La Alhambra-Palacio Nazaries: The Alhambra-Nazaries Palace

Wow--today was great! We got up early and "furiously hiked" up the mountain to La Alhambra where we walked quickly to the Palacio Nazaries for our entry time. We had a sketching assignment here (How could we not with so much inspiration in this city inside of a city?!). Bob Ben and Tom gave the lecture on Alhambra, then we were let loose to sketch, and explore the grounds of the Alhambra, starting with this, Palacio Nazaries.

Within the first three rooms (only defined by the change in levels of the floor and/or ceiling, as opposed to physical walls between them), we could already see damage that had been done between being occupied and re-done by different rulers. After each ruler died, the next ruler either built additions, re-did parts, or just plain destroyed the old palace and started over. This caused some serious issues when it came to restoration because who is to decide which part(s) of which palace(s) and from which time period(s) should be considered most important and worthy of rebuilding and restoration?!

In any case, this room was the 4th in the entry sequence, and the most well lit and well-restored. It looks out over the old islamic part of the city. You can see some of the amazing detail that represents islamic architecture. I couldn't begin to imagine how long these carvings must have taken.

A few rooms later, after crossing from the early public spaces into the transition courtyard, we find ourselves in a more private space called the Ambassador's courtyard and Ambassador's chamber. This is where I spent the majority of my time sketching. The above window is just one of about 8 in the Ambassador's chamber of the palace. You can see it in the sketch below.

I spent nearly 2 hours standing and holding my sketchbook working on just that one drawing--but I am really proud of it now that it is done. The hardest part was trying to get the proportions correct for the drawing, and after that, the detailing was ok except for the Islamic script. I was afraid that if I missed the tiniest curve in a line that it wouldn't read correctly. Luckily, as I was sketching the courtyard, a woman came to up to me and asked me if I spoke arabic because she saw my sketch. I told her I didn't and asked her if it was correct. She said yes and continued to tell me that it is the repeated phrase, "En el nombre de Dios"-in the name of God.
This is probably one of the two most well-known views of La Alhambra in the Ambassador's Courtyard. Water is a huge part of Islamic architecture. I sat underneath the arcade on the other end of the pool to sketch the facade above me in the picture because it was raining for most of the morning and I was tired from standing for those 2 hours! It was strange to have people walking by and looking at me like a real artist. I remember being so in awe of people drawing when I was younger, and today that was me...weird. I even had an Arab family come over to me and ask to take their picture with me! It was pretty funny, really. Everyone joked later that it was not because of my sketches, but probably because I'm blonde-haha.



While I would love to show you the OTHER most well-known view of The Alhambra, I'm afraid that I can't because of the construction that it was undergoing. The space, however is Patio de los Leones. This dome is adjacent to the court. Once again...THE DETAIL! I can't even explain. I won't try. Hopefully you can even get SOME concept of how incredible this place is.

This is a shot taken after passing through el Patio de los Leones, back toward it. The sun had just come out when I walked through the court and it seemed like a perfect moment and a perfect way to show the uniqueness of every square inch of this place...it's like fingerprints: no two are the same.

After walking through the private sections of the palace, I came to the gardens (I'm not sure if these were private or public). This is near the end of my walk through Palacio Nazaries, but once again shows the way that water and the movement and longevity represent our path in life and whatnot...it's quite moving.

Date Prisa! Viene la noche!: Hurry up, night is coming!

GRANADA

We arrived in Granada and got held up by our inability to find the hotel neatly placed in front of us upon stepping off the bus! We had to hurry into the old part of the city to find a beautiful view at dusk. So we dropped our bags and took off.

The walk was an intense uphill climb, but the grafitti kept us content, and so did this doorway, covered over by a cement wall, and uncovered again...WeIRd.

All of the streets and alleyways were like this one; old, narrow, made of stones that could either be a nice massage or a "pain in the foot."

