What follows is my attempt to chronicle and recreate a few of experiences in Spain and France this summer for those interested. Focus primarily will rest on history and religion, and in particular the history that lives in the churches and castles that line the pilgrim roads toSantiago Compostella in Spain. The Muslim conquest of the Holy Land in the Seventh and Eighth centuries caused the traditional pilgrimage to Jerusalem to become increasingly dangerous. As the Middle Ages unfolded, the journey across the Pyrenees and into Spain to the traditional burial place of St. James became the dominant pilgrimage route. The results were dramatic. The first great wave of Christian churches in the Middle Ages sprung up along the pilgrim roads - the age of Romanesque was born. Architecture, spirituality, culture and politics would all be dramatically affected by the great mass of Medieval Christians on the road to Compostella.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Taxi
We had a long taxi ride with a great fellow who knew Basque history inside and out. He told me much about the Civil War from the Basque perspective. These people are absolutely adamant that they are NOT Spanish.
This blog is dedicated to Isabel of Andalucia, a mysterious, Spanish flamenco dancer sometimes seen shimmering through the lush gardens and cool fountains of the Alcazar in Sevilla.
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