In Barcelona we signed up for a Haunted Walking Tour for Halloween. This tour was not at all what we expected. Instead of myths and legends, it included mostly real and tragic stories.
One building we visited had been owned by a woman who was called the “Vampire.” She lived in the district filled with desperate people who resorted to things like prostitution to get by and survive. Her house was investigated when there were screams heard from outside. Inside they found there were sick and frail children because she was draining them of their blood in order to sell pints for personal profit.
We learned a lot about the tragedies of deaths and suffering based on religions. People were told that they had to either change their religion or leave. Naturally it is difficult to just pick up and leave your whole life behind and start new, so many people would have to pretend they were practicing one religion while practicing their own religion in secret. Of course many people were found out and the punishment would often be death.
On some buildings you can see that some stones have inscriptions on them. These are from Jewish and Muslim workers that used grave stones of their families that were murdered in order to honor them and make a statement.
Our last location was by steps where Ferdinand and Isabela met Christopher Columbus when he returned from his (in)famous journey. Right next to the steps you can see the dark scorched stone from the Jews and Muslims that were brutally burned in the public square.
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