Galicia

(I know I'm going out of order on these posts, but I like to write about whatever tickles my fancy at the moment.)

     Our latest school trip was to Galicia, an area in the Northwest of Spain that boasts deep Celtic ties due to its proximity to Ireland. Also, the climate and the physical features (so we were told) are akin to those in Scandinavia  Although, never having been to Scandinavia, I am unable to verify that,  I can say that Galicia was the most beautiful and different part of Spain that I have ever seen. There were waving hills that became massive rock cliffs which dropped into the unrepentant and violent Atlantic and beaches of glittering mica. 

     First we went to the Tower of Hercules, climbed it, and left. Afterwards we drove into Coruna, a city in Galicia, and explored. While there, a couple of us went to the beach and "waded" (got soaked) in the rollicking waves that would both barely touch your toes and submerge you thing deep if you stood in one place for over a minute. That night we stayed in cabins in the country side, and saw traditional Gallegan dancing.
     The next day we saw the church of San Andres. Every Gallegan is required to make a pilgrimage here at least once, or else they will be reincarnated as lizards and insects (which is why you are encouraged not to step on lizards and insects in this area). 

     At San Andres you can also make a wish by tying a piece of cloth around a tree or a fence, which will come true once a strong wind blows and it falls. None of us had spare pieces of cloth, so we used the baby wipes that I carry on trips (proving once again how eternally useful they are).

     Finally, they took us to the top of a hill that flowed into the ocean, a nice change of pace from the usual of just seeing museums, palaces, and cathedrals. 

    Finally, we went to Santiago de Compostela, a church that is the end of "El Camino de Santiago", a pilgrimage that people from all over the world undertake. It started out hundreds of years ago as a way for people to absolve themselves of their sins, and continues to serve that purpose today, as well as provide adventure. Also, jailed convicts can serve the final throes of their sentence by doing the pilgrimage. We weren't allowed to spend much time in the church, as it was during mass, but they did take us up to the roof!

Sevilla

     After a jaunt around Granada we found ourselves in Sevilla, a city in Andalucia, where we toured more cathedrals and palaces of Spanish royalty. The cathedral was absolutely gorgeous, but I again did not have my camera (this time because the battery alternated between saying it was half full and almost empty... I optimistically decided that it was half-full, which was blatantly wrong). Thus no cathedral pictures, but the palace had some interesting features that are worth sharing.    
     Sevilla (or Seville in English) has a Mediterranean feel, illustrated by the vegetation surrounding the palace. 

     Due to the sweltering weather (it was about 90 in September) the first thing one comes across upon entering is a shaded mosaic room used for midday siesta escapes. As in the Alhambra, the mosaic stones are all hand placed in the most meticulous of manners. 

     The gardens are all lush despite the heat, and are apparently the perfect spot to raise a peacock family.

     The palace also sported Alhambra like ceilings, painted in gold and the deepest jewel tones. 

     The bedrooms were quite amazing as well.  The prince's quarters had no windows as a measure of protection. It was oblong, so that there would be room for troops to guard him, and between him and his army stood a mere sheet for privacy.  It was is this palace that either a Spanish or perhaps French heir to the throne died by heart attack whilst making love, forcing the retiring king to come back and rule for many more years. The women's quarters were heavily decorated with huge windows and patios, an apparent attempt at recreating Eden. This was because the women were not allowed to leave the palace, but the ruling family tried to make the building so beautiful that the women would never leave  by choice rather than force. The beauty within the palace can be seen in this inside patio that had been built over but then unearthed in later years. 

     Despite the resplendence of the palace I was most intrigued by the dungeons- the king, infatuated by his lover, honored her request to convert the dungeons into a bathing pool, as it was the area in the palace least subjected to the scorching heat of summer. The pool is shallow, but longer than some swimming pools, and at the end there are three holes- one for hot water, one for warm, and one for cool. 

     I enjoyed this part of the tour the most because the pool was created as a manifestation of the king's love with but one woman in mind, yet hundreds of years later the story is told to people all over the world who come to marvel at its innovation. 

Granada

     As part of our program travel to various parts of Spain, after attending a thorough lecture. Our first trip came only a week after our arrival -and before our real classes even began- and took us to the Southern areas of Andalucia and Granada. Spain consists of 17 autonomous regions, each which has a very distinct culture. Granada is infamous for being the last area that the Moors held, and that Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand had to retake before Spain was complete. Thus one finds a very strange mixture of European and Arab influences in the art and architecture of Granada. 
     Our most significant stop there was the Alhambra, a fort/palace resplendent with ancient art and years of history. (We also saw the church where Ferdinand and Isabel were buried, which was the most amazing part of Granada, but I forgot my camera and thus will not talk about it here) We saw it first at night while walking to dinner, where it sits peacefully in a grove of trees, watching over the city. 

     The next day, we took a tour to end all tours and were educated on the significance of every. single. inch. of the Alhambra.  The architecture of the whole thing was very thought out safety wise- here you can see that this building was designed so that an attacker could only view a certain number of windows at a time, and thus  would have a harder time laying siege on the building. 

     Everything in the Alhambra was handmade and hand carved, including huge wooden walls covered in the most intricate designs, only slightly weather-beaten. 

     The Arab influence in the Alhambra was quite obvious, and the water features were gorgeous. The Alhambra also offered the best view of the city, where the white buildings peek out of the surrounding vegetation. 

     The Alhambra also sported a series of exotic gardens that had almost as many fountains as it did plants, a welcome respite after an hours long walking tour.