Hey everyone!
After being here for over 2 months, we still have not written about our experiences in Ronda and Sevilla (February 2-4) and then to Cordoba (February 19). Our bad!
RONDA
The weekend before we started classes, we left early Friday morning and went to Ronda. Ronda is a super small and beautiful city about 2 hours away. When we got there, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm. We spent the first hour walking around with guides (who happened to be the three teachers that IES has for the art and architecture classes). We began by looking at an incredible view of the the hills. There are tons of olive trees here, and they were just beginning to bloom. It was so nice!
We continued on a paseo called "The Paseo of Ernest Hemingway"...It was cool to walk in places that may have given him the ideas that he included in his books. I couldn`t stop talking and thinking about The Sun Also Rises. It was really nice! Our paseo was beautiful and took us right to the Arab baths. We got a tour of it (because it wasn`t in use in the winter) and walked all around it. It is
a really neat system and we get to try it out in Morocco in a few weeks...super pumped!
After the paseo, we all met up and had a picnic lunch where we started. It was a little sad because all of the other students who have señoras had 3 sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and extra snacks to eat. I took bread that we had saved from the dining hall, some oranges, and I think yogurt (or something) and tried to make something of a lunch for us. It was pretty lame, but not to worry Ken, nobody went hungry :)
After lunch, we met up at the Bullfighting ring, and went inside. Most of the Spanish cities have them, but we had never been inside one
before. We got in and immediately took pictures of ourselves pretending to be bulls and the bullfighters, etc. (It is funny because before we went in, the Spaniards told some students that the Americans always take pictures pretending to be the bull...they didn`t really understand that.) Anyway, we again were guided by the teachers and we heard all about the customs and the beauty of the bull fight. It seems interesting enough--pretty gross, but culturally beautiful, so we will all probably go in April or May when they are in Granada.
We left Ronda, and headed to Sevilla.
After being here for over 2 months, we still have not written about our experiences in Ronda and Sevilla (February 2-4) and then to Cordoba (February 19). Our bad!
RONDA
The weekend before we started classes, we left early Friday morning and went to Ronda. Ronda is a super small and beautiful city about 2 hours away. When we got there, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm. We spent the first hour walking around with guides (who happened to be the three teachers that IES has for the art and architecture classes). We began by looking at an incredible view of the the hills. There are tons of olive trees here, and they were just beginning to bloom. It was so nice!
We continued on a paseo called "The Paseo of Ernest Hemingway"...It was cool to walk in places that may have given him the ideas that he included in his books. I couldn`t stop talking and thinking about The Sun Also Rises. It was really nice! Our paseo was beautiful and took us right to the Arab baths. We got a tour of it (because it wasn`t in use in the winter) and walked all around it. It is
a really neat system and we get to try it out in Morocco in a few weeks...super pumped!After the paseo, we all met up and had a picnic lunch where we started. It was a little sad because all of the other students who have señoras had 3 sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and extra snacks to eat. I took bread that we had saved from the dining hall, some oranges, and I think yogurt (or something) and tried to make something of a lunch for us. It was pretty lame, but not to worry Ken, nobody went hungry :)
After lunch, we met up at the Bullfighting ring, and went inside. Most of the Spanish cities have them, but we had never been inside one
before. We got in and immediately took pictures of ourselves pretending to be bulls and the bullfighters, etc. (It is funny because before we went in, the Spaniards told some students that the Americans always take pictures pretending to be the bull...they didn`t really understand that.) Anyway, we again were guided by the teachers and we heard all about the customs and the beauty of the bull fight. It seems interesting enough--pretty gross, but culturally beautiful, so we will all probably go in April or May when they are in Granada.We left Ronda, and headed to Sevilla.
SEVILLA
Sevilla is absolutely beautiful. There is a beautiful river and nice architecture. We arrived in the early evening and had a few hours until dinner. We walked along the river a bit and noticed people paddle boating (this will be important later). Afterwards, we got ready for dinner and as a group of 90, we went to this beautiful catered dinner. It was a really nice night, and afterwards we all went to bed.
