Andalusia
Hi everyone,
It has been a while since I have contributed, although I have been reading you all.
Here is a selection of the hundreds of wonders that we saw in Andalusia 3 weeks ago.
Sevilla's Cathedral
The Giralda is a former minaret that was transformed into a bell-tower for the cathedral when the Catholic Kings kicked out the Muslims. All Andalusian architecture is a delicate mix of muslim and gothic components.
Here Jake is singing the aria "By the Ramparts of Sevilla" from Carmen... how appropriate!
This is one of the most wonderful World treasures : Grenada's Alhambra, a huge palace which is a succession of great rooms with entirely sculpted walls, cool patios and gorgeous gardens.
White villages in the mountains
The arena of Ronda, the oldest in Spain, where corrida was supposedly born. The famous movie of Carmen (by Francesco Rosi, with the American singer Julia Migenes) was filmed here.
Ronda's bridge over the impressive cliff.
City of Cordoba
Another wonder : the Mezquita (Great Mosque) of Cordoba. It used to be a mosque, one of the biggest in the world at its time (about 1000 AD). It was taken by the Christians in the XIII th century and used as a cathedral. Charles V of Spain decided in the XVI th century to destroy the middle part to incorporate a baroque cathedral in it. The result is quite surprising.
XXX
posted by François at 3/31/2011 05:23:00 PM
6 Comments:
Our family took a trip to Spain during the summer of 2000. We too saw the Alhambra and Great Mosque in Cordoba. I especially loved all the running water throughout the Alhambra. It ran down stair railings, perfectly landscaped pools around every corner and the vegetation! What gorgeous gardens it has! Thanks for sharing. You take beautiful pictures. Love to you and Jake. xxoo
Ugh. I wrote the above comment!! "davey" did not.
Granada, tierra soñada por mi
Mi cantar se vuelve gitano cuando es para ti.
Mi cantar, hecho de fantasía.
Mi cantar, flor de melancolía
Que yo te que vengo a dar.
Es la tierra de Lorca
La tierra de los ojos moros
La tierra de amor.
Nice pix Francois.
So does the whole family speak Spanish? I'd really like to learn, I had a hard time communicating in Andalucia. It should be a little easier for me now that I speak French I suppose. Francois never learned the language either but he understands quite well in conversation. Perhaps you can test him if we manage to to get together this summer. Q: have you set a date for your badminton tournament? As you know we plan to be in the northeast late July/early August.
Maia spent a year in Zaragoza, Spain and several months in Guatemala, so her Spanish is pretty good. Will's minoring in Spanish at Hunter and has walked the camino, so his Spanish is getting better. Sara studied for four years with Mrs. Donhauser in high school so her Spanish is excelente, and Mary speaks to me exclusively in Spanish because it's the language of love. Gus speaks no Spanish, but his German is supurb, as is his Chinese.
Looks like the 8th annual NATH badminton tourney will happen August 12-14 this year. We may have a new house up there by then to show off. All are invited. It would be great if you guys could make it.
The Mezquita was my favorite place that we visited. I remember seeing a marble column that supposedly was used to imprison a saint/martyr chained to it? People have touched it over the centuries and now they have hard plastic covering it because it is almost worn through. The cathedral in the center seems misplaced, like it was accidentally dropped into the mosque. Everywhere in Cordoba the Christian influence is in stark, dark contrast to the Moors' light-filled design.
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