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NIEBLA
JUNE
16, 2004
 It
has been very quiet around the
complex this week. We have some
construction work going on, but little else. We
decided to take an excursion to Niebla. I
was not expecting much from this little town, but we
were ready
for something, so off we went. This
turned out to be a much more interesting visit that I expected.
The little town of
Niebla is
situated close to Huelva, the biggest city around where we are.
The main part of the town in within the
ancient walls, and there are a few old churches and squares to be
seen.
But, by far and away, the most interesting
thing to visit in the town is the old castle.
   The
old castle is well maintained
and there is an interesting tour with signposts in English as well as
Spanish. We were able to walk around
the ramparts and view the river Tinto and surrounding countryside. We also saw the falconry, the old well, the
barbacana, the ancient weaponry, the storehouse, the old kitchen, etc.
   By
far and away the most
interesting display is kept underground in the dungeons.
There we found an extensive collection of
instruments of torture with elaborate written descriptions of how they
were
used and the painful results of being subjected to each item. The title of the display is “Feudal Justice”. There were 10 rooms of tortuous equipment,
including several versions of the rack, facemasks, stocks, tongs,
pliers, beds
of nails, guillotines, balls and chains, and wheels.
The written description of each item told, in detail, why
it was
prescribed, how it was used, what the resulting injuries were, and how
gangrene
or death set in after use. It all
sounded extremely gory and not something I would want to experience at
all. This display must be a big hit
with the school kids, because it is so gory and there were also several
skeletons hanging around to make it even more interesting.
  We
ended up spending almost the
whole afternoon touring the castle, which also included displays of
everyday
life for the royalty, a lady’s bedroom, a kitchen, the jousting court,
etc. There was also a room dedicated to
Ellen Mary Whishaw, an Englishwoman who recognized the importance of
preserving
the castle and fortress and took steps to ensure it’s preservation.
This
was one of the more authentic
seeming medieval castles I have visited so far.
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