Holy Toledo!

Toledo was Spain's capital city before it was moved to Madrid.

With apologies to the Astros Milo Hamilton, Holy Toledo is pronounced Holy Toe-lay-dough in Spain. The country's first capital city has a proud heritage like so many other cities we visited during our two week journey. The locals admit Seville's cathedral is larger than the one in Toledo, but they believe it is more important. For us it doesn't matter, both are beautiful. We only thought our singing was done last night when we completed our concert in Avila, however we had an impromptu singing of "The Lord's Prayer" inside the cathedral this afternoon. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the tour. The hushed tone inside the exquisitely adorned choir loft brought many to tears. Unfortunately neither photo cameras nor video cameras are allowed to be used inside so the event could not be recorded, but we have the memories.


For a long while Toledo was an icon of religious tolerance. Christians, Muslims and Jews all coexisted with the walls of the city. Of course that all changed as time marched on, but there is a lot to be learned from Toledo's social history. The city was designed to be difficult to negotiate so the streets are narrow and weaved in a labyrinth. The cathedral stands on a hill that is so steep, escalators have been built to help not only tourists but the townspeople up and down the way to the old city. It is still one of the best places in the world to purchase knives as the silver process is so good, it was even mentioned by Shakespeare as his characters often referred to their trusty "toledo" a reference to their sharply edged sword. While today the city is certainly overshadowed by Madrid today, it is a reminder of Spain's past.


As for the concert in Avila last night, it seemed the entire town came out and crammed inside the Auditorio San Francisco. There were many surprises including a solo from Andi Jaber, "His Eye is on the Sparrow," and Janet Coombs helping Peter Johns in the duet part of the opening of "One World." As much as the all the sight seeing was educational, it was the singing which was the most enjoyable. All of the audiences were wonderful, and we leave Spain hoping that we helped enrich, as much as we have been enriched by the tremendous experience.


Our visit to Spain wraps up tonight with a farewell dinner than it's off to bed for a brief nap. We'll be rising at 3:30 a.m., or 8:30 p.m. Houston time to catch our flight to France, and then back to Houston tomorrow afternoon.

A Short History of Spanish Art

The Museo Nacional Del Prado
Our visit to Madrid included a brief tour of the Museo Del Prado, one of the most important art museums in Europe. Our guide, Gema Gonazalez Gal, who's first name translates to "precious stone" turned out to be a real gem. She gave us a background of spanish art from the 16th century to the modern era using three period artists. We first learned about El Greco, who was born in Greece but moved to Spain where he painted his most important work.

El Greco is really a nickname as he was born Doménikos Theotokópoulos which the spaniards had trouble saying so since he was from Greece he was called El Greco, The Greek. His paintings represent the mystics or the spirituality of the time. As Gema pointed out, the bodies are drawn thinly, to represent ascension. The colors are vivid, but not realistic helping the painting transmit the "life to come" rather than the reality of the time. El Greco died in 1614 so his work is representative of the Spanish Renaissance.

Velazquez picked up where El Greco left off. One of his final works is his masterpiece Les Meninas which as Gema explained is a "snapshot" of the royal court. Velazquez learned a great deal about geometric perspective and the piece catches a glimpse as if you were the royal couple looking into his art studio as he was painting "Les Meninas." Velazquez himself is in the painting and as you step back he creates a three dimensional impression of the room.

The third painter Gema identified as one of the truly great spanish masters is Goya. He is remembered for looking at some of the darker situations in life. He captures on canvass two historical dates, May 3 and May 8, 1808 when the Spanish were fighting Napoleon. You can see the atrocities being committed by the French troops in a scene depicting a firing squad. The white shirt denoting innocence while the troops who's faces are not shown because war is anonymous.

The visit to the Museo Nacional Del Prado turned out to be one of the highlights of our two week tour. We sing tonight, our final concert in Spain, in the small town of Avila, in the Auditorio San Francisco. Avilia is about an hour and a half from Madrid.

Stopping along the way to Madrid

The view of the "Old City" from across the Rio Guadalquivir in Cordoba

As we made our way to Madrid, the final destination of our two week tour, we stopped for a quick visit to Cordoba where we didn’t find “Surprising Affordability” or “Soft Corinthian leather,” but Ricardo Montalbán jokes aside we did find another beautiful old world village with a wonderful history. (But no one was driving a Chrysler.)

