iglesias

Today my class ended early because we have to do our visit at night. At 6 I will be going to the Museo de Bellas Artes---simple name: Museum of Beautiful Art---shouldn't it be beautiful if it is displayed in a museum??  Anyway, instead of the visit, I did one of our required outside activities and visited a few churches that I pass everyday on my walk to class. I find it absolutely incredible that these crazily decorated Baroque churches are right in the middle of winding roads and old neighborhoods. They look more or less simple from the outside but when you go in, they are like the Church of San Salvador that I visited yesterday, with decorations literally everywhere. This style is known as "horror vacui" which means the fear of empty space.

This church is actually three steps away from the study center. 

It is called the Iglesia de San Isodoro and was built in the 14th century. 

It has a mix of Renaissance and Baroque influences. 

While looking from this view of La Capilla de San Jose (built in the 18th century), 

if you turn around you could walk right into a Guess store. 

It is hidden in the middle of one of the busiest shopping streets in El Centro de Sevilla. 

This is a view of La Iglesia de Santa María Magdalena (Mary Magdelene)

It is big a has spectacular colors. 

This church is located a couple blocks away from the river. 

A closer look at the colors used in the design. 

I find it interesting that Baroque architecture used so many images of 

Saints and martyrs, and the crosses are almost unnoticeable

You would think that the cross would be a larger symbol displayed on the church. 

This is explained by the Counterreformation in which the Spanish catholics displayed

 a ton of images of saints and the virgin Mary because the Protestants 

were against doing so. 

I'm looking forward to my first museum visit in Sevilla. It houses works from many artists including Velázquez and el Greco. In my class this morning we talked about almost every piece of literature that I read last semester for my Spanish class---maybe an advantage for my next exam?? I sure hope so! 

barroco or broke-o?

Today marked the completion of two weeks in Sevilla, and the start of week 2 of Spanish history---starting with the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
These two periods are intrestingly opposite--Renaissance is simple and Baroque is over the top. BUT, during the Renaissance, Spain was extremely wealthy, and during the Baroque period it had started to decline. Hmm...
Anyways the church of San Salvador that I visited today was a Baroque church that was built on top of the first mosque in Sevilla. It had intricate decorations EVERYWHERE! Very pretty---a lot of images of biblical people like Saints, and a lot of the images that pass through the streets of Sevilla during Semana Santa are housed in the church.

Here is the main altarpiece 

Another view showing all of the details involved in Baroque artwork 

This is a famous image in Sevilla because during Semana Santa, these are 

the images that are carried through the city. 

The stained glass windows projected colorful light on 

some of the altarpieces 

Yesterday I met my intercambio for the first time---it made for an interesting night! We met up around 6 to go to a cafe and chat. I thought that he was going to bring me to a bar to watch a hypnosis show with him that is on TV Sunday nights, but man was I been more wrong! Joaquín took me to a bar, but the hypnosis show was live! It was nuts! The last time I saw a hypnotist was at my senior party...so not in a bar and not in Spanish! But I enjoyed the new experience and I think Joaquín is going to make a good intercambio. He is 25 years old and works full time as an engineer. He loves movies---especially Rocky and his favorite actor is Bruce Willis! He is also a competitive chess player, so maybe he can teach me how to play! Talking about American films and tv shows was fun, but we also touched on more serious subjects. 

After only a couple of hours with Joaquín he has already provided an important perspective on life in Spain. The unemployment rate is outrageous---near 30%, so Joaquín is extremely lucky to be working, and wants to learn english to help him with his job. After going out with my American friends here, we have noticed some interesting habits---the waiter will bring bread to your table, and then charge you for it (although you don't have to tip them). They also will only bring you fancy bottled water which is not free. Joaquín told me that they are trying to earn more money because they think all foreigners are rich. He said that when he travels to Córdoba every weekend to visit his girlfriend, she always asks for the bill because the waiter can tell from the accent that Joaquín is not from Córdoba--and when Joaquín asks for it, they will get charged more. So that is something to watch out for as an American in Spain, and even Spainards have to be careful when they go around the country. He was surprised to learn that my host family is just a young couple, because in Spain it is very common for a person to live with their parents into their thirties because they can't support themselves. While times have been hard for Joaquín and other spainards, he is so positive about life! 

