¡Joder, qué atareado este fin de semana! On Friday, I went to
Villanueva, a suburb of Sevilla to visit a Bodega (winery). We visited Gongora,
one of the oldest wineries in Andalucía. They have the oldest (seems to be a
theme here) wine press in all of Europe that is still in use. We learned a
little about how they rotate the barrels of wine and how different types of
wood affect the flavor. We also got to try three different types of wine, of
which I was only a fan of the dry. Their fortified and naranja (orange) wines
here are too much for me. I also learned that you cannot call a wine a Sherry
unless it is made in Jerez, Spain, which is only about an hour from here. The best part of that visit was getting to have a nice conversation with Luis, my professor for that class. He gave some great advise on places to visit and books to read, and told us about his favorite glass of wine...a full one. :)
On
Saturday we went to Córdoba. There we visited the Mosque-Cathedral. It’s called
that because it originated as a mosque and was converted into a cathedral
during the inquisition. The changing
architectural styles in Spain can be seen in its different sections, with the Gothic,
Renaissance and Baroque styles
all represented. When it was a mosque, it was the third largest in the world,
just behind the Mecca and one other. In the first built section, each column is
a little different because they recycled them from ancient ruins, so there are
over 1000 different columns all made of marble. There are also three
unbelievable mosaics that still remain from the mosque that are all made of
precious stones. It is quite the site. My favorite part though was the arches
that look like candy striped pants.
We
also got to visit the Synagogue. It is one of
the three best preserved Medieval synagogues in the whole of Spain, with the
other two being in Toledo. It was built in 1314 and was built within a home
because Jews were not allowed to outwardly worship. The Synagogue is right in
the middle of the Jewish quarter, which has tiny streets, and lots of shops.
Very unique.
The
last main site we saw before wandering the city to find some great gems was the
Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. Like the Alcázar of Sevilla, it has expanses
of gardens and fountains. I cannot begin to describe the beauty and tranquility
there. The orange and lemon trees are starting to smell great too, so it’s such
a great ambiance.
 |
| Concepción out to play |
 |
| Thanks for stopping by |
 |
| Mirror Pic |
The
highlight of my day was my election to be a total creep and take the weirdest ‘selfie’
pictures ever. I always get a kick out of catching people doing that, so I thought
I’d dedicate a day to poking fun at tourists like myself. Well…I really
committed and came up with some really odd ones. Not shocking that I could do
something weird, and it filled the day with some great commentary and laughter.
Saludos,
Kelsey
No comments:
Post a Comment