1/8/2011
Hola,
It has been a very busy week in Spain but tonight we finally
arrived in Alicante to be with our host families. This past week we spent time
in Madrid, Segovia, and Toledo. Since my last blog we learned even more about
culture from traveling to two of the most
famous museums in Spain, and even the world: The Reina Sofia and El Museo del
Prado (Prado Museum). Personally, I liked the Reina Sofia because I am a huge
modern art fan; I found it interesting that while there was many breathtaking
works, in almost every room in the museum there was a piece related to the
Spanish Civil War. This museum helped show the many different ways the war
effected Spain, from collages, statues, paintings, and even film there were so
many depictions of the emotions and events from that time. El Museo de Prado
was just as impressive with its mammoth collection of classical art. The pieces
at the Prado were very old (some over 800 years old) and were truly breath
taking. Many of the pieces at the Prado depicted different events in the life
of Jesus as well as many portraits of famous leaders. Because my class this
January Term is a civilizations class this was a perfect way to introduce
aspects of both past and present art and culture. You could say that Friday was
art day since it was spent at two famous museums looking at hundreds of amazing
works, and then Saturday was Religion day. We spent the early part of Saturday
(before our 6 hour bus ride) in Toledo. Toledo used to be the capital of
Madrid, but was moved a couple hundred years ago, and it is almost like for
part of the city time just froze. I say that last statement because the
buildings in the old part of Toledo date back from the middle ages and make you
feel as though you have stepped back in time. The most iconic part of this tour
was our visit to the Catedral de Toledo, this Cathedral which was over 800
years old, was beyond breath taking. It was hard not to feel like an ant in
comparison to the size of the cathedral. It was very ornate and breathtaking
with so much attention to detail; it took over 200 years to be fully built. The
paintings by Greco in the sanctuary were some of the most famous aspects of the
cathedral. In addition we learned more of the Cathedral’s significance in
regards to Spain and the Catholic Church. Overall these past few days have been
amazing; I can’t wait to tell y’all more about Alicante.
Have a great day,
JoAnna
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