#67 See Goya’s frescoes in the San Antonio de la Florida Chapel

Frescos of the chapel.

I truly know next to nothing about art. I can name you some famous artists (mostly painters) and I can give you a short list of important Spanish artists, but that's really it. Honestly, I'm just not much of a fan of art. Especially portraits and religious paintings. I really find nothing more boring than walking through the Prado passing portrait after portrait of whatever king or queen or duke or whatever of Spain; then painting after painting of Jesus, Mary, or any of the other gazillion saints.

However, there is some art that I do like, and even the art that I don't like I can at least recognize its significance. (Except abstract expressionism - I'm sorry but I simply do not understand this type of painting - I don't care how much  you tell me about dripping paint, or layers of paint, or brushstrokes, or the special meaning behind the color red, it's not art!) Francisco de Goya is one of such painters - the boring portrait type that I dislike but recognize his importance, that is. He often painted people (though certainly not exclusively), including the Spanish royal family, for whom he worked. He died in Bordeaux, France in 1828, but nearly a century later in 1919 his remains were transferred to Madrid and reburied in the Ermita de San Antonio de Florida.

Frescos on the domes.

The chapel was originally built for the saint after whom it is named. What I do like about Goya are the Neoclassical frescoes that he himself painted in just six months on the chapel's ceilings. They mainly (in a nutshell) depict scenes from Saint Anthony's life, as well as images from 18th century Madrid. I personally don't understand the technique or significance behind the frescoes, but they are quite beautiful. Plus, I think there's extra merit to painting a fresco - it can't be an easy or pleasant task to paint a gigantic image standing on a ladder of some sort, craning your neck, half upside-down in order to get that stuff on the ceiling.

#33 Visit Valle de los Caídos

If you've ever traveled in Spain, north of Madrid, you've most likely seen an enormous cross off in the distance in the mountains. It's virtually impossible to miss. After all, that was the purpose of its location (in the Guadarrama mountain range, over 900 meters above sea level) and size (150 meters tall) - it can be seen from over twenty miles away. Seeing as Madrid has an average of over 300 days with sunshine each year, many of which include cloudless skies, that massive cross is in the perfect position for optimal viewing, whether the people of Spain like it or not.

View from only a few miles away during my hike up to it.

This cross belongs to a 3360-acre complex called - if you hadn't already guessed - Valle de los Caídos, which translates to Valley of the Fallen. I could probably go on and on about the place - its history, its purpose, its significance, its position as perhaps the most controversial monument in Spain, etc., but I'll try to give you an abridged version (explained to the best of my knowledge)...ha ha...if that's possible. But anyway, it's because of the last reason I listed - the controversy over the monument, that I think I find it so interesting.

If you didn't already know, Spain, not unlike much of the rest of 20th century Europe, went through a period in which it was under the rule of a dictator. This period, known as Francoism, began in 1939, when General Francisco Franco's regime won the Spanish Civil War, and ended in 1975, when he died. Unlike many other dictators of 20th century Europe, Franco was anti-communist (which led the US to ally with Spain during the Cold War, but that's a tangent I'm not going to get into). Instead he supported a fascist political movement called the Falange Española de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista, and as a result, Spain suffered religious, cultural, and political oppression for nearly forty years.

Cross and basilica. The monastery is on the other side of the hill.

During his time in power, Franco decided to create a memorial to all of the Spaniards who died during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. Official records state that 33,700 people are buried there. Franco also ordered that José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder of the Falange political movement, be buried in the basilica built under the cross. The tomb of Franco himself is also in the basilica, although this was not his wish. For this reason, among many others (including the facts that the monument commemorates those who helped support and fight for Franco's political cause and also that political prisoners were used to build the monument in an exchange for reducing their sentences), Valley of the Fallen has always been a point of contention in Spain. I've met plenty of Spaniards who haven't ever visited the monument and some who say they never will because of what it stands for.

Ceiling of the basilica, right under the cross.

Franco's tomb. Many want to relocate it.

In 2009, the government led by then Prime Minister Zapatero closed down the basilica at Valley of the Fallen, saying that many of the statues, including the one below, La Piedad (Catholicism was the only religion tolerated under Francoism), was in serious need of restoration and was therefore a safety concern. This angered many people, some who still support the things for which Franco's government stood, some who consider the monument to be of cultural importance, etc. I find particularly interesting that one particular group called the government "Talibanes socialistas," comparing the situation to the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, because supposedly the removal of the sculpture was destroying its integrity. (I'm not convinced of the correlation.)

