This weekend was a trip to Granada, so of course I have some photos and some history tidbits to share with you. I hope you all feel like you are learning something about Spain from reading my blog... maybe I was meant to be a Spanish teacher after all ;)
On Saturday we visited the Alhambra and the Generalife. The Alhambra (meaning the red house) was constructed in century XIV-XV by Moorish rulers after they conquered Spain. Thus, the Alhambra serves as a strong example of the architecture and art of Islamic Spain.
The shield has the phrase 'Solo Allah vencerá' (Only Allah will defeat) written in Arabic. This shield with this phrase is seen incorporated in the decoration of walls, floors, etc. in many ways.
Islamic art is very geometric, and always uses the same five colors, which all have religious representations: white (eternity), black (death), green (Allah), yellow (sun), blue (water).*Note the shield!
Islamic art does not create images of Allah in the same way as the Catholic church, or other religions. There are not paintings or sculptures, because Muslims believe Allah can not be depicted accurately in this way. Thus, they use phrases from the Quran as divine representation.The part of the Alhambra I was most excited to see was the Patio de los Leones (The Patio of the Lions), which was missing the lions when I was in Granada in 2007. Unfortunately, the lions were still missing from the patio, but they were available for display in a special restoration exhibit. The 12 lions, said to represent the 12 tribes of Israel, are made out of fine marble and had suffered extreme water damage over the years. Although it was a bummer not to see the Patio completely restored, it was neat to see the process they went through to get them back to such great quality. I guess it gives me a reason to go back too :)
Patio de los Leones, still under construction.
We weren't allowed to take pictures of the exhibit of the lions.
Patio de los Leones, still under construction.We weren't allowed to take pictures of the exhibit of the lions.
Patio de la Alberca (Patio of the reservoir), shows the power of the king. The rooms in the left part of the building are for the king's wives and the rooms in the right section are for visitors who are staying in the palace.La Generalife means 'garden of the architect'. The gardens of the Alhambra are 20th century Christian, however the structure and use of water is Islamic. A neat little fact about all the fountains in La Generalife - they all function by gravity. How cool is that?
The incorporation of water in Islamic architecture has two uses: temperature control and religious purification. However, it also has an artistic representation in fountains. The water leaving the fountain represents the birth of a person, the arch of the water represents the life of a person, the entry of the water into a reservoir represents death, and the movement of water within the reservoir represents the journey through eternity.
In La Generalife
The incorporation of water in Islamic architecture has two uses: temperature control and religious purification. However, it also has an artistic representation in fountains. The water leaving the fountain represents the birth of a person, the arch of the water represents the life of a person, the entry of the water into a reservoir represents death, and the movement of water within the reservoir represents the journey through eternity.
In La GeneralifeOkay, okay, I'm done. I personally think this stuff is interesting. But if you just skimmed through looking at the pictures, I don't blame you. I probably wouldn't read my friend's/relative's blog to learn about Spanish history either.
Anway, after we walked through the Alhambra and the Generalife for hours we went to a restaurant in the city for tea and some traditional Arabic sweets. Way to go CIEE, I will go on a free weekend excursion with you whenever you want :)
I'm pretty sure these were made of solid honey.
Sunday we went to the outskirts of the city to see the old Islamic section, which had been converted to Christian during the Reconquest. We saw some old mosques, which had been converted into churches, the new mosque of the city, and what would have been a great view of La Alhambra if it hadn't been cloudy.
Patio of the current mosque, La Alhambra in the background
Granadas (pomegranates) in Granada!
And then, one of the most important parts, the outside of the Convent. Now the outside of a building isn't that exciting, unless it has a tiny little window that opens up and sells sweets to young college students.
Mmmmm, magdalenas. In case you're wondering, it was talking about these muffins that prompted me to teach my prof the phrase 'muffin top' during the grammar intensive.
Since this was a CIEE trip, we were required to speak Spanish the entire weekend. Of course that didn't actually happen for anyone, but I made a conscious effort! We were told there were prizes for speaking Spanish the whole weekend but were a little bummed when we all got a little pin that said "Hablo español!". It wasn't until later that we found out our guides were listening to us during the tours to give out the premio (prize) on the bus ride home.
