As my time here comes to a close, I have a few things that I have been meaning to ask you...
Where did you all learn to walk? I know that this is simply a culture difference, but I am always amazed at how you seem to mosey along as if time doesn't exist. I can honestly say that it has made me late to class more than once! (Honestly though class never starts on the hour anyways) In addition to this admirable nonchalance, you have a very odd concept of personal space. Since I've been here, I have been poked in the face by umbrellas more times than I can count, stepped on, bumped into, and leaned against. Normally this wouldn't be so bad, but why don't you apologize? I'm starting to get bruises!
What is your cholesterol like? I have no idea how you can drown literally everything in olive oil and not gain any weight. Don't get me wrong. I love the tortillas, paella and croquetas, but I am not able to stomach an egg fried in a full pan of oil.
On another note, heels? In a city? Where there are cobblestones? And you walk a ton? I think maybe European women were just born more fabulous. Please write back to confirm.
What do you do on Sundays? I recently learned that only 4.7% of people between 18 and 24 and only 17% of the total population here consider themselves practicing Catholics, so why is everything still closed? Conchi (my host-mom's niece) told me that all you can do on Sundays is go to church, eat tapas, or go to movies. Is this really true? What if you need some groceries or to buy medicine at the farmacia?
Where do you study on weekends? Since the libraries are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, I have found myself in bar-like cafes trying to get homework done. While I realize that most people don't equate studying with studying abroad, I have found that the workload isn't as light as expected. The smoke-filled air and loud conversationalists aren't really conducive to studying either. Is there a secret, quiet building somewhere in the city that I haven't found yet? Finals start on Monday and it would be very helpful to know this.
One last question...How do you possibly expect me to leave? This place is beautiful, exciting, and so different than what I'm used to. There are a million things (and people) that I miss from home, but I know that after a while of being back, I'm going to miss this place in the same way.
All that being said, this culture-shock whirlwind has been difficult, overwhelming, fun, and life-changing. Thank you for the conversations (and for not making fun of my grammatical mistakes), the good food and wine, and the experience of a lifetime.
Con un abrazo fuerte,
Liz
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Let's Get Down In Barcelona
Janelle, her parents, and I packed up from Granada and headed north to Cataluña (more specifically Barcelona) for the weekend.
As you can see, the weather was hardly what I expected/hoped, but the city was beautiful nonetheless. We walked down La Rambla and stopped to explore one of the coolest markets I've ever been in: the Boqueria.
These pictures hardly do it justice, but just imagine...sheep heads, pig legs, homemade chocolate, whole eels, and fruits I've never even seen before! We moseyed down to the waterfront, grabbed a Starbucks (this seems to be a theme when I travel), and then headed to the Picasso Museum. After being in Spain, I feel as if Picasso and I are great friends! He had such an interesting life, and his work is so intriguing. For those who care, here's a brief history lesson...
Born in Málaga in 1881, Picasso began studying art at age 7. If you're interested, I suggest google imaging some of his earlier works..you'll be just as surprised as I was! Even at this age, he possessed a talent for detail and technique. His work was broken up into a few "etapas;" his early works, blue period, rose period, cubism, and surrealism. (He did some other styles too, but in my opinion these are the big ones). They are all unique and worth studying. One of my favorite things he did a critique of was Las Meninas (a very famous piece by Velasquez that I got to see at Prado Museum in Madrid).
He did a ton of pieces in this revolutionary cubist style. This one was my favorites:
Okay. Enough of the Picasso talk.
While in Barcelona, we had the opportunity to go tho the movies...IN ENGLISH. I know, I know..I'm here to learn Spanish, but if you hadn't seen a movie in English in four months, you'd jump at the opportunity too..I'm sure of it! We saw Alicía y el País de Maravillas (Alice and Wonderland) and Shutter Island (for some reason the Spaniards didn't translate this one). We found our way to the one theater that showed un-dubbed movies in Barcelona and immediately realized it was not a healthy place to watch a scary movie. The place was dark (the lobby AND the theater), they didn't sell concessions (BIG red flag), we were the only ones in the theater, and there was a black line on the screen. Even though it was a terrifying experience, I recommended seeing it if you like thrillers..and I won't ruin the end for you!
Back to the Spanish stuff...We also saw the Famous Sagrada Familia; Gaudís last project. This massive church looks (from the outside) like a melting candle and (from the inside) a vast cave.