The next day, we had tours of the Alcazar castle and the gardens, and the cathedral. It was absolutely spectacular! The gardens were amazing and there was even a maze of bushes (I found out later that it was only fun for me because I actually could not see over the top, and everyone else could). Everything was beautifully crafted and it was truly a sight to see. The cathedral was also incredible. It was a mixture of Islamic and Catholic architecture (historically, it was created during a time when everyone was getting along, so the king had a mixture or architects work on the cathedral) and it was beautiful. We climbed over 30 flights of stairs to reach the top of the tower, and it was worth it for the view. It was amazing!
That night there was a flamenco show and a soccer game at the same time. Nathan and a few others went to the soccer game and the rest of us went to the show. The show was really cool, and an awesome experience. I maybe would have preferred the soccer game, but oh well. While Nathan ran through town to get to the stadium, he bumped into some fans who were headed there as well. They gave him an extra ticket that they had, and Nathan sat with them. After the show, the game was still going, some of us headed across the river (where there were less Americans) and went to a great tapas bar. We had a lovely time, and then Nathan met up with me after for a later dinner, and then I was too tired to go to another bar, so we headed back to the hotel. Sadly, Brad was sick and stayed in bed to sleep that night. He didn`t miss too much.
The next morning, we had an amazing all-you-can-eat buffet (consisting of different types of eggs, breads, churros, fruits, cereals, yogurts, and juices). It was delicious. Brad was sick so Nathan and I brought him some food. We finally all got up and decided that we had to go paddle boating. It was super fun, except that it started raining, and then pouring for a bit. The rain subsided, but nonetheless, it was crazy! Afterwards, we pretty much ran to see the Plaza de España, a beautiful area of buildings and parks. We ran out of time, but we got a nice look of the outside. It was definitely worth seeing.
After that, we ran back to the bus, made it just in time (not enough time to drink the Starbucks that I had been craving, but oh well).
CORDOBA
The final trip to blog about is our day trip to Cordoba. Nathan has his internship on Fridays, so only Brad and I went on this one.
We got on the bus at 7 in the morning and left for Cordoba. (Side note, on the bus, we bet what time we would be there, and I split the pot with a friend...made a euro, nice!) Anyway, we first went to Medinah Al-Zahara an old Arab city.
We walked around the ruins for a few hours. It was really beautiful. It was really neat to see what used to be a city now in forms of ruins. We learned more about the Arab culture before they were kicked out of the area, and a bit of history about later on. Mostly, we just appreciated the pretty views and remaining architecture that were all around us. (Historical note, Cordoba was the top city in the 1000`s...Athens in the BC`s, then Cordoba, and most recently New York in 2000, pretty cool).
Afterwards, we jumped on the bus and headed straight for the Jewish Quarter in Cordoba. We made it to the synagogue just before it closed and looked inside. It was very small but very beautiful. We walked around the area a bit, and then headed over to the mosque. We had free time for lunch and paseos, and then met back up to tour the mosque. The mosque was absolutely huge! Inside was beautifully created with tons of arcs (which represent palm trees) and other really neat and traditional Arab architecture. It had been taken over by the Catholics later, though, so there was a lot of Catholic influence around as well. Mosques are generally darker and don`t have super high ceilings, so you can easily tell that the stain glass are newer elements. The most interesting part is that right in the middle of this incredible mosque (which you cannot see even until you walk right up to it) is this HUGE cathedral. It was really interesting to compare the architecture styles and see how grand the cathedral was. Super crazy!
We visited a castle afterwards, which was really fun as well. The climb to the top of the tower was a bit treacherous, but really cool and worth it for the view. It also inspired our idea to bring Laser tag to the castles of Spain. (just wait, it will catch on!)
Well, that is all for now. Stay posted for stories from France and the UK.
Sevilla is absolutely beautiful. There is a beautiful river and nice architecture. We arrived in the early evening and had a few hours until dinner. We walked along the river a bit and noticed people paddle boating (this will be important later). Afterwards, we got ready for dinner and as a group of 90, we went to this beautiful catered dinner. It was a really nice night, and afterwards we all went to bed.
