The only UN-necessary part of the tour was the brief stop in Fatima, famous for the reported 'sightings' of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917. As an important Catholic shrine, I was amazed and disgusted by the crass commercialisation of religion -- the shops selling all kinds of religious items (which seemed to me to support idolatry and shopkeepers' purses rather than faith) and the hideous rosary beads as shown here:
???
Oh no ..... can't get the photo to upload. Is it the hotel internet connection, or am I being punished for the comments I just wrote? Will try again in a minute.
Ah .... I'm not being punished. Here's the photo:
I mean, for goodness sake, what's the point??? It's mindless, ugly, gross and utterly senseless. It's the kind of thing that makes many people reject institutionalised, commercialised religion.
But here are my wonderful American friends, Dick and Debbie, in front of one of the shops:
Dick and Debbie have been friends for nearly 30 years. I met them when I first worked at the University of Colorado such a long time ago.
Lisbon
We arrived late in the afternoon, but immediately headed for the Castelo de Sao Jorge (Saint George Castle). It's a strong fortified citadel with a long, long history. The first fortifications on top of the hill were built in the 2nd Century BC! What we see today is largely a result of building during medieval times.
First, we had to get to the top of the hill, so paid for a Tuk-Tuk. It was nearly the end of our lives, but we live to tell the tale.
It was getting dark, but the view over Lisbon was spectacular.
Sintra
The Royal Palace -- summer retreat of the royal court.
Lunch group: Daryl, David, Bret, Sonja (Bret's mum), Debbie, Dick.
Influence of the Moors obvious:
The kitchen in the Royal Palace
The ceiling of the kitchen is a giant 'funnel' to take the smoke and fumes out
As seen from the outside
Seville
The amazing Plaza de España
Casa Blanca (where the story of Casablanca originated):
Cordoba
The Cathedral of Cordoba, or the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. An amazing history. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque%E2%80%93Cathedral_of_C%C3%B3rdoba
One of the most accomplished feats of Moorish architecture.
The first photo shows a building that appears to be a mosque, but when Cordoba returned to Christian rule in 1236, the building was converted to a Catholic church. Now, features of both occur side by side. It is a very controversial building.
In many parts of what is now the country of Spain, Christians, Muslims and Jews lived together peacefully for hundreds of years.
An ancient Jewish Synagogue:
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