Sic Transit Gloria Cristofori Columbi

Let me be the first to wish you Happy Columbus Day! Did anyone even wish you a Happy Columbus Day this morning? I didn't think so. No one seems to celebrate Columbus Day anymore. Gone are the days that the holiday gave children dreams of the ships the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and the great adventures of Genova's Cristoforo Colombo. Columbus Day used to be an excuse for a fun unit in grade school, a spaghetti dinner, and some shopping at the abundant Columbus Day sales. Now this holiday lies by the wayside, dusty and neglected.

Pictured above is a room at the Alhambra Palace in Grenada, Spain, a UNESCO world heritage site, where legend has it Columbus met with Queen Isabella of Spain to seal the deal for funding Columbus' trip to the Indies. Because of technological limitations, he ended up discovering the Americas. When you consider how Columbus changed the history of the world, this is a pretty exciting place to visit.