We learned that it is scheduled to be completed in 2026 (at which time I will be almost 40!) and agreed to come back. Feeling on a Gaudí kick, we went for a walk to see some more of his famous houses and buildings.
Next, we caught a bus to the Park Güell. This was my favorite place in Barcelona. (For any America's Next Top Model fans, you'll recognize part of it, I'm sure). This park was actually built to be a sort of Homeowners Association for the rich. Its creators Gaudí and Güell included common space, a covered market area, a fence surrounding whole community, and two gingerbread-like houses at the entrance. Unfortunately, Gaudí and Güell were about 70 years ahead of their time and people weren't interested in this style of living. Because of this, they had to convert the HOA into a park (lucky for us!).
...As a sidebar, Dad, if you're looking for some business in Spain, you might be able to convince somebody to return the park to its original use!
We did some more exploring, shopping and eating in Barça before attempting to go home. Unsuccessful all day Sunday, we finally managed to get out Monday and were even bumped up to Business Class (and believe me, this means a lot when you've been flying on airlines that don't even have pockets on the backs of the seats) Que Suerte.
Well avid readers. I wrote this entry pre-Morocco trip, but failed to type it up before I left. Marrakesh update to come soon, I promise!!
Oh. I know this has nothing to do with anything, but today is Mother's Day! In honor of the holiday, here are a couple picture of my momma and me!
Happy Mother's day to my wonderful mom and grandma! Love and miss you both
As you can see, the weather was hardly what I expected/hoped, but the city was beautiful nonetheless. We walked down La Rambla and stopped to explore one of the coolest markets I've ever been in: the Boqueria.
These pictures hardly do it justice, but just imagine...sheep heads, pig legs, homemade chocolate, whole eels, and fruits I've never even seen before! We moseyed down to the waterfront, grabbed a Starbucks (this seems to be a theme when I travel), and then headed to the Picasso Museum. After being in Spain, I feel as if Picasso and I are great friends! He had such an interesting life, and his work is so intriguing. For those who care, here's a brief history lesson...
Born in Málaga in 1881, Picasso began studying art at age 7. If you're interested, I suggest google imaging some of his earlier works..you'll be just as surprised as I was! Even at this age, he possessed a talent for detail and technique. His work was broken up into a few "etapas;" his early works, blue period, rose period, cubism, and surrealism. (He did some other styles too, but in my opinion these are the big ones). They are all unique and worth studying. One of my favorite things he did a critique of was Las Meninas (a very famous piece by Velasquez that I got to see at Prado Museum in Madrid).
He did a ton of pieces in this revolutionary cubist style. This one was my favorites:
Okay. Enough of the Picasso talk.
While in Barcelona, we had the opportunity to go tho the movies...IN ENGLISH. I know, I know..I'm here to learn Spanish, but if you hadn't seen a movie in English in four months, you'd jump at the opportunity too..I'm sure of it! We saw Alicía y el País de Maravillas (Alice and Wonderland) and Shutter Island (for some reason the Spaniards didn't translate this one). We found our way to the one theater that showed un-dubbed movies in Barcelona and immediately realized it was not a healthy place to watch a scary movie. The place was dark (the lobby AND the theater), they didn't sell concessions (BIG red flag), we were the only ones in the theater, and there was a black line on the screen. Even though it was a terrifying experience, I recommended seeing it if you like thrillers..and I won't ruin the end for you!
Back to the Spanish stuff...We also saw the Famous Sagrada Familia; Gaudís last project. This massive church looks (from the outside) like a melting candle and (from the inside) a vast cave.
We learned that it is scheduled to be completed in 2026 (at which time I will be almost 40!) and agreed to come back. Feeling on a Gaudí kick, we went for a walk to see some more of his famous houses and buildings.
Next, we caught a bus to the Park Güell. This was my favorite place in Barcelona. (For any America's Next Top Model fans, you'll recognize part of it, I'm sure). This park was actually built to be a sort of Homeowners Association for the rich. Its creators Gaudí and Güell included common space, a covered market area, a fence surrounding whole community, and two gingerbread-like houses at the entrance. Unfortunately, Gaudí and Güell were about 70 years ahead of their time and people weren't interested in this style of living. Because of this, they had to convert the HOA into a park (lucky for us!).
...As a sidebar, Dad, if you're looking for some business in Spain, you might be able to convince somebody to return the park to its original use!
