Andalusian Adventure

Day 1 (02.07.2009): Barcelona -> Madrid
Although I was sick while in Madrid, we did get to go to the Prado Museum and see a painting by Valasquez that was very intriguing. It brings the question of optic versus actual center into view.

Today I went to the hospital :(
Song of the Day: Saturday As Usual, Bright Eyes





Day 2 (02.08.2009): Madrid
Today I slept... all day....
Song of the Day: Grace Cathedral Hill, Decemberists

Day 3 (02.09.2009): Madrid -> Cordoba
When driving into Cordoba, the initial view of the Puente Romana, the Mezquita, and the ancient city skyline was breathtaking. As the sun went down, it was a thousand times magnified. Tonight, since there isn't a whole lot to do in the city, we went to Hamman, Banos Arabes - the Arabic Bath House that has been fully restored. It was a very new and different experience, but extremely relaxing as well. Within the city, the light and the lack of night life gives you the feeling that you are on an abandoned movie set. As we walked through the streets, following our interests (a chosen derive, if you will), we felt more and more lost and alone, but it wasn't uncomfortable. We just followed the beauty of history.
Song of the Day: Brand New Day, Sting


Day 4 (02.10.2009): Cordoba -> Granada
The highlight of Cordoba is the Mezquita (finished in 1000, formerly a mosque, later consecrated as a Catholic church). While walking through the enormous peristyle hall, completely lacking human scale, I almost felt as if I had fallen down the rabbit hall and might never find my way out. The monotony of the double-arched columns is broken only my the main altar of the central chapel. The white and gold domes tower above and hug the space. The low temperature discourages long visits, but it is worth the price of a pair of gloves to spend some extra time wandering through the halls and into the courtyard.

We arrive in Granada and immediately wander the city. A few of us took another chosen derive to our meeting spot through the hills of the Jewish quarter, the oldest part of Granada. We ended up halfway up the mountain at a lookout, overlooking the valley and onto the Alhambra. We then sketched a vignette of the Alhambra at sunset which was a very worthwhile experience. Not only could we see the whole city, we also experienced the extreme beauty of the Alhambra, Granada, and the Sierra Navada mountains. After the sun went down, we went to a Teteria for tea. I ordered the Te Nazari, which is a local tea. It was delicious. The environment within the teteria was in a Moroccan style - low lighting, small highly-decorated tables, candles, and tapestries.
Song of the Day: Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a Spell on You), Aqualung

Day 5 (02.11.2009): Granada
Today, we started early and hiked up the mountain to the Alhambra. The experience of the walk up definitely added to the appreciation we had for the beauty and history of the Alhambra and Generalife. The city is very well preserved and most of it is in the intricate Arabic style. The palaces include a series of c ourtyards and gardens that add a certain element of relaxation to the walk through the sites. We visited the Nazrid Palace and the Palacio del Alcazaba; the two were very different from each other. The Nazrid Palace was very ornate; every wall, ever tile was highly decorative and very beautiful. The Alcazaba, however, was the military palace, and therefore very plain and massive. The intricacy of the Barrio of the soldiers, however, inspired me - there is a complete lack of grid system and made me wonder how it was designed. We then visited the Generalife, which was the summer palace and gardens of Isabella and Ferdinand.

That afternoon, we visited with the Archbishop of Granada, Javier Martinez, whom my parents happened to have met and befriended while in Rome in the fall. He gave us an insider view of one of the only remaining truly Renaissance courtyards left in Spain. We then got a tour of the Cathedral of Granada in which he poured out his knowledge of the history of Granada, Spanish art, and the Royal Family. He enthusiastically shared everything he knew and showered us with gifts. We gained a lot by having him guide us through the history of Granada.
Song of the Day: Naming of Things, Andrew Bird

Day 6 (02.12.2009): Granada -> Seville
Upon arriving in Seville, we visited the Cathedral of Seville. The main altar of the cathedral is made of 2.5 tons of gold from Mexico and Peru and took 35 years to build. We were able to climb La Giralda, the main tower of the cathedral. The views from the tower were sensational. We then went to the university where we received an in-depth lecture on the history of southern Spain from Professor Antonio Gamiz Gordo. He did his thesis on the Alhambra and was a very good source for the history of the development of architecture during regime changes and different time periods.
That night, we were lucky enough to go to a private dinner party where traditional flamenco was played/danced and we were served delicious food. The restaraunt, after our dinner, brought in a comedian - Larry - who was hilarious... even though he spoke entirely in spanish.
Song of the Day: Kill, Jimmy Eat World

Day 7 (02.13.2009): Seville
Today, we got an in-depth tour of Seville from Patricia Macdougall - a friend of CUA and a fellow architect. She led us through the major sites of Seville and gave us more information than we could have asked for. We then visited the Alcazar, the former and current palace for the Royal Family. We focused on the gardens and the use of water in Islamic archtiecture. There was so much to see within the complex.
With a free evening, we walked down along the river (Rio Guadalquivir) to the Calatrava bridge (El Alamillo bridge). Although I wasn't a fan of the bridge at first, I was stunned as I walked across the bridge; the views you get of the cable connections to the main support of the bridge are very interesting.
Song of the Day: Instinct Blues, White Stripes

Day 8 (02.14.2009): Seville -> Merida
Happy Valentine's Day!
We arrived in Merida and almost immediately began to visit sites. We did what Sophia would call the Roman Circuit of the ruins to understand Merida's history as a Roman city. We started at the Teatro Romano, then to the old Roman Forum. We then made our way down the street to the Templo de Diana which also had a Renaissance-style palace built into it. We then stopped in Placa Espana for a cafe con leche and a sketching break. We then made our way to the Arco Romano de Triunfo which is literally only the arch; the wall around it is completely gone. We ended the circuit at the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, a Moneo museum which displays Roman art and artifacts and includes an entire crypt of Roman ruins. The muesum, although very simple, was perfect and complex enough to display the art in the best possible way. I loved the time I spent there.
After a "romantic" tapas dinner with Christi, Alex, and Jenna, we all made our way down to the river to see the Roman Aquaducts (Acueducto de los Milagros). Although they were obviously in ruins, you could see the complexity of the structure and just imagine the advancement of the times that this brought to Merida. The night ended at the Calatrava bridge (the Lusitania Bridge).
Song of the Day: Everything is Everything, Lauryn Hill


Day 9 (02.15.2009): Merida -> Madrid -> Barcelona
A long day of travel.
Finally home.
Song of the Day: Paris Sunset #7, Ben Harper