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.
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