Córdoba
Maybe it's because of the chaotic first week of school, but this has been one of the better weekends in Seville. Yesterday, two friends and I took a cheap train ride to Córdoba, in northern Andalusia, for the day. The city was a Roman provincial capital 2,000 years ago and then became the western capital of the Islamic Empire in the 10th century. Now it's just full of tourists, but it's still incredible to see.

We went first to the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, the royal residence of the Catholic monarchs from the Reconquest for a few centuries on. Like other buildings I've toured in the past several weeks, it was where both negotiations with Columbus and public Inquisition hangings took place. Oh, Spain.

The huge gardens of the Alcázar were the best part. They reminded me of the gardens in "Alice in Wonderland" where the croquet match was held (weird trees, sort of surreal). I'll eventually have some photos up.

Then we went to Córdoba's main attraction, the great 12th-century Mezquita (another mosque-turned-cathedral). According to my guidebook, it "embodied the power of Islam on the Iberian peninsula." The arches and pillars within are the Mezquita's trademark -- there are something like 900 marble columns supporting beige and red striped arches running through the entire building.

We were only in the city for six hours or so, so for the rest of our time we just ate our bocadillos (classic Spanish lunch sandwich that our hosts have to make us when we're not home for lunch; basically bread, butter and some kind of meat), and we wandered through the Judería, the Jewish quarter, which houses some beautiful examples of the "Andalusian patio" -- whitewashed walls and terracotta pots full of flowers.

After we got back, we went straight to Tex Mex (the most American place you could ask for abroad) to watch the painful Georgetown/Syracuse game. A group of Georgetown students studying in Alicante, Spain, were here for the weekend, so getting to see the familiar faces made the loss a little more bearable. I think the nightlife here has improved for us as we've adapted to the Spanish schedule. You have to take a good siesta and eat dinner at 10 if you want the energy to stay out as late as the Spaniards do.

Barcelona
Since I promised info on the Barcelona trip but am still too lazy to give a full-blown description, I thought I'd just post some highlights and photos as I further procrastinate writing my Hoya column.

First of all, Hostal Benidorm was perfect. It was cheap, we got our own bathroom plus bedding and towels, and it was right on Las Ramblas, the famous avenue that runs through the heart of Barcelona down to the port on the Mediterranean. The staff was less than friendly, but I still recommend it.

The best museum we visited, in my opinion, was the Museu de Picasso. Their permanent collection was mostly Picasso's early works -- I think a lot of his more famous ones are in Paris -- but the current exhibit was of his own personal collection, including some portraits of him painted by his contemporaries. They also included a set of photographs of him and his studio. I really enjoyed the Meninas room, where you can see all of Picasso's variations of Velazquez's famous painting "Las Meninas," including the final product.

We spent most of our time touring Antoni Gaudí's famous modernist constructions, which I'd visited to some extent on the Mamaroneck trip to Spain, but it was a different experience to see them after having taken classes on the social and art history of Spain. We went to Parc Güell, the Temple of Sagrada Familia and the Block of Dischord, a set of buildings Gaudí made crazy renovations to in the early 1900s. Parc Güell and Casa Batllo, one of the Dischord buildings, are two of my favorite places in Spain.

Parc Güell

Casa Batllo

Casa Mila

Construction on Sagrada Familia church started in 1882 and won't be complete for another 20 years. Gaudí was its project director until his death in 1926, and they're still following his plans. It's very weird to witness it being built, knowing how remarkable it's going to be when it's completed. It feels like you're going back in time.




In terms of nightlife, I really enjoyed the Bosc de les Fades (Forest of the Fairies), a bar within a wax museum that's decorated as a forest -- trees, waterfalls and all. The catch is it closes early since it's in a museum, and it's near the port, which can be dicey at night. I also liked the London Bar, a cheap, crowded place where Picasso and Hemingway both used to go. We had absinthe as a tribute to the expatriates.

I have to at least mention the notorious Museu de l'Erotic, a wonderful, inconspicuous museum that houses erotic art throughout the ages. Quite an experience.

I think the Barcelonans got a kick out of my speaking Catalan, although I probably drove my friends crazy with it. My favorite souvenirs are the nationalist bumper stickers I bought. Also, I have some more pictures up in my Facebook album. All in all, I really enjoyed the trip and I hope I can go back in June, since I'm flying out of the Barcelona airport.

I commend whoever managed to read that. Hope all is well and may Roy Hibbert hit his free throws.