What Makes Spain the Ideal Catholic Artist Vacation?
Catholicism is EVERYWHERE!
(above: La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona)
Largely due to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella the Catholic (the monarchs who sent Christopher Columbus sailing across the ocean blue), Spain is overwhelmingly full of Catholic churches, relics, sights and names. I lost count of the number of churches I visited, the street signs named after saints, the Marian statues, the Christian art. You might find yourself suddenly in a cathedral built in the sixteenth century, or in a basilica containing a Marian statue known as the Black Madonna from the twelfth century. (Maybe not suddenly – Montserrat takes a bit of effort and planning to visit.)
Modern Spain’s relationship to Catholicism is complicated at best, but there are still plenty of special sites and activities for a practicing Catholic to frequent. During my visit, I attended Sunday Mass in Sevilla. If I had just gotten to town a few days earlier, I would have experienced one of the city’s famous Corpus Christi processions. But be careful with Mass times around festival days – they tend to change without warning, so the best method is simply to show up and ask when the next misa is scheduled.
Madrid’s El Prado is one of the best art museums in the world.
(above: St. Gregory, angry at me for breaking museum rules about photos)
I arrived at El Prado in Madrid about one half-hour after it opened, and stayed for six! The museum offers excellent audio guides, and if you book tickets in advance, you won’t have to wait in line for long. The café/restaurant are also there in case you need a break. While the museum doesn’t allow photographs, you can purchase any number of prints in the gift shop. I saw paintings by El Greco, Velasquez, Goya, and countless others in this treasure trove. After visiting El Prado, I recommend a stroll through Retiro Park, which a few short steps away and is a curiously similar experience as Central Park in Manhattan.
And hey, if classical art isn’t your thing, there are tons of other art museums out there - we also visited in Toledo’s Museum of Santa Cruz, which was a welcome respite from a 100-degree day.
Nature in Spain is just as beautiful as the art and cathedrals.
Hiking the mountains surrounding the Montserrat monastery (pictured, just an hour outside Barcelona) was a dream. You can imagine what it might have been like to be a pilgrim, hiking many hours to reach the summit, or a chapel tucked into the woods. We also went hiking in Sierra Nevada just before sunset and caught the last rays of sunshine, and spent time in the gardens of the Alhambra, a magnificent Christian-Muslim military-royal-palace in Granada. Kayaking and snorkeling in the clear waters of Costa Brava, just north of Spain, was also a highlight of the trip – we even saw the caves of Spanish pirates, one of whom left a human skull (!!) in the cliffs.
Mornings are a visual artist’s dream.
(the Basiclica de la Macarena, Sevilla, about 8:30am - the moon!)
Remember how I attended Mass in Sevilla? As I wandered, I had the streets almost entirely to myself - except for other photographers! In Spain, people stay up late and socialize all night long, but in the early morning, the streets are beautifully silent, and the morning light is somehow clear and romantic. I’m not an expert photographer, but I could have stayed out all morning taking pictures.
Cafes. Period.
(above: 4 Cats in Barcelona, Picasso’s old haunt)
We’re artists. We take up space for long periods of time, typically in cafes. We even saw a café in Barcelona where Picasso used to hang out.
In Spain, it might take an hour and a half to get your check. That’s okay! Linger awhile. Think about what you’ve seen and experienced. Write it down. And have a café con leche while you do.
And make it a vino tinto when happy hour hits.
And finally …
It’s not as expensive as you might think.
Traveling to Spain doesn’t have to break the bank. I stayed in one hostel and three AirBnbs and traveled with a good friend. We kept each other safe and held each other accountable for our spending habits. We also booked the plane tickets far in advance. I flew from New York to London to Barcelona, from Barcelona to Granada, took a bus from Granada to Sevilla, took a high speed train from Sevilla to Madrid, and flew from Madrid directly to New York, all in about two weeks.
Feel free to reach me at lapittenger@gmail.com for more tips! Buen viaje!
