Let’s Get Started…
Tuesday, April 16
Everything matters. Everything weighs something. Each ounce adds up. Any Camino like any journey begins with preparation - checking routes and destinations, buying new gear and equipment, taking stock of what’s still in good shape, and deciding what goes and what stays behind. My backpack will be my house for the next 90 days. Everything that I want and need must fit inside it. I weighed it at 22 pounds - not as good as I had hoped but better than I feared. I arrive tomorrow in Andalusia. Can’t wait to set my feet back on Spanish soil!
Granada
Sunday, April 21
After attending church and visiting the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows in Baza, we traveled to Granada, passing a horse drawn carriage on a main road. We explored the catacombs near Sacromonte in Granada today dating back to the first century, where San Cecilio - one of the two patrons saints of the city and a disciple of Santiago - St. James the Greater - was martyred in the first century. I love exploring sites like this that few Americans and tourists take time to see or even know about. Granada is one of my top ten favorite cities in Spain. It’s got a great vibe, incredible history, architecture, food, and so much to offer and do. Earlier in the day, I played my first doubles game of pádel, and we prevailed. It’s a great game and is incredibly easy to pick up. We ended the day by watching El Classico - the twice a year soccer match between El Real Madrid and Barcelona. I have probably spoken 40 hours of Spanish since arriving less than five days ago. This is the ideal way to learn a language.
Baza, Andalusia
Thursday, April 18
I’m trying to catch up on sleep and adjust to the time change after arriving with little sleep. This is a true Spanish immersion as I’m living in Baza, Spain - a pueblo of 21,000 people - for several days with my Spanish teacher and his family. I’ve had a chance to have long, interesting conversations especially about the history of Spain with my Spanish teacher’s father and brother, both of whom are very knowledgeable. Spanish history fascinates me incredibly. Baza is off the beaten path. Few tourists come here. It’s a perfect opportunity to improve my Spanish, which needs much improvement. They cut off the ends of words in Andalusia. Instead of saying “adios” and “gracias,” they say “adio” and “gracia.” It’s fascinating how languages morph over time in differing places.
Granada Continued
Tuesday, April 23
Granada, Spain is unbelievably rich in its religious heritage ranging from the Moors to the Reconquista by Isabel and Ferdinand - los Reyes Católicos. It’s so much to take in.
Guadix
Friday, April 19
Guadix is the rival city of Baza. For hundreds of years, there has been a festival called “el Cascomorres,” which is incredibly tribal and as important for these two communities of 20,000 as the running of the bulls is for Pamplona. Google YouTube Redbull Cascomorres to learn more. Today, I played pádel for the first time. It was great fun. It’s a major sport in Spain and is picking up across the United States.
El Castillo de Calahorra
Thursday, April 25
A man’s home is his castle. El Castillo de Calahorra sits in an incredibly strategic location overlooking the Sierra Nevadas. We visited it after spending the day roaming the Alpujarras, a mountainous region dotted with small villages of white houses nestled in the hillsides. We were in search of Yegén, a pueblo of 200 houses where the English author and hispanista Gerald Brenan - author of South to Grenada - lived for seven years. What we discovered was like walking into a novel as we conversed with residents who actually met and knew him. Dinner was served at 10:45 pm after a long day.
