¡Salimos mañana!

We'll be about two hours into our seven-hour flight to Spain at this time tomorrow night! I'm finally packed and ready to go for the 10-day adventure.

I wrote about the first few days of the trip yesterday ... our time in Madrid, Avila, Salamanca and Segovia. From there, we will journey to southern Spain to spend two days exploring the Andalusian cities Sevilla and Granada, two of Spain’s gems. 

Granada is home to The Alhambra, a red fortress dating back to the 9th century located along the top of a hill with the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background. It dates back to the Middle Ages and represents the best example of Islamic art still standing in the western world. It's not just one building but several that were constructed over the course of several centuries when the Muslims and Christians were the ruling groups in Granada.

The Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, are also buried in Granada. Granada was their prize city after they defeated the Moors in 1492. To put into perspective the role Isabel and Fernando played in Spain: They captured Granada in 1492, brought the Spanish people under one monarchy, funded Columbus' trip across the Atlantic in April 1492 that would eventually lead to an enormous expansion of the Spanish empire, linked Spain to Portugal, England and Austria through the marriage of their children, and much more. Incredible.

Granada is also known for its tapas restaurants. Many of the places in Granada give you a free tapa when you order a beverage. Tapas are small plates of food (i.e. appetizers).

Sevilla has one of the world’s largest cathedrals and also houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus (his tomb has been there since 1902). Some people, however, claim that Columbus' remains are actually in the Dominican Republic. Columbus was initially buried in Valladolid, Spain, when he died in 1506. Three years later his remains were moved to a monastery in Sevilla. In 1537, however, his bones were sent to Santo Domingo for burial, as Columbus had requested that he be buried there. When the French took over the island in 1795, however, Columbus' bones were taken to La Havana, Cuba. When the Spaniards lost control of Cuba in 1898, his remains were returned to Sevilla and buried in the cathedral. Some suggest, however, that the Spaniards took the remains of Columbus' son in 1795, not those of Columbus. Ummm....

We will end our journey in Barcelona and the Costa Brava. Barcelona is the city that modernist architect Antonio Gaudí decorated with parks, buildings, churches and more in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Barcelona also hosted the Summer Olympics in 1992. It is my favorite city in Spain and the first Spanish-speaking city I ever visited.

I hope to update my blog with entries and pictures a few times while we are in Spain when I have WiFi access.

Thanks for reading and for following us on this journey. I wish you could be here with us! I hope you'll have some time for a little travel during the summer season, too. I'm reminded of a quote I saw on a friend's Facebook page recently that said, “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you rich.” I couldn’t agree more.

Hasta pronto,

--Justin