Andalucía

Most of this week was spent in Andalucía – aka southern Spain (not to be confused with Andalasia. We definitely did not turn into cartoon versions of ourselves). And yes, Kyle, the sun is indeed hotter in the south of Spain. Specifically we were in Córdoba, Sevilla, and Granada. The name Andalucía comes from Al-Andalus, the name of the Iberian Peninsula during the rule of the musulmanes (Muslims). They governed from the south so that name has stuck with the southern region. I love, love, love this region because of all the examples of Islamic architecture and art, which I also happen to love. The details and complexities are stunning, and I could look at it all day.

On our way to Córdoba, which is about six hours from Madrid, we stopped at a couple sites in the region of La Mancha, home of señor Don Quijote. We saw the famous molinos (windmills) that he believes are giants and tries to fight, and the place where he serenades his love, Dulcinea. This book is still on my ‘to read’ list, but now I’ll be able to visualize the places when I read it.

Fighting the "giant."

Córdoba was the capital of the Islamic caliphate that ruled Spain and parts of North Africa from 929 to 1031, but it was a thriving city long before that. It also existed in Roman times, hence the 2000-year-old bridge we crossed to get to La Mezquita de Córdoba. This mosque is one of the most famous in the world. I’ve heard it be called the “palm tree” mosque because the painted arches inside look like a forest of palm trees. This building is incredible. It is huge: the size of four football fields. I could easily get lost inside, even though it’s mostly one big room. Before becoming a mosque, the original building, which was much smaller, was a Roman temple and then a Visigothic church. In the 700s, it was converted into a mosque, and in 987, it reached its current dimensions. Today the mosque is a Catholic cathedral. After the Reconquista in the 1200s, it was converted back to a church, and in the 1500s, a cathedral nave was inserted right in the middle of the building.

Cathedral nave in the center.

One of the most impressive features of the mosque is its Mirhab, the sacred alcove where the Quran is kept. This particular one is entirely a mosaic, but you can’t tell it’s a mosaic, since the tiles are so tiny. Italian artists, such as Michelangelo, came to study this amazing work of art.

We also wandered through the original Jewish part of the city. The Muslim empire was pretty tolerant and allowed Jews and Christians to live in the cities in peace, although they generally paid higher taxes. We visited a synagogue, which shows the blending and harmony of the three cultures. It is a Jewish synagogue, designed using Islamic architecture, and was eventually used as a Christian church.

At the end of our tour, we had about an hour of free time, so some of us went to check out la feria. Every May, for about a week, Córdoba has this big fair. To me, it looked like the equivalent of the county fair up in Coeur d’Alene, except there were lots of girls and women dressed in Flamenco dresses. Apparently, there is dancing every day as well. It had such a great atmosphere. There were rides, animals, candy booths, and games. So fun.

We rolled into Sevilla around 9:00 PM. Our next task was to find dinner. We walked for 30 minutes to find this restaurant, but it was well worth the walk. Everything was all set up and ready to go, so we had very quick service. I don’t know if it was just because I was starving, but the food was really good. I tried duck liver. It tasted like tuna (chicken of the sea), and I actually liked it. The main course was paella. Seafood paella. Oh, sweet paella. It was amazing. Like I said, worth the walk.

Fast forward to the next morning. It was quite lovely waking up in Sevilla, especially because breakfast wasn’t until 10:00. It’s a beautiful city spanning across the Guadalquivir River and is the capital of Andalucía. Columbus lived and studied here, and Ponce de Leon (Pirates 4, anyone???), discoverer of Florida, lived here.

Eye candy. :)

Our tour in Sevilla consisted of a palace and a cathedral. Our first stop was the Real Alcázar de Sevilla, built in the 14^th century and Europe’s oldest palace in use (remember, an alcazar is a castle that belongs to the king). The upper floors are still used by the Royal Family. This palace was built for Catholic kings, but as you can see from the pictures, it was designed completely by Muslims. My kind of palace. In addition, there were beautiful gardens attached, which were home to three peacocks! That was cool. We could get really close, since they aren’t penned in, without scaring them. I’m sure they’re very used to people by now.

La Catedral de Santa Maria is the largest cathedral in the world and the last gothic cathedral to be built in Europe. Construction began in 1402 and work was still being done into the 1900s, although the cathedral was finished for the most part in 1519. The tower and the patio are part of the original mosque that used to stand in its place. That’s a reoccurring theme with many of these ancient structures. Instead of destroying the original buildings, even if they belonged to other religions or cultures, many people decided to use what was there and convert them to serve other purposes. Looks like they realized the importance of recycling long before we did. So part of Columbus’ remains are buried in this cathedral, specifically his head, upper torso, and right arm and hand (they’ve done DNA testing to be sure it is really him). He was originally buried somewhere else in Sevilla, then moved to Santo Domingo and then Cuba. I guess parts of him have been lost along the way, or maybe purposefully left in those places. I think the coolest part of the cathedral was getting to climb the tower, known as the Giralda. We climbed up 35 floors of ramps (they used ramps so horses could take you to the top) and then some stairs. The view was incredible. As you walk around you get a full 360 degree view of all Sevilla, and what a view it was.

