Sevilla and Cordoba

Last weekend was our Butler trip to Southern Spain. This might be my favorite part of Spain, but it's hard to say since every part of Spain is so vastly different. You can clearly see the Arabic influence in this area--the old buildings were decorated with ornate arabic writings and cercamic mosiacs. When we got to Sevilla, we hit the Cathedral (which was ridiculously huge) and then the palace, which was decorated by a Christian King but in an Arabic style, and all the gardens that went along with it. We also went to an art museum because one of the teachers with us is obsessed with Spanish art. No joke. After that, we walked around and the Butler professor that was with us showed us the apartment she had and the coffee shop she always went to when she studied abroad in Sevilla almost 20 years ago. The next morning, we just walked around the shopping area before getting on a bus and heading to Cordoba. It was more of a small town and I preferred it more than Sevilla, even though I also loved Sevilla. The main attraction there is an old mosque that a church was built inside of after the Christians recaptured the city. We also went to the palace and gardens there. That night, we went to a Flamenco show. Those dancers are extremely talented--I didn't know it was possible to move your feet that fast! The next day, we had time to explore all of Cordoba's winding streets and shop. I also went to mass with one of the girls in my group at the mosque/cathedral we saw the day before. So my first Catholic mass was in Spanish in a mosque. Quite the cultural experience. Now I'm off to Italy for the week and I'm skipping class for the first time in my college career. What a rebel I'm becoming.