Granada's Landmark: La Alhambra

Alhambra is, safe to say, Granada’s landmark. Millions of people come to these grounds to visit, enjoy the scenery, learn the history, and be a part of Spanish culture. The beginning of the Alhambra began in 1237 when Muhammad I al Ahmar, founder of the Nasrid dynasty, constructed his court on the Sabika Hill.  The Alhambra has four parts, each significant with different histories.

The first part of the Alhambra that we visited was called Generalife. This area, full of gardens and fountains and the Palace of the Generalife, was constructed in 1302 to be the recreation and vacation area of the Nasrid Emirs (Muslim Kings) and then later under the Catholic rule, the Kings of Granada, where they could escape from their daily routines.

The second part of the Alhambra we visited didn’t really have an official title, but it seemed to be the city center of the Alhambra. The main street had many little souvenir shops that were at one point or another houses for soldiers and workers, water tower buildings and lead up to two bigger buildings: the church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra and the Palacio de Carlos V as well as a large plaza overlooking part of the city.

Palacio de Carlos V: Carlos V is one of the most important figures in Spain’s history. Son of the Reyes Catolicos, Isabel and Fernando, Carlos V also known as Carlos I in Germany, took the throne to Spain and took titles to emperor of Germany (through family territories). This palace was designed by Carlos V himself, and where he spent most of his life reigning over the Spanish. Notice the differences in this building compared to the Nasrid Palaces down below-the difference of cultures and influences of architecture within later years.

The third stop was the Nasrid Palaces, three in one all constructed at different times under different rulers.

The first palace, Mexuar Palace, was attributed in construction by Ismail I (1314-1325) and was most likely used for dispensing justice and holding business meetings.

Comares Palace and its construction is attributed to Yusurf I, the seventh Nasrid ruler, (1333-1354). The Comares Palace holds the most beautiful rooms with brightly colored tiles and detailed carvings. Notice lots of blues, greens, and yellows! In addition, it was most likely the living quarters for the Moorish rulers as well as rooms to celebrate and practice their religion.

The Golden Room and Façade of Comares

Muhammad V built this in 1370 in commemoration for the conquest of Algeciras.

The Courts of Myrtles. Probably the most known site of Alhambra.

The Chamber of Ambassadors. This room is filled top to bottom with detailed carvings
in Arabic writing of their holy texts emphasizing the divine power.

The third palace in the Nasrid Palaces is the Palace of the lions, most known for its Court of lions. Muhammad V (1362-1391) during his second mandate is accredited for this palace’s construction. Unfortunately for this visit, there was renovation in this infamous court. However, the lion fountain was in clear view. The lions signifies finest styles and Muhammad reaching the pinnacle in his second mandate.

Also in the Palace of the Lions is the Hall of Abencerrages. Notice again all the detailed carvings!

 When Granada was conquered in 1492 by the Reyes Catolicos (Isabel and Fernando), the Nasrid palaces were taken over by catholic rulers, renovated and added onto to accommodate for their needs. The court of the Lindaraja connects the Palace of Lions with the Emperor’s Chambers built after the conquest.

The fourth and final spot in the Alhambra is the Alcazaba. It’s very clear to see that it served as a military function.

With many towers and corridors as well as a plaza that held weaponry, the Alcazaba holds the best views in the entire Alhambra. On top of the Torre de la Vela (watch tower) I could see the entire city. I felt like I was on top of the world! I feel like in every post I say this but I feel so SO blessed to have this opportunity. And being here, overlooking the city, I have to keep reminding myself that this is reality! By far, the Alhambra tour is one of my favorites and something I will never forget!!

So much history!

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

Our trip this Saturday was a nice long walk through the Albaycin neighborhood, about a 20 minute walk up the hill from central Granada that overlooks the city and the Sierra Nevadas. This neighborhood is one of the oldest here in the city and within the buildings and streets lies centuries of history. It was probably my favorite trip we have taken this far, simply because I was experiencing medieval 11^th century influences and plus…the views were spectacular.

Here is one of the first churches built after the Reconquista (the conquest movement of Christian authority of Spain over the Muslim power already established).

Since Granada was one of the last Muslim kingdoms standing, the architecture has both Christian and Muslim influences. Here is a picture of one of the many buildings that can be seen in this neighborhood. (Notice the arches and ceramic work)

At one time, there were three religions living together in Spain: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. This picture displays just a small portion of the Jewish influence of Spain. However, just as Muslims were conquered during the Reconquista, the Jews were as well.

Like I said before, this walk was my favorite because of the views. Honestly, every time I see a view of Spain I can’t believe I’m here. This city is so beautiful and is filled with so much history and culture. Then the Revelation verse pops into my head. All these beautiful views, the people, the history….are all a part of God and His plan. God was here before the world was created, was here during the 11^th century and through all of Spain’s history, and now is here with me today as I experience His beautiful creation of Granada Spain.

