Face To Face With History and Architecture

One of my favorite things about Spain is being able to see its history with my own eyes. We all know its one thing to see a photo in a book, or perhaps see a program on the History Channel, but to see something once studied in person brings the object to life. We had the fortune yesterday to visit two such cities, both rich in history and culture during the Middle Ages.

After an early wake-up and quick breakfast, we departed Cadiz for Sevilla (Seville) to see the cathedral, climb the Giralda (it's tower), and pass through the Alcazar (fortress) and its beautiful gardens. In 711 Arabs from Africa passed through Southern Spain, bringing their culture with them. Sevilla was a very important city during this time, and therefore we are able to see a great deal of Muslim architectural influence in these spaces. One of our students, Zack Fry, mentioned to me that he preferred learning about history in person (rather than in a text book). He particularly enjoyed the Alcazar and its extensive network of gardens.

Luckily, Sevilla was not as hot as it has been this month, so we were able to have a picnic lunch next to the Torre del Oro (golden tower). Because of its location next to the River Guadalquivir, this building was of great importance to Spain during the conquests of the New World, as it stored gold and other treasures brought back by the Spanish fleet.

We left Seville by bus once again and made our way east to Cordoba, where we visited the Mezquita (Mosque). Kayla Bostwick told us she had actually done a presentation in her Spanish class this year on the Mosque, so we were all very pleased that she was able to see it in person! This excursion hopefully gave the students the chance to see some very old but important buildings in Spanish history.

Today, Sunday, the students are enjoying the nice weather at the beach or here back in the Residence/Plaza, because tomorrow we begin our first full week of classes and daily activities.