Spain: Part 1

I just spent the last two weeks in beautiful Spain. It is different than I expected, and wonderful. I had a layover in Barcelona on my way over. It wasn’t a long layover, but it was just long enough for me to know that Barcelona is the kind of city that requires much longer than an hour and a half! The Plaça d’Espanya is breathtaking.

Unfortunately, the best place for a picture is right in the middle of a busy traffic circle, so I wasn’t able to get the long promenade leading up to it. Also, there are some huge fountains that had turned off by the time I got there, so I couldn’t capture the shimmering effect. But it’s still an impressive sight. I needed to get something to eat before flying into Seville, and had heard great things about their juices. I had some citrus juice for part of my lunch—it was amazing! I think it was a blend of blood orange and other citrus fruits. All I can say is wow.

My main purpose in coming to Spain was for a two-week Spanish intensive. I have been wanting to study the language seriously for some time now, and this presented a perfect opportunity. I have spent anywhere from 4 to 6 hours each day speaking Spanish, depending on whether or not I had walking tours after class, or if I spent a lot of time chatting with my host family, etc.

As a part of the course, I got to stay with a host family in Seville. The family has made traditional Spanish food for me to try for each lunch and dinner. Spanish food is different, but delicious!

Chicken, bread, tomato and carrot salad, olives

Fried fish

Salad!

Gazpacho, vegetables, chicken, tuna, and eggs. 

Tomato, lettuce, egg, and tuna salad

Garbanzo beans with spinach

I went on a walking tour with A, one of the professors at the Centro Mundolengua, the institution where I studied Spanish. He specializes in history and culture, and the tour was fascinating. We visited the Seville Cathedral, and the Alcázar.

One of the things that A pointed out is the historical mix of cultures that is still evident today in Southern Spain. Not only do they have a strong European influence, but they have incorporated Islamic architecture due to the Muslim Arab rule in Spain, which lasted over 700 years in the South. Typical architectural elements in Islamic architecture include a heavy use of decorative tiling, ornately shaped stucco, and wood roofs. They do not work in stone or include any human or animal imagery in their decoration so as not to disrespect deity.

The entrance of the Alcázar.

Woodwork on the ceiling and stucco beneath.

Closeups on some of the ornate stucco and tiling. There is no stonework in this area of the Alcázar.

Muslim architecture also has some sort of running water for daily religious ablutions, and this one had a little fountain running into a lily pond. 

Catholic Christian architecture is very different, with a predominate use of stone, and the use of both human and animal images, both as religious and political iconography, as well as for other decorative use. It is incredible to see how they have mixed these two styles together. In the Alcázar in Seville, there is a section that is strictly Islamic (see above), and a section in which the two styles are meshed together.

Woodwork on the ceiling and stucco on the walls, but also stone!

Beautiful wood inlays. 

Beautiful stone arches with Muslim influence. It's difficult to see here, but there are animals and sometimes even human faces worked into the ornate carvings. Definitely Christian influence. 

Golden domed ceiling.

The chapel in Alcázar. The front looks typically gothic, but there is beautiful tiling on the sides.  

Cisterns in Alcázar.

The "secret" door. It led from the gardens around Alcázar into the Jewish quarter of old Seville.  

The Seville Cathedral. 

The main structure was originally built in the 12th century as a mosque, and the tower was the minaret. Throughout the next 400 years, it was added to and remodeled into what it is today, including the addition of the bell tower on top of the minaret. However, there are remnants of Roman foundations beneath the tower, with Visigoth structure above that, so the history of the site extends far beyond the 12th century. 

The cathedral is the largest gothic cathedral in the world. Gothic architecture is characterized by the long fluted columns, pointed arches, and the peaked ceilings. 

Part of the cathedral is a museum with various religious artifacts on display. I was quite pleased to find a Polygot's Bible from the 16th century with Hebrew!

King Ferdinand is an important figure in Seville, since he ended the Islamic rule in Andalusia (Southern Spain). 

Detail on some of the ornate ceiling patterns in one of the side chapels. 

Christopher Columbus's tomb. The four figures carrying the tomb represent the four kingdoms of Spain that had been united shortly before his expedition to the West. 

Detail on an altar piece. This piece was a comic book of sorts, depicting scenes from Christ's life so the illiterate could see and understand. 

We were able to climb the tower to look out over the city. It was beautiful! Because it was originally built as a minaret, it has an interesting ascent. Normally one would expect stairs, but this tower came with ramps so horses could ascend with riders. The call to prayer had to be sounded five times a day, and this made it much easier for the person who needed to give the call to prayer!

The cathedral houses an orchard in the courtyard, a leftover from the mosque's original construction. 

Many thanks to A for the wonderful tour! 

One of my evenings in Seville, I also wandered over to the Triana bridge, which connects Seville and Triana. 

I got there as the sun was setting, which made for a beautiful outlook from the bridge. 

This is the bridge with the setting sun in the background. It's a lovely place to sit and enjoy the evening. Because it's so hot in the daytime, Spaniards don't come out until nearly sunset. Then they walk around, go to cafes, etc., until 2 or 3 in the morning! So there were a lot of people out on my evening walks. 

This is only the first part of my time in Spain. I need to split it up into at least two posts, otherwise it will be much too long. I will write at least one more post that will include more about the Centro Mundolengua (where I studied Spanish), the Plaza del Toros (bullfighting ring) and the Plaza de España in Seville, and my trip to Córdoba.

And the saga continues…

I spent another four days in the Holy Land before flying to Spain. My time in Jerusalem and Tsur Hadassah couldn't have been more fulfilling. It was everything I had hoped for and more. 

