Sevilla: ¡Que Calor!

Hola todos! Last time we posted we had one more day before leaving Granada to make our way to Sevilla through Cordoba, home of the famous La Mezquita. On our final day in Granada we finished taking the necessary photos and gathering the accompanying information to help make our final On Assignment group projects as polished as we know they all can be. These assignments are shaping up to be pretty exciting, and the topics the students have chosen are surprisingly varied and developed. We have one group that is focusing on "The Joy of Living" that the Spanish people demonstrate every day, another that is focusing on traditional Spanish cuisine, a third that is studying Spanish fashion through the lens of photography, a fourth group that is examining the Flamenco tradition, and still another group that is looking at graffiti in Granada and the place it has in constructing the city's identity. We are very excited to see what these projects will look like when they are complete, and to share them with all of you when they are finished.

After spending the morning and early afternoon hard at work, we hurriedly made our way to the dance studio Sevillanas, Estudios Artisticos Mariquilla, where dancer Lucia Garrido teaches Flamenco dance to both amateur and professional dancers. The students had a chance to practice their photography skills here as they attempted to capture the colors and motion that define a Flamenco session. It was a also a wonderful opportunity for other students to practice their Spanish skills by interviewing the instructor, Lucia Garrido.

We left Granada early the next day and made our way to Cordoba, home to La Mezquita, which was once the largest mosque in the Muslim world. Later in its history, after it was reconquered by Catholic Spain, a cathedral was built in the midst of the mosque. The resulting combination of Gothic arches and vaulted ceilings within the forest of double arched pillars is one of the architectural marvels of the medieval world, and provides a tremendous photo and learning opportunity for everyone who has the opportunity to visit.

The temperature is rising drastically the farther we descend from Granada, and we left the 100 degree weather of Cordoba to plunge into the 110 degree oven of Sevilla. Despite the heat, we are having a great time here observing the people and the culture that have become for many a symbol of all of Spain. We spent our first morning here exploring Sevilla's cathedral, which is the 3rd largest Christian cathedral in the world and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and which is also the site of Christopher Columbus' tomb. We also explored the Barrio de Santa Cruz (historic Jewish barrio) and enjoyed another helping of the excellent gelato found here in Spain, without which we would have all melted long ago!

On Saturday we took a day trip away from Sevilla (as well as the heat!) and up into the nearby Sierra de Grazalema mountain range, where we visited the ancient walled city of Ronda. The old part of Ronda is perched on the edge of a massive cliff and is accessed by a single bridge that rises up out of a narrow creek bed a thousand feet down. This setting made Ronda virtually impregnable in its time, and many of the people here still brag that Ronda was never conquered during the Reconquista. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and even though we weren't able to see the cave paintings nearby, it still made for an excellent day trip and proved an interesting place to explore. Highlights were the region's traditional gastronomic fare of partridge and beans, stag stew, and bull's tail as well as the Torture and Witchcraft Museum, which was definitely one of the strangest places our group has had the chance to visit. It was no Prado, but it was worth the time we spent there, for the laughs if nothing else.

We are having a wonderful time here in Sevilla, but the end of the trip is fast approaching and no one is ready to leave yet! Time has flown by and we have enjoyed every moment of our time here, but it also seems like an eternity ago when we all met as strangers in the JFK Airport. Gone is the uncertainty and nervousness that defined every new encounter, and in their place is a feeling of camaraderie and fondness for everyone in the group that normally takes months or even years to develop. Part of each of us is excited to return home to our friends and family, but the other part is equally sad to bid farewell to Spain and the friendships and experiences that have defined our time here.

Hasta pronto,
Davin and Britt and National Geographic Student Expeditions Spain

Madrid and Granada: un monton de cosas

Greetings once again from Spain! When last we checked in Spain had just finished winning the 2008 European Championships in soccer and the country was still delirious with the excitement of their first major soccer championship in 42 years. Since then we have done a "monton de cosas" as they say in Spain. We spent the first few days in Madrid tramping around the city, where we saw the Palacio Real, the works of Picasso, Miro, Dali, and the photographer Steichen at the Reina Sofia museum of modern art, the Parque del Buen Retiro, and the Spanish classics at the Museo del Prado. With its bustling nightlife and vibrant crowds Madrid proved to be the perfect place to introduce the students to the Spanish way of life.

We left the hustle and bustle (and traffic) of Madrid to head south to Andalucia and the city of Granada. Situated at the base of the Sierra Nevada, Granada has provided an extremely mild but still welcome respite from the heat which invariably envelopes the south of Spain in the summer; the views of the city with the highest peaks in the Iberian peninsula in the background are truly incredible.

On our first full day in Granada we visited La Alhambra, which was deservedly shortlisted for status as one of the 7 modern wonders of the world. We spent the day wandering among fountains and gardens which were once the envy of the Muslim world and which are a remnant of the last Muslim part of Spain to be conquered by the Christian monarchs Ferdinand and Isabela.

Later that day we met up with our National Geographic expert Tino Soriano, who is a world famous photojournalist and travel photographer. We spent the next few days working with him in On Assignment teams and learning photography tricks both in Granada and in the Sierra de las Alpujarras, home of the famous pueblos blancos. Tino is a wealth of information, enthusiasm, and knowledge, but more importantly he is also an incredibly kind and motivated teacher who was excited to share his art and worldview with the rest of us. We were all truly sad to see him leave on Sunday.

To help ease the melancholy mood of the group after Tino's departure we left on Monday for the Cabo de Gata, which forms most of the southeast coast of Spain along the Mediterranean. We made our way through some truly tremendous landscapes to a beach that has escaped the rampant development that has characterized so many other parts of the Spanish coastline. The area of the Cabo de Gata is the driest region in Europe, and it was here that Clint Eastwood and other Western stars became famous in the early Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone and his Italian peers.

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 9th of July, is our final day in Granada, after which we leave for Sevilla by way of Cordoba and the famous Mezquita. The trip is progressing fantastically, the students are starting to make some noticeable progress on their final projects, and everyone is getting along very well and having a wonderful time. Beware, because some of them said they want to live here forever!

Hasta la proxima vez,
Davin and Britt

Group Photo with National Geographic Expert Tino Soriano

Meredith Browne's birthday dinner