Travels in Spain, II

Bundles of bambinos, black tights, red hair, the intense drama of flamenco and tango, festivals and bullfighting, a modern country with superb highways and trains, but little English and shaky economy—all a contemporary patina embracing an extraordinary history.  Morgan and I were enthralled by the history, architecture and geography of Spain.  And, we found what we were looking for.  The origin of the vision of world evangelism and colonization, yet a time when Judaism, Islam and Christianity lived comfortably together. Perhaps the grand mosque at Cordoba is the finest example:  the greatest of mosques framing a cathedral in its bosom.  Moorish arches embracing, cuddling if you will, Christian paintings and altars.  (Intriguingly, Cordoba is once again seeking to become the cultural capitol of Europe by 2016.) While we expected to find destruction of the “pagan” or “infidel” monuments by the soldiers of the Spanish Inquisition, that is not what we found, but rather a mutual respect for the accomplishments of each culture.

Queen Isabella the first met with the young upstart Christopher Columbus in the small enclave of Santa Fe outside of Granada in 1492, where their contract was affirmed.  He was a brazen upstart, she a brilliant strategist of deep faith and clever diplomacy.  While most learned persons by that time believed that the earth was a sphere, no one had dared sail beyond the Pillars of Hercules, the western edge of Morocco. Ah, the opening of the third book in the Cairo Trilogy, currently named Taos Sunrise.

Next Monday:  the new tenure legislation in Colorado…and more on Spain.

Keep well, Linda

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