Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Tourist Weekends in Spain


So I may be a perfectionist about writing, but keeping up with it is a whole 'nother story.  Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've tried to make up for it as best as I could - the result is a looong post.  I'll try to keep up with it better in the future.  Pictures to go along with this post will be up in the next few days, I can't find my camera's connection cord.
I have not written in the past week in part out of laziness, but also because nothing especially newsworthy had really happened.  After living here for a few weeks I have grown comfortable with my surroundings and have developed a sort of routine to my day: wake up early for class, go to school from 9:30 – 13:30, return home for lunch then siesta until 17:00, meet up with people and grab a beer or play basketball, return for dinner, then head out for the night.  Our first few weekends we spent as vacationers relaxing on white beaches; these past two weekends though, we opted for the role of tourists as we explored Cordoba, Grenada and our home city Sevilla. 
Two weekends ago, we went to Cordoba and Grenada with our program.  Both cities are filled with history and are particularly influenced by their Arabic past.  This is no better exemplified than by the cathedral in Cordoba.  If I didn’t know any better when walking in, I would have thought it was a mosque.  Evidently enough, the main entrance is indeed the original entrance to the ancient Arabic mosque.  Filled with red and white arches and beautiful mosaics, there is hardly any Christian influence when you first enter (for a more in depth description, look at Shannon’s blog.  She took an “introduction to Islamic art class at UNC and can tell you anything and everything about it).  However, just around the corner, I found one of the most impressive altars I have seen yet.  Come to think about it, all the altars I have seen are equally impressive; I just think the one I have seen most recently is freshest in my memory and stands out.  The most spectacular part about this particular cathedral was the juxtaposition of the red/white Islamic arches and the pristine white marble statues.
The next day, our group took an overnight trip to Grenada.  For all that the city has to offer, it was necessary for us to spend two days there.  Our first stop, of course, was la Alhambra.  I mentioned in one of my previous posts that the Real Alcazar was very similar to la Alhambra, and that I liked the Real Alcazar better.  I stand by both of those comments.  That is not at all to discredit the Alhambra; it is regarded as one of the top wonders of the modern world and is very deserving of that recognition.  Fernando also led this tour and described in detail the symbolism and architecture of everything inside.  Unfortunately one of the most famous sites of the Alhambra, the “Patio de los Leones” – a fountain held up by lions, symbolic of life and power – was under reconstruction, so we missed out on that.  Also, because we were pressed for time, we did not get to walk around all of the expansive gardens that I had gone through 4 years earlier.  I know I am writing this as a snobby, second-time visitor so I am not accurately portraying how breathtakingly beautiful it is.
The site in Granada that did grab my attention was the Cathedral, el Catedral de la Encarnación.  While most of the cathedrals we had visited had the same base grey stone color, were predominantly rectangular, and usually built in the Baroque era, this Cathedral was a bright white, had a semi-circular alter, and was of the Renaissance style.  The stone was originally painted white so that it could later be embellished with ugly gold leaf patterns, but luckily financial restrictions prevented them from doing so.  Instead the white columns and walls inspire a sense of awe absent in all the other cathedrals.
Like Sevilla, Grenada is a college town so the nightlife is usually on par with that in Sevilla.  Unfortunately, we were there for a Sunday night.  Unlike Sevilla (more like Cadiz), the Arabic influence in Grenada is much more obvious.  With the discos all closed, our group stopped into a hookah bar for some Middle Eastern tea and strawberry flavored hookah.  The ambience was rather relaxing, which is saying a lot considering my normal day includes siesta and grabbing a beer at a bar.
Continuing on to this past weekend; while most in the group went to Lagos, Barcelona or Cadiz, Jorge and I gave ourselves the time to be a tourist in our home-base in Sevilla.  Just like it has been years since I’ve seen most of Atlanta’s landmarks like the High Museum, Stone Mountain, and Botanical Gardens, Jorge and I noticed that we have overlooked many of Sevilla’s tourist destinations despite them being right around the corner.  The two main attractions we went to were the Plaza de España and el Museo de Bellas Artes. While I don’t think Museo de Bellas Artes is anywhere near as cool as the Prado in Madrid, it still had a wealth of important paintings and sculptures.  The most expansive galleries were those of Murillo, Velázquez, Bilbao, El Greco (not nearly as many by El Greco as the Prado), Juan de Valdéz Leal, and a few others I had never heard of before.  It was really cool to walk through because a lot of the sculptures and paintings that we had talked about in class were held in el Museo.
From the outside, the C-shaped Plaza de España is very unassuming except for the visible towers that mark the endpoints of the ‘C;’ the 10(ish)-foot outer wall is more or less bare and you have to walk around it until you reach one of the 2 entrances.  After walking through the door, the real view is still more-or-less hidden.  You have to walk up a flight of stairs and make a turn before you react with the inevitable “wow!”  I cannot really explain what makes it so spectacular without showing a picture; but between the mosaics, grand fountain, and endless arches, it really is a sight to behold. 

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