Hola a todos!
Well, his name is Granada and the wedding is in the fall. No but really, I freaking love all of Andalucia and especially Granada (fun fact: Granada means pomegranate). It was absolutely gorgeous, and very different from Salamanca and Barcelona! There's a lot of Arabic influence, like I said, a different (warmer!) climate, and a different culture in general. Allow me to explain the whole weekend...this may (read: will) take a while.
So we left bright and early on Friday and got to Granada in the midafternoon. We checked into the hotel, which was the coolest one we've stayed in yet! It had a beautiful pool and gardens out back, so we all hung out there for a while and ate lunch. Then, we went to go see La Capilla Real (The Royal Chapel) where the famed Fernando e Isabella, who funded Columbus' journey to the Americas and started the Inquisition, are buried. There is also their oldest daughter, Juana la Loca (the crazy one) and her husband, Felipe II. Felipe II ruled for his wife since she was crazy, and was already the German king, so he was one of the most powerful men who ever lived, ruling Spain, Portugal, Germany, basically all of the Americas, and many holdings in Asia/ Oceania as well. The Phillipines are named after him, for example! Anyways seeing their tombs was pretty darn cool! Next, we went across the street to Granada's Catedral. Gorgeous as always, but not too much unique about it as far as cathedrals go.
That night, we went to a delicious tapas bar and watched live flamenco and Spanish guitar and singing. They were phenomenal! I don't understand how they clap so hard or make their feet stamp so quickly...it was giving ME a work out just watching them, jaja. After this, we walked around the city by night and got a great view of the Alhambra all lit up. Como he dicho (like I said) I was completely enamorada!
We got to actually go see the Alhambra the next morning. It's a huge palace and garden complex where the royal family used to live. Even before that, it was a Muslim palace when the Moors were in Spain. Granada was the last city to fall (in 1492), so it has the most influence. The gardens were absolutely gorgeous, as were the fountains throughout. None of them use a motor- they rely completely on gravity, and continue to work hundreds of years later! Water is a very important Muslim symbol for space. Also, El Generalife (a cooler summer home) and El Palacio de Carlos V were pretty cool.
We hopped on the bus and left my beloved Granada for Cordoba. First, we went to see the famous Mezquita (mosque) de Cordoba, which is now a Catedral. It is enormous! The random change in architecture for the Catedral is really interesting, too. Afterwards, we checked in to the hotel and just relaxed until dinner at an Italian restuaurant that I didn´t really like and then a short walk around the city. A few of us bought some vino (wine) and had a fun night playing games and such.
In the morning, we were off again for Sevilla! Los Reales Alcazares de Sevilla, a palaca complex with beautiful gardens where the Spanish royal family still stays occasionally, was very cool. We got perdidas (lost) in a hedge maze! After tapas and sangria for lunch, we went to La Catedral de Sevilla, where I had to present to the group for my art class so I can tell you all about it! It is the biggest Gothic catedral in the world, and the 3rd biggest catedral in general in the world. There are two important tombs there: El Rey Fernando III, who is also San Fernando, and (get ready to freak out, all my KoC friends) Christopher Columbus! Pretty neat. We also got to see the most adorable square I´ve ever seen in my life, complete with a little lazy river running around it with little rowboats, horse drawn carriage rides, and a romantic fountain. Just so everyone knows....I´m going to get engaged there. Jaja. Dinner that night was in our hotel, and then we went to find wine again and had a ¨hot tub party¨ in our bathtub. It was a blast!
Finally, yesterday we went to Merida, a city with strong Roman presence. We got to see the teatro y anfiteatro (theatre and amphitheatre) from the year 8 BC! It was actually in pretty good condition in some places, amazingly. We had lunch and did some shopping, then got back on the bus and got back to Salamanca just in time for dinner with Escoli. We went to El Javi for a while, and then walked around in a more authentic if slightly more sketchy Spanish bar area for a while.
Today, I haven´t gotten much accomplished...Those papers really need to happen pronto(soon)! Off to find a smoothie bar that this guy I met from UConn told me about before class! Oh and on a random note I heard a rumor that in Madrid this weekend we´re going to see Les Miserables! Sooooo excited!
Besitos,
Caitrin
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