Now I must explain: First off, I'm a nerd who actually asked my guide follow up questions. Secondly, I took notes on the visit (for the sake of all you at home who would want to know the details and for possible use in my Islamic Art class). Thirdly, Molly and I like to speak Spanish. All this, sums up to...
Ganadores! (Winners!) Molly and I won the premios... which are rather ugly hats with a little brain and CIEE on the side. But we wore them with pride the whole bus ride home :)
Anway, after we walked through the Alhambra and the Generalife for hours we went to a restaurant in the city for tea and some traditional Arabic sweets. Way to go CIEE, I will go on a free weekend excursion with you whenever you want :)
I'm pretty sure these were made of solid honey.Sunday we went to the outskirts of the city to see the old Islamic section, which had been converted to Christian during the Reconquest. We saw some old mosques, which had been converted into churches, the new mosque of the city, and what would have been a great view of La Alhambra if it hadn't been cloudy.
Patio of the current mosque, La Alhambra in the background
Granadas (pomegranates) in Granada!And then, one of the most important parts, the outside of the Convent. Now the outside of a building isn't that exciting, unless it has a tiny little window that opens up and sells sweets to young college students.
Mmmmm, magdalenas. In case you're wondering, it was talking about these muffins that prompted me to teach my prof the phrase 'muffin top' during the grammar intensive.Since this was a CIEE trip, we were required to speak Spanish the entire weekend. Of course that didn't actually happen for anyone, but I made a conscious effort! We were told there were prizes for speaking Spanish the whole weekend but were a little bummed when we all got a little pin that said "Hablo español!". It wasn't until later that we found out our guides were listening to us during the tours to give out the premio (prize) on the bus ride home.
Now I must explain: First off, I'm a nerd who actually asked my guide follow up questions. Secondly, I took notes on the visit (for the sake of all you at home who would want to know the details and for possible use in my Islamic Art class). Thirdly, Molly and I like to speak Spanish. All this, sums up to...
Ganadores! (Winners!) Molly and I won the premios... which are rather ugly hats with a little brain and CIEE on the side. But we wore them with pride the whole bus ride home :)Now the whole hat-winning thing seems dumb, but it seems to represent an underlying annoyance I've had with of my experience here. We all willingly signed up for an all-Spanish program... yet the majority of students don't try to incorporate the use of Spanish language (or culture) into their daily lives. They purposefully mispronounce words for humor and even try to speak to the guides in English. Why did you come to Spain if you wanted to speak English? You could have just gone to England and swooned over all over their accents for a semester. But seriously, many students in our program frequent Starbucks and McDonalds and make a habit of going to the discotheque where bouncers turn away Spaniards to let in foreigners. Sweet.
This brings me back to a theme I learned a lot about last semester in my Encounter with cultures class.
Last semester I learned to apply this to my friends, family, and peers - to be more accepting of them and learn to love them because of the differences we have, not in spite of them. This semester I think this can be applied to a country, a way of life, or a culture. We cannot love only the parts of Spain that reflect our comfort zones. We are not here to have the same experiences as the states. We are here to learn about and love another culture so that we can become more global-minded citizens.
I hope that as the semester continues on I can continue to appreciate the Spanish culture instead of dwelling on the things I'm missing from home. I have less than 2 months left here and I plan to learn as much from this experience as possible in that time. However... learning starts with a good night of sleep, which I must now go take part in. As always, much love from Spain.
This brings me back to a theme I learned a lot about last semester in my Encounter with cultures class.
"The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them. Can this be charity?"
- Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island
- Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island
Last semester I learned to apply this to my friends, family, and peers - to be more accepting of them and learn to love them because of the differences we have, not in spite of them. This semester I think this can be applied to a country, a way of life, or a culture. We cannot love only the parts of Spain that reflect our comfort zones. We are not here to have the same experiences as the states. We are here to learn about and love another culture so that we can become more global-minded citizens.
I hope that as the semester continues on I can continue to appreciate the Spanish culture instead of dwelling on the things I'm missing from home. I have less than 2 months left here and I plan to learn as much from this experience as possible in that time. However... learning starts with a good night of sleep, which I must now go take part in. As always, much love from Spain.