Wonderfully Humongous World

Well two weeks down and I feel like I’ve been here forever. It’s crazy to think about everything I’ve seen and experienced so far. There are lots of things I miss about home, but it’s been really cool to be introduced to a different culture. Some things that I’ve had to adjust to:

My schedule! We eat meals very late here- lunch around 3pm and dinner around 10pm. So when I head off to class at 4 until 8 I feel like I’m just beginning my afternoon when in reality it’s evening time!

Shops and stores-Its very cool that there are so many little markets and shops to get food and supplies. Very different from the Fred Meyer or Target we have back in the states. It’s neat to walk into a little market and have all the employees talk to you and ask you how you’re doing-you can tell the little stores enjoy the customers and there’s a big sense of community here.

Speaking of community another thing I am getting used to is the greeting-whenever you see someone you know, you kiss their cheeks instead of giving hugs or high fives. I feel very classy.

There’s many other differences between the cultures here, for example in the home you wear slippers because it’s disrespect to be barefoot. This one is a little hard for me since I hate shoes, but Im getting better at remembering to wear my slippers. Also, Spaniards live with their families until their early 30s or whenever they get married as well. Most of the students I’ve met don’t own their own apartment but live with their families. Another culture difference is that the home is where you escape to….if you want to hang out with friends then you do so ‘in the streets”- at a park, a restaurant, getting tapas and drinks, etc. In class we also discussed differences in education. Most students in Spain don’t really compete with each other to succeed. Our professor in fact informed us that lots of students help each other on homework and even on tests (although teachers do not like it and students get in trouble if they get caught). But school is looked upon as gaining more knowledge, not being the best out of everyone to receive the best. School is only four days a week (no school on Friday!) and goes from about 9am till 2:30ish pm. The levels of schooling here are slightly different. Students go to escuela secondario (elementary and high school) until age 16. Then 16-17 year olds go to bachillerato (a two year program). After, students go to carrera universitano also called Universidad grado (college) for 4-6 years and then estudios de postgrado for further education.

Even though there are quite a few differences, I do feel very comfortable and at home here. There are many similarities between our two cultures as well: eating dinner together, importance of faith and family, going to school, shopping, hanging out with friends….enjoying life! I’m very grateful for my host mom Maria, who has treated me with nothing but kindness and compassion (she calls me guapa which means beautiful) and who has been very excited to teach me about her city and culture.



"The world needs people who love what He's Made"



 Learning more about Spain intrigues me for two reasons: one-it makes me understand how big and different the world truly is. I had a general idea of how other people lived within the differences between cultures and countries, but coming here has really gave me a better understanding. In realizing that the world is wonderfully humongous, I’m so in awe that God created it. His hand created this all. I’m truly blessed to have life. And although the world is huge and there are so many differences, the second thing I’ve learned has been how we all in a sense are connected…connected through Christ. We all have something in common. We are all brothers and sister through faith.



"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:16-17

Field Trip!

So today for class we had the opportunity to walk around the city with a professor as he told us about the history of Granada. These are the major places we stopped at:

Plaza de Santo Domingo shows the religious history of Granada. There are three main religions here: Judaism, Christianity, and Catholicism. This picture is of one of the catholic churches here. Paintings are also very important for religions. In this picture there’s a portrait of Ferdinand and Isabel known here in Granada as The Catholic Monarchs or los Reyes Católicos.

Campo de Principles is a park that functions as a social gathering. It’s very popular and is a place where many friends and family come to meet. Its one of the most beautiful places to be during the spring because there are lots of trees and flowers planted.

Campo de Martires was definitely my favorite. It’s a public park overlooking the city of Granada. It had many fountains and the landscaping was beautiful.

Alhambra is one of the most famous places in Granada. We have the opportunity to visit later this month; however here is a great view of just a piece of it from one of the streets we walked.

Plaza Nueva was our final destination. It’s very popular and is one of the central places of the city. It’s lined with restaurants and shops and is a place for celebrations during holidays.

After our tour with one of the professors, a big group of us decided to complete one of our homework assignments, El Paseo (walk). We were given directions and questions for each destination. It was like a scavenger hunt! It was a lot of fun to go back through streets and places we had been the night before when we all were hanging out but actually knowing the street names. Our homework also pointed out many places we would use throughout our stay here: post offices, pharmacies, theaters, restaurants, etc. After all that walking Ashley and I were very happy to get home for lunch and to take a nice long siesta!

One last photo which is my favorite of the day: Granada...

The Crazy Adventure

"The Lord works out everything for his own ends--..." Proverbs 16:4.

