Part of the reason I decided on this particular program (American Institute for Foreign Study) was because it included a few guided excursions around Spain. After orientation, the group of us traveled to Andalucía, the southern region of Spain.
Córdoba (Core-doe-bah)
First, we took a long bus ride to Córdoba where we saw the impressive La Mezquita. Here are a few images from inside the cathedral-mosque and the surrounding courtyards:
Orange trees in the courtyard! Don't be fooled by the balmy appearance. We happened to travel to Sevilla on the coldest day on record in over twenty years! I still can't complain, of course, as "cold" in Sevilla means low-40s.
My friend, Maricella, and me after walking down Calleja de las Flores
(Street of Flowers).
The city of Córdoba and the Guadalquivir River.
Sevilla (Say-vee-yuh)
Next, we traveled to Sevilla where we saw the Plaza de España, Reales Alcázares de Sevilla, and the Catedral de Sevilla:
Plaza de España
Part of the group!
The Moorish fort-turned-royal-palace
Inside the Real Alcázar
View of Sevilla from the bell tower
Forgive me, but I was a little bit ecstatic to find a Starbucks in Spain. After over two weeks of living in a foreign country and not having iced coffee, I mustered up enough Spanglish to order this delicious concoction. Best 2 € I have spent thus far!
Last Stop: Granada
On the final leg of our weekend excursion, the 28 of us ventured to Granada. We took a tour of the Alhambra, the famous Moorish fortress. I was also fortunate enough to see an authentic flamenco show! The show was performed at a cramped hole-in-the-wall type "studio" near the Alhambra. Michelle Obama attended a flamenco show at the same venue this past summer! Unfortunately, my camera battery died during the tour of the Alhambra so some of these images are borrowed from friends:
Where Washington Irving wrote Tales of the Alhambra, "a collection of essays and verbal sketches" (according to Wikipedia).
Views of Granada from the Alhambra
View of Sierra Nevada
Some tourist at the Alhambra
The Generalife Gardens
(Photo of a photo)
Michelle Obama at the flamenco show we attended in Granada!
I loved our weekend trip to Andalucía: History, beauty, culture, and Starbucks to boot!
No comments:
Post a Comment