I don’t want to think time got the best of me here, but I am truly shocked looking at my calendar and seeing December dates. Loosing track of time is a tell-tale sign that I have truly been enjoying myself, but also made these three months feel way too short. November was filled with beautiful trips around Spain including Granada and Cordoba, many cathedrals and museums, and weather a little colder than I prepared myself for.
Our month started off with a visit to the gorgeous Cathedral of Seville, a perfect tie-in to both my Art of Spain and Women and Revolution of Spain classes at ICS. Although Spain’s art is much too rich for me to claim myself an expert, I feel a little more connected to these places now; I am able to tie specific artists, time periods, and stories to everything we see, from the Patron Saints of the city, Justa and Rufina, to Gothic architecture.
Our trip to Granada is fighting Morocco for my favorite that we have been on. Shadowed by mountains, the city feels almost frozen in time from the departure of Islam in Spain, but still balanced with the homey Spanish feel and a bonus of free tapas after 8 pm. The trip also included a visit to the beautiful Alhambra palace from where we could see the entire city, including the walls of the ancient city.
The following weekend included a visit to Seville’s Fine Arts Museum, housing centuries of history and beauty. The visit was amazing and completed with a guided tour from Professor Popovic. I can’t believe it was our last art visit guided by her because I have gotten so used to her enthusiasm of art, always accompanied by her jokes.
Our last school trip of the semester was to Córdoba, another one of my favorite Spanish cities we have seen. The former Mosque/converted Cathedral is definitely the famed highlight of the city and even more remarkable than any pictures show. The entrance of the building takes you into the area built in 8th Century and as you walk through the temple, each section progresses a century. It feels like traveling through time, each century represented by the fading colors of the red bricks.
The last two weeks here are going to be incredibly bittersweet. As an avid over-planner and lover of travel there have been few to no experiences in my life that have met and exceeded my expectations, but Spain has in every way. Studying abroad was a distant dream of mine for more years than I can count. Realizing that it is over feels somewhat akin to the last few weeks of High School, where you become aware of how fast time passes and how much you’re going to miss certain people and places that have become part of your everyday routine.
Right now, it feels like there’s a lot hanging in the air: Papers to finish for school, final trips for the semester, feelings of accomplishment for everything we did, and maybe even a little grief about leaving. We are all scrambling to make the last couple of weeks here as memorable as possible, which isn’t too difficult with everything coming up. With a second trip to Morocco booked, secret Santa with all of ICS, and an end of the semester party, there is still so much to look forward to. I just hope it doesn’t all pass too quickly!