Tsur Hadassah

Wednesday was a wonderful day. It was relaxing, which was great because I was still a bit jet lagged and I was able to nap in the morning, write my previous blogpost, organize photos, and take care of a bunch of other things for which I needed a couple of hours. In the afternoon, we took H and Y’s children to a nearby park. 

Afterwards, we came home for dinner, which was deep fried chicken with mashed potatoes and vinegared cucumbers. One should not be surprised that I failed to take pictures of the food. I get so excited about the prospect of eating it that I generally don’t remember the pictures until around 10 minutes after it’s gone.

 

In the evening, we watched Kung Fu Panda 3, which I am considerably less impressed with than the first two Kung Fu Panda films. Cartoons of a cheesy and comedic (some might even say immature) style require a certain level of finesse. KFP3 was fun, just not as polished in its silliness as the other two, in my opinion.

Well, now my day is complete. I have waxed eloquent about a cartoon. I have contributed in a significant way to the world.

 

Jerusalem

Thursday

Thursday was bittersweet. The bitter bit was saying goodbye to H and Y’s family. They have become dear friends, and I always wish I lived closer to Israel every time I visit.

The sweet part was seeing the K family. When I lived in Jerusalem for my MA degree, they became my family. They gave me a sense of home when I was really missing and needing it. I spent nearly every Shabbat (Sabbath) evening and Jewish holiday in their home, and large part of my experience in Israel was shaped by their Shabbat table.

F and I went to dinner and to one of the free summer concerts hosted by the municipality. The artist was Karolina. She specializes in a mix of ethnic music, which I thoroughly enjoyed. She is able to manipulate her voice in some ways that were new to me, and I’d like to play around with her style of singing. I didn’t get any pictures or recordings of the concert, so I will include a link to one of her official YouTube videos. And before you ask: no, I don't understand the music video either. 

Friday

Friday morning I dropped by the Jerusalem Shuk (market), as well as the old city. The shuk is a great place, filled with all sorts of goodies, from food to clothes. 

Fresh Challah bread is a reason in itself to visit Jerusalem

And don't forget the sweet rolls!

Fresh Fish! 

No end of nuts and dried fruit

Fresh fruits and vegetables

Baklava and other related sweets

More dried goods, as well as candy, and other sweets, such as halba. 

Friday morning is a busy time, because there are a lot of people out to buy supplies in preparation for Shabbat. The shuk is an exciting place, and I would recommend anyone who hasn’t been to this sort of market to visit when they go to Jerusalem.

I entered the Old City of Jerusalem through the Damascus Gate. Damascus gate is an entrance to the Arab Quarter in the Old City, and there is a very different feel there in comparison to the shuk. 

Overall, it was much quieter than I had expected, even considering the fact that it was Friday, which is the holy day of the week in Islam.

There's probably a genie in one of these

Friday evening was the long-anticipated Shabbat dinner with the K family and friends. There was a large turnout to the meal (13 people, I think). I didn’t take any pictures, because in Jewish observance, electronics are not used on the Sabbath. So you will simply have to imagine the fantastic food: challah bread, hummus, pesto sauce, green salad with candied walnuts and figs, potato kugel, spinach kugel, lamb roast, three different types of roasted chicken, roasted carrots and potatoes. . . that’s the majority of the food, but I know for certain that I missed a few dishes. Shabbat dinner is basically like a Thanksgiving meal, except that it's every week instead of once a year. 

After dinner, I had the opportunity to sing for the Shabbat table. It’s something of a tradition—on my first Shabbat there, the family found out that I love to sing, and asked me to sing something. Soon it was expected—I would look for new songs to share, or learn favorites of those around the table. I sang the folk tunes “Homeward Bound” and “Danny Boy” (one of N’s favorites), and then sang a duet of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” with S. Afterwards, the other Shabbat guests were interested in some of my opera arias, so I sang some snippets of different arias that I have prepared.

Singing was really special for me. N passed away a few months ago, and this was my gift to him. He was a wonderful man who touched many lives, including mine, and he is greatly missed.

Saturday

I can sum up Saturday in one word: perfection. I had a beautiful morning church service in the Jerusalem Center on the Mount of Olives. I saw friends there—some who I expected, and some who were a complete surprise. It was so good to feel the spirit of that beautiful building and to reconnect with friends, many of whom I hadn’t seen in several years.

The entrance to the Jerusalem Center

Inside the front gates

The main auditorium. The first meeting of church services (sacrament meeting) is held here. The Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock is visible through the middle window. 

The organ in the auditorium. The Jerusalem Center gives daily tours with organ concerts, as well as free concerts featuring local artists each Sunday evening. 

The foyer area

Exit to the "balcony"

 The balcony area

 View from the balcony

Close up on the Old City/Dome of the Rock from the balcony

After church finished, I caught a taxi down to the home of one of my Israeli friends. There we had another large, delicious Sabbath meal, with some of the friends from Friday evening, but also a few who were unable to make it on Friday. I felt very fortunate to be able to reconnect with so many of my wonderful friends in Jerusalem. Once again—sorry, no photos, since it was still Shabbat in a Jewish home.

Crossing the city once wasn’t enough for me. After dinner ended, I headed back up to French Hill to visit with more friends (some from church, who I hadn’t gotten to chat with as much as I had hoped). Then I returned home to the K’s house for a voice lesson with S. She was preparing for a competition and a master class, and I was very honored that she asked me for a lesson. She is developing into a beautiful artist.

My stay in the Holy Land was exactly what I had hoped for, and more. I was able to see nearly all my friends there, and had some miraculous “coincidences” that made everything work perfectly. I’m thinking that I need to return again next year. It's been two years since I last visited, but looking forward, I think that two years is just too long to wait!