Earlier on our trip one of our local guides, Joaquin Perez, pointed out that in today’s world we often confuse words like Arab, Muslim, and Moors using them interchangeably. This happens a lot when looking into the heritage of many of the southern spanish communities like Granada, Cordoba or Seville. True the Moors were muslim, but they did not come from the Arabian peninsula so they really are not Arabs. They migrated from across the straight of Gibraltar, North Africa specifically, in the country we know today as Morocco. The point in all of this is to say their “brand” of Islam is different than the middle east, which is to say while they were in control of the Iberian peninsula, Christians did in fact live side by side with the Moors. But to be Christian you had to pay more in taxes. The tables were reversed when the Christians defeated the Moors in 1492, meaning Muslims could live in places like Alhambra, or in cities like Seville and Cordoba if they paid more in taxes until much later during the Spanish Inquisition which called on everyone to convert. The point the guide was making, there is a history in Spain of Muslims and Christians coexisting despite some of the modern rhetoric from pressure groups which like to rewrite history for their own purposes.

As for our visit to Cordoba, 1000 years ago it was the most important city in Spain and perhaps all of Europe. Because of the Moorish influence, the townspeople were very well educated. While the literacy rate among European Christians was perhaps less than 10%, 90% of the muslims living in Cordoba could read and write. It is said Cordoba is where the first University was established although I believe folks in Greece would quibble. The point is because the social climate of Cordoba was pro-education, we have them to thank for keeping many of the scrolls from Greek philosophers which were later translated into Latin and taught when the rest of Europe came out of the Dark Ages.

As you might expect the cathedral in Cordoba is beautiful, and unlike Seville, the architects did not tear down the muslim mosque, choosing to build on the structure instead. And as I said the brand of Islam which was preached here though from the Koran, was different than the middle east. While muslim believers are supposed to pray to Mecca, the direction of the mosque is towards Morocco. There are a number of theories of why this happened from it being a mistake, which is usually dismissed because these were educated people, but because Morocco is where they came from, and the Imam at the time when the mosque was built wanted to honor their heritage.

Scintillating Seville!

The Cathedral of Seville. One of the largest cathedrals in all of Europe.

Our travels continued with a visit to the "old city" of Seville. The cathedral is the focal point, and as it turns out one of the bishops in 1401 decided the city needed not only a cathedral, but the biggest one and 80 years later it was finished. To give an idea of its magnitude, an entire soccer field can fit in it. Today mass is held, and there is a time for prayer in the morning, but mostly it is viewed as a museum of spanish culture. Christopher Columbus is buried in the cathedral, well at least parts of Columbus are buried there as he was also entombed in Havana, Cuba for a time and many people have claimed Columbus is buried here and there. They did some DNA testing a few years ago, and the citizens of Seville now rest assured, the remains of the real Columbus are in the cathedral. He actually isn't "buried" per se, as the tomb is being held up by four statues, representing the four kingdoms of Spain during the time when Columbus set sail for the new world.


The "old city" is a lovely area, crammed together by small alley ways and old stone buildings meaning transportation is done here with both feet. While taxis can be found in the plaza by the cathedral, there really isn't a better way to get around than by walking. There is much to see and do as there are number of lovely restaurants and shops. Seville has a long history even before Columbus set sail since it was an inland port. The river which is navigable runs about 50 miles to the sea, so all the great expeditions to the new world began in Seville. The city park is filled with plants brought from the Americas, and there are some ficus trees which look a lot like magnolias which were first planted more than 300 years ago. The root structure is amazing as often it will stand more than six feet off the ground. Most everyone climbed the cathedral tower which provides great views from about 100 meters, 300 feet, in the air.


We leave for Madrid, which is the final leg of this two week tour, in the morning. One more item, I have been able to upload a piece from the concert in Niguelas. You can find it on Youtube by searching Chancel Choir Spain Untitled Hymn.

Food Glorious Food!

