Iberian Discovery - Part 3

Columbus Was Here

After five days in sunny Portugal we headed for Spain. Weather continued hot under cloudless blue sky. We drove along Portugal's southern coast and stopped for lunch in the town of Tavira. One of Tavira's historic sites is the medieval bridge seen in the next picture. This was originally a Moorish bridge dating to the 1100's. The bridge has been repaired several times since then.

This lunch stop was typical of many others we made. Our energetic guide, Cesar, would set us free to wander and get our own lunches. In the next picture Cesar is telling us to return to the tour bus at an appointed time.

We bought ham and cheese sandwiches in a small shop and wandered through the town towards an old fort/castle. Along the way we passed these two scenes.

The site of the Tavira fort/castle has actually been fortified for more than 2000 years going back to its occupation by Phoenicians. The walls have been modified over the ages as the fort/castle changed hands from Moors to Christians. Our first look at the ruins revealed these outer walls.

A garden now occupies the space behind the walls.

This was the view from within the garden.

After lunch we were back on the bus headed towards Huelva in Spain. It was here in 1492 that Columbus set sail on his first voyage across the Atlantic. Recent archeological evidence confirms that Columbus left from Palos de la Frontera, about a mile from our first stop at replicas of his three ships. The Rio Tinto, down which Colombus sailed, is visible on the left beyond the small lagoon housing the ships in the first picture below. His actual launch point was just up the river in the same direction as the view in the picture.

This tourist site failed to excite me. Although the proprietors made a good effort to recreate not only the three ships, but also the living conditions and culture of the Caribbean natives Columbus encountered, I was getting spoiled by seeing so many real historical sites. I would have been happier visiting authentic archeological remains of the launch location rather than this fabricated attraction. But my enthusiasm soon returned because we quickly moved on to a real historic location, the Monesterio de Santa Maria de La Rabida. The Franciscan monks at this monastery supported Colombus' bid to sail west to India. Colombus actually resided at the monastery, walked its corridors, and sat in its rooms. He also met the Pinzon brothers at la Rabida, and Martin Pinzon is buried here. The entrance way to the monastery is seen below.

An attractive courtyard garden greeted new arrivals.

The walls around this courtyard were decorated by lovely modern artwork related to the monastery's history.

The chapel, seen in the next two pictures, seemed to have original decaying wall decorations.

In fact, many of the corridor walls seemed to be lined with original ancient decoration.

First floor brick work in the beautiful central cloisters dates from the 1400's.

In the modest room shown below, according to an informative sign, the initial discussions between Columbus and cosmographer, Father Marchena, took place in the late 1400's. They probably discussed Columbus' plans and the difficulty obtaining backing for his proposed voyage.

This refectory, or dining hall, is where Colombus and his son, Diego, ate. The crucifix dates from the 13th century.

The monastery also housed copies of many old documents related to Colombus like the one below.

After the monastery visit we arrived at yet another gorgeous hotel. Here's the view from the back deck of our room towards the swimming pool behind the trees.

The nearby ocean was beyond and below the pool. We climbed down a long staircase so C could take her customary walk in the water.

A visit to Donana National Park was on the agenda for the next day.