Una semana más en España

This past week was full of adventures both in Granada and Sevilla. I am continuously amazed with how beautiful this country is. From ornate gardens, to ancient ruins, to breath-taking views, Spain's beauty always surrounds me.

Here are some of the highlights from the week!



This is the cathedral in Granada. It is huge! I was taken aback by how tall it is. It's also unique because it's so white and bright inside. Very beautiful! Right next door to the cathedral, in the Royal Chapel, are the tombs for the Catholic Kings Isabel and Ferdinand. They played a huge role in making Spain what it is today. Unfortunately cameras weren't allowed in that section, but it was amazing to see the tombs for such historic figures.


Here's the organ for the cathedral. Whenever I see such an amazing church organ, I always try to take a picture of it for my dad!


Besides the cathedral, we also visited the St. Jerome monastery. There's a special church for this monastery where the architect was given free range to design and build it as he chose to. The picture shows the retablo at the front of the church. It is so decorative and full of interesting figures and colors. It has both baroque and renaissance influences. Because of the dual influences, it is not completely over-the-top like most baroque art due to the order from the renaissance influences. All the churches seem to have retablos here, and it reminds me of the new retablo that was just put in at Mission San Juan Capistrano.


Here I am on top of a fortress that overlooks the city of Granada. The modern city lies behind me. Since the fortress is on top of a hill, it provides a spectacular view.

I'll admit, I was trying to be artsy with this shot. :) This is a photo of the Alhambra, or royal palaces/fortress. There are beautiful gardens all around the palaces which are absolutely stunning. When there was a new contest to decide the modern wonders of the world, the Alhambra was one of the finalists.

Besides beautiful gardens and buildings, there are also many fountains. You can tell they went all out in making the Alhambra because it was where the royalty and nobility lived.

This pool reminds me of the reflection pool next to Touchdown Jesus. :)

This is the Plaza de España, which is right behind my apartment. It's a beautiful open plaza that was built for the 1929 Spanish-American Exposition. It's now where Sevillian government offices are located. It's also the place where they shot some scenes for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. I believe it was used as Princess Amidala's palace. So fun!

Well, that's all the updates for now. Next weekend is Portugal!