This week has been filled with soccer, classes, and random walks around the city. First exams will be next week so many classes were spent wrapping up the lesson and reviewing. Outside of the classroom, it was ok weather throughout the week. It rained a lot but rumor is that this will be the last glimpse of rain for the rest of our time here in Spain. I hope that turns out to be true. Soccer trainings with the semi-pro team is getting better, starting to jell with the team a little bit more as well as get involved more with the drills in practice. The nights we don't have practice my roommate and I end up going to the nearby concrete field to just kick the ball around. There is rarely a day that I do not play soccer. Much like all the kids here in Spain.
My monuments class this week was very interesting and it seems that each class impresses me more and more. The picture above is one of the many sanctuaries within Barrio Santa Cruz, which is the old Jewish neighborhood. The narrow cobblestoned streets are shaded by the high buildings that was important for staying cool in the hot Spanish summers. Every where you look there is some sort of color whether the benches, buildings, sidewalks, or even just the abundant amount of orange trees. This area is now very popular with small cafes, bars, and restaurants on every corner. This tourist location resides very close to the mosque of Giralda, which is by no coincidence.
We also stopped into this church, which is regarded as one of the first churches built in the city of Seville. Your eyes start at the apse, which is straight ahead in the first picture. This art is made of all gold and once you think you've seen the best part of the church, your eyes make their way up to the ceiling. The feeling that you are looking up into the heavens is purposeful. The amount of time and effort that it took to make this church says a lot of about the importance of religion within Spain. There are churches like these that are every where around the city and you are allowed to just walk in at any time and just gaze at each unique church.
Our next visit was to the Alcazar, which was originally a military base. On the outside, it is very clear that the function was purely for protection due to the size and strength of the outer wall. When you enter, elements of Christianity and Islam decorate each wall and ceiling. Islamic calligraphy and abstract carvings fill the walls from ceiling to floor. Perhaps the best part about this visit, was the amount of gardens and the unique beauty of each one. Islamic gardens are designed in order to stimulate each sense. Water is also key within a garden because it symbolizes the purity of life, as well as stimulate all of the senses at the same time. Every bush, tree, and fountain has a purpose within the garden and perhaps which is also a nice touch, palm trees are used everywhere. The palm trees give you an element of space at the bottom but force you to look up towards the top, which symbolizes looking up towards heaven. I can go on and on about the architecture and pure beauty of this place but even my professor said that he has been here at least 100 times and still sees something new each time. It is great to have a class like this because even a "normal" week will always be a spent learning and observing places in Seville that are still impressing people. We walked back to the school after our visit and outside a bar, read a sign that seemed to remind all of us about our experiences while in Spain.
"Life is made of the little moments 0€"
Next stop, Lisbon, Portugal!! ¡Adios!
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