Barcelona and Gaudi for Dayzzz

*********** NEWS FLASH ALERT *********** I HAVE OFFICIALLY FINISHED MIDTERMS ***********

Whew! I can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to say that! People say that study abroad classes are pretty much a joke, and they are for the most part, but that doesn't mean that they don't require at least a little bit of work. Since the last three days involved little sleep and as much cramming of information on Islamic art and architecture, Islamic civilization before 1492, and the Spanish language (actually, let's be honest, I didn't really study for my Spanish test) as possible, this post may be a little scatterbrained. However, I did treat myself to una pequena con de stracciatella as a reward for finishing my last exam this morning, so I'm feeling pretty good at the moment.

Before the mass studying session commenced, I spent the weekend in Barcelona, Spain with four of the greatest girls ever! Per the usual, you've probably seen my photos on Facebook, but most of them need explaining, so here goes.

Because we flew in late Thursday night, we didn't arrive at our hostel until around 1 a.m. Friday morning, which was fine except it was slightly strange to open the door to our eight person room and find three guys already asleep. But no pasa nada, we did our best to not wake them up and climbed into our beds for some much-needed rest.

We started off the next day with a Metro ride and slight hike up to Parc Guell, a landmark/tourist destination that was created by architect Antoni Guadi for wealthy patron Eusebi Guell in the early 1900s. The park itself looks like something out of either a disney movie or a psychedelic 70s music video, but either way it was a pretty amazing sight to see! And the view of Barcelona from the park wasn't bad either.

After the park, we wandered around Las Ramblas and the city center, finally making our way to the Catedral de Barcelona, yet another wonderful example of historical European architecture that we just don't have in the U.S.

Following our walk through the Cathedral, we took a tourism break to grab lunch and do a bit of shopping. The next stop on our list of Barcelona landmarks was Casa Batllo, another example of incredible Gaudi architecture. The guidebook describes the building better than I think I could: "From the spinal-column stairwell that holds together the scaly building's interior to the undulating dragon's back curve of the ceramic rooftop to the skull-like balconies on the facade, the Casa Batllo will have you wondering what kind of drugs Gaudi was on and where one might go about acquiring them. This remarkable building has hardly a right angle inside or out; every surface—stone, wood, glass, anything—is soft and molten." Personally, I was fascinated by the entire building, from the stairwell to the skylights to the random, white attic. Let's just say this this was my favorite thing we saw all weekend (hence the many photos).

After our tour of the Gaudi house, we took a quick rest (with gelato, of course) before wandering our way through the city, ending up at the Barcelona Arc de Triomf. As someone who has visited the Arc de Triomph in Paris, I found this arc kind of random and confusing. According to Wikipedia (an always incredibly trustworthy source of information), the Barcelona Arc is a memorial or triumphal arch for the city and was built as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair. It also said that similar structures exist in Paris, London, Brooklyn, and Bucharest. Still seems strange to me, but no pasa nada.

That evening, we were having a major craving for Mexican food, understandably since three of us go to school in California where Mexican food is at least a thrice-weekly event. However, we ended up walking nearly 22 blocks before finding one that was open and listed in our trusty guidebook. The food was good but, personally, it just made me miss burrito night at Pomona and taco tuesday at Pitzer. 

Our Saturday morning mission was to conquer the Sagrada Familia, the number one tourist destination in Barcelona. With alarms set for early in the morning, we accomplished our goal of arriving right at the time it opened so we only had to stand in line for around 30-40 minutes. The building (yet another Gaudi creation) is pretty exquisite, with eight competed towers and amazing sculptures on the outside and absolutely breathtaking stain glass windows on the inside. Personally, I was shocked at how modern the church looked on the inside, but I guess for a building that's been under construction since 1882 and won't be completed until after 2030, there are bound to be some more modern elements. Regardless, we came, we saw, we conquered the Sagrada Familia. Check. 

