Una gitana en España

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. -Mark Twain

Gibraltar!!!

Córdoba in the blink of an eye..

* This is the guy who first wrote about hemorrhoids, grrrrreat.

Take a wild guess at today’s weather?……let’s see, was it pretty in the morning?  Did it look like the sun was begging to please you? Yes (:  Did you have a day planned out to the hour? Yes (: Did you have lots of homework that could have been done, but you put it off until a rainy day? Yes (: And were you getting excited for Córdoba when the clouds started accumulating? Yes! (:

Then yes, it rained.  Allllll day long without taking a breath. hahah but!! Córdoba was a trip well worth the ickiness.  We only visited the Mezquita (mezquita is the spanish word for mosque), but this alone was pretty dang cool.

Our guide didn’t give us a whole lot of specific details as far as the how comes and what fors, but I’ll do my best to give you a brief description…La MezquitaCatedral was originally built as a cathedral in 600 AD.  After the Islamic conquest, the church was bought and a mosque was added on the tower and this addition took about two centuries, yes 200 years to complete.  It the 3rd largest mosque in the world behind the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca.  t t The famous red and white striped arches are made from brick and limestone because the limestone is soft and this never cracks—only moves as needed.  Each column (except for 2) is made of either granite or marble, and there’s 856 columns.  This is the only mosque of over 300 that were in Córdoba still standing. 

Of course, just like La Alhambra, Alcazar, and Alcazaba too, La Mezquita de Cordoba was taken over by Christians.  Every single figure inside—angels, humans, animals, etc.—in the mosque was later added by Christians because once again, the Muslims don’t portray their God in any physical form.  Directly in the center of the mosque is the Catholic altar and choir chamber; 157 columns were destroyed for this.  Had this not been added, one could see corner to corner in every direction of this giant sanctuary.  This place is such an incredible piece of history because once again we have Muslims and Christians in the same place.  With this MezquitaCatedral, not only do we have a cathedral inside a mosque built onto a cathedral, but the entire thing is conveniently situated at the foot of the Jewish Quarter.  Yes, the 3 sisters together again (:

callieorr:

So I’m slightly confused about the workings of this here blog ha am I writing on everyone’s profile? Wtf. Lyndsay I hope you’re in Spain good and fine, I feel like your stalker or something trying to figure out the best way to reach you ha. I talked to Kelly and she assured me you were safe and…

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you…Granada.

“[Many had doubt], But Isabel said “Sí, señor.” Columbus fell to his knees (promising to pack light, wear a money belt, and use the most current guidebook available).”

This is one we can all appreciate…Queen Isabel la Católica giving Christopher Columbus (Christóbal Colón)  permission and money to support the voyage that led to the discovery of our great USofA. 

Inside this Cathedral is the Capilla Real, or Royal Chapel.  It holds the tomb of Kinda Fernando III and Queen Isabel.  Yikes! Seeing their actual coffins was a little chilling I must say.  Not to mention, the altar directly across from the tomb had vivid scenes of John the Baptist getting his head cut off and the boiling of an angel.  I’m sorry, but that’s just a perfect example of why I agree with the Muslims in their beliefs to not use human/animal figures to depict God or any other significant beings.

We’ll shoot your eye out, kid!

Focus more on the background, its La Alhambra at night—epic view. Eyes do so much better than any camera could ever dream.

Let the belly dancing begin!!!! Second best Teteria ever, BEST camarero ever (:

Tiny peek at the gardens in La Alhambra

“A pearl set in Emeralds”…Not me. La Alhambra (;

“There is no victorious one except God” (mas o menos traducción)

You can’t even begin to imagine how many times this quote is repeated throughout the Palace—There’s literally not a number big enough.

hojas rojas! Bellísima!!!

and we’re out..

I have been TERRIBLE about keeping this updated.  And so…for Granada, I’ll do a quick update with pictures and captions to tell the stories.

