This past weekend I was able to travel to the southern region of Spain of Andalucia and visit three cities! I am so impressed by each new Spanish city, because they are all so unique and different from the last! We started in Granada, with the awe inspiring La Alhambra, which was a huge highlight for me. After seeing so much Moorish and Islamic influences in these structures, I want to know so much more. The intricacy and details of the buildings that have withstood centuries and so many shifts of power are still beautiful today. Something that I found particularly interesting at La Alhambra was the history of the reconquest by the catholic Spanish monarchy after the Iberian peninsula had been occupied by moors for hundreds of years. The catholic kings tried to build their own palaces on top of these or add symbols of there power, like Lions for Castilla Leon. But, one of the stories that stood out the most was that there was once a large earthquake and ALL of the Spanish monarchy structures collapsed, but not those built by the moors. This story made me chuckle, because growing up catholic there is a great irony there. Islamic and Moorish religions are so interesting with layers of appreciation for knowledge and natural beauty that really stood out to me.
That night we went to an incredible flamenco show in a traditional gypsy cave, that was far greater than I expected. The dancers had so much passion and strength, showing so many distinct emotions during their performances. My highlight from this was learning that an important part of flamenco dancing is to express your emotions, even angry physically.
The next day we headed on the bus to Seville, which felt like arriving in an entirely different country. The weather was perfectly warm, there were palm trees everywhere and more interesting histories. On our walking tour we learned about the famous Andalusian oranges, more kings/queens and the expeditions of Spanish explorers. We visited the cathedral (which was once a mosque), the Alacazar de Seville and the expansive properties that were built for the Iberio American exposition many years ago. My favorite was definitely the Plaza de Espana which was a huge pavilion with tile works around the edge portraying each Spanish province and community.
I was able to make some friends from Puerto Rico, which was a fun opportunity to speak Spanglish. This group was so welcoming and warm, and I really appreciated hearing about everyone’s diverse backgrounds! On this trip we had a mix of people from: Argentina, Haiti, France, Germany, Puerto Rico, Colombia, the US and more! We also went on a group pub crawl which was a lot of fun to see Seville at night! I was proud of myself for being flexible and being open to getting to know new people, which lasted until about 4 am that night!
Curly Q Travels 