Next on the list was Parc de la Ciutadella, "Once the site of a Spanish fortress built by King Philip V in the 18th century, the park was trasformed into its current state after the citadel was leveled in preparation for the Universal Exhibition of 1888" (guidebook). The park is the home to the current Parliament building of Catalunya, the Natural History Museum, a geology museum, the entrance to the Barcelona Zoo and the extravagant Cascada Monumental fountain—yet another Gaudi spectacle. 

We also took a stroll along the Olympic Port, the marina built for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games, admiring the sea and soaking in our last opportunity to enjoy a warm Spanish beach this semester. After stopping by a giant, fresh-food market to buy food for our picnic dinner, we made our way that evening to the Magic Fountain for an evening watershow that (thanks to the beautiful background of the National Art Museum of Catalunya in the background) rivaled the Las Vegas watershow, in my opinion. 

By the time our final day in Barcelona rolled around, exhaustion had set in. We spent the morning wandering around the city center, stopping back by the Cathedral and taking in the sights of the Barcelona Pier. We finished off our trip with a quick, free tour of the Picasso Museum (who knew Picasso lived much of his life in Barcelona??) before heading to the airport to home sweet Granada...and midterms. 

Luckily, following my conquering of exams, I'm now free to thoroughly enjoy a stress-free weekend in Madrid starting tomorrow. More on that next week!

Thanks for reading!

Besos,

<3 Jen

My Enlightening Islamic Week

Good morning! I would wish you all a happy October, but I guess we're way past the beginning of October and I can't quite wrap my mind around that yet. I go home in 69 days and while I'm already having serious Starbucks and Chipotle cravings (I've already put my order in for when my plane lands in Portland), I am SO not ready to leave this amazing city! Lucky for me, I still have ten more weeks here and I plan to make the most out of every single one!

While I didn't do any crazy traveling in the last two weeks, I had one of the most enlightening, fascinating weeks ever here in Granada and in Cordoba (a Spanish town a few hours away). I learned more this week about the Islamic culture and religion than I have in my entire life. I had my eyes opened to the beauty of a new and undiscovered (for me) religion and I felt sadness and embarrassment at the preconceived notions I had at all things relating to Islam.

Let me begin by saying that, as Americans, especially following the September 11 attacks, we are incredibly prejudiced against Muslims. As a country that is supposed to offer religious freedom to all peoples, we have failed an entire community. Yes, there are Muslim extremists who do not deserve the freedom to exercise their "religion," but there are extremists in every religion and they are usually the minority.

On Tuesday, my history class, Islamic Civilization in Spain and Northern Africa until 1492, took a field trip to a local mosque at the top of the Albaizin neighborhood. The girls were told we needed to cover our shoulders, knees, and cover our heads with a scarf in order to respect the religious building we would be entering so, as a precaution, I wore a maxi dress, sweater and head scarf. We were led to the mosque by a woman who was born in California but moved to spain in the 70s with her husband and converted from Catholicism to Islam. Her and a group of other european/western converts began practicing Islam together and built a community amongst themselves in Granada, eventually raising enough money to build their mosque and community center - the first in Spain built by converts. Now, many of their children have become leaders of their community, while others still have decided not to continue with their Islamic faith.

My mosque visiting apparel

We spent most of the time in the mosque asking the woman questions about what it was like to convert to Islam and what it is like to be a woman in a faith where women are stereotypically treated so poorly. Hearing how she was basically excommunicated from her family in California was sad, but I found her explanation of what it is like to be a woman of Islamic faith fascinating. She explained that she actually appreciates being covered most of the time because when she was young and first came to Spain she was quite disturbed at and made very uncomfortable by how men on the streets would treat her so she naturally began covering herself even before she converted to Islam. She also explained how different it is to be a Muslim woman in a country like Spain compared with a country like Saudi Arabia, where Muslims interpret the Koran differently, treating women much differently and more harshly than those in more developed and modern countries. She said she would never want to be a Muslim woman in a country like that, but in Spain it is nice to have the camaraderie of the fellow women in her community. Many of her explanations of her religion seemed to make so much sense and it seems to be a religion (in more modern countries at least) that is very peaceful and misunderstood. The only thing I truly had a problem with is what women are subjected to in the Islamic community.