We did some more exploring, shopping and eating in Barça before attempting to go home. Unsuccessful all day Sunday, we finally managed to get out Monday and were even bumped up to Business Class (and believe me, this means a lot when you've been flying on airlines that don't even have pockets on the backs of the seats) Que Suerte.
Well avid readers. I wrote this entry pre-Morocco trip, but failed to type it up before I left. Marrakesh update to come soon, I promise!!
Oh. I know this has nothing to do with anything, but today is Mother's Day! In honor of the holiday, here are a couple picture of my momma and me!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Czeching Out Europe
Well, I may not be the first to exploit the "Czech"/"check" pun, but it's a good one, nonetheless.
Stuck in the Barcelona airport, I seem to have found a good moment for an update. As many of you may know, a volcano erupted in Iceland, causing mass chaos in Europe. Flights are grounded, people are sleeping in the airports, and I just want to go home to Granada.
With that being said, let me backtrack to Spring Break! I'm going to skip the usual request for forgiveness at my lack of updates..I'm in Spain! "Hay que aprovechar!" It has been about two weeks since spring break ended, and a large part of me wishes to go back (I know, I know..I can't have Senioritis until next year).
First stop...El Reino Unido!
I took a RyanAir flight (which wasn't so bad, since they haven't yet started charging to use the on-board bathrooms) alone from Granada to London and headed straight to my hostel. The place looked like a cross between a cold war bomb shelter, a cargo hold of a ship, and an underground maze. It was packed, huge, and insanely intimidating. Because of this, I decided going straight to bed was the best option. The next day, I met up with the infamous Hannah Silberman (for those of you who don't know, Hannie and I go back to the Athenian days). Though she is now studying at the University of Warwick in Coventry, she just happened to be in London at the same time as I was! Que Suerte. As my more-or-less local tour guide, Hannah took me to the Tate Modern, King's Cross station (for the first stop on the Harry Potter tour), Leister Square (to buy half-price theater tickets), St. Paul's Cathedral to feed like birds (like in Mary Poppins), and to the America Embassy...Starbucks!
The weather was...well...London-like, so we spent a good chunk of time sipping chai and catching up. When the skies cleared a bit, we wandered around the city and I found my way back to my hostel.
That night, I journeyed to the Sheer Theater (or "Theatre" as the English would say) and saw a great production of Chicago. One of the highlights was the couple I ended up sitting next to. I noticed that they were speaking in Spanish and decided to strike up a conversation. They were extremely warm and excited to meet an American who could speak to them in Spanish. After answering the usual questions ("Since you're from California, do you know any famous people?" and "Do you like Obama?"), they told me that they live on the Canary Islands. They described their modest home as right on the beach and, like the Spaniards do, offered it to me as a vacation spot. We exchanged information, gave each other the customary cheek kisses, and are now friends on Tuenti (the Spanish version of facebook). I know that if I'm ever fortunate enough to go to Las Islas Canarias, I'll have two friends and a place to stay!
Allyson arrived the next day (from Germany where she is studying) and we began our tourist activities today. From minding the gap, to riding the night bus and using the phone booths, we took some great pictures and had a wonderful reunion! We went to Camden Market (which felt like a mix between Pike Place, Telegraph Ave, and Fisherman's Wharf), saw the Rosetta Stone, and took a rainy walking tour. Robin finally came back to London on Sunday night, as she had been visiting the Lake District for the weekend.
All in all, we did a LOT of walking, a fair amount of sightseeing, and a ton of laughing! Next we headed to St. Pancras Station (not to be confused with the Pancreas!), took a train to the airport, and caught a Wizz Air plane on to PRAHA!
Oh Prague...The City of Spires...and good beer. Robin, Allyson, and I had a great time here. We ate delicious bagels, sausages, and goulash, made friends with Katka (our Czech-American tour guide), explored the Jewish Quarter on Easter Sunday, and saw the psychedelic John Lennon Peace Wall.
One day in Praha, we were fortunate enough to meet up with the wonderful LEBBY family! Kacy and her parents were in town one night that overlapped with our stay and so we took advantage and went out! We ate dinner in a place that you could picture perfectly if you try and imagine a "beer hall". We had great traditional Czech food and beer! The highlight of the trip for me was probably this dinner. I couldn't have asked for better company and haven't laughed so hard in months.
