ANDALUCIA
March 4th –
6th
My school group trip to Andalucia was great, and what made
it even greater was that since it was a school trip, they had many things
already planned out for us! We stayed in a 4 star hotel which included a huge
buffet breakfast in the morning, and some guided tours, activities and meals were
planned out by our program coordinators and included throughout the weekend.
Thank you José Luis and Miguel and all the other program coordinators at the
Fundación that helped make this trip happen!
Thursday night, I slept overnight at the residence hall at
my school because on Friday morning we left at 5:30 am from our school to get
on the bus. Friday was a long day to the start of a long weekend, but it all
turned out well and I got to sleep a lot on the bus! Here are some highlights
from the trip.
First stop, Córdoba
Our time in Córdoba was short, but I think it was worth the
stop! We arrived around 11 a.m. and then got a guided tour of the Judería
(Jewish-influenced neighborhood) and the Mezquita (Mosque converted into a
Cathedral), two must sees in Córdoba. The Cathedral was absolutely massive and
the inside was gorgeous. The arches inside a Cathedral like this is something I
have never seen before. The architecture (Muslim-influenced) was so
interesting, and it was fun to just walk around all the different parts of this
ancient building.
Second stop, Granada
After our stop in Córdoba we arrived in Granada at around 6
p.m. We checked into our hotel and then had some free time before heading to a
Flamenco spectacular! These Flamenco dancers have some serious talent and it
was fun to watch!
Saturday morning was our guided tour of the ALHAMBRA. Going
to Granada and not seeing the Alhambra is like going to Paris and not seeing
the Eiffel Tower – it is a simply a must see! The Alhambra was built to be a
fortress and then converted into a royal palace and it later became the Royal
Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (where Christopher Columbus went to receive his
endorsement for his expedition). Just from this short description you can see
how much rich history this place holds. We got to explore all the parts of the
Alhambra during our visit, and like the Mezquita in Córdoba, the architecture
was very interesting as it shows the influence of both the Muslims and the
Christians in the city.
After the Alhambra, we had free time the rest of the
afternoon. We grabbed lunch, and then enjoyed a walk on the Paseo de Los
Tristes and even walked up hill a ways to get a better view of the mountains.
After our walk, we went to a teateria (tea place, Granada is also famous for
its tea) and it was really fun! The style of the inside of the restaurant was Arabic. Our waitor just gave us three kinds of teas to
try and we had fun trying them all and guessing what the flavors were. We
decided that one was a very herbal-like tea, the other tasted very flowery, and
the other was mint, they were all very good. That night we walked around to
explore the city more and got tapas for dinner.
Sunday morning we visited the Cathedral for Mass and the
Capilla Real (chapel where Ferdinand and Isabella are buried, so cool!) before
having lunch in the hotel and heading back on the bus back home. We arrived in
Toledo around 7:30 p.m. and when I got home Carmen was very excited to show me
what she got this weekend – a rabbit! I was so happy, a new member of the
family! My host parents were laughing at me because they said I was more excited about the new rabbit than Carmen was and jokingly said that if I take care of it well I can take it home with me to the U.S. (Carmen didn't like that idea so much haha!). His name is "Chicateen" and he is very soft and fun to hold and pet. Good
end to a good weekend.
Overall a great trip to Andalucia. My favorite part of this
trip was the views of the Sierra Nevada in Granada. This picture encompasses
Granada for me with the Alhambra and the snow-covered Sierra Nevada in the background
– so beautiful.
Looking forward to
what is to come…
I am really loving it here in Toledo and I definitely feel
at home. Toledo is continuing to form a very special place in my heart, and
living with a host family is a big part of that. I HIGHLY encourage anyone
studying abroad in their college career to stay with a host family if the
program offers it – it is one of my favorite parts about studying abroad!
I am also really looking forward to what is coming up this month
– I can’t believe it is already here! My mom is arriving to Spain later this
week and then this weekend we will be heading to Seville! Next week, my mom
will be here in Toledo and Zach will also be arriving! I am so excited for them
to see where I live and what my life is like here! On the 18th, Zach
and I are off to Paris and Italy for my week off of school for Holy Week! March
will be such a blessing, and I am so grateful that I get to have all these
experiences and adventures in Europe!