Despite the long walk and the fear of missing sunset, we made it with plenty of time. For some reason I was not into the experience today. Most days I think I would be excited about the sunset or the city or the ancient parts of the city, or just the fact that IM IN SPAIN, but today I was out of it. Hopefully I can get back on track tomorrow. I think it may just be the constant changing from city to city. I can already feel the lackluster coming on and the possibility of each city blending together in my memory, even though they are all so different and incredible.

The view of the Alhambra was great, though.

After the Alhambra, some of team Aldana took a walk along the canal and grabbed pizza, then met the group, who got dinner. Tom and I ordered some tea and split a chocolate-banana crepe...mmm.

From there, it was a slow pace back to the hotel, where a bunch of us just hung out in Bob and Ben's room for the night, laughing hysterically and genuinely enjoying each other's company. Gotta love the Barca kids :)

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!-Called at midnight to tell him he was already a year older-funny how that works when I am ahead of that half of the world!

Al fin de Cordoba: The end of Cordoba

Not much happened this am in Cordoba. We took a walk to get breakfast, then saw an old city entrance, then went to see one of the few remaining sinagogues in southern Spain (apparently the Jewish people were left out of that cultural acceptance thing shared by the Christians and Muslims?!).

This is a detail of the top of the entry to the sinagogue. I really liked the color of the wood, and the layering of the latice behind the main detailing.

This is just one of the major panels of ornate designs through pattern, not to mention of the Hebrew script.

Even the floor of the entry courtyard was super-detailed and must have taken a long time! Impressive.

We didn't have much time at the sinagogue, but I tried to capture a few of the designs that surrounded us inside of the sinagogue. The lower right is a study of the ceiling construction which was both beautiful and functional. On the top left I tried to capture the writing above the entry on the interior.

A guy, who we believe may not have been "all there" came up to me and tried to tell me something in Spanish about the meaning of the words he had seen me sketching, but I didn't really understand. It may be because I was slightly afraid after he entered when we had first arrived, opened his jacket to show us his Jewish star, and left for another room--creepy when you aren't aware of your surroundings or the people you are encountering! What made this experience even more sketchy (no pun intended) was the fact that the man followed us when we left the sinagogue and headed down the street to visit a preserved Andalucian home.

Sarah Green: I am considering this in the design of your future home ;-)

This was the main courtyard in the center of the house, fully equipped with fountain, "doorbell," a well, and ventilation!

This is the basement entry from that courtyard. I really liked how the stairways were treated to become arches underneath.

Needless to say, we all loved the tub of flowers at the side of the house.

So, I mentioned that the guy from the sinagogue followed us? He entered the room I was in followed by the guy at the counter, who put in a cd that the guy told him to play. He then looked at us and said, in spanish..."listen, this music lifts your heart up to the sky." We left creeped out and mesmerized at the same time. The rest of the walk back I expected this guy to jump out of the woodwork, but luckily he didn't, and we walked to Calle de los Flores (a major disappointment in the wintertime), and back to the hotel without a hitch.

Una noche en la ciudad muerta: A night in the dead city

Tom was thirsty as we searched desperately for a cafe, bar, restaurant...something? ANYTHING! We are hungry, poor college kids in Cordoba on a Monday night--and NOTHING is open in Cordoba on Monday night...at least not where we live in the old city.

We FINALLY found the only food place open in this spanish city...A Chinese restaurant-imagine that. Afterwards, we took our time walking back, and were sidetracked by the only bright light we saw on the walk, which happened to belong to this plaza and old church.

This plaza is to the left of the church from the previous picture. Ben and Felipe are admiring the construction...or are they plotting to break in? We'll never know! The plaza was pretty cool especially at night with the shadows of the arcade from the street lights.

One of the few buildings with any light was La Mezquita, itself! This picture was taken after the group split up before the bridge over the Guadalquivir River. Bob, Felipe, Ben, Billy, Rob, Vic, Sean, and I headed to "the other side" to see what we could find. Cordoba must have SOMETHING to do at this time on a Monday night!

Indeed it does...MORE PLAYGROUNDS! We really are drawn to them in some mysterious way! Billy commandeers the ship through sand dunes and Rob maintains that HE is "King of the World."

