Thanksgiving break in Andalucia

I've got to say, I'm starting to miss home a little bit now that the holidays are here. In the States you really get that "holiday spirit" feeling--turkey and cranberries, stores and restaurants that all smell like holiday candles, Christmas music on the radio, and everyone displays lights and lawn decorations. Out here, we don't have Thanksgiving (goodbye, yummy dinner), stores and restaurants look and smell the same (and there aren't a lot of decorations or treats to be bought), I don't have a radio, and most of the people in Alcala live in apartments and condos so there is no room for decorations. Any other year I'd be belting out "All I want for Christmas is you" in my best Mariah Carey diva voice while sitting in front of the fireplace or watching the beginning of Fox Family's 25 days of Christmas movie marathon, but this year I'm spending these next few weeks in a low-key, "kind of Christmas spirit but kind of just normal spirit" mode. It's making me realize how many steroids the USA takes to have all this energy an entire month before la Navidad, but I actually kind of like it like that!

But even though I'm thinking about Mariah Carey, Bing Crosby, and my family, I'm still enjoying all my time out here in Spain. This past weekend the Butler crew (seventeen students plus three professors and a photographer) went down south to Andalucia for a packed weekend of tours, nice meals, and even a Flamenco show.

We headed for Sevilla first. After two trains, a bus, and a bit of walking, we arrived at the hotel and started our first tour. The first main attraction was the Cathedral which was completed in the 16th century and is the third largest cathedral in the world. The inside was beautiful, but the most interesting part was the tower because you could climb to the top for a great overlook of the city. FYI, if you ever climb something that is entirely ramps, be prepared--it's not as easy as it looks.

The second place we toured was Reales Alcazares, a Moorish palace. Though it was pretty to look at, it was difficult for me to adjust to the accent change and I kept tuning out the guide.

My favorite part of Sevilla, however, was the Plaza de Espana. It is a beautiful area of little nooks and benches that are tiled to represent different provinces in Spain, a manmade pond for relaxed boat rides, and horse-drawn carriages passing through. I would post a picture but my computer (typical) is not working correctly right now. Google it!

Day two was spent in Granada touring the Cathedral and the old historic neighborhood, and our tour guide was fantastic--he was engaging and friendly, and very easy to understand. He told us all about Granada's Arabic population and the King and Queen's attempt to convert the city to Catholicism. Though much of the architecture has rich Moorish influences, many places of worship were knocked down and rebuilt as churches. You can still see the lines from where the Mosques stop and where the churches begin! The Reyes Catolicos were even buried in Granada as an attraction to draw more Catholics to visit the area.

As a volunteer/intern for Exodus Refugee and Immigration (click here) I am very interested in the causes and effects of mass migrations of people for political/social/religious unrest and I was able to learn a bit about Granada's population and how it related to that. As Spain was reclaiming its territory, Muslim refugees were fleeing to Granada, which was still controlled by Muslim leaders. Compared to other great cities at the time, Granada's population was gigantic because of this! And even though Granada is now run by Spain, the richness of Muslim/Arabic culture is prominent throughout the area (think hookah bars, Muslim clothing, and great jewelry).

Day three was spent partly in Granada seeing La Alhambra (even though it was rainy, it was amazing to look at! I highly recommend this stop). We then hopped the bus to go to Cordoba, where we saw an authentic Flamenco show after dinner. The music was fun, the dancers were enthusiastic and entertaining, and they even got some Butler kids up to learn to dance like them. It was a great time. Afterward, a few of us went out to check out night clubs and bars in the area, and we ran into the Flamenco group--they were out and about as well! My Flamenco dinner definitely trumped any turkey and cranberries I would've been eating this weekend.

The last day was spent in Cordoba touring la Mezquita and the old neighborhood, led by a very slow tour guide on a very cold day.

Overall, it was a great trip. I'm glad I got to visit the south of Spain with a little history and spanish language under my belt, because the first time I went with my mama (when I was 14) I didn't understand nearly as much!

This post is a bit late, and I am sorry there are no photos, but I hope you learned a bit this time around!
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