Italy comes to Spain!

During my last month in Spain, two of my Italian roommates' from last year, Giulia Grecuzzo and Giulia Pagano, (otherwise known as the Giulias') came to visit me in Cordoba at different times. For each trip we spent a day or two in Cordoba where I showed them around the city and then we escaped the hot land locked weather of Andalusia in the summer to go down to the Southern coast of Spain.

Trip # 1- Monday, June 20-Friday, June 24: Giulia Grecuzzo visits Spain with her friend, Federica.

During their visit we spent two whole days in Cordoba. While in Cordoba I took them on a few walks through the city where I showed them all of the typical tourist attractions. During the first morning we went through the Plaza de la Corredera which is typical old square that exists in many Spanish cities. We then walked along the River called Rio Guadalajara which brings us to the old Section of Cordoba where we saw the outside of the Mosque (La Mezquita) and then walked through the Jewish Quarter (La Juderia).

That afternoon we went on a short bus ride to Medina Azahara which is Arabic for "Beautiful Town." It is the site of the ruins of an Arab Muslim medieval palace city located in the western part of Cordoba. It was at one time the capital of Muslim, Spain. The city was made up of reception halls. mosques, government buildings, gardens, residences and baths which still consists of the basic architecture that resemble the Mosque in the center of Cordoba. This may have been one of the hottest days I had experienced in Cordoba so we could only spend so much time exploring this area.

The View of the Ruins

All 3 of us in part of the site

That evening I took Giulia and Federica to one of my favorite restaurants' where they got to try a typical Cordobesa food called Flamenquin which is a type of fried food consisting of pieces of the Spanish ham (Jamon Serrano) rolled in pork and all surrounded by bread crumbs and then fried.

We spent our second day visiting all of the historical attraction in the old section of Cordoba. First we visited the Mosque and walked along the Roman Bridge. We then saw some of the typical Patios that are decorated with lots of beautiful flowers. Lastly, we discovered this small, narrow street called Calle Flores where there is a beautiful view of the Mosque's tower from a distance.

Giulia and I in El Patio De Naranajas (The Courtyard with the oranges.)

One of the Patios'

Calle de las Flores

We left early Thursday morning for Malaga which is on the Mediteranean Coast of Andalusia, Spain where we were hoping for some nice beach weather but unfortunately the weather was a little hazy and gloomy. So we spent the day walking around the city doing all of the typical site seeing. We first visited the Cathedral and then went to the Alcazaba which is a fortress with lots of pathways and towers. From the Alcazaba we took a bus to a castle which would have provided some great views of the city on a clear day . We then walked along the beach.

The Plaza behind the Cathedral

El Alcazaba

The Beach

That evening was the celebration of San Juan which is the name of a saint and there are festivals all along the beaches in Spain. So we returned to the beach that night after eating Paella to see a live concert with Venezuelan singer, Carlos Baute and his band.

Eating Paella

We spent the following morning walking around the city and then we spent the afternoon on the beach. The weather was still a little gloomy but the air was very humid so it felt nice to jump into the Mediterranean Sea. I left that evening to go back to Cordoba where I said bye to both Giulia and Federica.

Trip #2-Wednesday, July 6- Sunday, July 10: Giulia Pagano comes to Spain

We spent one full day in Cordoba where we visited all of the historical sites in Cordoba: The Mezquita, The Alcazar, The Roman Bridge and a walk through La Juderia.

Inside the Mosque

El Alcazar

One of the patios'

The following day Giulia went to Seville for the day while I was working and we met in Cadiz that night. We spent Saturday morning walking through the city of Cadiz. We first visited the new Cathedral in the center of the city where we climbed one of the towers that overlooked the whole city with the golden dome of the cathedral in the background.

The Golden Dome

Giulia and I from the top

View from the top

After we visited the castle along the water. There are two parts of the castle. There is the main entrance which is followed by a long walk way through the water. Then there is the main structure of the castle which is situated along the side of the sea. Both provide great views of the water and beach.

The Entrance

The end of the walkway

The View from the main Castle

Plaza de Espana

We then spent the afternoon on the beach (Playa de Victoria) in the modern section of the city where there are more spacious and longer beaches with beautiful white sand.

On our way back from the beach we went on a large pirate's ship which was a type of museum with three levels and little rooms in the back.

That evening we went out for dinner at a famous seafood restaurant with lots of fried fish in one of the central plaza.

Giulia had to catch a train to Seville early the next morning and I decided to spend another day in Cadiz on the beach before heading back to Cordoba.

It was so great to have two of my roommates' from last year come to Spain and visit me. It was sad saying bye but definitely worth the trip!

Last Days at Grupo Cantico

I had my two last days of school with all of my English classes at Grupo Cantico on Tuesday May, 31 and Wednesday June, 1. I didn't really know what to expect and just planned on having a reflective conversation hour on the school year and plans for the summer with a final good-bye. It turned out that all of my English classes, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year had planned a little surprise for me. The first class with third year was actually a surprise but I soon caught on by the second one.

We all gathered in the gym where each class had some food and drinks and presented me with their own little gift. A few of the classes presented me with a T-shirt they had made for me saying We Love Melissa with all of their names signed. One of the other classes had put together a gift bag for me with an assortment of jewelry. The director of the school also presented me with a pin of an angel which is the symbol of Grupo Cantico. A few of the classes had Sevilliana music playing, which is the typical Music from Andalusia and they insisted on teaching me Sevilliana which is the dance that goes along with the music. I was a little hesitant at first but I soon got right into it.

It was such a perfect ending to my time at Grupo Cantico and my two years as a Language and Culture Assistant. It was great to spend more time with the students and have some last good byes with them.

Group Picture with 4th Year

Reading the card from 3rd year...So adorable!

My T-shirt from 3rd year

The Director of Grupo Cantico presenting the pin

Attempting to dance La Sevilliana

Group Picture of 3rd year

Me and some of the girls from 3rd year

The director of the Bilingual Department, Antonio Jesus

My presents from 2nd year

Some of the girls from 2nd year

Group Picture with 2nd year

La Feria

Friday May, 20-Sunday May 29 2011

Every year Cordoba has its' biggest festival of the year called La Feria over a 10 day period at the end of May. It is similar to a typical state fair in the United States with all of the regular rides and concession stands. However, this fair also has another bigger section with lots of big, white tents in rows forming streets. These tents are called Cosetas. Each coseta is its' own restaurant, bar or club with its' own theme. Many of the woman are wearing Sevilliana dresses which are the typical Andalusian dresses woman wear while dancing to Sevilliana music similar to Flemenco. Some of the men are dressed in typical clothing as well which includes special suits and hats. During the day time there are people riding in horse and carriages through the fair where the horses are decorated with colorful bows in their hair. People come at all hours of the day and stay until late at night gathering with friends and family while enjoying themselves. It is the stereotypical image of Spain more importantly of Andalusia.

One of the Coseta's

The Horses

Boy on Pony

The Entrance to La Feria

At night

My experiences at La Feria were such a perfect ending to my time in Spain with all of my close friends I have made this year along with experiencing the true Spanish culture one last time. I went several afternoons and evenings with my close American friends. But I also had the opportunity to go with two of the teachers at my school, Patro and Maria Jose. I was invited to have lunch with them and the teachers from another school where Maria Jose worked at last year. Lunch was followed by lots of dancing from one coseta to the next. It was such a great experience to be able to take part in the festivities with a bunch of Spaniards along with meeting new people.

With the teachers at Grupo Cantico