Córdoba y Granada

This past weekend our group went on a trip to Granada and Córdoba, historic cities in southern Spain. We left early Friday morning and arrived in Granada that afternoon. We went to the el capilla real (the royal chapel), where Ferdinand and Isabel are buried. It was small and relatively unadorned because when Ferdinand and Isabel designed it they wanted to appear humble before their God. We also wentto the cathedral attached to it, which was built by their grandson Carlos V and was large and beautiful. Afterwards we made our way to one of the highest points in Granada, where we watched the sunset over the Alhambra, with the peaks of the Sierra Nevadas in the background. It was an indescribably beautiful view.
The next day was dedicated to visiting La Alhambra. We were there for hours, but easily could've spent days there. It's an unbelievably huge, and is ornate down to every last detail. Again, something you have to experience, because my words aren't sufficient to describe it. After la Alhambra, we had some free time for lunch in town, where Abby, Lauren, and I ate authentic kebabs. So delicious! We also go to walk around Granada a little bit. It's a beautiful city and it's clearly been shaped by a combination of both Spanish and Arabic culture.
Next up was Córdoba. We got there Saturday evening and enjoyed shopping, sangria, tapas, and free time. I roomed with Cassi that night, which was a lot of fun, and I also blew my first fuse (literally) in our hotel room. Oops!
Sunday morning we went to Medina, ruins of an ancient city that was built by Arabs hundreds of years ago. It was an impressive city, and interestingly enough only stood for 80 years before being sacked by another band of Arabs who thought that the opulence of the city was sacrilegious. We had a fantastic lunch back in Córdoba (pisto!!! and some of the best bread I've ever eaten, steaming hot) before visiting the meszquita, our last stop of the day. La meszquita is one of the oldest remaining mosques, and also houses a cathedral inside. Gorgeous.
It's good to be back in Cáceres-- it felt like coming home last night when we came back. Busy busy week this week full of homework and internship stuff before heading to Budapest on Thursday. I also start volunteering at Sisters of the Poor tonight, feeding supper to elderly people who can't feed themselves. Should be interesting!