"So this is one of the world's third largest cathedrals"

So I have learned that days seem to blend together in Spain. Maybe I should try and get more than 5 hours of sleep a night...nah! If I remember correctly, the last day I wrote about was Tuesday when we went to Toledo. Wednesday was pretty uneventful, just spent cramming for our midterm. On Thursday we took our midterm in our Spanish culture class, exactly a week after starting class! After class, we saw a flamenco interpretation of the opera Carmen. Flamenco is fascinating and I couldn't get over all of the cool costumes and complicated footwork. After the show, we went home to pack for our four-day weekend to Córdoba, Sevilla and Granada!

Day 10... I think...

On Friday, we left Madrid at 8:00 to journey to southern Spain, home to warm weather and Moorish architecture and art. We made it to Córdoba around 1:00 where we stopped to visit the cathedral. This cathedral was the epitome of juxtaposition. From the outside and when you first walk in, it looks like a magnificent mosque: bright, contrasting colors, geometrical design, horseshoe arches. Then you make it to the center of the cathedral and BAM! It's not a mosque at all but rather a stunning cathedral! What happened was when the moors were defeated in the 15th century, the catholic royalty came in and converted the mosque into a cathedral but left a good part of the original building intact, just kind of merging the two religions together. It's as if they went to the mosque, cut out the very center and dropped in an ornate, beautiful cathedral. It was remarkable to say the least and I would highly recommend it because it is a one-of-a-kind cathedral! After visiting the cathedral in Córdoba, we hopped back on the bus and made our way to Sevilla. We got there just in time for dinner and some late night exploration of the beautiful southern Spanish city.

Day 11

Saturday started out with a visit to the Roman ruins in Italica, very close to Sevilla. We saw the heavily eroded remains of a colosseum and the floors and a few columns of what used to be a town. After the ruins, we headed back to check out the cathedral in Sevilla. Our tour guide told us that this is the world's third largest cathedral. But he also said that several other cathedrals claim to be the third largest as well...somebody should really check on that. This cathedral seemed to never end; when you walk in you are engulfed in the sky high ceilings, bright stained glass windows and breath-taking art. This cathedral actually houses the remains of Christopher Columbus...well at least 120g worth of his remains. They don't seem to know where the rest of his remains are but hey, any amount of one of history's greatest explorers is still a pretty big deal. After taking in the cathedral, we climbed up probably 8-10 stories in the former minaret to view Sevilla from what used to be the tallest building in the city. If you look in my pictures on Facebook, you'll see that they're constructing a skyscraper. The view was amazing: we could see for miles and all of Sevilla stood at our feet, waiting to be explored. After the cathedral, we visited Alcázar, the royal palace in Sevilla. This palace was completely influenced by the moorish style and I think if I ever became a queen and had to build a palace, I would take a few things from Alcázar, mainly the beautiful symmetrical mosaics and the intricate geometric designs on all the walls. So that was my day today! I'm about to take my siesta then journey out again into the wonderful Sevilla before we leave tomorrow morning for Granada! ¡Hasta luego la familia y los amigos!

Carrie