My trip back to Granada was long, but painless. I walked across old-town Prague to the Metro, took the Metro to a bus stop, took a bus to the airport, flew to Madrid, took the Metro to the bus station, took a bus to Granada, and caught a cab back to #12 Avenida del Sur, Granada.
Spring break was nothing short of a whirlwind, and all in all, it went by way too fast! I miss my friends already, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel...I see Robin in less than two weeks! Together with some friends from my program, we will head down south to Morocco! Also, let the countdown begin for home (if you can believe it): 44 days!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Me he puesto como una sopa
Well...we can't win them all! In case you haven't heard, Spain has seen some of its rainiest weather & the city of Cádiz was no exception. We arrived with high hopes, silly costumes, and enough snacks (gummies to be exact) to last us through the night. Our plan was to arrive around 5 pm and stay partying, wandering the city, and enjoying the festivities (music and fashion shows) until our bus left again at 7 am. It is safe to say that this was the longest, wettest night of my life. The streets were packed, festive, and lively until about 1 am when it started to POUR. People always ask me how I can go to college in rainy Washington...well in that moment, I would have given anything to be standing in a Tacoma drizzle, rather than an Andalucían downpour. Our group spent the next 4 hours moving from stoop to stoop trying to find dry shelter. Eventually, we found our way down into a parking garage where we discovered about forty other wet carnival-goers seeking refuge. We all huddled together warmed by the exhaust from the cars of the lucky few who didn't have to wait for buses.
At about 5 am, we were kicked out of our underground shelter and headed back to the bus with high hopes that it would be open. Luckily, the rain was so bad that the police forced all the bus drivers to open their doors earlier than planned. After a shameless change of clothes on the bus, i was finally dry....ish. I can't say that knowing what I know now I would do it again, but I am glad got to experience the infamous "carnival"...even if it was more like a shower than a party!
Below here are a few images(all pre-downpour!)
Since Carnival, I have been doing a lot... I'm finally settled into a routine, our program took a trip to Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia, and I am looking forward to a break from classes! I promise to attempt to write more often, but the sun has just started to come out in Granada. The past couple days it has seemed like a different world and I can't wait to explore it!
Hasta pronto amigos.
At about 5 am, we were kicked out of our underground shelter and headed back to the bus with high hopes that it would be open. Luckily, the rain was so bad that the police forced all the bus drivers to open their doors earlier than planned. After a shameless change of clothes on the bus, i was finally dry....ish. I can't say that knowing what I know now I would do it again, but I am glad got to experience the infamous "carnival"...even if it was more like a shower than a party!
Below here are a few images(all pre-downpour!)
Since Carnival, I have been doing a lot... I'm finally settled into a routine, our program took a trip to Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia, and I am looking forward to a break from classes! I promise to attempt to write more often, but the sun has just started to come out in Granada. The past couple days it has seemed like a different world and I can't wait to explore it!
Hasta pronto amigos.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
32 ºC = 89.6 ºF
Yes. You read correctly... 89.6 DEGREES!
As I mentioned, from Sevillia, my two friends (Janelle & Molly) and I left the group and took a short bus ride to Málaga. Once we arrived in the late afternoon, we were exhausted and decided to just head straight to our hostel and then wander around the area nearby. Our hostel was called "Picasso's Corner" because it was located literally across the street from where Pablo Picasso was born! It was also painted with bright colors and had some really funky stuff in it...(For example, the showers looked somewhat like little rocket ships! Picture a cylindrical shower standing on it's own with a little seat where the water came at you from literally every angle!)
We found our hostel with ease (navigating the bus system and windy streets) and went out to explore right away. About a three minute walk from our hostel was shopping heaven, so we spent some time absorbing local culture! ;) We found a cute restaurant and had an amazing dinner (complete with free tapas of bread, cheese, & sweet caramelized onions from our waiter, who found our Spanish impressive...or funny, we couldn't tell).
After that, it was straight back to the hostel and into sweats for us! We wandered downstairs to look at the games and found Monopoly (Spain style). The properties were all located in Spain, and we'd even been to a few of them over the past few weeks. We played with a funny Latvian man who seemed to think he knew the rules way better than we did and took the game very seriously. When the three of us were too tired to pass Go and collect our 200 Euros one more time, we let him win, and he was at least content with that.
The next day our adventure continued with a few tourist activities. We went into the Málaga Cathedral, which, I hate to say, was what I would call a rip-off. It was 4 euros to enter (no student discount, which is practically unheard of here), and it was pretty much just like every other church I've seen over the past month.