On Friday, my Islamic week continued when our entire IES program traveled to Cordoba in order to visit the ruins of an ancient Islamic city, Madinat Al-Zahra, and the famous Mosque of Cordoba. We arrived first at Madinat Al-Zahra where we watched an introductory video about how the city was used by the Califa in ancient times as a residence and military headquarters. It showed re-creations of the buildings and rooms we would see as well as the gardens which looked like oases in the desert landscape. The ruins were fabulous. The fact that even parts of them are still standing nearly a thousand years later is absolutely amazing. The arches and details in many of the walls were incredibly beautiful as well. As a history major, having the opportunity to walk through the rooms where people lived and walked a thousand years before was wonderful.

Next, we went to the Mosque of Cordoba (or the Cathedral of Cordoba but more on that later). The mosque was absolutely amazing. The red and white arches of the interior of the building are unique to Cordoba and give the building a unique beauty. The size and intricacy of the mosque was mind-blowing, but not as mind-blowing as the juxtaposition of the Catholic and Islamic religions and architecture inside of the building. You see, following the conquering of the region by the Catholic Kings, the interior of the ancient mosque was replaced with a Catholic cathedral. The main structure of the building as well as the exterior wall and gardens were maintained, but the interior section was altered to reflect typical Catholic architecture.

I'll be honest, seeing the cathedral inside of the mosque, which we have been learning about for weeks in my Islamic Art and Architecture class was slightly upsetting. As an American, I feel very strongly that all religions deserve respect and I find it incredibly upsetting when this is not the case. The Mosque of Cordoba is an important historical and religious location for many Muslim people and, under Catholic rule, they are now prohibited from entering the building to pray. Thankfully, at least parts of the Islamic architecture have been preserved, but there was something so wrong to me about seeing the Catholic elements inside of the mosque. Understandably, when the Catholics overtook the region hundreds of years ago, preserving the history of those they had conquered was not on the top of their to-do list and that's completely acceptable, but as an agnostic American in 2013, I found the entire situation quite upsetting. The icing on the cake for me was reading the guide brochure at the front entrance. Never in my life have I read such a skewed account of history. I have so much respect for both religions, and some of the Catholic cathedrals I have been in have been some of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen, but I would have much preferred not to have to witness, firsthand, the persecution and prejudice of the Islamic people in Spain. When I look back on my trip to Cordoba twenty years from now, I won't remember that we visited the "Cathedral of Cordoba," I will remember the beautiful red and white arches and the intricate architecture of the Mosque of Cordoba.

Overall, I'm so grateful for everything I learned this week about the Islamic culture. I only wish that every American could have seen and heard the things that I did this week. I also feel quite blessed to learn about these things in a country that has such a rich Islamic culture, even though historically, following the Catholic conquering of the region, Muslims were treated as poorly in Spain as they are in the United States. However, without a doubt, the way in which I am taught these things here is so much less biased than they would be in the U.S. and for that I am so grateful. You can't have an opinion about something—anything at all—until you completely understand it and while I have a LONG way to go before I understand the Islamic religion, I am thankful that I am at least beginning to learn about it, and to do so in a way that few others have had the opportunity to.

Scotland — Edinburgh and St. Andrews

Buenos dias a todos! This past weekend, (as most of my lovely facebook friends already know) I took an AMAZING trip to Scotland to visit one of my friends from CMC and revel in the fact that I was in an English (kind-of)-speaking city for the first time in a month!

