This just in...Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

Valle de los caidos (valley of the fallen) is a weird,beautiful creepy place, and a fine easy day ride from el Escorial. There is only a minor climb of about 4 km, you can ride all the way from Madrid city or take the train to Escorial which is what I did. After uncle Franco crushed the republican guard, the communists, and the anarchists, he announced he would build a great monument to those that died in the Spanish Civil War that he pretty much started. Accounts vary as to how the great monument was built...forced labor by republican prisoners, or a way for prisoners to choose to reduce their sentence. The valley itself is a nice forested area and you can see Madrid city, numerous small towns, Peurto Navacerrada, and (I think) the Roman road which passes over Puerto Fuenfria. In the middle of the valley is the world's largest crucifix, built on a rock outcrop. Within the rock outcrop is a basilica. The fallen (thousands) are apparently buried in the valley, though it is unclear to me where. Their names are not part of the monument. As it turned out Franco himself is buried here, so it is also the tomb of the third most famous fascist in world history. As I understand, there were parties in the streets of Madrid when he died, so I don't know why he was honored like this. They should have just dropped him off at the city dump. Maybe it was a subtle insult to have him buried among all the people whose deaths he caused? Franco's name is one of only two that appear in the basilica (which unfortunately was closed when I went), so he ended up building a giant monument to himself whether he intended it or not. The cross reflects his catholicism...to this day there is really only one religion is Spain. People are impressed by the vast number of protestant and non-christian religions in the US. The cross itself is a fractal, because any cross section is a also a cross (wow, cross section of a cross! the phrase itself is a fractal). The cross is buttressed by apostles, all associated with beasts of some sort. Since they are riding animals it makes it seem as if they are the four horsemen, in fact this whole place indicates DOOM. The sculptures have a mortared blocky look to them like the Thing from the fantastic four. When I was there I realized I had seen this cross from Navacerrada, not realizing just how immense it is or how cool it is in person. I read on the internet that there is actually a ladder to a hatch on the top. Sounds like a fine ninja mission, sitting on top of the cross shotgunning PBR, listening to Black Sabbath and shooting off bottle rockets.



















No shit dude, its a big cross, I bet Mussolini was jealous.
You know what they say about the size of a dictators cross monument.....yep, big feet.