Ronda y Sevilla

We left Granada at 8am and arrived in Ronda about 2.5 hours later.  I journaled for a little and then slept for most of the bus ride.  Ronda is a small but beautiful city.  The weather was also much warmer than in Granada.  We split into groups and took 2.5 walking tours of the city.  Led by Javier, our group started at an overlook of a gorgeous view of the land.  The terrain was mountainous, with cliffs, a river, and a variety of plants.

We also saw the ancient cascade (el casco antiguo), remains of the Arabic baths (los baños árabes), and an old mine that descended to a stagnant river with bright turquoise water.

After our tour we had free time to eat sandwiches (bocadillos) that our madres packed us.  We left at 5pm and arrived in Sevilla about 2 hours later.  Paige and I checked into our room at el Hotel Bécquer and then met up with the rest of the group to explore the city.  Javier and a few other IES professors led a tour along the river.  The people seemed pretty laid back, but I noticed a fair amount of road rage and rude people--one of the differences that I picked up on between Sevilla and Granada.  I also noticed that many people in Sevilla dress preppy (even the children), whereas Granada dwellers are more hippie.  Still, I really enjoyed our walk and the warmer weather.


We eventually made our way to la Plaza de España in el Parque de María Luisa.  The beautiful landmark was built to hold the world's fair in 1929.  The building was enormous (too large to fit in one picture), as it surrounded a gondola river and large fountain area.  The architecture and details were spectacular.  Along the outside of the building were small, but picturesque areas dedicated to various Spanish cites.

We stayed there for a while before heading to our first real Flamenco show en la Casa de la Memoria.  It was a private showing for the IES students, and the venue resembled a quaint courtyard.  The performance was amazing!  There was a male guitarist, a male singer, and both a male and female dancer, who each performed separately before dancing together at the end.  The emotion and passion that the performers displayed was, in a word, incredible.  Everyone was feeling pretty tired after the show, but it was our only night in Sevilla so we lived it up.  Everyone had fun, but missed getting free tapas with our drinks!


After getting just a few hours of sleep, the only thing that got me out of bed was knowing that a long, hot shower awaited me.  It was glorious.  At least 30 minutes.  Even better, there was a heat lamp in the bathroom.  Once Paige and I got ready, we checked out of our room and took full advantage of the free buffet at the hotel.  There was so much food there, but we definitely made a dent.  Plus, we made sandwiches for later!

After breakfast, Javier led our group on a tour of los Reales Alcázares.  From the gardens to the Muslim palace, the scenery was gorgeous!  And the history was extremely interesting.  For example, I learned that, unlike Christian structures, Muslim palaces are built to resemble a labyrinth, eventually leading to a large, open space.  This symbolized their path to find God.  On the other hand, Christian cathedrals typically have high ceilings and an enormous open space, as if to represent God in heaven--or at least this is what I was able to gather from the tour (conducted in Spanish). This Muslim characteristic was mirrored in the garden's hedge maze.  However, we were all too tall to get lost in it--apparently they were a bit shorter back then.

Afterwards, we walked through el Barrio de Santa Cruz, which is a neighborhood close by, and el Catedral de Sevilla.  The Cathedral was HUGE.  As I already said, the inside was one large room with a very high ceiling that still managed to be sectioned into smaller areas and chapels.  It was incredible and gave me the chills.  I felt like it would have taken days to look at everything.

Javier led us to one area which contained the tomb of Christopher Columbus--a possible but most likely location of his remains (it's controversial).  More chills.  Javier also explained the interesting history of the monument.  The body is carried by the 4 kings of Aragón, Castille, León, and Navarra.  One of the kings is spearing a pomegranate (Granada).







Then we walked through the large courtyard (el Patio de los Naranjos) and climbed the bell tower entitled Giralda.  It was built on top of a minaret when the Christians reclaimed the city and converted the mosque into a cathedral.  The minaret survived the earthquake of 1356, whereas much of the original mosque collapsed.











The climb to the top of the bell tower consisted or 34 short ramps, which ascended to a breathtaking view of Sevilla.  The panaromic view encompassed the colorful buildings, narrow streets, rooftop pools and cafés, and the famous bullring, Plaza de los Toros.

After the tours, we had free time to eat.  A group of us meandered through the city and found a recommended restaurant, Cervecería 100 Montaditos (little sandwiches).  Clarissa and I also found an amazing frozen yogurt shop.  We left from Sevilla at 5pm and I attempted to sleep the whole ride back to Granada.  We arrived back in Granada at 8:30.  Everyone immediately noticed the cooler air, but it was nice to be "home".  Aja and I walked back to our apartment where we met Aja's ex-husband, Roberto.  It was uncanny how different he is from José.  Roberto seems very sophisticated and romantic, whereas José is a complete jokester.  Delia told us that she went to the beach earlier that day with José, Laura, and Ki Ke.  I was glad to hear that they had a nice weekend too.  I unpacked a little, skyped with friends, and then passed out.  An amazing yet exhausting two days!