La alhambra

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Yesterday I managed to visit two of the most major tourist attractions of southern Spain. First, in Cordoba, I spent time at la Mezquita, the third largest mosque in the world & the oldest building in day-to-day use in Europe! The construction of the building began in 786 and was finished in the 16th century. It was initially built as a mosque, however, three additions later it became a Christian cathedral was built in the middle. It was amazing to see the combination of arab & christian faiths as well as the mix of roman, arab, and even baroque architecture. In the main area of the mezquita, there are 856 white & red columns, supporting arches throughout! AMAZING!

I left Cordoba and took a bus to Granada. The trip was about 2 hours and 40 minutes, with a short stop in a town called Baena. The chance to see that town was really awesome. It had a really huge moorish castle in the center of town that has been restored. Upon arrival to Granada, I found the varying geography to be incredible. There were huge snowcapped Sierra Nevada Mountains (in spite of the crazy heat where I was) and amazing rolling hills full of olive trees. It was beautiful. I actually saw my first cloud yesterday. Of course, it didn´t do much to block the sun because it was so tiny!

Granada is an interesting city. Extremely arab! Everywhere I went I heard people speaking arabic. Rosina, you would have loved it! Yesterday afternoon, I went to Granada´s cathedral, which happens to be the second largest cathedral in Spain. It was really beautiful and seemed like a peaceful place. My hostel was quite plain last night and the streets were so loud below that I had a hard time getting any sleep. I woke this morning at 6am in order to make the hike up to la alhambra, a palace-fortress with gardens and so much history all mixed together. The wall carvings, mosaic tile murals, and general architecture was by far the most beautiful detail I have ever seen. I think I had my mouth open for the majority of my 5 hour adventure! The place was a must see, and I feel very happy to have made the special trip here.

Now I leave for Sevilla, again taking the 3 hour bus ride. It´s actually really nice to be on the bus. Yesterday´s trip really allowed me to see so much of the country. The mountains are something to see! In Sevilla, I hope to see the main cathedral and the Alcazar, although time will be limited. We´ll see what happens!

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Photos

la mezquita
The main mosque area, built to accomodate over 10,000 worshippers!

la alhambra
The best preserved medieval palace in the world!