January 5, 2012:

First of all, holy moly its 2012. I almost wrote 2011 but then it hit me that we’re in a new year. And what a cool way to start off the new year then to travel to Spain! Waiting at the Dallas Fort Worth airport now. Took a 6 am flight from Portland to Dallas and am now in the process of a six hour layover before my flight to Madrid. Then one more hour long flight from Madrid to Granada. Longest traveling I’ve done yet in my life. But its fun. I love to fly and the layover has actually been going pretty fast. I cant believe that Im on my way over to Spain. It feels so surreal. But I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity and experience to go to Granada. And while I’m a little nervous Im really excited too. I also found out that my roommate for the program will be on this long flight as well. It gives me the chance to get to know her a little before we both show up to our host family’s home. In the mean time while I wait for her to get here, I have been hanging out with some girls from PLU. This has been nice because I have had some company during this long trip. The two girls are very sweet and are making me more excited to go by talking about all the things they want to see, things they’re nervous about, and ways we can all help each other. Its good to have a support system already and know that I’m not alone with all my feelings. It’s also been good to get to know some people who are doing the program as well that go to my school because when I get back it will be nice to talk to students who have been through the experiences that I have.

Also to pass the time I’ve been chatting with some family and friends before I have to turn off my phone. That’s something I’ll definitely have to get used to…..no unlimited texting or minutes. Normally if I want to talk to someone I just give them a call and hear their voice (which being far away from home would be soothing) but I’ll rely more on email, facebook and skype. So that will be an adjustment. It definitely makes me more thankful that technology has developed a lot more now. It would be a lot harder to study away without the web or skype-I would have to rely on letters. Oh my! I give a lot of props to people who communicate only with letters. It’s tough. But in a way this is also nice because then I can really focus on my studies and on my experiences in Spain. It will be a little vacation from reality in a way.

Well it’s 6:30 Dallas time and our flight was delayed indefinitely until we get a new plane. Our scheduled plane became out of service so they’re looking for a new plane. But I met up with a big group of students who are in the program and we all got our second flight from Madrid to Granada changed since the delay was going to make us miss our flight. *Also another side adventure…one of the flight attendants thought our visas expired two weeks before our program even ended. But to our naïve knowledge we all misread the date wrong. So we were all good. The many adventures of traveling internationally. Everyone I’ve met so far from the program seems super nice! So im very happy about that! And my roommate Ashley is SUPER tall (wonder who she reminds me of? (: ) I get the tallest roommates!

January 6, 2012:

So my flight got delayed a half an hour, then an hour, then two hours…..a total of three hours which made my layover a total of nine and a half hours long. Whew! But the last three hours were super fun because there was a group of 16 of us from the program all together. There was a group from Gonzaga and a group from UPS and then our group of PLU. It was good to meet and get to know them all so it wouldn’t be so overwhelming during orientation meeting the total group of 50 since I knew 16 already.

It’s been sooo nice to travel with this bigger group. We all have helped each other out and its more fun instead of being by yourself confused and scared. Everyone is in the same situation so we’ve all bonded and worked together to get to Granada. Community! Yeah!

In line to get on the plane from Dallas to Madrid I met a young boy, probably 10 or 11, Maxxy. He was telling me about their celebration of Ephiphany (the day of the three wise men). He said that it was a day filled with presents and family and the celebration of the three wise men giving Jesus his gifts. He compared it to our Christmas with Santa but instead of Santa they had the three kings. He was so sweet and super cute-really friendly and was super excited to talk to me about Spain. It was also so funny because I asked him what his name was in Spanish and he replied and then asked me and I told him and then he responded “That’s a beautiful name”. (gotta watch out for these Spanish boys) I also met a man, Julian, who sat next to me on the flight. W e talked about the differences between English and Spanish and gave each other tips about each language. It was nice having someone friendly to sit next to on the long flight when I was awake. He also gave me some encouragement and excitement talking about Granada and how beautiful it was and how friendly the people were.

Since our flight from Dallas to Madrid was delayed three hours our connecting flight from Madrid to Granada had to be switched to 4pm instead of 11:50am. Our flight landed in Madrid at 1:35pm or 13:35pm (9 hour difference from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho). Our group all reconnected, and rejuvenated, we all headed through customs, security, and around the airport looking for our gate. The Madrid airport was very interesting. It seemed more like a mini mall than an airport. Most of the stores were jewelry, clothes, and fragrances instead of the typical mini marts and souvenir shops. It was pretty cool and definitely made it more real that I was in Spain. The airport was a maze too. We took many escalators, electric trains, and cool glass elevators to get to our gate. The layover was perfect timing to get through customs, to our gate, and to freshen up in the bathroom. Changing from my PLU sweatshirt and flip flops into nicer clothes and boots affirmed the fact that I am about to embark on a wonderful crazy adventure (but in reality this whole traveling process has been crazy). And in that moment I remembered Proverbs 16:4 (listed above). Amongst the craziness of traveling, long delayed layovers, meeting up with a big group, and my destination of Granada I know that God had a plan for it all. And with that, God has a plan for me here in Granada: to learn and to grow.

After we landed in Granada my roommate Ashley and I got into a taxi (whom the driver drove sooo fast) and reached our home stay residence. We were greeted by our host mom, her daughter, and her infant grandson. Also we were greeted by a family friend, Philipe and abuelas (grandmothers) of the family. From there we were given our rooms and time to unpack and adjust to our home.

After all the craziness of traveling, I finally made it to my destination. And with nothing but more adventures I’m so ready to begin my 2012 year, jterm and spring semester in Spain.