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering through the city, specifically the old Jewish quarter, looking through the shops. Erin and Spencer wanted to find some fans for gifts. I bought a little, simple one too, because that’s the cool thing to do in Spain. You’ve got to have a fan.

To finish out the day we went to a flamenco bar. Oh my gosh. It was easily one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. I cannot comprehend how their hands do not get tired from all the clapping, and how the dancers’ feet move as fast as they do, and how they coordinate their hands and feet the way they do. Wow. And the male flamenco dancers? Soooooo attractive. I will take one of them, please. Needless to say, it was a good night.

Left, center, right. Our hott flamenco buddies.

Before leaving for Granada the next morning, we stopped at La Plaza de España. Why did we stop there? Because it’s where they filmed a scene in Star Wars: Episode II! It’s the scene where Anakin and Senator Amidala arrive back on Naboo. Click here to watch the clip (it’s even in Spanish!). I’m not ashamed to admit that I was definitely really, really excited. It’s not every day you get to feel like you’re in one of your favorite movie series.

So in Granada (fun fact: granada means pomegranate in Spanish) we went to see La Alhambra. Technically, La Alhambra, which means “red fortress,” is a city of its own and people still live there today. It is a walled enclosure filled with palaces, gardens, and a little town. It was founded in the 13^th century and remained the capital of the Moorish empire for the last 300 years of Islamic rule. It was also the capital of Spain after the Reconquista, until Felipe II moved it to Madrid. La Alhambra includes the famous Generalife gardens, which includes their own separate palaces. Generalife refers to the more rural part, while La Alhambra refers to the urban part, although both are included within the walls.

Palacio de Leones - Charles V

Nasrid Palaces

We topped off the night by going to an Indian (like from India) market. I successfully bartered for a cute bag and saved myself 3 euros! Not gonna lie, I felt pretty cool.

The next morning, we only made one stop before heading back to Alcalá: La Casa Natal de Federico Garcia Lorca, or the childhood house of Lorca. He is a famous Spanish playwright who wrote “Bodas de Sangre,” which happens to be the flamenco play we saw in El Real Teatro. Really, I probably could have gone without stopping here. It would have been neat if I were a fan of his works, but I’ve only seen an adaptation of one of his plays. Eh, not everything has to be exciting. I just hope it was exciting for at least one person.

I definitely place my stamp of approval on southern Spain. It’s been wonderful, although I would recommend at least two days in each city. There’s so much more I wanted to see! I guess that means I’ll just have to come back. Darn it. :) 

El Real Jardín Botánico

Well, there’s not really much to report on this week, since it was only two days long. That’s right, only two days of class. Now that is my kind of schedule. We’re currently chilling in Sevilla (or Seville, as we say in English), but I’ll get to that in another post. In my spare time this “week,” I went to visit El Real Jardín Botánico (the royal botanical gardens) in Madrid and saw Pirates 4… in English. Yes, I know I should be watching it in Spanish, since I’m here to learn Spanish, but you basically lose all the wonders of Johnny Depp if you do that. Then the movie would not have been worth seeing. Eh, it was ok. Mildly entertaining at best. I would wait to Redbox or Netflix it. And that’s all I have to say about that. You’re not reading this for my movie reviews. You’re reading this for my Spain reviews. And let’s be honest, I’m a much better reviewer of Spain than of movies.

So these gardens. They’re full of trees, and flowers, and dirt. You know, normal garden stuff. Ok, so they’re full of very pretty trees, and flowers, and dirt. Oh, and they had calla lilies! That made my day. Other than that, I don’t really have too much to tell about them. Our group went on its own (free on Monday, after 6:00 PM, for students!), so we didn’t have a guide or anything to show us the secrets of this garden. We just walked around, enjoying the foliage and taking lots of cheesy pictures, because that’s what you do in gardens I guess. I’ll let my pictures do the talking.

Ávila y Salamanca

Away we go, off Ávila and then Salamanca, but thankfully not so early this time. Both cities are located in the Castile y León community (Spain is divided into 17 of these autonomous communities, kind of like states in the US), with Ávila only being about an hour and a half away.

What is there to see in Ávila? This little city is famous for its murallas (walls), built in the 11^th century, which are the most complete medieval walls in Spain. They still run around the entire city, or at least the original, historical part. Also, the yemas. But you don’t look at these. Well, I mean, you can, but I would much rather eat them. They are candied egg yolks (I was skeptical at first), and they are so delicious. Yum. I wanted to buy an entire crate full, but I decided to be more frugal and settled on a small box. Best purchase all day.