The coolest part, however, was a photo exhibit set up within the cathedral. It was a collection of pictures taken around the world by an organization called Manos Unidas (United Hands). It is a campaign to end world hunger and poverty, and to promote women's rights and education. The photos and descriptions (in Spanish!) were extremely moving and I spent most of my time in the church looking at the exhibition.
Next, we went to the Picasso museum. Since, as I mentioned, Pablo (yes, now we're on a first name basis) was born in Málaga, the museum had over 155 of his works. They were all donated by his relatives and were some of his lesser known works. It was exciting to see the different styles that Picasso painted in, and learn a little more about why his art developed the way it did. It was not only an awesome collection, but an incredible building with an array of Roman ruins below it too!
I bought a print of the painting you see above. While I bought this particular one because I love the painting itself, it will also forever remind me of the museum, and that is what i really love about it. We took a tour from a spunky Spanish woman who insisted that we speak almost as much as she did. She would ask us what we saw in the colors and brushstrokes and what we thought all the details meant. At first I was nervous to speak, but after a few tartamudea (stutters), it was actually fun to participate. (If I haven't already mentioned this, Spaniards LOVE to talk...and talk loudly. Imagine My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets an Italian dinner table.. in Spainish. Of course when there are Americans around they all want to hear US talk (or try to), so I'm usually able to get a couple words in).
Next, we decided to explore the waterfront and went to rent some bicycles at a nearby shop. On the way, we stopped back at our hostel to ask for a recommendation for a cheap lunch. We were directed to a little shop that looked sort of like a super mini 7-11. There was a 8.5x11 piece of paper with about 4 choices for sandwiches on it.
tortilla
jamón
jámon y queseo
chorizo
In Spain, there must be some law against putting more than two ingredients on a Sandwich (for those of you reading from the Bay Area..I will be patronizing Domenico's Deli about the moment I get home). Anyways, if you ever find yourself choosing from a menu like this, the jámon y queso is a solid choice, but I'd recommend the tortilla. Spanish tortillas are very different from Mexican tortillas, so don't picture a Mexican tortilla in between two slices of bread! (more on this in my food post, which I swear will come eventually!)
The bike trip was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The combination of the weather, the good company, and the blue water made for quite the afternoon. Here are a few of a my favorite pictures from this day and the next!
Later that night, again, too tired to venture out into the city, we stayed in the hostel and made some friends...and some Paella! (Again with the food, I know). This was a really cool experience: an Argentinian and a German teaching 3 Americans how to make an authentic Spanish dish!
(As you can see, we are quite the chefs...sorry there isn't a finished product picture, but we were a little too hungry to stop and snap a shot!)
The next and last day was also an adventure. Mostly exploring the city and beach some more, as well as a long trek up to one of the highest point in Málaga: the Alcazabar and Castille de Gibralfaro. It was wonderful to see the beautiful Mediterranean Sea from up high and to spend time with some really great people. My one regret is that I never touched the water! Oh well, I guess I will have to go back! Any takers....?
I'm off to Cádiz this weekend for Carnival! Can't wait to tell you all about it!
¡Besos!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
.Viaje Numero Uno.
The past few weeks, the thought echoing in my head has consistently been
"how is this real life?"
I've been a little MIA from the world of cyberspace because I was off exploring Andalucía! Now that I've returned, it's time to recap!
The trip began in Cordoba, moved on to Sevilla, and ended in beautiful Malaga (which I will be giving its own post).
CÓRDOBA
When we arrived in this city, we immediately crossed the Puente Romano. On the other side, I explored the Gardens of the Alcázar, noting the beautiful architecture of the attached building as well as the views of the quaint city.
After that, a couple friends and I wandered through the narrow windy streets to the historical Jewish neighborhood. There, I entered one of the only three synagogues in Spain that pre-date the Reconquista (1492) when the Jews were expelled from the country. It was built 1315 and is still beautifully preserved.
The next part of my day was one of those surreal moments where I can't believe my life here is reality. We went to the Arab Baths in Córdoba.
Imagine you are living in Medieval Spain. There, the Arab Baths, or Hammams, are the focus of social life. Bathing is not a daily task, but rather a ritualistic, spiritual, & social activity. There are multiple pools, each a different temperature, a steam room, and a warm cup of mint tea waiting each time you experience this full body purification.
