Granada and the Alhambra

Sara and I went to Granada this weekend. We visited the Alhambra yesterday and went out and explored with our friend Anna. Anna is a student from Bloomington also and she is studying abroad in Granada for a whole year! Granada was the very last city in Spain to be conquered by catholicism. In other words, it has a lot more Muslim influence than Sevilla. King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella, Doña Juana, and her husband Felipe are all buried in Granada. We saw their tombs in the Capilla Real today. We weren't allowed to photograph this chapel, however.

The Alhambra is basically this giant Muslim palace/fortress and is also the second most visited attraction/historical venue in all of Europe. So there is a lot of arabic-looking arches, fountains, carvings in plaster etc. I really enjoyed our visit here. It is huge and up on top of the mountains overlooking what is now Granada. We spent the night in a hotel right across from the Alhambra. CIEE organized and payed for this whole trip, except for cervezas and tapas, of course. This morning we visited El Albaicin, a barrio (neighborhood) that is literally the very last Muslim neighborhood in Spain. It was left as their personal residences after the reconquest. Another awesome thing about Granada is that is is literally in the mountains, so it was significantly colder there in comparison to Sevilla. Enjoy the pictures!

We saw this mountain, part of the Sierra Nevadas, on our way to Granada on Saturday. It's called the Indian Nose. You can't see it very well from this angle. But a pretty cool rock nonetheless

Garden of the Palacios Nazaries

View of Granada from Alhambra

Another view of Granada from another part of the Alhambra, the Alcanzaba

Granada

One of the first "salas" that we saw inside the Alhambra. Since the Alhambra is a Muslim structure none of the little palace rooms ever lead directly into the main patios. Muslim structures always have their main entrances accessible only through indirect doorways or entrances. 

Another garden of the Alhambra; and some kid, Noah, in my program that got in the way

My artsy camera in the bush/palace in the background photo

Muslim Palaces are all about the reflection pools. All the wooden windows in this specific patio are the windows into the bedrooms of all the Sultan's wives. Apparently the word "celoso", which means "jealous" in English, comes from this little courtyard. The wood that blocks off the bedroom windows is called celiosas. And since the wives could see out into the courtyard, but not be seen or go out into the courtyard themselves, they were jealous of the Sultan and his subjects. Therefore, celoso

Ceiling of the Sultan's throne room. It's supposed to look like the heavens. There are a bunch of stars and the Sun is in the middle

Main patio of the Alhambra

Mini heavens ceiling in the pain garden/patio; This patio is where the sultan would hang out with all his "favorite" wives, or the wives that ranked above his others.

Some cool columns surrounding the main patio

Me in front of the doce leons fountain

The twelve lions represent the twelve tribes of Israel

Another cool ceiling. Ceiling = Techo

Another artsy photo

Arabic inscriptions are all over the walls in the Sultan's throne room

Beginning of the Christian add-on to the Alhambra 

Street leading to the centro of Granada

Real Capilla en Granada

My house :)

A cool entrance to a cafe in El Albaicín 

David, Me, and Sara at the best viewing point of the Alhambra in El Albaicín

Some Flameco dudes. The guitarists here are amazing. 

We also visited a cloistered nun convent. You aren;t allowed to see them at all. You have to ring a bell outside this little Hobbit-esque door and they talk to you through this wooden door. We bought some little pastries from them which they spun around on this big turn table to show us what they were before we bought them. 

And finally, it started to pour rain when we came down from El Albaicín to the El Centro of Granada. So we stopped in for some tea.

Cádiz and Catholic Traditions

Yesterday, Sara and our friends took a train to Cádiz. Cádiz is a small city on the coast of Spain. We learned that it is actually the oldest city in Spain. We have an "excursion" with CIEE to Cádiz later in the semester to actually go and see all the history and cool building there. This trip was mostly just to get in some beach time before we started regular classes tomorrow. This was my first train ride! It was really fun and the train was super clean and comfortable. 

We got back to Sevilla at about 9:30 and we decided to eat at Iguana Ranas, a mexican restaurant near the cathedral. I am so glad that we did. I have been craving some la hacienda since I got here but this place was soo yummy. I didn't take any pictures because I was too excited to eat it after being at the beach all day. haha

Afterwards we walked one of our friends home to his neighborhood. He lives in Triana. Triana is a really historical neighborhood here in Sevilla that everyone wants to live in and hang out in. It's a great neighborhood and it is home to one of the Spain's oldest churches, la Iglesia de Santa Ana, built in 1276. 

