Thursday May 2, 2019

The First Room

We start today with a very short walk to the Basilica of St John of God. Not listed as a top sight of Granada, it should be. They provide a very good English audioguide. The Basilica is done in Baroque style and the whole place is phenomenal.

Resting Place of St John of God

We were able to enter the Chapel where St John of God is entombed. Juan de Dios is the patron Saint of Granada. There are over a hundred verified relics with him and then several others surrounding the shrine. One is a piece of wood from the cross used to crucify Jesus. The room is so ornate, it is overwhelming.            

Gold Everywhere

                                   The Basilica is even more incredible. You have to try and compartmentalize it to take in all the stories and individual artwork that is portrayed here. I really do not think that pictures can do it justice. The color of the day is gold, followed by more gold, then adding just a touch of gold. The High Altar is supposed to be shaped like a candle in the middle. St Johns Chapel is in the middle with the Virgin Mary above and the Holy Spirit as the light. We really enjoyed this stop.

Rare..Jesus on Cell Phone

From the Basilica, we meander along to explore and come across an open church. Turns out it has an interesting history about the Icon of Perpetual Help. There is a framed picture and also a processional float with the icon on it. More importantly is a side chapel with a rare statue of Jesus on his cell phone. Hello, Dad, I think I might be in some trouble here. Alright, I hope God has a sense of humor. We see a few more spots before finding lunch.

Lemonade and Mint

Alfaguara is in the Arabic quarter and is not exactly easy to find. The streets are a narrow maze of alleys but we do find the small lane and then the restaurant. We get a set meal which includes a choice of first, second, and then tea or coffee. We decide to try the Arabic lemonade with mint as they do not serve alcohol here. The drink comes and it is really, really good. I may have to figure this one out when we get home. We order a Harira soup and some hummus as our first course. The soup has chickpeas, tomato, maybe some lentils, and beef. Very tasty. The hummus is served with a pita bread that is pretty thick, not like pita we normally get. It too is good.

Mint Tea

Sip of mint lemonade to cleanse the palate. Our seconds are vegetable cous cous and chicken tagine. The tagine is flavorful but to Carols dismay has way more peas than she is comfortable with. I on the other hand, love peas. Hot mint tea is served to help our digestion. It is very soothing on the palate and I drink several glasses of it.

CNC Cartuja Monastery

We now have a mile and a half walk to our next stop, the Cartuja Monastery. The walk takes along the edge of the moorish quarter, through an old city gate and then uphill in a mixed vibe neighborhood. We reach the monastery and climb the stairs leading up to it. The admission includes an audioguide which is always nice. We start our visit in the cloister which is a small peaceful place. The monastery housed Carthusian monks who were often persecuted, specifically in England under Henry VIII. A song pops into my head. I’m Henry The eighth I am….back to the visit.

In the Refectory

We visit several rooms off the cloisters which include the refectory, the old chapel, the chapter house and the chapel of St Peter and St Paul. There is some interesting art work done by one of the monks, Friar Juan Sanchez Cotán. He was quite good. A wooden cross in the refectory turns out to be printed on the wall. A story says that a pigeon tried over and over again to land on it, until it fell to the ground, exhausted. Tonight’s dinner, squab.

Carthusian Martyrs

There are several paintings depicting the monks persecution, a hanging scene, and also several martyrdoms suffered in 1573 by English monks. The paintings show how each was martyred, shot, lanced, hatchet to the head, etc.

Monks Section

We work our way towards the church and enter it. It is baroque in style and divided into sections, one for the public, one for laymen, and one for the monks. There are more paintings by Friar Sanchez Cotán and the Sancta Sanctorum has sculptures of St John the Baptist, St Mary Magdalene, and St Bruno, all with angels cloaking them from above.

The Sacristy

The Sacristy looks like a small church and is amazing to step into. There are beautiful cabinets in here to hold religious objects. St Bruno is present here as well. The monastery is another great example of Spanish Baroque art and due to its location avoids the usual crowds and tour group frenzy. That in itself makes the visit worthwhile.

Dinner

After returning to our hotel and resting a bit, we go out to find breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. We pick out things at the store and then head to a tapas bar to eat. It is jam packed and we are not in the mood to stand and eat so we head back to the fresh fried fish place, score our little table, and enjoy a calamare sandwich, fried calamare, paella, and a cold beer. Time to call it a night as we have what we think will be a long day tomorrow.

Expenses
Hotel Granada Centro 44.11E
Basilica San Juan de Dio 8E Cash
Lunch at Alfaguara 25E Cash
Monasterio de Cartuja 10E
Lunch for tomorrow from Supermarket 5.35E
Dinner at La Freiduria de Tere 15E
Walked 6.5 Miles