An Amazing Semester

So, I've finally gotten around to making the DVD of all our pictures and videos from Bilbao and the rest of Europe. The DVD is actually close to 2 hours long, but I made a 2-minute remix of my favorite pictures and memories.

Enjoy! What an amazing semester.

Sevilla

First of all, sorry that you all had to wait so long for me to post about Sevilla. This week has been sort of a run from one thing to the next without stopping for too long kind of week. But anyway I’ll make it up with a really good post. So...Sevilla.

I can honestly say that I think Sevilla was absolutely my favorite Spanish city. The way the city blended its Muslim and Christian heritage and yet still made room for modern Spain was breathtaking. Walking through the downtown streets admiring the buildings you could actually see the differences in architecture on both sides of the street. On one side you could see the huge stone blocks making geometric shapes that signified the Christian Reconquista (Reconquest), and on the other side the brick-arch infusion reminiscent of the Muslim occupation. Then, after enjoying the fact that these two distinct types of architecture exist in the same place, you’re passed by the tram running straight through the center of the street, the hallmark of modern innovations in public transportation.

As you can see from our pictures, the architecture of the city was absolutely amazing. Of special note, and when talking about architecture, the Catedral in Sevilla is possibly one the most amazing feats of construction I’ve seen, considering the time period in which it was completed. As a little history, the Catedral began as a mosque during the Muslim occupation of Spain between 800-1200 A.D. For you conspiracy lovers out there, it is said to be built on one of the “most powerful sources of ancient magic.” However, given that it fell to the Christians in the 1200s (a short 50 years after it was built), I think it’s fairly obvious that this is only a myth. The Christians, as they did with almost every other Muslim building that they conquered, sought to redesign the mosque to suit the needs of a Christian congregation. Yet, before they could start the work, it seems that God intervened for them and parts of the Mosque were destroyed in an earthquake. When the decision was made to rebuild it as a cathedral, an anonymous monk was reputedly quoted saying, “Let us build a church so magnificent that our children will think us lunatics.” To say that they succeeded is an understatement.

The Catedral is the largest gothic cathedral in the world and has been almost completely converted from the original mosque. The only original part of the mosque is La Giralda, which is a massive tower whose domed roof collapsed during the earthquake and now exists as the belfry for the Catedral. The complex architecture that makes up the rest of the building is breathtaking, and you can actually see the different parts of the Catedral that have collapsed over time and been lavishly reconstructed. Also of note, inside the Catedral, we visted the Tomb of Cristobal Colón, a man you all probably know of as Christopher Columbus (in the pictures, the one with the four men carrying the casket).

But, although the Catedral is a masterpiece, directly across the street stands the Alcázar (originally from the Arabic word al-casr meaning the castle).

The Alcázar was the home to both the Muslim and Christian kings, and as such, is the textbook example of the infusion of Muslim and Christian culture. The building consists of two main parts: Palacio Mudéjar and Palacio Gótico. Palacio Mudéjar on the outside consists only of smooth brick walls, typical Arabic arches, and the occasional vaulted dome roof, but the inside is littered with grandiose tile work and elaborate arches. Again, however, after the Christian reconquest, they tailored the Palacio Mudéjar for a more Christian feel, so you’ll see a lot of shields over the archways and typical Christian engravings on the ceilings. In fact, that is why it’s called the Palacio Mudéjar, with mudéjar signifying the union of Christian and Muslim architecture (sorry for all the history, but I love this stuff…should have been an archeologist, haha just kidding).For a good look, there’s almost 30 pictures of the inside of this building.

The Palacio Gótico is constructed like the Catedral using giant stone blocks and forming exact geometrical shapes, a stark contrast to the smooth flow of the Mudéjar arches and domes. Inside are various tapestries depicting various scenes from the Bible, but the most intriguing one, we found, was a map created in the 13^th century of Spain and the northern part of Africa. What we found interesting was that Africa was on the top part of the map and Spain on the bottom, the exact opposite of a modern map. We realized shortly afterward that in the 13^th century, all of the maps were drawn from the perspective as if you were leaving Europe, the only known part of the world except for Asia.

Still here? Good! Because I’ve saved the best two things we did for last. The defining characteristics of Muslim castles and buildings are not only the staggering domes and arches, but the massive gardens of all types of flora and fauna (literary terms for plants and animals). We spent a solid hour and a half just wandering through the massive gardens of the Alcázar taking in the citrus blossoms of the orange trees and the fresh smells of spring awakening from the “long nap.” The sheer size and magnificence of the Alcázar gardens was worth the entire trip to Sevilla. You’ll just have to lose yourself in the pictures that we took, because I don’t want to cheapen the experience with my writing skills.

Now, I would be lying if I you told that all of this before hand was the best part of the trip for us. Given that we have a passion for the small things in life, not only the big tourist destinations, I can easily say that, for me, the best part of the trip was renting the two-seater bicycle and riding through the Parque de Maria Luisa. Even though it was only a ½ hour ride, it was a memory that I will never forget for the rest of my life, and I doubt that Bana will ever forget it either. The sheer tranquility of the park and the childhood memories of riding through the neighborhood on a bicycle came back and combined for an experience that was truly unforgettable.

Bueno, eso es Sevilla, una mezcla de las influencias musulmanas con las de los cristianos y con la edad moderna. Se puede perder todo el día por caminar a través de las calles magnificas o mirar las distintas arquitecturas de los edificios de tipo mudéjar. O, también, se pierde en los jardines del Alcázar o el parque de Maria Luisa. Lo que está claro es que Sevilla es una ciudad bellísima con experiencias inolvidables de tipo grande o pequeño y en cualquier situación que se encuentre.