We went to see La Catedral del Salvador, the first gothic cathedral built in Spain. It started out as a roman cathedral (characterized by simplicity) but was completed in the gothic era (characterized by many symbolic decorations). We also visited La Basilica de San Vicente. What’s the difference between a cathedral and a basilica? Really, just the style of the building. They are both churches and serve the same purpose; however, basilicas used to be centers of business, trade, and government in the Roman days. Over the years, people found them to be great gathering places because of the big open spaces, and so they began to be converted into churches. Our last stop was El Convento y Museo de Santa Teresa, where she was supposedly born. Santa Teresa is the patron saint of Ávila and a well-known Spanish poet (well known in Spain, and maybe in Catholic culture. I had never heard of her until now).

Catedral

Basilica

Inside the basilica

Convento

Just before leaving, we did get to climb up on the walls. They are pretty cool and give you a great view.

Our guided tour of Salamanca was the same day so we had to hurry to make it, because we were running late, as usual (getting a group of 40 people anywhere on time is nearly impossible). Salamanca is home to perhaps the prettiest Plaza Mayor in all of Spain (more on that in a minute) and the oldest university in Spain. La Universidad de Salamanca is also the fourth oldest in Europe, behind Bologna, Paris, and Oxford. It was established in the 12^th century and is still attended today as a public university, although the students don’t attend the original campus. On the walls surrounding the patio in front of the façade, there are still faded letters written in red. When a student passed the exams to graduate from the university, a running of the bulls would be held. The student would kill the bull, mix its blood with oil, and paint what looked like their name on the walls. Interesting way to celebrate graduation. I don’t think BYU would appreciate me smearing cow blood on the walls of the Tanner building when I graduate. Dang, I’ll have to think of some other to celebrate my victory (perhaps a return trip to Spain??? Who wants to come!?) So, apparently Columbus came to this university to consult with the professors before sailing the ocean blue. They said he couldn’t do it because (a) the ships he was using were meant to sail close to shore, not in open water, and (b) they miscalculated the circumference of the earth and said it was too large or something. We all know how well Columbus listened to their advice. Ok, last thing about the university. When people come to see the university, many come specifically to find the tiny frog on the façade. It is supposed to give the students who find it good luck. You can find this little guy on top of a skull. The frog represents human vices (since frogs are generally green, and green is an evil color? Yeah, let’s go with that) and the skull reminds us that life is short. Together they remind us that we need to be careful in life and not get caught up in our vices, because life is short. Specifically, they are there to remind the students not to get so caught up in their studies that they miss what is going on in the world around them. I think sometimes I could definitely use a little, green frog to remind me of that.

In the very middle is the skull with the tiny frog on top.

Of course, we went to go see La Catedral de Salamanca (it’s just a given that we go see the cathedrals, and since there is one in every city, we can always expect to see one). It was breathtaking, as usual. I feel like I say that a lot, but the cathedrals never cease to amaze me. Although they do all start to look the same, that doesn’t mean they get any less beautiful. And you can usually find something interesting about each one. In this particular one, you can find it in some of the detail on the outside. Did you know there were astronauts and ice cream in the 16^th century? According to this artwork, there were. Just kidding. Restoration work was done very recently, and apparently, the sculptors had a sense of humor.

That is a tiger holding an ice cream cone.

Now, La Plaza Mayor. Every night, when it finally gets dark enough, lights are turned on all around the plaza that shine on the buildings and make them look like gold. The buildings in the plaza are all made of sandstone, which gives them the gold appearance. People come here and just sit down on the ground and hang out. I love it. Spaniards are so smart. These plazas are great meeting places and great places to gather with friends and family for food or dessert.

The next morning we got to sleep in a little, and at 11:00 we left Salamanca to start making our way back to Madrid. We left so early because the trip back included two stops along the way. The first was in a little city called Toro. We stopped to see a church that was a good representation of Roman architecture. The best part? The view from the church. It’s situated right on the edge of the bluff and overlooks the lovely Spanish plains. Just wow.

Our last stop was Tordesillas. We came specifically to see El Real Monasterio de Santa Clara, which was a royal palace before it was given to the nuns. But since we came during siesta hours, we had to wait. That is turning out to be a major theme of this trip: what are we waiting for? At any given time, you can usually hear someone ask this question, haha. Anyway, we hung out in their Plaza Mayor; had some lunch; had some ice cream; rested. Then it was off to this monastery. Although filled with Muslim architecture, it was built for the Christians. It was originally a palace built in 1240, but in the 1300s it was gifted to the nuns. Today, nine still live and work there making dulces! You are never allowed to actually see the nuns, so they sit behind this wall and use a Lazy Susan type thing to spin the sweets around to you. Those nuns know how to make some tasty treats. Also, there is a small, portable organ from the 1500s that still works inside the monastery. Occasionally, when special performances are held there, they will bring it out to be played. I wish I could have snapped a picture, but they said ¡no fotos! and there was a security guard following us throughout the tour. I decided not to take my chances.

Dulces anyone?

That makes two beautiful cities and two cute pueblos visited this weekend. Every trip I fall in love all over again – with Spain, that is.

Inside La Catedral del Salvador.

Labs! This one's for you Lallatins.

Have faith in yourself.

A bridge built in the first century.

This is our hotel key. Slightly obnoxious.