Seville Fri Feb 09 The Al-Cazar "The Palace" in Arabic

Emma and Pj feeding the ducks

Last Glimps of Seville

Around 4 pm i decided to walk around the town before dark, i ran into kristin both of us were hungry so we decided to have a late lunch .. i craved a gelati so we went looking for a gelati store... on the way we found a horse carriage and kristin read my mind .. we rode on one and on the way found a gelati store :)

Before heading to the heart of Seville

Tres Amores ..

Administracion general del estado

Seville Thur Feb 08

The bus left Granada at 9:30 am on Thur heading towards Seville ... I was sleepy but i stayed awake the landscape was too beautiful to miss ..
We arrived at Seville at around 11am, the weather was nice and sunny. The hotel where we stayed in was located in a quite area. After we checked in we ate at this restaurant nearby. The food was awesome!!

Eric and Christy took us for an orientation around the town. We arrived at the front of the Cathedral of Seville where Columbus’s tomb lies.

The Hawra Pause aka as the D&G pause ;>

The Tomb

Dehenzel, Patto (josh H), stacey and myself walked around Seville and we found the Calatrava bridge ... it was beautiful at sunset ... we sat down and sketched a little bit ..

Some very good quality graffiti it looked very real

Granada Feb 5 Tue ..

On around 8 am we left Cordoba heading to Granada, we travelled by bus, personally, i liked it more than the train, maybe because the seats are elevated and you'll get a better view of the natural landscape, i dunno it's just my opinion .. what added to my splended journey is the companionship (dzierzanawski) aka mateusz hope spelled those right :) .. we reached Granada at around 11 am i think,, checked in then walked around the city and ate/sketched at a small cafe ..

Me posing and taning .. usually i'll give a natural look or a serious one i don't tend to smile in my pics .. because i look fatter when i smile .. don't judge me ..

.. to tell the truth i didn't like Granada much (at the Beginning) but i changed my mind immediately when we went at the afternoon to see the AL-HAMBRA from a distance at an opposite location to it .. the scene was breath taking ... i didn't expect to see snow on the mountains .. we should've went skiing but al hambra made granada for me :) it's hot ..

Al-Hambra,, i loved that combination between the al hambra and the mountains behind, you'll rarely see a combination between the lanscape behind (snowy mountains) and an islamic structure .. (most of the time people relate islamic structures with a more hotter environment (desert)). We stayed till dark to see the sunset and the view of the al hambra at night ..

Al hambra during the sunset ..

al hambra at night ,, i loved how the fortress was lit

The next day ,, we went to the interior of the al hambra.. it was a nice sunny day :) ...

Cordoba Monday Feb 4

We travelled to Cordoba by train at 9:oo am, the journey was awsome and relaxing i enjoyed the view and the sunshine coming from the window.. We reached Cordoba around 10:30 - 11:00 am .. from the first glimps of Cordoba I immediately fell in love with it. Quiet and slow down lifestyle, I love it !! .. Unfortunately we stayed in Cordoba for a day only,, However I enjoyed every second of it... First, we checked in at this awsome hotel that is located right near by the Mesquita (Mosque), the interior design of the hotel was depicted after its city culture (Islamic ornaments) .. i liked it .. it reminded me of home .. the scent .. the atmosphere .. i'm just glad i choose spain over italy :) it's hot .. alright then we went to the mesquita i gave a brief intro to the islamic customs concerning residential architecture and its emphasis on privacy ..

Since, the stucture was first built as a mosque, i'll go ahead and give a brief explanation about the series of thresholds that the individual must walk through before reaching the qibla.
you don't enter the main structure immediately, first you must enter a courtyard, usually with a fountain in the middle in order for the muslim to cleanse (cleansing is necessary before prayer or you prayer won't be accepted according to the islamic law).

prior to entering the main structure i entered this beautiful courtyard that is filled with orange trees. the orange scent was all over the place it's like heaven on earth :) its hot ..

I entered the mosque , the interior was dark and cold due to the marble....

As i go ahead towards the qibla, light starts to appear again. i thought it would be a good idea to take a picture me under the ray of light in the mosque i thought it would give a nice gody/divine effect (i'm into expressive photography) but i wasn't really satisfied with the result .. i wish i had brought my tripod with me .. :( it's not hot ..

Finally, I reached the qibla (a niche in a wall that faces Mecca) yaaaaay ... :)

Field Trip 1 (Madrid) Sat Feb 02,08

The Reina Sofia Museum (the new extention part)

Junta Municipal Del Distrito Centro
We flew to Madrid at 9:00 am on Sat, Madrid wasn't really on my top list due to the weather and the location of our hotel (it was located at the suberbs). Our stay in Madrid lasted for 2 days, most of what i liked in Madrid was the Reina Sofia Museum (the new extention part), its contemporary fascinated me. However, i was a little bit disappointed because i couldn't see the Picasso collection ... ;<

School work

Derive project (one of my favorites) mine and irene's is on the botthom third from the left

Studio Project !! (mine is at the middle column)

Spanish class