Joaquín Ramos also grew up in the same neighborhood as Sergio Ramos---aka soccer player for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. They are also the same age and used to play soccer together! Also, Joaquín's house is constantly getting calls from reporters that think they are related. He assured me that they are not even though they have the same last name! 

So this week is off to a good start. Got my first exam as a Sevillan student back today---100% ¡Qué increíble! This week I hope to make plans to volunteer here and travel to more spots in Spain. 

tres culturas

First time venturing away from Sevilla=success! Today I  went to Córdoba with people from my program. The bus ride was equivalent to the trip from Madison to Chicago, but the views definitely were not! After kilometers and kilometers of rolling green hills, olive trees and roaming sheep we arrived in Córdoba, the first capital of the Muslim empire in Spain. I have been eager to see the famous Mezquita (mosque) in Córdoba since reading about it in my culture and civilization class last spring and the day has finally arrived! It definitely didn't disappoint.  Córdoba is a cool city to experience, because it has distinct remains from three distinct religions that have occupied Spain--Catholics, Muslims and Jews.

The Mosque is absolutely increíble. The Muslims were the first to construct it, and in the thirteenth century when the catholics took over, they seriously put a cathedral smack dab in the middle. So as you walk around you are moving from very typical muslim architecture right into catholic/gothic stuff. Two worlds that don't really mix well today are so intertwined in the art and architecture in Spain, especially seen in Córdoba.

Here is the roman bridge that goes over the Guadalquivir River to Córdoba (same river I cross every day)

Kilómetros y kilómetros de arcos! This image is pretty famous as a representation of the Mosque

Intricate Muslim design---arab words in the dark. This arc led into a Muslim room of prayer

Another look at the Muslim design. The cúpula (or dome roof) was especially cool. Pic doesn't do it justice!

Proof! I have been to the Mezquita! 

Practically 2 steps from the arches you walked into the Cathedral. It was weird how the lighting changed---it was much whiter and much brighter in this room

The walls, roof and everything was breathtaking 

I especially liked these details in the choir room---and 80 year old worked on these mahogany carvings for 10 years and died 15 days before they were complete. Each one shows a scene from Jesus in the bible. 

The most famously photographed view in Córdoba---in the summer this plaza has a competition to see who can have the best floral presentation so it is decked out in flowers! You can see the tower of the Mosque through the streets of the famous Jewish neighborhood

Lindsey and me at the La Calleja de Flores

Here is a Jewish synagogue in the neighborhood we walked through. It was once used a church. Can you see the red cross under the arch?

This is the garden of the Alcazar in Córdoba. 

Part of my group "Las chicas de Fran" at the Alcazar

Lovely panoramic. Again, doesn't do it justice! 

I still can't get over all of the cultural influences that have passed through this country! It leaves for some fascinating architectural and artistic remains. Looking out my window on the bus ride back to Sevilla, I was fondly reminded of the view out my window of our house in Malvern---lots of sheep and lots of hills. Next weekend it is off to Granada! Might have my first Spanish discoteca experience tonight...not really sure what to expect! When in Spain..! 

La puerta al nuevo mundo

Survived my first exam as a Sevillan student. Went pretty well  I think! After our exam we continued exploring the city.

Today I went to el Archivo de Indios--this is a building built during the Renaissance that is right across the street from the Baroque cathedral. The building hosts thousands of original documents from the time when Spain was conquering the New World. It is crazy to think of how many famous explorers and kings passed through the building while coming and going to America. After Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, Sevilla became the "puerta" or port--kind of like a crossroads for explorers. The location on the Guadalquivir river was perfect for organizing the riches that were brought to Spain. Many people came to Sevilla in search for fortune. The building was first known as "La Casa de Contratación de la Indias"-- or the House of Trade

Here is what the building looks like from the entrance. Very simple Renaissance arquitecture

As you can see, it is the neighbor of the Cathedral. This is because as the explorers were coming and going, Sevilla grew immensely as a city. The explorers and city officials began using the Cathedral to do their business. This angered many people because they didn't want a sacred place to be used for anything other than praising God. So the church officials and community begged the king Felipe II to build a place specifically for commerce. And so the construction began. But by the time they finished, the river became too difficult to navigate and the center for commerce of the Americans moved to Cádiz. For years the building was used as a home for Sevillanos, but many years later, the king of Spain decided to make it a center for documents, so historians could have a better resource for learning about the Conquest. They wanted a place where people could document the real history of the American conquest. 

