Since Charles and Daniel didn't have school during Semana Santa (Holy Week), we ventured out of Catalonia to see more of Spain. One doesn't need to drive far to realize that the fairy tales of kingdoms, knights and princesses are at least partly true here. We passed castle after castle along the highway. Amazing!


We spent a night at the Castle of Santa Catalina in the city of Jaén. The Moors (who were Muslims from northern Africa) were the first to build a castle on this site in the 8th century. Then in the 13th century when the Christians were taking back the land from the Moors, during the reconquest, a Christian king overthrew the Muslim king of Jaén. The Muslim king agreed to leave peacefully if he was allowed to begin a new kingdom in the faraway land of Granada (which is 1.5 hours away by car).


This cross, which stands high above the city of Jaén, is a remembrance of the cross the Christian king erected on the castle grounds after having taken it from the Moors.



















In Granada, which was our next stop, the Muslim king began building the Alhambra, a fortress and the last stronghold for the Muslims in Spain. In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II and Isabella I completed the reconquest and took over the Alhambra from the Moorish King Boabdil.











We also witnessed catholic Holy Week celebrations in Granada, which have taken place each year since the time of the Christian reconquest. Each night "brotherhoods" proceeded from catholic churches to the cathedral. The cross led the procession.
















It was followed by bands, people dressed in habit with long pointed hoods carrying candles,


















incense swingers and floats carried on the backs of the necks of many men. In this picture one can barely see the feet of the men underneath the float.












Here's a closeup of the float of Jesus carrying the cross.

















The processions ended with a float of the virgin Mary behind lit candles.





In the same manner, this post will end with the virgin Mary. After our three day history lesson, we headed to the coast to enjoy Spain's natural beauty at a park named Cabo de Gata.