Feb 26
First planned road trip was started today. The plan is to go to Granada to tour
the Alhambra with a stop along the way at Antequera to see the Neolithic
Dolmens. Granada is only about 2 hours
away so we had plenty of time to get there, as we will be making our visit an
overnight stay.
About an hour along the way, we made a stop at Antequera,
where there are 3 Neolithic Dolmens. These structures are thought to be both places
of worship and burial that date from about the first half of the 4th
century BC. They are what are known as
megalithic structures, build of massive interlocking stones, forming chambers and spaces and
covered by lintel roofs. The whole
structure is then covered with earth, to form a mound, and thus look like a
natural part of the landscape. There are
three structures in this complex, two of which we were able to visit. The communities who constructed these
megaliths were thought to be expressing a link to the earthly elements and the
cosmos, based on the alignment of the structures, and the axis of their corridors. One structure is pointed towards the equinox sunrise,
while the other is orientated to wards a distinctive geographical landmark, La
Pena (a peak in the nearby mountain range).
The first Dolma, Menga,
was written about 500 or 600 years ago and has been scientifically studied since
about 1850. The second dolman, Viera,
was discovered in 1903. The 3rd
structure, the tholos of El Romeral, was discovered in 1904. Since about 1980, extensive
scientific studies have been going on at the sites and in 2016, the complex of
the 3 structures has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The structures themselves are massive. Menga Dolman is 27 meters deep, 6 meters wide
and up to 3 ½ meters high inside. The
walls stones are 1 ½ meters thick. The sides
are made up of 12 stones each and the back wall is made of one stone while the
roof consists of 5 stones with pillars supporting them. The whole structure is then covered with dirt
that extends for 50 meters to form the hill.
Inside the Menga dolmen, was also discovered a well 1 ½ meters in
diameter and 20 meters deep. In 2005
this well was excavated, all manner of human and animal bones were found in
it. There is water at the bottom of the
well today, and according to the guide, it is drinkable. No one has come up with an explanation as to
why a well would have been constructed in a place that is a spiritual and
burial place.
In the mountains in the immediate area, there is evidence of
Neolithic groups having occupied the area from about 5400 BC to 4700 BC, then
the area was seemingly abandoned for about 500 years, when it was once again
inhabited from about 4300 BC to 3800 BC. It was during this later age that the structures are believed to have been built. These structures were in use up until Medieval
times. In the general area around Antequera several other late Neolithic and Copper Age settlements have been found.
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lovely tree in full bloom |
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Antequera Dolmen Archeological site |
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Menga Dolmen |
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Viera Dolman |
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Entrance to Viera Dolmen |
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new museum being constructed below the dolmens |
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entrrance to the Menga dolmen, largest one |
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entrance way |
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support columns inside Menga dolmen |
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well inside Menga, excavated in 2005 |
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looking out from Menga |
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current reception center |
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what I thought were flowers were actually white seeds hanging on these trees |
From here we continued our drive to Granada and encounter
our first big city traffic since being here.
We also saw our first sight of snow in in Spain, as Granada sits at the
base of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
We attempted
to make our way to our hotel in the center of the city, successfully getting ourselves
lost in the process.
Street signs are a
little more obscure than in North American cities, being placed on the sides of
buildings and sometimes not very distinctive.
We made our way down streets that were meant for buses, taxis and local
inhabitants only.
Hopefully we will not
be getting any surprise tickets in the future for this transgression.
Our hotel has ensured us that we will not, as
they will submit our cars plate number to the local authorities as proof that
we had a right to travel those roads.
Fingers crossed that it works.
On the road to Granada - click on the link to go to a short video
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Large fountain on Plaza Isabel Catolica in front of our hotel |
Our late afternoon and evening were spent around the
hotel. The Catedral de Granada was
close at hand, so we spend about an hour and a half there. It is a very interesting structure with a
distinctive architectural detailed interior.
It is the resting place of the Kings and Queens of early Spain, particularly
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel who sent Christopher Columbus on his journey of
the discovery of the Americas.
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don't forget to look up |
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One of two pipe organs |
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This church was unusual in that it had a series of barrel vaulted passages that radiated off the central altar |
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Illuminated manuscript - these pages were approximately 2 ft by 4 ft |
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This illuminated manuscript is dated 1671 |
Then, we went in search of supper. True to form, we were way to early for
Spanish dinner time (the kitchens don’t open until 8PM), so we went in search
of a place to eat. We were fortunate and
found a bar/bistro type of place not to far away, it seemed to be popular, so
we gave it a try. We had a very, very
good meal.
Next morning, Feb 27, was our planned visit to the
Alhambra. Well, who knew you had to “plan”
a visit to the Alhambra??? We got
there about 10 in the morning and all tickets were sold out already, in fact,
the next available tickets were for about 2 weeks away. Seems that the number of people allowed in on
any one day are limited AND, you do not just go willy-nilly, there are specific
time slots for entry as well. So, no
touring the Alhambra for us. We did,
however, tour the Generalife gardens and I could wistfully look across the way
into the Alhambra grounds.
The gardens
were nice, lots of water features, soothing sounds of fountains bubbling away,
the cooling shelter of tall hedges and little enclosed rooms that would be very
welcoming on a hot Spanish summer day.
Everything is just starting to grow and i can only imagine what it will look and smell like in about 2 months time. Lots of roses bushes are just starting to leaf out, there is a small vineyard and lots of fruit trees just starting into bloom.
A photo montage of the garden visit:
https://youtu.be/UUTm2_be8Qg
After our aborted attempt to visit the Alhambra, we started our journey
home. Once out of the fray of city
traffic, we stopped at a Spanish truck stop for fuel for the car and fuel for
the body. Spanish truck stop restaurants
are something else!! Tables were set
with tablecloths and wine glasses.
Service was very good, offerings were plentiful, prices were reasonable,
and servings were large. True to form, we were early for Spanish meal time, but by the time we left at 2:30 the place was filling up, and there had to be seating for about 300. There were all manner of people from truck drivers, business men, families, seniors etc., coming in as we were leaving. We had another
good meal.
Now for the less travelled road.
Rather than taking the main highway, we
veered off onto a road that ran parallel to the highway for a way.
It took use through small communities, down
into valleys, up high along hillsides, past orchards aplenty, past abandoned structures,
etc.
An enjoyable 3 hour journey home.
https://youtu.be/ImTdkI8bGMU
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