My trip began on a slightly rough note, with my Ryainair flight being delayed. For those of you who have done some traveling in Europe, you know that Ryanair is the cheapest and you know why. Service is sketchy, flights are perpetually delayed, and you are forced to depart and arrive from the most random gates in the entire airport. My travel ordeal was much improved though by the lovely Scottish couple I sat next to on the plane ride to Edinburgh. My arrival at the airport was followed by a frantic dash to find somewhere to withdraw British Pounds so I could take the night bus to meet my friend in the middle of the city. Finally I had my GPB, found assistance from yet another wonderful Scottish couple on the bus, and met my friend in Edinburgh! The night was fairly uneventful except for the many introductions I had to many Scottish students who had spent the last four hours pub crawling. Many were quite entertaining by 2 in the morning.

The next morning, we woke bright and early, eager to be tourists for the day. We wandered through some of the buildings of the University of Edinburgh, including the student union, which looks like a castle from the outside and includes a library with a pub inside of it on the bottom floor. We then began our walk along the "Royal Mile," the main tourist street in Edinburgh, stopping at St. Giles Cathedral and taking our time exploring Edinburgh Castle where we (history majors) enjoyed a free guided tour and watched the Scottish army shoot off a canon at precisely 1:00 pm, as was historically done to alert the people of the city as to the proper time. Note that it was done at 1 and not noon. According to our tour guide, this is because the Scottish people found it much less expensive to fire one shot every day rather than twelve. Oh Scottish people...

University of Edinburgh Student Union Building.
Yes, there's a pub downstairs.

St. Giles Cathedral

Edinburgh Castle

The view from Edinburgh Castle

The 1:00 p.m. canon

One of the highlights of the day for me was Hollyrood Palace, the castle where the Queen still resides when she visits Edinburgh. The palace was beautiful, as were the gardens and the ruins of the cathedral outside.

Hollyrood Palace

Next we hiked up to the National Monument of Scotland, aka that thing that looks like half of the Lincoln Memorial with no roof or backside. (Another example of Scottish frugality?) Anyway, the view from the top was worth the hike.

The view of Arthur's Seat from the National Monument of Scotland

Our next stop was Dean Village, a small neighborhood in the more elite area of Edinburgh. It was beautiful and quaint and exactly what you think of when you think of Great Britain. Loved it.

The next day, we decided to be adventurous and take a bus to St. Andrews. Being the responsible twenty-year-olds that we are, we tried to do our research first and make sure we could find a bus to take us there and back, but in the end we just winged it, showed up at the bus station, bought tickets and drove off towards the north. Let me be the first to tell you, if you EVER have a chance to visit St. Andrews, DO IT!!! Especially if you are a golfer. I'm not and I still thought it was so incredible. Of course our first stop in St. Andrews was the St. Andrews Links Old Course, "The Home of Golf." Lucky for us we actually got to experience a pro Scottish golf tournament firsthand. If any of you watched the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last Sunday (CJ, Dad, probably the Longtain family: I'm talking to you) I was there. nbd.

Not only did we see the most famous golf course in the world, we actually played on it as well. (Okay, it was putt-putt, but still! I beat all you golfers there!)

The rest of our trip included a walk along the beach, out onto the pier, through the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral and Castle, and the oh-so-necessary dinner of fish and chips.

That evening, I really enjoyed getting to meet all of my friend's Scottish flatmates and friends. Scottish people are officially the best!! Not only that, the entire region felt like home, thanks to the ever-present clouds, frigid air, and fog. I felt like I was back in the good old Pacific Northwest for a weekend.

The morning I left, we of course had a traditional British scone in the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, because what else would you do your last morning in Scotland??

Overall, the weekend was pretty amazing, but I'd have to say the highlight for me was the golf course in St. Andrews. I returned to Granada feeling so incredibly blessed to have been able to take this trip and see all these things I otherwise never would have seen. Also a huge thanks to Cameron and my new Scottish friends for letting me crash your flat for a weekend!