Cathedral de Granada y Capilla Real de Granada

Hola Todos J

The Cathedral de Granada (only a 2 minute walk from my apartment) was beautiful! The directors of our program (Edu & Loli) gave us a tour and alternated between Spanish and English while describing the background of the cathedral.  I was amazed by the sheer size of it, I don’t think there was any point in front of it that I could stand and have the entire thing in my field of vision without moving my head. This is understandable because Edu stressed the importance of the churches being the highest buildings in the city as that means they are the closest to God. The beginning of the building of the Cathedral took place during the Spanish renaissance, due to financial reasons they were only able to construct ONE 81 meter tower on the left hand side; nevertheless the chapel is still one of the most grand, elegant and detailed pieces of architecture I have seen on my trip so far. Once inside the chapel I was struck by the feeling of purity the church held, the entire structure was a brilliant white. A painter was inside working on a large canvas, we were all in awe of the details he was able to put in his work after scaling down the massive cathedral to a significantly smaller canvas. I’ll let the pictures do the talking for the Cathedral even though they wouldn’t be able to give it the air of magnificence it deserves.

After the chapel we walked to the Royal Chapel of Granada (Capilla Real de Granada), this destination is the final resting place the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. In the center of the chapel there are 4 statues resting on a bed of marble. These are representative of Ferdinand and Isabella, as well as Philip the Handsome and Joanna I.   The marble was from Italy in the city of Carrara, they are famous mainly for the quality of the marble. In the front of the statues closer to the front of the chapel there is a small set of stairs leading underground to the crypt. This is where the remains of Ferdinand, Isabella, Philip, Joanna, and little Prince Michael lay to rest. The main altarpiece is also incredibly detailed and large, I was able to see the details of the face of Christ at the top of the altar from where I was standing on the floor below.

After the tour some new friends and I went out for tapas and a drink before we all headed home for our late dinners. My host dad (Juan Miguel) made tortilla Española for the 2 of us as my roommate and host mom both had other plans for dinner. Tortilla Española is almost like a round and fluffy omelet, its filled with eggs, potatoes, and peppers among other things I didn’t understand the translation of. My host dad and I had a great conversation about the different parts of the Spanish Language, the news about the terrorists in France, and my plans for the evening. Juan Miguel does a great job at making sure he fully understands everything that I’m saying in Spanish, and works hard to make sure that I fully understand everything he is responding with. When I’m speaking with him I feel confident about my Spanish and am always wanting to attempt to tell him more!

In the evening I went out for more tapas and drinks with my friends, but the jet lag was still bothering me from waking up so early and going to bed so late that I headed home by 1am which by the Spanish times is apparently unheard of. Its very common here to stay out until 4-8am on the weekends, or so I’m told. This explains the importance (and necessity) of the siesta that everyone takes after lunch from 2-5.

I must get ready for my first Saturday in Granada J I’m having lunch with my family at 3 and than meeting Peter at the river to explore his side of the city!

 Adios Adios Adios