Andalucia, Olé! Visiting Sevilla and Granada

Bienvenido a Sevilla! Catedral Plaza Catedral de Sevilla Entering the Sanctuary The Altar Cielo de la Catedral The Catedral Organ Arching Overhead Here Lies Christopher Columbus A Spiritual Frame of Mind The Tower Catedral and Courtyard From Above The Plaza de España Amanda at the Plaza! Beautiful Bridge Represent - Salamanca! A Rose Over Granada Friends in the Garden Fountain in the Summer Palace Aluring Alhambra My Palace Granada Ceiling Fan Window Wonder "Only Allah Avenges" The Palace of Carlos Quinto Circling Time for Reflection The Sultan's Palace The Lion Fountain The Alhambra Lights Up the Night Flamenco in the Cuevas Ole, Flamenco Ladies! To Dance the Flamenco The Face of Flamenco Flamenco Guy Marilyn Tries Flamenco - You Go, Girl! Don Quixote's Giants The Molinos and Me Majestic Molino

Spending three days touring Andalucia, the southern region of Spain, including many long hours on the bus, but in my opinion, it was well worth it.  We arrived first in Sevilla, a city known for its fantastic ferias and bullfights.  While we were there, we visited the cathedral of Sevilla, the third largest cathedral in the world, and the Plaza de España.  The second day, we traveled to Granada and toured the magnificent Alhambra, the old muslim palace of the once-sultan of Granada.  I have never seen anything so beautiful and incredible in my life – the artistry in every knook and cranny, the walls covered in hand-decorated tiles and intricate gardens were so lovely and amazing!  Later, we walked through the Albaicin, the historic muslim district of Granada, and saw a flamenco performance.  I love how passionate and powerful flamenco is (ah, if only I didn’t have two left feet)!  As we headed back to Salamanca on our last day, we stopped in Consuegra, a small town in the region of La Mancha which is famous for its windmills, the very ones that Don Quixote takes to be giants and attempts to defeat in Miguel Cervante’s Spanish novel.  All in all, we saw so much this weekend, I almost can’t believe it – these trips are the kind of experiences I came to Spain for, the kind I’ll never forget!