We found a big block, which pretty much had no purpose until we came along and made it a pedestal for this fabulous photo. Then we left the playground and made way for the wet, unlit path along the Guadalquivir.

While we really wanted to cross the bridge that was under construction, we managed to keep ourselves under control and NOT to fight the guard. As we continued on our way, I did a double take..."Guys?! What the hell is a BLOBJECT?" Clearly, no one knew...we still haven't figured it out..."Give me your best 'I'm a Blobject' impression!"

Disclaimer: No trees were hurt in the taking of this photo. As we were walking through a grassy area (in which we found yet ANOTHER fantastic Spanish playground), Bob came across this GINORMOUS palm branch, and Ben found...no surprise: an orange. After Bob chased Victoria and Ben with it for a bit, we decided the moment should be caught on camera, and this is the result.

Well...since Cordoba, like most cities, used to be fortified with walls, there are a few towers remaining. We climbed the super-steep stairs of a different one, and were going to be illegal and go inside the locked gates, but we are pretty much big wusses and we scared ourselves from talking about the possiblities of killers and such before running away to this tower, the next one along the river. This is basically a re-enactment of all of those high school movies when they show people running out of school on the last day before summer...I dont know why, but I guess jumping off a tower is kind of the same as jumping off the front steps at school!? Sean, Ben, Vic, and Rob were awesome at it, too-don't you think?!

I know, I know-this looks totally fake and I probably found it online, right? Wrong. This is one of the molinos left over along the river after being captured on film with an extended exposure time since it was so dark and there weren't any lights to capture this ruin otherwise. It was about 10 or 15 feet from the sidewalk where we stood, and the vegetation was probably about 10 feet down...we were trying to do the math to see if the boys could jump to it to explore, but we factored in the possibility that they would fall through the roof, slip on the jump, or miss completely and that = not worth trying...but it was exciting to consider! I have to include the fact that this was an innovative machine as well as a building which used its natural resources to its advantage...maybe the current world should take a hint.

La Mezquita: The Great Mosque of Cordoba

CORDOBA

Home of La Mezquita...a huge mosque dating to the 900s, it was added to multiple times by different rulers. When the Christians regained control of the area in the 1200s, it was named a Cathedral, and a section at the center of the mosque was constructed into a Christian church. I think that most of us, as architecture students, were astounded that people would attempt to desecrate such a great religious structure with little or no regard for the spaces it is surrounded by. There are no transitions of note between the two types of architecture and the church creates a block in the center of the open forest of columns supporting 2-tiered arches. It was sad and amazing all at once.

The entry to the Mosque starts before the Mosque itself, in a plaza full of orange trees with a complex irrigation system throughout.

The first step inside brings immediate awe at the full height screen bringing light into the entry-way.

From the screen, you can sit on the bench and strain your eyes into the dimly-lit expanses of the mosque all the way to the mihrab wall. Your view is bordered by the columns and double arches on either side.

A look in either direction will awe you as you stare into the grid of columns that covers the plan of the mosque and lifts the ceilings beyond view.

All the way at the back is where the actual heart of the Mosque sits: the Mihrab. This niche is etched with scripture and ornately decorated in the utmost detail. While not well-lit, this is the destination point of Muslims because it is the part of the Mosque closest to Mecca, the direction in which they pray 5 times daily.

I refrained from taking many pictures of the Christian part of the mosque/cathedral, which I now realize robs any viewers from drawing their own conclusions about the cathedral inside. This, however, was one of the poorer attempts at integrating the two types of architecture.

On a much brighter note, the detailing was inspiring. I wonder how long it must have taken to design such details and if the architects did both the general AND detail design...I don't know if that type of detail is even done anywhere these days. This also has a Christian cross thrown in there under the left arch.

Las calles de Toledo: The streets of Toledo

TOLEDO

So, we stayed up all night, but we got an hour-long nap on the train to Toledo, where we discovered a city void of the "modern city" feel...which was fantastic. It was quiet, and generally looked uninhabited. A great place to visit, but I think to live there would be frustrating with mostly tourists like ourselves wandering through the narrowest of streets, voices echoing through the town.