The touring Chancel Choir is sampling all kinds of foods during their trip to Spain.
One of the wonderful things that happens while sharing with another culture is sampling the different foods. In Spain there are many traditional dishes as well as foods which can be found easily in Houston. The important thing to do is to be brave and taste the variety. Today was another travel day as we said "adios" to Granada, and "hola" to Seville, or Sevilla which is the spanish spelling. On the way we had lunch in a wonderful restaurant which is a converted church. The owner turned the sanctuary into a museum, and the other buildings into a dining area. The food was excellent, especially the house specialties. While many of the dishes might be found in Houston, the sauces and spices are different. For example I enjoyed a pork dish which was skewered and toasted over a grill, but the taste was much different than what I expected. My wife Hazel enjoyed Pachuga de Pollo, a chicken dish which can be found at many Mexican restaurants in Houston, but the white sauce was seasoned much differently and very tasty.


As I mentioned last night we were treated to a wonderful meal at a fund raiser for the local school in Niguelas. Literally the food was paraded before us including tapas which are a staple of spanish dining. Tapas are snacks, but more than that, they fit the daily spanish cycle which is much different than both the rest of Europe and the United States. While in some places, the working periods are changing, for the most part shops close at 1:30 to 4:30 for a siesta. Often a nice lunch is served, meaning a later meal may be a snack, tapas, at 7 p.m. with a hearty meal at 9:30. After last night's concert we didn't leave the Niguelas until midnight, and yes the restaurants were still open as the spanish lifestyle dictates. So an evening meal may consist of a number of tapas, like a ham and cheese sandwhich, shell fish, or a seasoned rice dish in a small bowl. So as I write this the group is getting ready for a meal here in Seville, and we've already been told the menu, it will be tapas!

Another Packed House!

The touring members of the Chancel Choir take a photo in Granada before singing in Niguelas, Spain.

The little village of Niguelas, Spain is about 25 kilometers, or about 20 miles, southeast of Granada. The Iglesia San Bautista sits atop the village amid the quaint streets that criss cross the hill it is situated on. The streets are so small, the bus had to stop in a parking lot giving us a 10 to 15 minute walk up the back alleys where we performed tonight. And what a night it turned out to be. The church was crammed full to listen the Chancel Choir, so full many folks had to be turned away. The concert was part of "60festival," an international music tradition which has continued for 60 years in the Granada area, and the people of Niguelas couldn't have been more appreciative.

After the concert, we walked to the school grounds where it seemed the entire village turned out for a huge dinner to help raise funds for the school and to thank the visitors from Texas. The food was wonderful and it kept coming. Everything from ham sandwiches and olives as an appetizer, to shrimp, mussels and pork for the main course. The night couldn't have been better; very memorable indeed!



Earlier in the day we toured Alhambra, the muslim palace which was built in Granada that was later conquered by the spainiards in 1492. Of course all school children know it's the same year Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue and discovered America. One interesting fact, Ferdinand and Isabella were in such a great mood after defeating the Arabs, that when Columbus made his proposal, they gave their support, proving once again, timing has a lot to do with success. The palace and the gardens are wonderful place to visit. Interesting, it's referred to as the "8th Wonder of the World!" I guess that's a title the Astrodome isn't anymore.

Back on the Bus

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences). Designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava.

It turned out to be a short stay in Valencia as we left early this morning for Granada. We did get to learn a lot about Valencia getting a guided sight seeing tour last evening. The most interesting area is the City of Arts and Sciences but the picture does not do it justice. When you step on to the bridge which bisects the structures, it's as if you have stepped into the world of George Jetson. The area holds a beautiful opera and music hall, the largest aquarium in Europe, and an interactive museum of science. Valencia was once a sleepy little city, prone to flooding and aging. However the city got its act together first changing the flow of the river, sending it four kilometers south, and then went on a building binge. Business leaders were able to persuade the Swiss to hold the America's Cup Regatta in the city 7 years ago, and then signed a long term deal with Formula 1 auto racing, in fact they just held a Gran Prix event near the harbor two weeks ago. But Valencia is only a stop over on this trip, and the alarm clock went off early as we headed southwest and through the mountains to Granada.

The spanish country side is beautiful, very much like driving through the Western United States. Movie goers from the 60's might know the area was used in many of the old "Spaghetti Westerns" which were produced by several Italian directors and filmed here. From Valencia, it's about a 400 kilometer drive or about 300 miles, so as you can imagine it took pretty much all day to get here. We'll be spending two nights in Granada, which will include a concert tomorrow night.