February 24, 2023
An Inquiry into Inquisitions
"Spanish Inquisition" catches our attention because the phrase is sort of common knowledge. But it entered the culture at two distinct points, at least that's how it entered my own personal awareness. The first point, for me anyway, was through Monty Python. Monty Python, or "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was a comedy sketch TV show that aired between 1969 and 1974. It was accompanied by three irreverent movies Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). There were two sketches that featured the Spanish Inquisition. Each depicts a totally normal domestic scene, until someone casually mentions the "Spanish Inquisition". At this point three "Spaniards" burst into the room with the catch phrase "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!". They proceed to try to nail down what their chief weapons are, generally fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, fanatical devotion to the Pope, and red uniforms. They have trouble counting how many chief weapons they have. In one skit they proceed to torture "grandma" with a combination of the comfy chair and the soft pillows. In another, they use the rack - dish rack! Why I or anyone found this hilarious is a matter of debate, and some around here still don't get it!
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The real Spanish Inquisition was of course no joke. From 1478 it involved an attempt to root out heresy, focusing on jews and muslims who claimed to have converted to Christianity to escape persecution, and moving to Protestants and other undesirables. The peak years were in the 1500's and the last execution by the Inquisition was in 1826. The Inquisition was known for brutal torture and execution. Galileo was one famous entity who fell afoul of Church orthodoxy. But that's all we know, or want to know, about it!
As far as the Portuguese go, they ran their Inquisition from 1536 to 1821, so they got in on inquisitioning a bit late, and quit a bit early, compared to the Spanish. But 285 years is still a very long time to be on this case.
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The next Iberian Inquisition will be done by the Grampies, as they partly circle the Iberian Peninsula, learning all they can about the land, the people, the food, and the bakeries (if any)! Read on to see the route, and to learn about transporting the bikes, which far from fear and surprise are our main weapons!
As we embark on this trip, we have some wondering why at our advanced ages we continue to head out into potentially challenging situations. How about a nice all inclusive on the beach, or a guided four day bike tour with rental e-bikes, it may be suggested. These are in fact quite reasonable ideas, but just not for us. It had us thinking about a cycling sticker we picked up in Idaho. Maybe this could be the basis for our own logo for this Inquisition?
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...Still riding but not as hard and not as long... Evidence that knees do get old, even if we keep riding and the rest still works well.
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https://youtu.be/LnF1OtP2Svk
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