Now...snap back to 2010, but put yourself right in those baths again. We spent a couple hours relaxing in these pools, and even finished our visit with a quick (well I thought it was too quick) massage. Here is a photo from the website to make you even more jealous!
After two hours of feeling like a princessa, the last thing I wanted to do was go on a tour of other old building. Fortunately, I didn't really have a choice and got to explore one of the most amazing structures I've ever seen. La Mezquita de Córdoba is a vast mosque with a Gothic cathedral smack in the center of it. It was converted to a church after the Reconquista, but all of the Moorish influences are still visible.
This photo is just the Moorish part of the architecture, but I assure you, the cathedral inside is also breathtaking. After the tour of the mosque, we filed back onto the bus and inched our way to Sevilla.
SEVILLA
Being Americans, we had all eaten the sandwiches our "Madres" had made for us by about 11 am. Upon arrival in Sevilla at about 9:30 pm, I'm pretty sure that the only thing anyone could think of was la cena (dinner). Our group of about 40 Northwesterners filled this tiny, authentic restaurant, and as the smells of the meal we were about to enjoy wafted into the dining area, you could almost feel the excitement in the room! (I will be dedicating an entire post to food later, because the Spanish sure do know how to cook!)
In Sevilla, I explored the Reales Alcázares, the Cathedral, the Italica archaeological site, and and Plaza de España.
Reales Alcázares
was a pretty cool place, but I was too tired, cold, cranky, and hungry to really enjoy another Mudejar castle. My favorite part of the palace was the Garden, which seemed to stretch for miles, and I would have liked to stay there wandering for hours on end.
The Cathedral in Sevilla
was pretty, but two coolest parts were 1. a 20 some-odd story walk up a tower to see a beautiful panoramic view of the city and 2. the world's only DNA confirmed tomb of Christopher Columbus!
The Italica archaeological site
also had its unique characteristics. This array of Roman ruins included the 2nd largest uncovered Roman amphitheater in the world! It was interesting to learn about the past functions of all the different ruins and to contrast that with what still stands today.
The Plaza de España
is a beautiful, surprisingly devoid of tourists, semicircular plaza where each city in Andalucía and each Spanish province has its own ceramic alcove. A mote runs around the inside of the plaza and has numerous bridges that lead to a majestic fountain!
My favorite thing that happened in Sevilla, however, was a result of pure, unplanned luck (which is also why I don't have any pictures of it). A few friends and I went out to experience a little bit of Sevilla nightlife. After our unsuccessful attempts to find a cool place to go, we ended up just grabbing dinner and slowly wandering back to our hotel. Right before we walked in, we noticed a small building that looked sort of like a bar with the door just barely open. Lupita, Janelle, and I apprehensively wandered in. It felt a little like one of those movies where a stranger walks into a local dive bar and everyone stares at the outsiders. As we took a minute to soak in the environment of the bar, we noticed that all the chairs and tables had been pushed into an oval. A few older men (who could have only been regulars) were sitting at the front of this circle holding guitars. Once they started playing, we couldn't help but sit down and join the ring of Spaniards. I had never heard live Flamenco music, but it was completely unique. After a couple songs, two older women sitting next to us got up and began dancing with each other. I felt like a fly on the wall, getting a private show of this beautiful musical culture. I could have stayed there all night watching the twists and turns of the two women's writs, listening to the interesting melodies, and attempting to understand the interesting ad lib lyrics. At that moment, I thought to myself: THIS IS WHY I AM HERE! Earlier in the night, we wandered in to some bar that was basically built for American tourists. It had flags from different Universities in the States, the menus were in English and everyone inside was from the US. I actually just feel bad for the students who hang out at those types of places. I had a really cool, random immersion experience, and I think that everyone that studies abroad should get to absorb the culture in this way too!
Until next time.
Hasta Luego ♥
I've been a little MIA from the world of cyberspace because I was off exploring Andalucía! Now that I've returned, it's time to recap!
The trip began in Cordoba, moved on to Sevilla, and ended in beautiful Malaga (which I will be giving its own post).
When we arrived in this city, we immediately crossed the Puente Romano. On the other side, I explored the Gardens of the Alcázar, noting the beautiful architecture of the attached building as well as the views of the quaint city.
