During our stay in Spain we have visited a small bullring in Granada and the bullfighting museum and large bullring in Sevilla.  The bullfighting museum consisted of authentic bullfighting attire, many bulls´ heads on the walls, bullfighting capes, and other paintings and artifacts that explained the history of bullfighting in Spain.  We saw a large bullring in Sevilla, and our tour guide, Paloma, told us a lot about bullfighting – for example, she explained that the bulls are killed after the bullfights and are then eaten (many people eat the bulls´ tails).  Bullfighting is a national pastime in Spain, although some people do not like it because the bulls are killed after the fights.

Flamenco is Spain´s national dance.  On Wednesday, our second full day in Madrid, we had dinner and saw a flamenco show at a restaurant in Madrid called Villa Rosa.  It was like dinner theatre.  After our dinner three dancers, a singer, and a musician came out and performed.  The dancers were two women and a man.  They danced with great intensity and passion (like the Furia Hispania or Spanish fury that our book on soccer, La Roja, talked about).  Many of us concur that the flamenco show has been our favorite part of the trip so far.  We hoped that after the show the dancers would be willing to dance with us and maybe teach us flamenco dancing, but they were getting ready to do their next show.  But it was a great way to experience authentic Spanish culture through the art of flamenco dancing.

On Sunday we visited the Alhambra, Granada´s most famous site.  It sits atop a hill looking over the city of Granada.  We toured all of the rooms, the courtyards, and the gardens and went to the Generalife (the summer house), which is near the Alhambra.  The Alhambra is significant because it represents a time in Spain´s history when the Muslims conquered Spain and remained in power for more than seven hundred years.  The walls of the Alhambra are covered in inscriptions from the Koran (Qu´ran), the holy book of the Muslim faith.  (The Muslim conquest of Spain began in 711 A.D. and ended in 1492 with the beginning of the Reconquista or Reconquest by Christians.)  The Alhambra has many beautiful features, including courtyards with reflecting pools.  A notable theme throughout the Alhambra is the use of geometrical lines and shapes in its construction.

Today we had a really great experience! We went to the Escuala de Hosteleria y Turismo- We started out our trip by going on a scavenger hunt in the city to learn about some of the important buildings. We were given brief explanation of the site and then had to act out what historical event had happened. For example the town plaza had a statue of Don Quixote and we had to be pretend to be him and fight a windmill. One of the best parts about this was that our tour guides were students from the school and were practing giving tours in English with us. It was a lot of fun especially getting to interact with college students from Madrid.

The day got even better when we had cooking lesson and were taught how to make paella by one of the best chefs. We all gathered into the kitchen and watched as he made the dish. The paella was cooked in a specially designed pan that was the size of about four large pizza pans. By the time each of us had are plates served,there was still over half a pan left. In addition to the paella we had croquettes, gazpacho, flan, and sangria. We were given a three course meal and served. Just like the tour guides, our servers were practicing both their English and serving. There couldn’t have been a better way to have paella.

Our trip to Spain and Morocco has started this week in Madrid and included stops in Segovia, Escorial, and a trip to Alcala de Henares for a cooking demonstration and lunch at the cooking school.  On Friday we began the really cold day with a tour of the town where Miguel de Cervantes (who wrote Don Quixote) lived.  We did a game in which we were divided into 2 teams – orange and blue – and were asked to recreate various scenes from Spanish culture and history.  Our guides were students from the university who were studying tourism.  They showed us the various sites of the city, including the home of Cervantes and churches.  The blue team ended up winning the game.  Following the game and the tour, we were shown around the cooking school and watched chefs prepare our paella that we ate during our lunch at the school.  The paella was delicious!  It is truly an authentic Spanish dish, will saffron, fish, and other ingredients.  We were served gazpacho, a cold Spanish soup, and flan.   

