SYA Trip to Andalucia - Seville

We visited Seville back in December with Parker's parents, Avril and Hal, and were delighted to return. Seville is much more touristy than Zaragoza and English is commonly spoken, which, after being in Zargoza for many months, seemed odd to us.

Seville was significantly hotter than Cordoba or Granada which made the rooftop pool an even bigger attraction for the kids than the city itself.

Photo: Colin and Kelsey battle it out in chicken fights on the shoulders of SYA students Tom and Jacob.












Photos: Flamenco show at the Flamenco museum in Seville. Before attending the show, we had an authentic tour and learned about the history of Flamenco and how it originated with gypsies; our tour was given by none other than an American gal who was studying abroad for 6 months!












Photos: The Alcázar of Seville (Spanish "Reales Alcázares de Sevilla" or "Royal Alcazars of Seville") is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally a Moorish fort.












The palace is one of the best remaining examples of mudéjar architecture. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional.










































Photo: Danielle and Maria with Kelsey














Photo: Payton, Colin, Maria, Helen, and Kelsey in the garden of the Alcázar



















Photo: Ellen and Celia outside the Baths of Lady María de Padilla












Photo: With Jacob, Holden, and Sofie from SYA. In Fred Flinstone style, Jacob gave us an extra boost and pushed the bike-cart from behind while running.

















After our bike ride around the beautiful Maria Luisa park. The park is designed in a mix of 1920's Art Deco and mock Mudejar by the architect, Anibal Gonzalez. Scattered about and round the edge are more buildings from the 1929 fair, built in the last months before the Wall Street crash.


Photo: The beautiful Plaza de España across from Maria Luisa park. Plaza de España was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.

SYA Trip to Andalucia - Granada

Following Cordoba, our Andalusian excursion continued to Granada, home to the notorious, Alhambra, a palace and fortress constructed during the mid-14th century by Moorish rulers.



Photos: Views of the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás which sits at the top of Albaicin, the hill facing the Alhambra. We walked through a fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets and whitewashed houses with secluded inner gardens, known as "cármenes" to reach the Mirador. Peaking out behind the Alhambra sits the Sierra Nevada mountains where we skied over the Christmas holiday.






SYA Faculty members, Alvaro (far left in photo) and Oriol (far right in photo) continued to be our go-to tour guides. We felt fortunate to have a personalized tour rather than just guide books. Alvaro has his PhD in architecture and is a wealth of knowledge. Besides getting an inside view of Spain, one of the most enjoyable parts of the SYA trips for us was getting to know the Spanish faculty more personally.















Some say that the name Granada means "great castle", for the Roman fortress which once stood on the Albaicin Hill. Granada was the last Muslim city to fall to the Christians in 1492, at the hands of Queen Isabel of Castile and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon.






Granada still holds a significant Muslim population which is reflected in the delicious cuisine and culture; the Arabic food and mint tea were to die for and an appreciated change from typical Spanish food.

The Alhambra is a mighty compound of buildings – including the summer palace called Generalife, with its fountains and gardens - stands at the foot of Spain's highest mountain range, the Sierra Nevada, and overlooks the city below and the plains of Granada.



Photos: Inside the Alhambra compound. Photo 1: Danielle and Sophie (above). Photo 2: Nick and Chris (with blossoms in background). Photo 3: SYA group at the top of the Alhambra with a view of the surrounding area















Photo: Example of Moorish writing and architecture. Besides the impressive design and architecture, the Alhambra boast modern engineering designs such as pipes for water flow.










Photo: Aidan, Chi Chi, Kelsey, Angelica, Maddie, and Colin



















Photo: View of the gardens in the Alhambra





Photo: "Telephone" walls. You can talk or even whisper into one side and the person can hear you across the room









Photo: At the end of the tour. Oriol and Parker in back; Celia, Alvaro, and Ellen in front







Photo: Views from Alhambra