After that, a couple friends and I wandered through the narrow windy streets to the historical Jewish neighborhood. There, I entered one of the only three synagogues in Spain that pre-date the Reconquista (1492) when the Jews were expelled from the country. It was built 1315 and is still beautifully preserved.
The next part of my day was one of those surreal moments where I can't believe my life here is reality. We went to the Arab Baths in Córdoba.
Imagine you are living in Medieval Spain. There, the Arab Baths, or Hammams, are the focus of social life. Bathing is not a daily task, but rather a ritualistic, spiritual, & social activity. There are multiple pools, each a different temperature, a steam room, and a warm cup of mint tea waiting each time you experience this full body purification.
Now...snap back to 2010, but put yourself right in those baths again. We spent a couple hours relaxing in these pools, and even finished our visit with a quick (well I thought it was too quick) massage. Here is a photo from the website to make you even more jealous!
After two hours of feeling like a princessa, the last thing I wanted to do was go on a tour of other old building. Fortunately, I didn't really have a choice and got to explore one of the most amazing structures I've ever seen. La Mezquita de Córdoba is a vast mosque with a Gothic cathedral smack in the center of it. It was converted to a church after the Reconquista, but all of the Moorish influences are still visible.
This photo is just the Moorish part of the architecture, but I assure you, the cathedral inside is also breathtaking. After the tour of the mosque, we filed back onto the bus and inched our way to Sevilla.
Being Americans, we had all eaten the sandwiches our "Madres" had made for us by about 11 am. Upon arrival in Sevilla at about 9:30 pm, I'm pretty sure that the only thing anyone could think of was la cena (dinner). Our group of about 40 Northwesterners filled this tiny, authentic restaurant, and as the smells of the meal we were about to enjoy wafted into the dining area, you could almost feel the excitement in the room! (I will be dedicating an entire post to food later, because the Spanish sure do know how to cook!)
In Sevilla, I explored the Reales Alcázares, the Cathedral, the Italica archaeological site, and and Plaza de España.
Reales Alcázares
was a pretty cool place, but I was too tired, cold, cranky, and hungry to really enjoy another Mudejar castle. My favorite part of the palace was the Garden, which seemed to stretch for miles, and I would have liked to stay there wandering for hours on end.
The Cathedral in Sevilla
was pretty, but two coolest parts were 1. a 20 some-odd story walk up a tower to see a beautiful panoramic view of the city and 2. the world's only DNA confirmed tomb of Christopher Columbus!
The Italica archaeological site
also had its unique characteristics. This array of Roman ruins included the 2nd largest uncovered Roman amphitheater in the world! It was interesting to learn about the past functions of all the different ruins and to contrast that with what still stands today.
The Plaza de España
is a beautiful, surprisingly devoid of tourists, semicircular plaza where each city in Andalucía and each Spanish province has its own ceramic alcove. A mote runs around the inside of the plaza and has numerous bridges that lead to a majestic fountain!
My favorite thing that happened in Sevilla, however, was a result of pure, unplanned luck (which is also why I don't have any pictures of it). A few friends and I went out to experience a little bit of Sevilla nightlife. After our unsuccessful attempts to find a cool place to go, we ended up just grabbing dinner and slowly wandering back to our hotel. Right before we walked in, we noticed a small building that looked sort of like a bar with the door just barely open. Lupita, Janelle, and I apprehensively wandered in. It felt a little like one of those movies where a stranger walks into a local dive bar and everyone stares at the outsiders. As we took a minute to soak in the environment of the bar, we noticed that all the chairs and tables had been pushed into an oval. A few older men (who could have only been regulars) were sitting at the front of this circle holding guitars. Once they started playing, we couldn't help but sit down and join the ring of Spaniards. I had never heard live Flamenco music, but it was completely unique. After a couple songs, two older women sitting next to us got up and began dancing with each other. I felt like a fly on the wall, getting a private show of this beautiful musical culture. I could have stayed there all night watching the twists and turns of the two women's writs, listening to the interesting melodies, and attempting to understand the interesting ad lib lyrics. At that moment, I thought to myself: THIS IS WHY I AM HERE! Earlier in the night, we wandered in to some bar that was basically built for American tourists. It had flags from different Universities in the States, the menus were in English and everyone inside was from the US. I actually just feel bad for the students who hang out at those types of places. I had a really cool, random immersion experience, and I think that everyone that studies abroad should get to absorb the culture in this way too!
Until next time.
Hasta Luego ♥
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