"La Piedad."

Anyway, when I arrived in Spain in the summer of 2010, I was a bit disappointed to realize that I couldn't visit Valley of the Fallen. Regardless of the significance behind the monument, I think it's an important part of Spanish history. (I have similar feelings about Nazi concentration camps - they reflect a terrible period in what is still very recent history, but they should be preserved as a reminder of things that should never happen again.) For this reason, when I originally posted my list of 101 Things to Do in Madrid, I wrote that "this one probably won’t happen because it’s been closed since November of 2009 with no reopening in the foreseeable future." However, it was reopened in November of 2011, following Rajoy's election as Prime Minister.

So I decided to spend this past Saturday in the sierra. The only public transport from Madrid takes you to the entrance of the complex, which is at the bottom of a hill 3.5 miles from the actual cross, basilica, and monastery. I think I spent more time walking up and down that road than I did actually at the monument. (Later I discovered if you travel to El Escorial first, there is a bus that takes you all the way to the monument, but it only makes one trip there and back each day. Still, worth it if you're not in the mood for a hike.)

Hall leading to Franco's tomb. There are no windows in the basilica.

Beautiful scenery as you walk out of the basilica.

Anyway, the place is a unique and bizarre mixture of mega creepy/disturbing and serene beauty. The mountains, the scenery, the views from up there - are beautiful. The dark, windowless tunnel in the giant tomb-basilica and the gigantic cross - are, for lack of a better word, creepy. While I'm not sure that I would say that I like the place, I do still find it fascinating (the most interesting things are the things that are most controversial, after all, right?) and worth a visit.

Deutschland - Next Stop: Munich

This is going to be a long one. Munich. Capital of Bavaria. Everything one could ever want in the name of German food, German beer, Germany castles...Maybe I'm romanticizing it all. I've seen so little of Germany that it's not fair to say that Bavaria (or Munich, for that matter) is any better than the rest. But it is so very, very wonderful.

We spent three days in Munich. Split up into one day visiting Neuschwanstein (the famous castle that you're sure to recognize), one day visiting Munich the city itself, and one day visiting Dachau, the memorial site on the grounds of what was one of the earliest concentration camps. So, let me first tell you what I know about Munich. As I said, it's the capital of Bavaria, one of the southern states of Germany. It's the third largest city in the country. It was the sight of the 1972 Summer Olympics where Mark Spitz won what was at the time a record seven gold medals. It's home to the BMW headquarters. Beer isn't an alcoholic beverage, it's just another part of the culture (Oktoberfest, anyone?). It houses one of the biggest and most famous beer halls, the Hofbrauhaus. The carillon (glockenspiel) on the tower of the town hall has puppets that sing and dance a few times a day. Enough to whet your appetite?

So, as previously stated, day one in Munich was dedicated mostly to Neuschwanstein. Amelie decided she didn't want to make the trek there, so Nicole and I took the two-hour train in the morning out to the little town where the famous castle is located. I should add that the train ride itself is really nice, since it's

Fairy tale castle by the Fairy Tale King.

essentially two hours of beautiful German countryside. The castle itself is famous worldwide, and was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland. It was built by Ludwig II (or rather, it was built by his money) starting in 1869 with the "latest technology" of the time (for example, running water throughout the castle, central heating, etc.), but the intention was that the castle look medieval in style. "Neuschwanstein" literally translates to "New Swan Stone Castle" and reflects Ludwig's obsession with swans (he was nicknamed the "Swan King," among other things) The castle was built as a "retreat" or "escape into a dream world" for Ludwig, with much of the interior design inspired by the operas of Wagner (to whom he apparently even dedicated the palace). In 1886, Ludwig died mysteriously and in a lot of debt. Much of the castle (such as the entire second floor) was never completed to this day (it now houses the gift shop and cafeteria). The throne room, one of the most ornate rooms of the castle, contains no throne

Throne Hall, sans thrones.*

Singers' Hall.*

because it too remained unfinished at the time of Ludwig's death. Ludwig never intended for the castle to be opened to the public, but in order to balance out the construction debts, it was opened to the public for a fee only six weeks after his death. Aside from the throne hall, one of the most important rooms of the castle is the Singers' Hall, whose walls have various scenes from Wagner's operas and scenes of medieval knights and legends, with whom Ludwig apparently "identified." Anyway, enough about the history of the castle. All you need to know is that it's very cool and definitely worth a visit if you're in southeastern Bavaria. (For those interested, this website gives a bit of information and photos of the rooms you would see on the guided tour.)