The next day, we had tours of the Alcazar castle and the gardens, and the cathedral. It was absolutely spectacular! The gardens were amazing and there was even a maze of bushes (I found out later that it was only fun for me because I actually could not see over the top, and everyone else could). Everything was beautifully crafted and it was truly a sight to see. The cathedral was also incredible. It was a mixture of Islamic and Catholic architecture (historically, it was created during a time when everyone was getting along, so the king had a mixture or architects work on the cathedral) and it was beautiful. We climbed over 30 flights of stairs to reach the top of the tower, and it was worth it for the view. It was amazing!
That night there was a flamenco show and a soccer game at the same time. Nathan and a few others went to the soccer game and the rest of us went to the show. The show was really cool, and an awesome experience. I maybe would have preferred the soccer game, but oh well. While Nathan ran through town to get to the stadium, he bumped into some fans who were headed there as well. They gave him an extra ticket that they had, and Nathan sat with them. After the show, the game was still going, some of us headed across the river (where there were less Americans) and went to a great tapas bar. We had a lovely time, and then Nathan met up with me after for a later dinner, and then I was too tired to go to another bar, so we headed back to the hotel. Sadly, Brad was sick and stayed in bed to sleep that night. He didn`t miss too much.
The next morning, we had an amazing all-you-can-eat buffet (consisting of different types of eggs, breads, churros, fruits, cereals, yogurts, and juices). It was delicious. Brad was sick so Nathan and I brought him some food. We finally all got up and decided that we had to go paddle boating. It was super fun, except that it started raining, and then pouring for a bit. The rain subsided, but nonetheless, it was crazy! Afterwards, we pretty much ran to see the Plaza de España, a beautiful area of buildings and parks. We ran out of time, but we got a nice look of the outside. It was definitely worth seeing.
After that, we ran back to the bus, made it just in time (not enough time to drink the Starbucks that I had been craving, but oh well).
CORDOBA
The final trip to blog about is our day trip to Cordoba. Nathan has his internship on Fridays, so only Brad and I went on this one.
We got on the bus at 7 in the morning and left for Cordoba. (Side note, on the bus, we bet what time we would be there, and I split the pot with a friend...made a euro, nice!) Anyway, we first went to Medinah Al-Zahara an old Arab city.
We walked around the ruins for a few hours. It was really beautiful. It was really neat to see what used to be a city now in forms of ruins. We learned more about the Arab culture before they were kicked out of the area, and a bit of history about later on. Mostly, we just appreciated the pretty views and remaining architecture that were all around us. (Historical note, Cordoba was the top city in the 1000`s...Athens in the BC`s, then Cordoba, and most recently New York in 2000, pretty cool).
Afterwards, we jumped on the bus and headed straight for the Jewish Quarter in Cordoba. We made it to the synagogue just before it closed and looked inside. It was very small but very beautiful. We walked around the area a bit, and then headed over to the mosque. We had free time for lunch and paseos, and then met back up to tour the mosque. The mosque was absolutely huge! Inside was beautifully created with tons of arcs (which represent palm trees) and other really neat and traditional Arab architecture. It had been taken over by the Catholics later, though, so there was a lot of Catholic influence around as well. Mosques are generally darker and don`t have super high ceilings, so you can easily tell that the stain glass are newer elements. The most interesting part is that right in the middle of this incredible mosque (which you cannot see even until you walk right up to it) is this HUGE cathedral. It was really interesting to compare the architecture styles and see how grand the cathedral was. Super crazy!
We visited a castle afterwards, which was really fun as well. The climb to the top of the tower was a bit treacherous, but really cool and worth it for the view. It also inspired our idea to bring Laser tag to the castles of Spain. (just wait, it will catch on!)
Well, that is all for now. Stay posted for stories from France and the UK.
2 comments:
I feel much better having had such a desperate need to catch up on your travels. Thanks so much for the great blog, and I know for a fact Ken appreciates all the food and transportation details! Hmm, what's up with Brad and not shaving? Is this a European trend? Hope Brad has a Happy 21st birthday. Wish we were there to celebrate. Ann
Happy Birthday Brad, Because you are now 21 I hereby release you from any responsibility to share details about food or transportation. Of course I still expect a full accounting on the weather. Now that you are 21 you can start sampling alcoholic beverages with Brooke. It is a shame Nathan has not yet had the opportunity to sample such beverages but he will have his chance in less than 5 months. I hope you are all well. Ken
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