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8 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MAY 2019 L I V I N G T H E B U C K E T L I S T By Berkie Harris, Resident I made a big dent in the bucket list when I took a trip to Spain last fall on a Gate 1 Kaleidoscope Tour. I flew into Barcelona, joined the tour, and spent the first three days marveling at the art nouveau elegance and Antoni Gaudi architecture which make this city unique. Construction on the colossal cathedral La Sagrada Familia was started in 1882 and it is still not finished. We headed north through Basque country to Bilbao on the Bay of Biscay. Bilbao was a port city falling into decay until the Guggenheim Foundation opened their modern art museum there in 1997. Much of the city was torn down and rebuilt around the building which is a work of art itself. Bilbao is a rebirth of culture and commerce for the Basque region of Spain. The next several days took us south through the historic cities of central Spain. First was Segovia with its fairy tale castle, the Alcazar. Then on to Madrid and the famous Prado Art Museum which houses masterpieces by Spain's most famous artists. We went into the hills above Madrid to see El Escorial, a vast palace-monastery-museum built in 1563. On to Toledo where three religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity existed in peace and prosperity under the Moors for many centuries before the Christian Reconquista. Next was Cordoba, the seat of Jewish culture before the notorious Inquisition. On my own, I spent many hours in the Sephardic Museum learning both the good and bad of my people's history in Spain. The Mezquita de Cordoba was built around 929 A.D. as the largest mosque in the world. In the 16th century it was converted to a cathedral but still retains its original arches, tiles and Moorish design. On to Andalucia and its capital, Seville. Christopher Columbus is buried in its huge cathedral. We loved the evening Flamenco show and had another fabulous tapas dinner. The weather got warmer as we headed to the Alhambra in Granada. The weather in Spain is very similar to here so late fall was a good time to go. A mid-summer trip could put you in 100-degree temperatures. The Alhambra, built in the 13th century, is one of the most well preserved and majestic palaces I have ever seen. Set in the hills of the Sierra Nevada mountains the "Red Fortress" was the seat of the Islamic Nasrid dynasty. It was a residence for the sultans and a center for trade. Another equally beautiful but not so well-known palace, The Generalife, sits just above the Alhambra. This was the summer palace. It and its gardens are beyond description. The tour ended in the "Garden City" of Valencia on the Costa Blanca. Besides being famous for El Cid and oranges, Valencia is also known for the modern architecture along its waterfront of Santiago Calatrava, who designed the new World Trade Center in New York City. I flew home happy that I had finally gotten to see this magnificent country and learned so much about its history in the process. Magnificent Spain

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