This is an example of the marble that was used--the colors are the original color of the marble. 

In the literature class that I had last semester we read letters that Christopher Columbus wrote to Isabel and Ferdinand while he was in the Americas. Those original documents are housed in el Archivo de Indios! !Qué guay! 

The building itself wasn't the most exciting place I have seen since arriving in Sevilla, but it gave me an interesting perspective on the history of the city. This place was thriving when Spain was active in their conquest of the Americas. Tons of influential people spent a lot of time here planning voyages and organizing the riches that came. It also gave me a greater appreciation for the river that I cross over every day. Christopher Columbus set out from the shores of that river! 

Well that's it for week one of Emily's Spanish History class! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Next week we will be learning about more modern history, which I am excited about because I know close to nothing about Spain today, other than the fact that I love living here! 

Mañana I'm off to Córdoba! 

La Giralda

I finally live in a city where the Australian Open is on at a reasonable hour--and a semifinalist is from the same country---but did I get to watch the match today?? NO! I had class at the exact same time. But I guess experiencing the Cathedral eased the pain a little---and so did finding out that Nadal won! Woo Rafa. Looking forward to watching the final with some Spainards!

So I finally got to take a tour of the Cathedral--third largest in the world and you can tell--it is massive!
My class was talking about the Baroque period, which is what had the most influence on the Cathedral today. The Patio de Naranjas and La Giralda (the big tower) are the only muslim parts of the Cathedral that remain---but more about the Giralda later!

Inside the Cathedral was absolutely beautiful with artwork and intricate designs carved into the walls. Many influential people in Spanish history are buried there, including Christopher Columbus and Fernando the III (the King who conquered Sevilla from the Muslims). They still host mass at the cathedral, which is something I definitely want to attend during my time here.

Like the Alcazar, it was unbelievable how the Muslim and Christian cultures come together in the Cathedral. Once learning the history of the cultures, it was easy to pick out which parts were actually constructed by the Muslims--that are in a Catholic Church! Very cool.

This is what you walk by on your way in. The statue is a copy of what is on top of La Giralda

In the Patio de las Naranjas (Oranges)--the tower in the back was built by the Catholics--example of Baroque architecture 

The Giralda on the left was build by the Muslims and the other was built by the Catholics. 

Funny story about this painting---you can kind of see a crease above the head of the man praying (San Antonio)--well this is because in the early 19th century somebody broke into the cathedral and stole just the part with San Antonio and brought it back to America. Many years later it turned up at a remote art show and an American recognized it. He bought it, brought it back to Spain and they put the painting back together. The good and the bad of the Americans!

This is the tomb of Christopher Columbus. First he was buried in the Americas, but after gaining their independence, Spain took the body back to Sevilla. His son is also buried in the cathedral. 

After we walked around the Cathedral, our professor left us to climb to the top of the Giralda---37 flights of stairs! But luckily they weren't stairs, more like ramps, and it took about ten minutes to climb to the top. But wow was it worth it! The best views of the city can be seen from up there---absolutely increíble! 

This is the view towards the river. Below is the Patio de Naranjas and if you look about in the middle, there is a circle shaped building where the bull fights are held (aka the background of the blog!)

From here you can see the Alcazar and its gardens, and you can barely make out the Plaza de España (two little towers that stick up on the horizon)

Bird's eye view of parts of the cathedral 

Beautiful Sevilla

Got my work out in today climbing the 37 flights of stairs! Wouldn't want to do that in the summer that's for sure! Sorry if the scenic photos are boring...we tried to take some pics of the group today but the windows of the Giralda are covered in bars. Which is good I suppose, wouldn't want to fall 37 flights down! 

First exam is tomorrow---must study! Does looking at my blog posts from the week count??

Macarena

Set a bazillion alarms today and made it to class in plenty of time! Today's trip included a return to el Alcazar.