But for this little update, I’m just gonna reiterate my love for my Momma and my Granny (((:

Yes, they came to visit me in Spain!! Even if I was just a good excuse for a girls’ vacation (which I know it was more than that), we had so much fun!  They got here on Friday and I picked them up from the airport—let me just say I had tears of joy before I even saw them at the terminal. haha I don’t think I realized how much I missed em!  Anyways just getting to the Hotel was an adventure in itself, and afterwards we took a much needed break, well much needed for them anyways after almost 20 hours of traveling.  I showed them around little Malaga, and we watched the Matadors practice at the bullring beside my apartment.  We went to Alcazaba, Nerja, and Granada (Alhambra again!!!) I don’t think I’ll get tired of that place.

Anyways, the best part didn’t include food (which we didn’t have much luck with while they were here), and the best part wasn’t our little travels.  The best part of the whole week was simply sitting in the hotel room or sitting at the Teterias and just being with each other.  I swear if I turn out to be half the woman those two are, my life would be a success. I love them so so much and I think its safe to say we’re three peas in a pod (;

p.s.- pictures to come…before this weekend’s over!

Me he inscribido para una excursión a Marruecos!

desde 3-8 de diciembre

Seville (:

and p.s. There’s always more photos on my Facebook.

So yes, this is way overdue.

On the weekend of October 23 & 24, ISA took us to Seville, “the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain”, according to Wikipedia (;

We visited three main sites while in Seville—the first being Catedral de Santa Maria de la Sede. This cathedral is the third largest church in the world and the largest Gothic cathedral.  Christopher Columbus’s remains are in a tomb inside this “iglesia”, and his son’s are also here.  ”Let a church so beautiful and so great that those who see it built think we were mad…” and so they did. 80 CHAPELS!!!!! One altar is comprised of 3000 kilos of silver, and the main altar which was used only for royal families originally has gold leaf covering giant, hand sculpted statues (see pictures).

The story of Saint Anthony-patron saint of lost or stolen things.  The Vision of St. Anthony is a painting so huge, it would be impossible to move steal from anywhere, let alone the 3rd largest church in the world.  In 1874, the corner of this painting where St. Anthony is, was stolen. Yes—cut out and stolen.  The priests said not to worry because St. Anthony would find himself and low and behold, he did!  In 1875, the stolen portion was found in New York being sold in a market.  It was returned to Sevilla and resumed in place in the cathedral ever since.

I went to mass the following morning of our tour.  I got my hopes up and was rather disappointed at the monotony.  I think it was just too obvious that the church used to see 500 masses a day.

 This same day we visited Alcazar, a Muslim/Christian palace similar to Alcazaba (see previous blog post).  Similar to Alcazaba, but much more grand considering Alcazar is a palace and not a fortress.  I love seeing Muslim and Christian influences together, although even centuries ago there was no coexistence between the two.

Finally, before heading back to Malaga we visited El Plaza de España.  This entire plaza was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929—solely!  (see picture because there really isn’t much to say about it)

While in Sevilla, we randomly stumbled into this awesome concert.  It was Seat 60th Anniversary and they had really good bands!! I’ve tried uploading a video like twenty times uggggh and it won’t work. But I’ll keep trying…stay tuned.

(This was for the Honor’s College Newsletter…just thought I’d share)

The decision to study abroad was one that I made when I was about ten years old; with a mom who works internationally, my passion for traveling sparked early on.  Freshman year of college this dream became reality when I was told “The world is yours, Lyndsay, only you can decide where you want to begin.”  I chose Malaga, Spain so I could use the Spanish language as I’m learning it.  Malaga is a rapidly growing city with tons of students and the Costa del Sol is absolutely beautiful.  I’ve got the beach, city, and mountains at my disposal, let alone the rest of Europe and the northern coast of Africa so readily available for weekend jaunts.  

I am living with two Malagueños in the most comfortable and eclectic apartment with the beach only two blocks away and the Plaza de Toros de Malaga bullring one street over.  I wake every morning to the breeze coming through my open door by way of the terraced balcony and commotion in the street below.  After drinking a cup of tea and eating my always fresh fruit, I catch the public transport bus where I’m thoroughly entertained simply people watching.  Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the University of Malaga for Exchange Students where the students are from all over the world.  Just in my small class of three other students there’s Philipp from Germany, Eveliina from Finland, and Kyung Ju from Korea.  I take 25 hours of Spanish classes a week with professors who speak less English than I speak Spanish (and I’m a beginner).  During our breaks, it is amazing to hear all the different languages—Dutch, Danish, German, Spanish, French, Korean, Swedish (the list goes on…)—spoken at once.  Nothing else is more refreshing than the diversity and coexistence I witness everyday.

