Study Abroad Spain Blog

As our trip began to come to a close, we traveled to the town of Priego and took a wonderful (and exhausting!) hike in the mountains.  Though the ascent was pretty rough, once the trail leveled out, the walk was quite easy.  Along the trail, we saw tons of different plants and even sampled some of them.  Asparagus, fennel, almonds- you name it, we saw it.  Fig and black chestnut trees abounded too.  Wildflowers were so abundant that the air smelled like perfume.  Of course, the view from where we were was fantastic too.  Cacti, a multitude of olive trees, eucalyptus, and aloe plants were also among the plants we saw. Cerca del término de nuestro viaje, fuimos a Priego e hicimos senderismo por la sierra.  Aunque la subida era muy difícil, la caminata era fácil cuando el camino niveló.  A lo largo del camino vimos montones de plantas diferentes y las probamos también.  La esparraguera, el hinojo, las almendras- vimos todo.  Las higueras y los arboles de castaños abundaban también.  Ha

One night in Cordoba, we, along with students from Moravian College, attended a flamenco show.  I didn't remember my phone, so I don't have any pictures to share, but I'll try to describe the experience as best I can.  For starters, the dresses were gorgeous and the dancing was phenomenal.  Of course, there was singing and music as well, but they were almost unnecessary.  You didn't need to hear the words of the singer to understand the pain of the dancer.  All the dancers were so expressive that the pain was written on each of their faces and their dances told stories all on their own.  A flamenco show is a truly unique experience and I recommend that anyone who visits Spain go see one. Una noche en Córdoba, nuestro grupo y un grupo de estudiantes de Moravian asistimos a un espectáculo de flamenco.   Me olvide mi teléfono y por eso no tengo ninguna foto para poner en este blog pero tratare de describir la experiencia lo mejor que puedo.   Para empezar los vestidos

On the way to our second all-day trip, which was to Granada, I took some pictures of the countryside speeding by outside the window of the bus.   The trees seen in the pictures below are olive trees, which are planted all over the countryside.   One of Spain’s main exports is olive oil.   In fact, when you buy olive oil that appears to be from Italy, it may in fact have come from Spain. Mientras viajamos a nuestra próxima excursión saque algunas fotos del campo que era afuera de mi ventana en el bus.   Los árboles en las fotos siguientes son olivos que se plantan por todas partes del campo.   Una de las exportaciones principales de España es el aceite de oliva. De hecho cuando compra aceite de oliva que parece ser de Italia, es posible que es de España.   While in Granada, we visited the Alhambra palace, which is yet another example of beautiful Islamic architecture.   Intricate wall carvings, vast pools of water, and a courtyard of lions were some of the sights we behe

After about a week in Córdoba, we took another tour inside the city.  This time, we saw even more patios, a tiny synagogue, and yet another Islamic palace.  To keep things brief, I'll just mention the highlights of the tour.  Two things stick out in my mind from the additional patios: plants and jewelry.  The plant I speak of takes its name from the animal it resembles: the shrimp.  It's not every day that you get to see a plant that looks like a shrimp, so that's pretty memorable for me.  Secondly, we saw a woman operating a store out of her own home.  She made beautiful jewelry using silver that I believe she said was local. Después de quedarnos una semana en Córdoba tomamos otra visita dentro de la ciudad.  Esta vez vimos más patios, una sinagoga pequeña y otro palacio islámico.  Para ser breve solo mencionaré los aspectos interesantes de la visita.  Dos cosas sobresalen de estos patios: las plantas y la joyería.  La planta de que yo hablo se llama “gamba” porque se p

On the outskirts of Córdoba lie the ruins of the palace-city known as Madinat al Zahra.  These ruins were left from the time when the region was predominantly Muslim.  The first Umayyad Caliph of Cordoba built this immense structure and named it after his favorite concubine.  The ruins that visitors can see are only a fraction of what existed back in its heyday.  The structure took the caliph forty years to build and time seems to have taken its toll, withering away what took so long to build.  Amazing views of the city of Cordoba in the distance and the architectural splendor delight the eyes of all who visit Madinat al Zahra. A las afueras de la ciudad de Córdoba se sitúan las ruinas del palacio-ciudad llamado Medina Azahara.   Estas ruinas quedan de la época en que la región era predominantemente islámica.   El primer califato umayyad de Córdoba construyó esta estructura inmensa y le dio el nombre de su concubina favorita.   Las ruinas que visitantes pueden ver son solo una frac

During our time in Spain, we were lucky enough to stay in a place that had such a rich history.  One of the sights that anyone who visits Córdoba simply must see is the mosque.  What makes this mosque so special is its architecture.  The mosque had been expanded a few times in the past by various people and even houses a cathedral inside it.  We were told that the multiple building expansions were done to accommodate more worshipers.  The architecture in each addition varies so greatly that you feel like you are in a completely different place upon entering a new room.  Below you can see just how diverse areas of the mosque are: Durante nuestra estancia en España estábamos afortunados por quedarnos en un lugar que tiene una historia abundante.  Una de las vistas que un turista debería ver es la mezquita-catedral de Córdoba.  Lo que hace que esta vista sea tan especial es la arquitectura.  La mezquita ha sido extendida algunas veces en el pasado por personas varias e incluso tiene un