Right near Neuschwanstein is another smaller and somewhat less impressive castle called Hohenschwangau, which was where Ludwig II grew up. It was built as the summer residence of the royal family by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria. The castle is still privately owned but you can visit it with a guided tour. In the little town where the two castles are located (also called Hohenschwangau), there are two really pretty lakes from which you can see the mountains bordering Austria off in the distance. Unfortunately, the town is mostly full of tourists, but somehow it manages to keep its beauty and even a big of peacefulness (mainly by the lake), in my opinion.

Glockenspiel

So after spending most of the day in Castlelandia, Nicole and I decided to visit the Olympic park that was home to the 1972 Olympics. On day two, we spent the morning wandering around the old town, including the Marienplatz, home of the famous carillon in the tower of the town hall, the famous marketplace, and St. Peter's Church. The Marienplatz is really cool and I personally don't think the glockenspiel (carillon) show is underrated. I was going to put a video clip of the glockenspiel, but my video files sadly seem to have stopped working for me, so a picture will have to do. The market, Viktualienmarkt, is also awesome; there were tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, German crafts, and the beginning of many, many, decorated Easter

View from Peterskirche.

eggs. Then we went up in the tower of Peterskirche, which has some great views of the Marienplatz, the market, and the rest of the city. After all this, we went to the famous Hofbrauhaus for lunch. The place is HUGE, but nicer than I'd expected. Not just your average beer hall. The place is actually pretty nice on the inside, with the ceilings and walls decorated, live music, and, well, beer. As for German cuisine, it's
not horribly different from Spanish cuisine in terms of ingredients: lots

Inside the Hofbrauhaus.

of pork, sausage, and potatoes. However, the Germans seem to do it differently. I don't dislike Spanish food, but I'm so tired of it, so German pork and potatoes were a nice change. (Not to mention they know how to make beer. The Spanish, sadly, do not.) After lunch, Nicole and I visited the Schloss Nymphenburg, a 17th century baroque palace that was the summer residence of the Bavarian ruling family for a couple of centuries. The place has pretty extensive gardens and SO MANY swans. Totally worth a visit.

Day three was dedicated to Dachau. Dachau was one of the first (or maybe THE first, not positive) concentration camps, first opened as a camp for political prisoners only a few weeks (on March 22nd, 1933) after Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor. The camp was used as a model for other concentration camps, and as it was one of the earliest, the name "Dachau" was feared throughout the region. Starting in 1937, mass arrests began and these people were sent to Dachau (along with other camps). They entered the camp through a gate that is still there, reading "Work liberates." Over the course of its 12-year use by the Third Reich, over 200,000 people from over thirty countries were taken prisoner at Dachau. Even though Dachau was a work camp, not an extermination camp, 41,500 people were murdered there from extreme forced labor, malnutrition, typhus outbreaks, etc. There were two crematoriums (a small one and a bigger one built with greater capacity), but there are no records that they were used for mass cremations. Dachau was liberated in 1945 by US troops. Later on, in 1965, the Bavarian State opened up the Dachau Memorial Site, which is of course, still there today. Some of the original buildings remain, while others (like the barracks where the prisoners "lived") are reconstructions. There are also religious structures that have been built for visitors, as well as memorial statues and monuments, some more explicit than others but all equally emotionally provocative.

"Never Again" memorial with ashes of unknown prisoners in front.

Anyway, in terms of our visit to Dachau, it was obviously not the most fun part of our trip, but definitely worth it. We took a three-hour guided tour of the camp, although you can do a self-guided tour; there's still plenty of information that will take you hours to get through. I don't think there's ever any way to fully grasp the horrors of the concentration camps and all of the things that went on leading up to and during the Holocaust, but visiting the concentration camp memorial sites is one way to move towards an understanding of not why or how these things occurred, but at least what occurred.

After our cheerful morning at Dachau, we spent the afternoon in the English Garden, one of the world's largest municipal parks (it's even bigger than Central Park!). This wrapped up our time in Munich and Germany - that night we left for Salzburg, Austria.


*Photos taken from the Neuschwanstein Castle website: http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/index.htm