Anyone seen any really good ones? I'm generally not much on military history or this sort of sightseeing, but if you know of anything really outstanding, I'd love to know about it. The only thing I know for sure is that While I'm in Barcelona I'll have to lay eyes on the Ebro somewhere in the vicinity of Rasquera, where my tio abuelo and two other Lincoln Brigade members were interviewed sin ropa (de verdad!) by a New York Times reporter after the three were forced to swim the Ebro to escape that famous battle. Your suggestions need not involve either my uncle Joe or nudity in general ;-> but if you know of any don't-misses, pass the word along. Thanks!

The Alcazar of Toledo houses a civil war museum. It was the scene of a 70- day seige by the Republicans in 1937. The Nationalist Colonel in command refused to surrender even after a plea from his son, held prisoner by the Republicans. The son was killed, but the Nationalists withstood the seige.

Aphra,
Before you go, read the appropriate Hemingway and Orwell writings. They both fought on the Republican side (as did many other famous people, naked and otherwise ), and perhaps you can find some interesting bits from their writings. Most of the interesting sites I know of are from memories only. Having been to Toledo, I find the armory portion the best, where a recreation of the story Kurt alluded to can be heard...very touching, whether you side with the nacionalistas or not.

The most poignant reminder of the civil war to me is Gernika-Lomo (Guernica in Spanish) which is about an hour east of Bilbao. This is the site of the German Condor Legion's massacre on market day of the population of Gernika, historical and sentimental capital of the Basque region. There are some great presentations on the occurrence, and walking through a town which had to be almost completely rebuilt within the last 63 years is a testament. You can still see scars (from shells, bullets, etc.) on some edifices. Perhaps it's a little out of your way, but I recommend it to anyone.

Reading is easy, and I've done plenty of it, so if I may add to your list:

Alvah Bessie, a Hollywood screenwriter who was a soldier in the Lincoln Brigade (Hemingway and Orwell were not, FYI; Hemingway was a foreign correspondent) wrote a first person account of the war called Men In Battle. Voices Against Tyranny, an anthology published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war, includes works by WH Auden, John Dos Passos, Pablo Picasso, Williamn Carlos Williams, Federico Garcia Lorca ("Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias," the inspiration for the Hemingway title Death In The Afternoon), Thomas Mann, Antoine De Saint-Exupery, Luis Bunuel, Pablo Neruda, Dorothy Parker, Salvador Dali, Andre Malraux (author of Man's Hope, another account of the war), and Edna St. Vincent Millay, among others.

And of course there are all the incredibly beautiful poems and plays of Garcia Lorca, who I am surprised to see so little represented on this site. For those who are interested, there's a Garcia Lorca foundation in Granada, which you also can visit at www.garcia-lorca.org.

But it seems from the postings on this site and information I've gathered elsewhere that this particular interest of mine is destined for disappointment. How foolish of me to have forgotten that Franco's absolute power during his 40-year reign included the power to discard the truth and rewrite history to his own liking...

It's not a site, but it is a sight! Picasso's Guernica (possibly the greatest painting of the 20th c., imho) is in the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid. It is surrounded by many preliminary sketches and is simply awesome, no matter how many reproductions you may have seen previously.

After the war, Franco constructed a "valley of the fallen" someplace outside of Madrid.

Valle de los Caídos is very moving, as is the basilica where Franco buried his arch-enemy José Antonio and where Franco is buried too. The great irony is that it was built by prisoners of the war.

Aphra- Thanks for clearing up the "official" status of Orwell and Hemingway during the civil war. I own a copy of the "Voices Against Tyranny" and perhaps I've read too much into the writings contained by both in that book. If neither were an official member of the brigadas internacionales, then it was in title only. Their ideology was apparently anti-Franco, which led me to believe that they "fought" in the brigades. Must you carry a gun to battle? Voices Against Tyranny is an excellent anthology of some of this century's greatest minds.

Don't read my advocation of a visit to Toledo's Alcazar as anything other than advocating a visit to an historical civil war site, which is what you requested. If you'd like to discuss your personal feelings about Franco, open a new thread. As I mentioned, if you'd like a differing point of view on what happened at the hands of Franco, go to Gernika-Lumo and sit through some of those decidedly anti-Franco presentations. Not everyone in political Spain has allowed their history to be re-written.

If you want to discuss the poet-martyr Lorca, open another thread. I'd be interested to hear what you have to say.

Didn't mean to suggest any offense had been taken--or to give any offense, for that matter. I'm just surprised that 25 years post-Franco there's no museum, no memorial to those who fought to preserve the democratic government he overthrew. Something like the Nazi resistance museums in Copenhagen and Oslo, perhaps. Admittedly I come at this from the perspective of a leftist in the US (I think there are about 6 of us remaining :-), so no implication of any sense of superiority on the political front!) I'm just sad that the International Brigades seem so forgotten.

And of course Hemingway and many other writers contributed to the fight. It just always amuses me that he was an ambulance driver in WWI and a reporter in the Civil War yet somehow has acquired the image of a fighting soldier!

Can't resist your Lorca offer--I'm off to post another thread--see you there, and thanks!

Try these links from the Google web directory :

• Spanish Civil War
• Guerra Civil Española

Regards,

Antonio

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The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

Aphra, I couldn't tell whether you were offended or not...it's a good thing we're not all jerks on this site...I know some people would get teed off. I appreciate your comments, even if I don't consider myself a leftist (just left-handed). Maybe when the other choice is Franco, though, being on the left doesn't seem so bad.

I'll look for Lorca...