Prior to our trip to Alcala de Henares today, yesterday we went to the Alcazar in Segovia.  The Alcazar is a fairytale castle that is set atop the hill.  Inside there are knights´ uniforms, paintings, and beautiful stained-glass windows.  Outside the castle you can look down into the lush greenery and see the surrounding countryside.  You can also see peacocks walking around.  The Alcazar is probably Segovia´s most famous tourist attraction, as it resembles a scene from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Wizard of Oz, and many other depictions of storybook castles. 

The weather here has been very cold, and we have done a lot of walking through the streets of Madrid and the other places we have visited.  But we are enjoying our stay here in Spain.  On Saturday we will be off to Granada, where we will tour the Alhambra on Sunday.

It has been a few months since I returned home from the journey of a lifetime. Spain was a trip that I will never forget. I learned about a new culture, I experienced great food, I learned about myself, those I went on the trip with, and about the people of Spain. I saw so many sights, meet great people, and learned about a different way to live – a life more relaxed and carefree.

Even after these months I still remember the great times I had. I am constantly remembering the beautiful sights, and recalling fun time I had with classmates and professors.

Each city that we visited in Spain had something different to offer.   In Madrid, I got my first taste of Spain. Since it was a more touristy town, I saw people from all over the world enjoying Spain. Spain had a lot of people on the streets who were constantly trying to sell you something or showing off their unique skills in order to get a few coins. I was not used to something like that but it was still an interesting sight to see. In Spain I got to see the amazing art museums: The Prado and Reina Sofia. I ate at the Museum of Jamon (Ham) , a chain like restaurant. I also got to explore the small side streets and shopping Madrid had to offer.

Next came to Sevilla, which is definitely my favorite city that we saw. Sevilla was the perfect example of what I though Spain to be. Cobblestone streets, gardens, kissing lane that kept out the heat of the day, and countless fountains that you were just happen upon while walking. The people of Sevilla were also much more relaxed. They found refuge from the heat by sitting for hours at a little cafe and drinking sangria and wine. They sat and watched the people walking by.  It was hard to not fall in love with people and city of Sevilla because it just felt like a great place to pass your time. While in Sevilla I visited the Bull Fight Museum at Plaza de Toros and even caught a fight. I visited the Alcazar with its abundance of gardens and its old city wall. We also saw the Macarena, the “Virgin of Hope”.

Next was a day trip to Cordoba and I got to see one of the sights I was most excited for, the Mezquita-Cathedral of Cordoba. A mosque and cathedral combined, this sight is most famous for its red and white stripped arches, which I was surprised to find that many of them were painted. The Cathedral of Cordoba was even more beautiful and majestic than I expected.

Out next stop was Granada, where we saw the Alhambra, a Flamenco show, and visited the Cathedral and Capilla Real. We did not spend much time in Granada and I wish we had. It was a beautiful city and there was so much sights to see. If I ever got the chance to visit Spain again, Granada would be on the top of my list.

Our last stop was in Barcelona.  I got my first experience of riding on a metro, we had to take one everywhere we went!  From the most famous street in Spain, La Rambla, you could get a bite of ice cream, shop at the Market that had countless stalls from Candy to fish, sit down for a meal, or just stroll the street. Off this street we visited Casa Batlo, an apartment turned museum built by Gaudi, a Spanish architecture who based his designs on things seen in nature. We also visited to Joan Miro Foundation, a art museum with Moro’s work.Barcelona was also the place that we saw the famous Sagrada Famailia, the site that I was MOST excited to see. Words cannot describe this beautiful cathedral that was begun in 1882 by Gaudi, and is still being built today, with a completed date projected to be in 2026! The inside is built like a forest of trees, with columns that stretch up and almost turn into the branches of the trees, ending in what looks like leaves, creating the tree tops. This church is majestic, breathtaking, ingenious, innovative, and a sight to see.

I really have been blessed to have this opportunity to see the world. I got to see a beautiful country that prides itself on its lush and long history. I had the chance to experience all that this world has to offer.

I hope you have liked my posts as much as I have enjoyed writing them. May you always see the beauty in everything, even the smallest things.

Adios, Holly