After school, I ride the bus back home-just as entertaining as the morning ride-and arrive just in time to smell the aroma of my señora cooking lunch.  We eat dinner together as well, and the food is indescribably delicious.  Our table conversations are persistently becoming more in-depth, but between my broken Spanish and their lack of English, there are always hand gestures, reaches for the dictionary, and of course our constant laughter.  Directly after lunch, we have the infamous siesta!  Spain closes shop for at least two hours in the middle of the day for everyone to regroup with a nap and relaxation, and who could complain about that?

Malaga has a buzzing city center where you can always find local artists, music, and street performers and right across the street from downtown is the port with cruise ships and Africa-bound ferries.  With all Malaga has to offer, I still haven’t even told you the best part; the best part has to be the easy access to more travel destinations.  I have been able to see numerous cities in Spain so far including Madrid, Seville, Granada, and Nerja; this past weekend, I even made it to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar.  In November I’ll be in Munich, Germany and, in December, Morocco!  My eyes have been open to so many new cultures, experiences, pathways to more adventures; and to think…I’ve only been away for a month!

heartnwar asked: !!!!! wish i was there, makes me jealous!!

I’m just gonna copy straight from my journal and I’ll add pictures later (after I steal them from our best student photographer ;) ) Here we go:

Yesterday was a whirlwind adventure (as most of our little side trips are) to Gibraltar!! Wow. So amazing and so fun.

My day began at 5am when I woke up to meet Kelsie, Kyle, Kelli, and Jessica at our plaza to make the 45 min walk to the bus station.  We bought tickets (24€) and boarded the bus for a 3 hour ride…

Upon arrival we see The Rock, we also see the airport’s tarmak in between us and taht rock.  Yep, visitors cross the runway like it’s any other street, flash our passports tot he security guard and boom! we’re in UK territory—english people, fish & chips, and even cloudy, windy, rainy skies.  Lots of tour guides offering rides to the top, but since we’re all young and able, we decided chose to walk.  3 hour hike-piece of cake right?-wrong!! (Have you seen this mountain?!)

Our first stop was at the Pillars of Hercules at Jew’s Gate where we could see Africa across the Straight.  Instant energy boost and revival.  These pillars signify the furthermost limits reached by Hercules.  On one side of the monument, we see the Ancient World and on the other side, the Modern World which shows that Gibraltar is the point where the Eastern world meets the Western.

The hike continues UP to our next stop at St. Michael’s Cave-home of stalactites and stalagmites.  The cave now holds a concert stage and seating but the history is far more interesting than that.  First, in 1974, a Neolithic skull was found in the cave proving to archaeologist that Prehistoric man knew of these caves—also arising the proposal that the cave reaches all the way to Africa, thus providing the passageway for the first apes-“monos”.  The cave was used as a military barrack in various times dating all the way back to 711 AD.

When we exited the caves we saw the monos!  They are so active and everywhere, jumping on cars, roaming the gift shop, sleeping in the sun.  Watch your head though, because they will jump (see vids and pics!).

Next stop…the tip TOP!  ahh what a feeling of accomplishment.  We got some awesome pictures and were taken aback by the views and significance of our location.  So invigorating!  More monos on the way back down.  My initial thought of these animals—“how cute!” and “aww I can’t wait to pet them and hold the babies!”.  Wrong again!!!  The biggest, blackest, and meanest looking ape jumped on my backpack!! Holy crap it was scary!  Granted, I’d be a little more composed next time but I dropped my backpack and ran!  Luckily, Kyle scared him away and the stupid ape didn’t steal anything but YIKES!  I was watching my back the rest of the day, and when we took the super steep and narrow staircase down, that same damn ape was on the steps too and I practically had to touch him walking by!

After seeing a couple more things like the Moorish castle, WWII tunnels, and The Great Seige Tunnel, we were finished.  So with tired feet and exhausted legs, we got back on the bus and came back to Malaga (:

Roald Dahl