Hola!
Hard to believe another week of study abroad has flown by. Every day of this trip has brought something new, and I love that aspect.
On Monday my class took a trip to ancient roman ruins outside Seville. Italica was once the site of a civilization of more than 10,000 people. The intricate architecture and brilliant engineering made it a really fun site to visit. For being nearly 2,000 years old, it has held up remarkably well.
Tuesday we got to visit the massive cathedral in Seville, the largest Gothic structure in the world and the world’s third-largest church. It was initially built as a mosque but was converted into a Cathedral and expanded by the Catholic Church in the 1400s and early 1500s. It is also the burial site of Christopher Columbus.
Later in the week, I got to see a Spanish bullfight. It was definitely a unique cultural experience, but I am thankful for laws in the United States that protect animal rights. Bullfights are savage spectacles in which the bull is teased, tortured, and then slaughtered in front of thousands of fans. According to my host family, Spaniards use “Spanish tradition” as the main justification for bullfights, and to me this reaffirms the issue of blindly following tradition in general. At any rate, I am glad the United States has a more developed position in regards to animal rights.
The group took a Friday trip to Cordoba, Spain, which was about a 1.5 hour train ride from Seville. It was interesting to see the massive mosque in Cordoba and some different Spanish architecture. The mosque (mostly converted into a church in the 1200s) has hundreds of elegant columns lining the structure.
This weekend my class joined a group from OU to head to Granada, Spain. Granada is on Spain’s southwestern coast, about a 2 hour bus ride from Seville. The bus left from Seville’s train station at 7AM, which meant I had to wake up at 5:30 to make the 6 o’clock bus to be at the train station before 7:00. This entire trip has been full of late nights and early mornings, but it’s been a blast!
The first stop in Granada was the church where Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand are buried. In this church, we also saw the spot where Christopher Columbus prayed before heading out on his New World expeditions. It was fantastic.
The highlight of the Granada trip was seeing the Alhambra Fortress. Well over 1000 years old, the Alhambra was absolutely awesome. It took us a couple hours just to walk through it and see the rooms available to visitors. The pictures definitely don’t do it justice.
Saturday night I went to the gypsies’ part of Granada to see a Flamenco dance show. Flamenco dancing is sort of like tap dancing but it also involves ethnic music and some storytelling. Although I couldn’t understand most of the stories because they were in Spanish, it was an interesting experience and I’m glad I went. Most of the group felt the same way.
I’m getting excited for the trip to Lagos and Lisbon, Portugal later this coming week. I've heard that's the best trip of the program!
Adios!
Joseph
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