Pomegranate Land

I just returned from a weekend in Granada, sigh. What a precious city. Granada is about 3 hours east of Sevilla, the other main city in Andalucia. Though only half Sevilla's size (about 300.000), the city simply shines. It is well-situated in between mountain ranges, and the town itself offers rugged terrain for the adventurous with quality hiking footwear. Granada, Spanish for Pomegranate!, was the last Moorish stronghold in Spain during the Reconquist by Isabel and Ferdinand. The Arab influences abound, especially in the Albayzin, a neighborhood that houses Moroccan-style shops and restaurants. 

Pictured above is the Alhambra, one of the most-visited sites in Europe. This picture doesn't exactly do it justice but will suffice for now. The Alhambra consists of four parts: Charles V's Palace, Alcazaba (the fort), Palacios Nazaries, and the Generalife Gardens. A guide took us through the royal palace as we explored the ceremonial rooms and private quarters of the Moorish Kings. Following Muslim tradition, there was no artwork in the form of images, though painted colors adorned the buildings: red (blood), blue (heaven), green (oasis), and gold (wealth). Other forms of artwork include the stalactite-looking ceilings, floral indents in the walls, and calligraphy. One message, translating to "only Allah is victorious," is repeated 9.000 times. 

Traveling with such a large group is quite exhausting and a bit inefficient trying to get everyone going places, making decisions, etc. All in all, I highly enjoyed the visit, but am glad to be back in Seville and looking forward to staying here the upcoming weekend. This semester is about half-way over already, and soon I have to apartment hunt for next semester, ahh! 

I was so ecstatic to "fall back" today. Normally it is still dark after 8:00 a.m. when we awake for class on Monday/Wednesday. The earlier sunrise will finally be conducive to my running in the mornings. 

I should try to read my 15 pages of homework before dinner tonight, that way I can watch Sleeping Beauty afterward. A girl in my program received it in a package from a friend, and she already converted her computer to European DVDs, so the movie is in my possession (big, Cheshire Cat-like smile). I have already watched it twice, but this time I will watch it in Spanish, how's that for a justification?