Farewell Granada, Farewell Blog (for now)

Ahhh, technology... It appears that my Photoshop has gone on vacation with the muse. I now cannot downsize photos for uploading to the site (or have fun creating little collages) because Photoshop won't launch.

Although, in truth, I can't blame my recent dearth of entries on technology. I've been in Granada for a month now and have only managed to squeeze out one journal entry. What can I say...I've lost that bloggin' feeling.

So, I won't be sharing any more photos or journal entries of my trip until I get back home in two weeks. You can wait, right?

LAST PHASE: THE PILGRIMAGE ROUTE OF CAMINO DE SANTIAGO
Tomorrow afternoon I fly to Bilbao, a city in Northern Spain, where I will spend a few solo days before meeting up with my hiking group. Then, like centuries of pilgrims before us, we will spend almost two weeks hiking long, arduous days, dressed in rough, brown handspun wool cloaks, and carrying all our belongings on our backs. In one hand, we will each carry a large wooden staff; in the other, prayer beads. We will sleep in centuries-old communal rooms, often housing up to 50 other pilgrims, and eat simple food typical of our pilgrim predecessors. As we walk, we will sing songs and recite sections of Canterbury Tales.

Okay, no not really. Who needs all that self sacrifice. I'm on the comfy pilgrimage. We stay in hotels and have a vehicle that carries our luggage from place to place. In fact, we can't even be bothered to walk the 'boring' parts, so we are shuttled from interesting segment to interesting segment. I think we only walk about three to five hours a day. Now that's my idea of a pilgrimage.

Below is a map of the route and a blurb about the journey:

Excerpt from the Explore brochure: "Join us on foot to follow in the steps of pilgrims from all over Europe who, since the 9th century, have been making their way to the tomb of Saint James who according to the legend is resting in Santiago de Compostela. The main pilgrims' route crossing the north of Spain has gained fame as both a wonderful walking trail and for its fascinating culture and historical monuments. Our trip focuses on the most scenic section between Burgos and Santiago, passing through rich pasture land in the high plains of the Castilian Meseta and into the hills and mountains of Galicia. Historical cities such as Burgos, Leon and Astorga house some of Northern Europe's finest examples of medieval architecture in northern Spain.¨

Brief Itinerary: 1 Join Bilbao. 2 Drive Burgos, sightseeing; walk en route to Leon (3hrs). 3 Guided city tour, bus to Astorga. 4 Walk through Meseta to Molinaseca (5hrs); drive Las Medulas. 5 In Las Medulas, exploring surrounding hills on foot (3hrs). 6 Walk into Galicia (3hrs). 7 Walk to Sarria (4hrs), visit Samos monastery (optional). 8 Walk to Portomarin (5hrs). 9 Walk to Boente (4hrs). 10 Walk from Arzúa to Alto de Santa Irene (3hrs); drive Santiago and visit cathedral. 11 In Santiago; free for exploring town. 12 End Santiago."

SO THAT'S IT FOR NOW
Check back mid June for photos and journal entries about Granada and the Camino. Until then, keep in touch!

Alhambra teaser

Text and many more photos to be loaded in a few weeks...

The Day of the Cross

Yesterday was Granada's annual Dia de la Cruz. It was FANTASTICO!

What is the Day of the Cross? Every May 3rd, each of Granada's MANY neighborhood churches decorates their square with an elaborate scene centering around a large Christian cross.

This being Spain, with a church on practically every corner, there were A LOT of crosses to check out. Most were elaborate and spectacular, full of fresh flowers and elegant fabrics, but some were decidedly more, um, 'folksy', with an odd assortment of props and crosses made of oranges and twigs. Each scene has a theme, and each year the most beautiful scene wins the big Grand Prize!

This is one of my favorite cross scenes, put up by a church I pass by each day on my way to school. (The picture is actually three shots stitched together because my camera doesn't have a wide angle):

But the crosses weren't the real treat. I was much more enthralled with seeing all the locals decked out in traditional flamenco dresses and bolero jackets (and other stereotypical Spanish attire that I don't know the names of), and even MORE entralled with watching the costumed men and women riding horseback through the streets, with their horses prancing in high, fancy steps!

And as if all that weren't enough...the locals literally dance in the streets. Yup! It was crazy, as if right out of a movie. In squares over the city, locals danced to the sound of flamenco music blaring from loud speakers. Costumed and uncostumed locals alike danced their dramatic flamenco moves while other locals looked on, clapping and shouting Ole!

What a fun, happy event. Spaniards really know how to enjoy life! As usual, I took an absurd quantity of pictures. Here's a sampling:

The church squares were packed:



With all the dancing going on, this would have been a good time to have a video camera. Oh well. Here's three shots taken seconds apart...as my feeble attempt to show the movement of the dancing:

I wonder how it is that so many Spaniards know how to dance Flamenco. Maybe it's part of high school PE. :)

I was taking a lot of pictures of this one group on horseback, and unfortunately caught the attention of one Rico Suave dude (bottom middle) who probably thought I was trying to pick up on him. But no matter. I've got my trusty "Oh, yo no hablo espanol. Yo ingles. Ingles."


I really love how much Spaniards cherish their culture and traditions!