We accidentally came across this huge procession dedicated to la Pastoria de Triana, the patroness of Triana. Pilar told Sara and I that these kinds of things don't usually happen until later in the year and closer to Semana Santa so we were lucky to find it. The people in the neighborhood told us that it is sort of a salute to Triana and to the Virgen for protecting them and watching over Triana. So they parade around this float, carried on the shoulders of a bunch of guys underneath it, in and out of her church. During actual Semana Santa they said that they parade her in and out of multiple churches every single day for a week like 9 or 10 times! We were so lucky to have accidentally found this little Catholic/Barrio de Triana tradition. 

Train Station - Sevilla de San Bernando

Cádiz - The Mediterranean

View of Cádiz from their giant sea wall

I ate a donut at this place that was better than what the Amish ladies in Mitchell make; it was still warm and as big as my head. SO YUMMY!

Ayuntamiento de Cádiz

Catedral de Cádiz; Originally a Muslim mosque 

This cathedral is made of white marble and other stone and has many windows, unlike our gothic cathedral here in Sevilla

On the beach in Cádiz

Procession of Pastoria de Triana into her church

Procession to la Iglesia de Santa Ana

All the mean underneath slowly turn at one and carry the whole float in their shoulders into la Iglesia de Santa Ana

Fortaleza de los Justos

So Far so Good..

Well, we just finished our two week intensive grammar session and that means that this coming Monday that we start our actual classes. To say that Spanish grammar is difficult and frustrating is an understatement. Pilar, my host mom, seems to understand me just fine. Oh well. Now that all the touristy visits are over and done with it seems normal to walk past the 766 year old cathedral on my way to class everyday.

I also signed up for what CIEE calls an "intercambio." I am paired with a student from the University of Sevilla to improve my Spanish and also to help them with English. We exchange emails and phone numbers and meet up as often as we want to practice our languages. I have already met mine at an event through CIEE and he is really nice. I'm sure that Jose will help me a lot with improving my Spanish.

So far I am really liking Spain. The people are really helpful and they help us with our Spanish when we are out and about. I have ordered a year long Sevici bike pass so that I can ride one of the bikes to school everyday. And I am always on the lookout for a new cafe to eat in or people watch at. It is finally starting to cool off during the day but it has rained almost everyday this week. Good thing i packed my Land's End raincoat special, courtesy of Mom!

Here are some extra pictures that I have taken of some random things while I have been walking around and being at home/ Pilar's house. Tomorrow Sara and some of our friends from CIEE and myself are going to Cadiz. I have heard from a lot of people that it is a really beautiful beach. So look for pictures of that sometime later tomorrow! ¡Hasta Luego!

Sara and I at the top of the Giralda at the Cathedral

Spaniards love them some Tinto de Verano, which is just wine spritzer. But i assure you that is yummy none the less 

CHURROS! These things are so yummy. It's kind of like fried bread that tastes sweet. You can have it with "chocolate" which is a really thick hot chocolate drink that is warm like coffee. They are so yummy 

Paella that Pilar made us the other day. I told her like 3 days before that I did not like shrimp and squid and all that, so she made it with chicken instead. By far the yummiest rice dish I have ever eaten.

Today after class my friends and I discovered that there is an "American" store. They poptarts, arizona tea, nacho cheese dip, and all kinds of stuff. I discovered the jackpot. The next Pilar is gone for a weekend, I'm busting this out and making some. I love me some Mac 'n' Cheese.

After we perused the American store I found this cow in the middle of the entrance to this store so I made my friends Cassie take a picture of me with it.   

For Javi Diaz. Miss you!

There are horse carriages everywhere all around the cathedral and the Ayuntamiento. It's funny because everyone is like ew they smell terrible while I am over there breathing deep. I miss Bug and Gracie! And also the gypsies around the cathedral always try to sell you these twigs that are "good luck" and  blessed my the archbishop or whoever... and they actually just trim them off those bushes right behind the horses every morning. haha

Pilar's Son Jesus got married 2 weeks ago. And no, Sara and I weren't invited...

For weddings here and the men that are actually in the wedding wear long coats, not tuxes. Also they wear their wedding bands on their right hand, which I thought was interesting 

And the older women or the mothers of the and groom and bride wear these crown things with veils on them. They wear white ones for weddings and funerals and black ones during Semana Santa (Holy week)

Pilar, Jesus, Piluca (left to right)

Pilar, Jesus, and Piluca again. Piluca is super pregnant and is here napping and eating pretty much all day. 

Sara and I finally broke down and went to the Burger King the other night. Spaniards eat significantly less food and we are pretty much hungry all the time.