco's side, that is). It's also Francisco Franco's tomb. The monument sits atop a small mountain overlooking a valley. The cross is probably several hundred feet tall and the archway is about a block long at least. The Cathedral is technically larger than the Vatican (which is supposed to be the largest a catholic cathedral can be but they fudged the entry way so it doesn't really start being a cathedral until you're in the nave). The Cathedral entrance is in the side of the mountain and the crest of the domed ceiling is in direct alignment with the massive cross atop the mountain. A cross with real wood supposedly chopped by Franco himself is also aligned directly below the massive stone cross. Constructed in the 1950s, the art decorating the cathedral is kind of an art deco revival with classical motifs as well as tapestry reproductions. Hooded figures with bowed heads guard the entrance to the nave barring the weapons that symbolize different branches of the military. Everything is stone and concrete. It's haunting, sparse, and a powerful experience. Franco and his head hancho have their own central resting place. Fresh spittle glistened on the stone marking Franco's tomb on the floor of the Cathedral. It was so quiet, so cold, and very creepy. 

(If you'd like to learn more about the Spanish Civil War, read Ghosts of Spain)

Trying to look warm. 

Emily is cold. 

Molly is cold too. 

A HUGE steel door. The art here is in a style I really enjoy, which made it even more of a conflicting place. The monument is meant to honor lost lives, but it also acts as a reminder and veneration to a very violent and arguably corrupt man. The art is spooky, yet beautiful. The effect is a conflict of beauty and repulsion, remembrance and silence. 

The monument overlooks a vast valley. A great view. 

The bus comes to the monument once a day and returns to pick you up about two hours later. The monument can easily be seen in one hour. There is nothing warm about this place in January. Snow was on the ground in patches. I have never been so cold in my life. I made Molly and Emily play camera games with me to distract from the cold. They're good sports. 

This doesn't even come close to demonstrating how huge this place is. It's unbelievable. 

The Alhambra

The Alhambra was built by the Nasrid kings long ago. It still stands--fortress, palaces, and gardens. A religious, royal, and military structure build in the moorish and muslim style, this place is amazing. Arguably one of the wonders of the world. The Sierra Nevadas loom above and the city of Granada spreads out below. We visited on a foggy, rainy day. The towers and spires broke through the mist as though ghosts were presiding over our visit.

Across the ravine/valley from the Alhambra is the Generalife (pronounced "heneral-eefay"), the summer home of the royalty. You know, just in case you wanted to get away....

View of the Alhambra from the Generalife gardens.

January is a solemn month to visit the gardens. There's something about winter roses that is totally captivating.

The Moors were devoted to water. They called Spain "Iberia" or Land of Rivers. I suppose Northern Africa makes Spain look positively wet. The Alhambra has many reflection pools and tiny irrigated canals and fountains running through the buildings and out-buildings. The sound of running water permeates the silence of the grounds.

The courtyard of the Lions. They were rennovating so I didn't take many pictures.

Bumbershoot girls.

I fell in love with Washington Irving while at the Alhambra. The audio tour is excerpts from Tales of the Alhambra, the book he wrote about his months living in the Alhambra in 1820. He lived with gypsies, vagrants, and hippies. He swam in the pools by moonlight, listened to folklore, daydreamed about princes and princesses, bath houses, and the soap opera of court life. Not only did he imagine and dream about the romantic stories surrounding the rooms, but he also learned the real functions of each room, lending a historical integrity and love of history to his narration. An audio tour rivaling Alcatraz (which is narrated by inmates and former prison guards--so cool).

The intricate plasterwork was once painted. In some places only the blue is left. In some more protected areas you can even see red and green pigment still lingering. The effect is still gorgeous but the remnants make you imagine the extravegance and brilliance these walls must have expressed.

This blog entry is seriously disorganized--but how would you know if I didn't tell you? Haha! My internet connection has been a royal pain lately and so all of my blog writing sessions have been spontaneous and disjointed. I apologize for any confusion. Anyway... this is a courtyard from the Generalife summer home. The summer home is so much more comfortable and easier to imagine living in than the palace. With the gardens spreading from within the courtyards and a much simpler design, the place feels much more homey. Though I suppose with some lush tapestries, concubines, and piles of pillows everywhere they were probably both rather comfortable and lavish.

The bell tower was used throughout the centuries to signal triumphs, defeats, and the passage of time. We visited the Alhambra on the Dia de la Toma, the day Isabel de Catolica and the Reyes Catolica (Catholic monarchs) took back Granada from the Moors (January 2, 1492). Visitors were allowed to ring the bell all day--the tolls filtered through the mist into the night. I was a goon and forgot to look at the camera as I rang the historic bell. Typical.

The Alhambra sees close to 6,000 visitors per day. Hotels, shops, and a post office support the crowds. This lion is hungry for postcards!

Alhambra cats: Granada is crawling with stray dogs and cats.

Hand rail with water flowing through. Part of a series in a walkway of water in the Generalife. The tinkling of the water is very relaxing.

Renaissance palace built by Carlos V, Holy Roman Emperor. He loved the Alhambra and often vacationed here. Eventually he decided to make his own accomodations to be more comfortable. It's a square building with a circular interior with incredible accoustics.

Foundations of the barrio for the soldiers and servants. The rooms look so tiny. Again, I say, people must have been smaller back then. Most rooms are not large enough even for me to lie down in let alone allow for a family or any number of soldiers enough to serve for an entire army, though I imagine that the structures were at least two stories.

Amazing wooden ceilings in the more modern rooms.

The repetitive designs are often passages from the Koran. In Muslim art human representation is forbidden so the artwork is all geometric and derivative of nature. Repetition creates incredible combinations of shapes caused by both positive and negative space. Breath taking.

Views of the Alhambra from the Albaycin

Here you can see the walls and the colossal palace of Carlos V.

The streets of the Albaycin are very narrow. This is Molly perched on the short retaining wall so that she doesn't get run over by this truck. The walk up into the Albaycin is very steep and quaint.

Happy hippy perch.

Hippies and their dog. It was really interesting to see all the hippies. They had really fancy shoes and tattered clothes. Many of them live in the caves just outside the city. They survive by selling handmade jewelry and by conning tourists or playing music. It reminded me a lot of Evergreen College in WA.

My girls.

The raspy Tom Waits-y voice of this flamenco singer was incredibly sexy.

The Alhambra with the Sierra Nevadas looming above.