Ronda y Sevilla

We took a 3 day trip this weekend to Ronda and Sevilla, two other Andalucian towns (Andalucia is the province the Granada is in). They were the most beautiful cities I've ever seen! Ronda was a tiny town in the mountains, and every where we looked we found a gorgeous view. Although southern Spain has been in a drought for years, of course it's been raining nonstop since I arrived two weeks ago. This actually worked in our favor for Ronda, though, because the grass and trees covering the mountains and plains around the city were all the perfect shade of green so the views were even more spectacular. Luckily, for Friday and Saturday we had clear blue skies and 60 degree weather during the day. At night and all day Sunday, it poured rain.

We got to Sevilla late Friday night- another amazing city! Although it was clearly Americanized, the city still had the Spanish and Arabic charm. We went to the Palacio Real, which was the palace and home of many Spanish royalty. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would choose the grounds of this palace. The Islamic culture centers around peace, tranquility, and the journey to be closer to your personal God. This was evident all over the palace and its gardens. It came completel with a napping house, many incredible fountains, a shrubbery maze, orange and lemon trees, and plenty of courtyards within the palace. Something interesting about the architecture of the palace was that when you first enter it, the decor is very simple, and as you get closer to the center, the architecture and decor gets more elaborate. This is supposed to help you feel like you're leaving your mortal desires outside and gradually get closer to God.

Another strange thing about the architecture was in the cathedral in Sevilla, which is the world's largest Gothic cathedral. Inside the structure of the Catholic cathedral was an Islamic mosque. This shows the struggle between Catholicism and Islam in Spain. Many of the churches we've seen are attached to mosques. It's so strange that even though the two religions caused many wars in the country, their buildings of worship are able to be attached. My professor was telling us the symbolism of the cathedral, and it showed how different Catholicism is from Islam. The ceilings were unyieldingly tall and the entire building was just huge, so it made anyone who walked into it feel like they were tiny and insignificant. The talls ceilings were to make Catholics feel like God was very far away from them. All of the walls and ceilings were covered with beautiful and complex designs. It seemed so different from the tiny mosques we toured, with simple white and gold walls and a focus on tranquility. Don't get me wrong- I don't plan on converting anytime soon, but it really made me think about the power of the Catholic church.

We also saw a flamenco show in Sevilla, which is an absolutely beautiful dance. Of course we visited many tapas bars and a discoteca, to remind ourselves that we're still college students. They were, as usual, a great time :)

On the drive home, our busses stopped at Spain's idea of a fast food truck stop. It was the most disorganized and stressful experience. It made me really appreciate American culture. Everything I experience here makes me compare the two cultures, which has been a great learning experience. There are many things that Spain could learn from America, and also many things that America could learn from Spain. It baffles me how different the two cultures are, even though they are both developed countries. Although adapting to this new culture can be very frustrating, especially when I barely understand what anyone is saying to me, I am loving learning from it and I think everyone should try to spend an extended period of time living in a different country just to learn. Everyday I learn a few new Spanish words, something new about the culture and people here, and something new about myself. My roommate and I were saying that if we were to go home today, we'd already be changed people. I can only imagine how much I'll have learned by the end of May, and I can't wait to continue learning and changing!

Attached is a picture of me in the Plaza de Torros- the bull fighting ring in Ronda. So Spanish of me!