Tuesday March 28 - 4 weeks in Spain

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We moved from Granada by bus and train yesterday and are now in Jerez de la Fronter (or on the the Frontier.) In 1492 the Christian King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to finance Columbus after he asked them three times. The needed their money at the beginning of the year to fight the Moors in Granada. They Conquered Spain and made Granada their Capital. They honeymooned at the Alhambra. When they Moors were driven back South and the Sultan no longer in power, and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, having secured the frontier which was everything in the south of Spain, they now could finance Columbus's voyage of discovery. We learned much of this history from the Alhambra quite. To continue the story, within 2 generations the capital had been moved to Madrid, the center of the country and away from the frontiers. Madrid is now the largest city in Spain, (3,255,944) followed by Barcelona (1,621,537) Valancia and Sevilla (each around 800,000) The Spanish population 46.77 million is shrinking. The thing that I haven't witnessed, being in Spain for a month in 4 medium sized cities, is paralyzing fear of Muslim's. There have been Arabs, Jews and Christians living here together for 1200 years. I look more foreign to them. But when when we were in Granada there where people from all over Europe who looked like people from all over the world. It was pretty wonderful to see the mixing of all the peoples. Tomorrow we fly to Portugal for 17 days then finish the trip with 11 days in Madrid.

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