Saturday, March 2, 2019

First overnight road trip


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.

lovely tree in full bloom

Antequera Dolmen Archeological site

Menga Dolmen

Viera Dolman

Entrance to Viera Dolmen


new museum being constructed below the dolmens

entrrance to the Menga dolmen, largest one

entrance way

support columns inside Menga dolmen

well inside Menga, excavated in 2005


looking out from Menga

current reception center



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



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.







don't forget to look up




One of two pipe organs














This church was unusual in that it had a series of barrel vaulted passages that radiated off the central altar






Illuminated manuscript - these pages were approximately 2 ft by 4 ft




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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