We walked from the train station to the city, with constantly changing views from the exterior as we went uphill to the main entry gate.
Sure, it looks welcoming and modern now, but it used to be a towering fortress around the city of Toledo, accessible on horseback---not car. In fact, most streets are too tiny for any normal-sized car, smart cars and motos were the only ones that would fit!

No, it's not just a perspective...This walkway went from a normal street size to a walkway about 3 feet wide in the course of approximately 20 feet, and continues around the corner!
Our first stop was the Mosque of Bib Mardum where I gave a short presentation on Islamic architecture and the Mosque, itself.

Spain was conquered by the Muslims in 711 AD. Unlike in many situations, however, the Muslims did not simply wipe out the existing culture, nor did the Christians when they regained control centuries later. Instead, there was an integration of the many different styles and cultural elements that lead to a unique architecture as can still be seen today.

Part of the reason for this mixing is the fact that the conquerors, as a group of traveling warriors, consisted of few women, so when they settled in Spain, it was necessary for them to marry Spanish women. This led to cultural mixing as well as a sense of security and peace.

Islamic architecture is known for its detail and structure. NO animals or icons are used because of the religious beliefs about false deities. The decorations are instead mostly plantlike or from the holy books. Elements of Islamic Arch. include, but aren't limited to the horseshoe arch, screens, corbelling, double-tiered arches, and glass tesserae (tiles). An example of the combination of such elements is the Great Mosque of Cordoba, which we will be visiting this week.

The Mosque of Bib Mardum, itself, was completed in its original cube form in 999 AD as a musalla (private devotional space) and was likely connected to a palace. It was originally open on all sides except for the quibla wall (facing Mecca). Since its original completion and the regain of control by Christians in about 1400, the Mosque was converted into a church/chapel called Cristo de la Luz (Christ of Light). Walls were put up to enclose the mosque and an apse and transitional space were attached to one side. In the photo above you can see where the old mosque (right) is connected to the new chapel (left). The Chapel/Mosque is currently being restored.

Past the gardens we encountered behind the Mosque we found an amazing lookout over part of the city. You can see group pictures on some of the other students' sites. I loved that the colors were all different but still read as a collective whole.

After the mosque, we went to a church service in Spanish to get out of the cold, since we were scheduled to be in Toledo all day. Afterwards we walked a bit through their winding streets then split up for lunch before Ben went home sick.

From there, Victoria, Mon, Rob and I continued exploring the city. We found the Alcazar (Castle) of Toledo, beside which there was a lookout point over the river and the major roads, as well as the rocky hills and grassy knolls surrounding the city. It was GORGEOUS! Mon and I decided the only thing it was missing to match our idea of the Irish countryside was a few white sheep on the hillside! After Alcazar's lookout we wandered back toward the main plaza of the city, which was dead all day, and found a cafe to get a snack before heading to meet the group near la Catedral.

We were clearly excited to reunite with our group!

(Tom, Bob, Mon, Bri, Victoria, Rob)

La Catedral de Santa Maria de Toledo was beautiful! Tom, who had visited in a previous trip, was shocked and disappointed with the renovations on the interior-namely the painting of the interior walls to reduce the dark quality that the old stone gave. To me, though, not having an idea of the previous state, I was content to stare at the fantastic art and detailing such as could be found in this side burial room.

The main altar was even more over-the-top ornate with gold-colored EVERYTHING!

The most incredible part for me, though, was this area behind the main altar space. A hole in the ceiling, with a painted interior and sculptures surrounding it. The back wall of the altar acted as the human connection to this heavenly space directly overhead. Pictures or words just couldn't do it justice--you'll have to visit for yourself.

On the way back, we looked for the escalators designed by Cecilia's old firm. They were cool and innovative, but the best part about them was how much fun we had with our group. We took tons of pictures, but mine got lost somewhere in the transfer from one technological device to another...and you know the story...

Tom and I got churros to share on the train. We grabbed a quick dinner and then Victoria and I passed out, despite my previous thought of going out with Monica! Bob woke us up to tell us that we wern't going out. Sleep is good-thanks Bob!