Seguimos A Segovia

Hola chicos! Acabo de regresar de vacaciones de Semana Santa y les debo más que una entrada en el blog. Aquí se las dejo…

Cuando la directora del programa nos dijo a todos que nos iban a llevar a Segovia, todos estábamos muy entusiasmados como nos fue muy bien en Córdoba. Yo en particular lo estaba porque me encantan las antigüedades y la vieja historia romana, y como todos saben, Segovia si hizo famoso por el acueducto romano que le cruza por el medio de la ciudad.

Al llegar a Segovia, nos dimos cuenta de lo chiquito que es la ciudad. Además del tamaño chico, también fue una sorpresa como lo mete a uno a otro tiempo de historia. Lo primero que vimos al llegar a la ciudad fue el acueducto. Fue algo muy impresionante no solo por su edad (2000 años!), sino por el estado en que se encontraba el monumento. Aunque fue construido sin mortero, sigue trabajando después de tantos años! Después de ver el acueducto, seguimos a la catedral gótica de la ciudad.

De verdad fue “un treat,” poder ver esta catedral. (Mas impresionante que el castillo que vimos al final del tour) Como verán en las fotos, estaba repleta de torres hasta el cima, y el todas las paredes del exterior muy adornadas. Está fue la ultima gran catedral gótica que fue construida en España. El adentro de la catedral no esta tan decorado como el exterior, el propósito siendo marcar distinguir entre lo de afuera y adentro y formar un contrasto interesante. La capilla a la izquierda de la entrada esta elaborada con papel de oro y por otro lado adentro había un cuadro llamado “El Árbol de Vida,” que fue interesante y vale la pena ver si algún día les interesa ir.

Después de comer en la Plaza mayor con unos amigos, nos dirigimos al castillo en la parte norte de la pequeña ciudad. Como ya les había dicho, no fue tan impresionante como esperábamos. Ósea, el exterior es muy chévere y grande, dando la impresión que el castillo es inmenso. Pero en realidad, no fue nada así como que “wow.” Lo que si digo es que tiene una colección de arsenal antiguo muy buena.

Un Recorrido Por España!

Hola chicos y chicas!

Well it's been a couple weeks since my last post, and the wait was not in vain. Como dice el titulo, en estas semanas he viajado a Córdoba, Segovia, Salamanca, Barcelona, y Cotos. Many places with much to talk about, so I'll post one city at a time...Empecemos por Córdoba:

Como les comente en el post anterior, Córdoba es una ciudad con historia muy larga y mixta. One of the premier tourist attractions is ofcourse, La Mezquita (Spanish word for Mosque).

The Catedral-Mezquita dates as far back as 6th Century A.D. when there was still a Visigothic church in its place, but the actual mosque replaced it and was reworked and had additions added to it up until the end of the 10th Century. Al final se convirtió en la segunda Mezquita más grande del mundo.

The arcs we see in the picture were part of one of the reforms that were made when better architectural practices were put in place. In the year 1236 when Carlos V recaptured Córdoba from the Muslim Empire, it was reconsecrated as a Roman Catholic Church. From that point on more reforms were taken on again to add Cristian Chapels and other such amendments until the 18th Century. It truly is a site to behold. While you don't really get the gist of its sheer SIZE from this picture I took, on the bottom is one I got from the Internet that has a view of the exterior from farther away.
We also got a chance to go to the site of the Castle of "Los Reyes Católicos." The Building itself was not all that impressive, but we got a couple really good shots of the gardens.

To sum up Córdoba, its basically a quintessential example of the mixture of all three of the biggest religions of the World in one small town.




P.S. Again, I have not forgotten my promised Nightlife piece, I think it will be more fun to compare and contrasts all of the different cities in one :)

Bienvenidos a Madrid!

Its been a couple of weeks since I first arrived to Madrid and I´ll admit that at first I felt weird in the city. Not because of the amazing architecture, nor the amazing food, but because I was surprised to find so many similarities between this city and some I´ve been to in South America. As a Colombian native I got the feeling of being at home in Cartagena or Bogota, yet not, so that took a little to overcome. However, now that that´s over with, this beautiful vibrant city has really come to life.

Just like most European capitals, we've found ourselves immersed in a city with plenty of cultural history. On one hand we have el Museo del Prado which is home to many valuable pieces from famous Spanish artists like Goya, Murillo, Velasquez, etc. as well as incredible monuments like the Escorial, or the Royal Palace which bare witness to the power and ingenuity the Spanish monarchy had in the past.

Not only have we found the atmosphere outside our home stays invigorating, but the treats that awaited us at our homes were just as pleasant. Let´s start at the food since its one of my two favorite things about their culture. IT´S GREAT! The one thing that I dislike about going to school at GW is the fact that there are no real cafeterias for us to eat, and I love food. Good food. Here we eat at least three courses at each meal. Salads, entrees, main dishes, desert, its just PERFECT. There is also an amazing variety: Paella, Mariscos, Pastas, etc. For those of us who care for the occasional fast food, they have plenty of Mc Donalds to quench our cravings. (Especially at night when you could really go for some fires and a sundae). As for another highlight of their at-home culture....the world famous SIESTA! That nap that I take every afternoon right after my hearty lunch sets me up for the perfect afternoon, up and awake ready to explore what Madrid has to offer. Lastly and definitely not least, their family life really helps us feel at home. Personally I grew up in a household where family should always come first and love, caring, and sharing with each other was the most, if not one of the most important things in life. They´ve continued to hold on to that spirit throughout the city. I´ve learned a lesson or two myself.

This weekend we will be headed to Cordoba. A city rich with history of past monarchies and empires...after all, we have to remember that much of Spain was dominated by Muslim empires for part of their history. It will be interesting to see how the three cultures (The Jewish quarter as well) blended together in harmony at the time.

For those of us that like the occasional cafe, make sure not to miss the area around Puerta del Sol, headed towards the Plaza mayor and sit down and have some Churros with Chocolate. It´ll be a worthwhile treat.



Greetings to everyone!

Marcos Franco Murillo

P.S. I've left out the Nightlife for another entry! It deserves one all of its own... : )