I am just absolutely amazed by this palace. There are only 2 remaining rooms from the Muslim Alcazar, and the rest was reconstructed by Pedro I, a christian. Although the majority of el Alcazar wasn't constructed under the rule of the muslims, you can still see their influence everywhere!

This arches are typical of Muslim architecture. They are called arcos de herradura or "horseshoes" 

This room was built after the Muslims were conquered. You can also see things written in Arab all over the walls---they basically give thanks to allah and Mohammed, but again they were constructed under christian rule---my profesor said that this is because the king was lazy and used molds that the Muslims used when they built their Alcazar. 

After leaving the Alcazar I went with some girls from my class to lunch at 100 Montaditos. Yum! Everything is 1 euro on Wednesdays and they are all over Sevilla, including Triana! I have a feeling I will be going back there plenty! 

As part of my class we have to visit 4 places on our own in order to complete enough "hours" to have the class be worth 3 credits. Today I went with a group to the Basilica de la Macarena. I had to find out  more about it from my señora because my professor wasn't with us as a guide. In Sevilla, La Macarena is one of the Santos that passes through the city during Semana Santa, and La Macarena passed on the night of Good Friday. Near the church is a wall that used to surround the city---it was built by the Almohades (a Muslim tribe that established Sevilla as their capital) to protect Sevilla from invasion. 

Here you can see what is left of the wall. Just casually in the middle of a typical Spain neighborhood---a wall build by the Romans! 

The beautiful church

A view through the gates

Close up of the wall that surrounded the city. 

Got to eat lunch with my señora today because we had the same siesta time going on. Now just study study study until I head back to el centro for a party put on by the university for english and spanish students to meet. I signed up for an intercambio so once a week I will be meeting with a student at the Universidad de Sevilla to speak a little spanish and a little english so we can both work on our language skills. I have already emailed my intercambio, his name is Joaquín. He can't make it to the party tonight--he told me that "he is cold" aka he has a cold! Honest mistake that we can work on this semester! Looking forward to meeting more university students. And I love how my program puts on events at a bar---so much of the culture here revolves around drinking but people only seem to have one or two drinks. It is more of a social occasion than trying to out drink everyone. Much more relaxed. 

Well time for my siesta. The Macarena wasn't exactly close, and after probably close to 5 miles of walking already today, my feet could use a break! 

¡Ay! ¿Qué hora es?

Today was only my second day of class, so imagine my horror when I woke up at 9:50 this morning---my alarm apparently was on silent, and I only had 40 minutes until my class started. This would have been no problem if I didn't live at least 30 minutes away from the center! Ah! I'm sure I looked like a crazy person as I walked (almost jogged) for 2.2 km (just about a mile and a half)--but lucky for me in Spain the classes don't usually start right on the dot so I was able to get dressed, grab a little breakfast and get to the center before my professor was even in the room! Not only did I make it on time, but it was my first time walking to the center by myself, with NO time to get lost! I think I've got the walk down!


In class we learned about the Romans, Visigodos and Musulmanes--all civilizations that had been in Spain and Sevilla. For our field trip we ventured out to see some examples of Roman houses in Sevilla.


1st Stop---Las Cetas---In Seville there is a modern building that everyone calls Las Cetas or the Mushrooms because that is exactly what it looks like!

Las Cetas are surrounded by normal looking Sevilla---old houses/apartments and churches. It used to be the location of a market that went out of business in the 70's. When people went to construct on the land later on, they found a ton of Roman ruins under the streets of the city! So now if you go down, the ruins have been preserved. Also, the main level is a market. Then you can climb to the top for some amazing views. 

Here is what the museum looks like. You can walk all around and see what a Roman town looked like. I found it interesting that the museum had such a modern feel, but the ruins are from around the third and fourth century--even the first!

Plazas were very common in Roman homes--that is what is in the middle of this picture. You can also see some columns. The mosaics were often on the floors of Roman houses--they showed that the family living there had slaves, because slaves were the ones who created them. 

Here is a close up of the mosaics. They still had their original coloring.

After going underground to the ruins, we took an elevator up top where of course there is a bar with tapas! Here are some views:

It was the first day waking up with no sun in Sevilla, but by the time we reached the top the weather had cleared so we got some decent shots. In this direction is the centro de Sevilla. You can see the very tip of the cathedral on the left of the picture, just over the Cetas 

Here is my attempt at a panoramic shot---I will be returning to this place on a morning with less fog for sure! 

This is a view of more of the outskirts of Sevilla---still haven't explored this area but I will have to as part of my class for the next 2 weeks. 

After seeing the Roman influences in Sevilla, we went to la Plaza del Salvador to see the first Mosque (mesquita) that was built in Sevilla. When the Muslims invaded, they first made Córdoba their capital--hence the famous Mesquita de Córdoba--and after Córdoba, Sevilla was the capital. The Mosque that we went to was build when Córdoba was the capital, so it is more simple. The only part that remains of the Mosque is the patio--the church that now stands in its place was built when the Catholics took over, destroying the Mosque in the process. 

Here is the church in la Plaza del Salvador. Right across from it there were people drinking beers during their siesta

Inside the church is the Patio de Los Naranjas--or Oranges. It is hard to see, but the columns that are still along the walls are from the Mosque. They appear to be very short, but when they were build they extended much higher---they appear short now because the streets/level of the city has risen. There is a window in the corner on on the floor where you can peek down and see the rest of the columns. They continue for about another 12 meters. 

Here is another view of the patio

What a lovely morning---now I'm off to have a tour of Triana. Our guides are going to bring us around our neighborhood and show us churches, shops, gyms and places with free WiFi--in Spain they pronounce this like "Wee-Fee" 

Hasta luego

Primer día de clase

Today was the beginning of my intensive session--I am taking a 2 week Spanish Culture and History course where we are basically starting from the beginning with the Romans and the Greeks and moving to today--all in 2 weeks! But I didn't start my day out with classes...


Special interest groups are part of my program and each group has about 5 activities and a trip. I had heard that if you want your first choice you had to get to the study center early. Well the sign ups started at 8:30...my group decided to head over at 6:30. My señora thought I misspoke when I said I was leaving so early! But I had some good motivation---My first choice is a group about the Mediterranean and the trip is to MALLORCA! Home of Rafa Nadal---Upon leaving for Spain, Mallora was top on my list for travels during the semester. I figure that Rafa and I can never get married if we never meet each other so going to his home town is a good start! Plus it is a beautiful island off the coast of Spain--I mean white beaches and turquoise water, ¡Qué bonito! After a frenzy of students lined up to pick their groups, I squeezed in to the limited number of spots! Entonces hauling my butt out of bed at 6am was totally worth it! I also got to see what Spain is like so early--there weren't many people out an about, unless they were on their way home from the bars---the city was basically shut down and freezing---well 40 degrees freezing!


That makes the count of my scheduled trips up to 6:
1. Córdoba---this weekend!
2. Granada---in 2 weekends
3. Cádiz---still picking between dates
4. Málaga---beach day trip in March
5. Mallorca---April weekend
6. Madrid---meeting my mom and Betsy at the end of March


Basically today was the best first day of class ever. I am so glad I tested out of the grammar courses, because the culture and history class is so valuable. We spend the first half reviewing some historical facts, and then we take a walk through the city and see examples of the things that may have been influenced by what we talked about. Today we focused on the Roman's influence and saw columns and arches---some of them were literally surrounded by houses but remained preserved. Unfortunately I forgot my camera--won't make that mistake again--but the next 2 weeks I get to take a tour of something new every day so be prepared to be bombarded with fotos!


I learned a lot about the roman and muslim influences in Spain, but the most important thing I learned today was that stepping on dog poop is good luck in Sevilla! Apparently it is supposed to bring you luck and mucho dinero! I don't think stepping on it on purpose would have the same effect but it is all over the streets so it is bound to happen to me eventually---add that to the long list of things I'm looking forward to!


Anyway, time for my siesta. Getting up at 6:00 means I might actually sleep this time!


I'll leave you with some shots of things I pass on my half hour long walk to class---long walk but overall I can't complain :)

This is part of the Plaza Nueva--the government building is here too. The man on the horse is San Francisco who is known as the father of Sevilla

I really love this cathedral--good thing I walk by it every day! 

Beautiful church in the middle of some winding streets---you can find a lot of churches spread out in the city and each one is cooler than the last.