Recuerdos de Bilbao

My last day in Bilbao, Spain is today. I am sitting here in the room I have occupied since I arrived to Bilbao on September 1st, taking a break from packing up my bag. It seems that Bilbao is sad that my friends from ISA and I are leaving because today, of all days, it is raining and storming. According to our house moms Bilbao isn't usually as sunny and happy as it has been this entire fall. I am so blessed to have been able to come and study abroad, practice Spanish, learn a different culture and make new friends.

The first day you arrive in a different country or a new place you are always full of anticipation, wonder, curiosity and adventure. You don't know what this place has in store for you and you are so excited to begin a new time in life. What my friends and I discovered is that Bilbao is not the stereotypical Spanish city, where the people are open and friendly. Bilbao is Basque. If any of you has ever heard of ETA, they are a basque terrorist group fighting for the separation of all the basque areas from France and Spain in order to create their own country. While I have been here, ETA has said that they are no longer in action, but then again, they have said that in the past so who knows if they are done or not. Anyways, the majority of the people in Bilbao believe that they are not Spanish, they are basque and it shows. The basque people are very closed off and not friendly so my friends and I have pretty much failed at getting to know locals our own age because they like to keep to themselves and do not care for foreigners. Which, in turn, made my group of American friends grow closer together and form a tighter knit group. I am so thankful to have had such great friends while I have been over here, otherwise I might have gone crazy. We have all grown and changed and now it is time to go back home.

This trip has given me a greater appreciation for the culture in the United States and the ease at which we go about our daily lives. I have realized that I could never love another country as much as I love the US. I also have a greater interest in things that previously I thought were boring, but are important: such as economics, politics and current events. I have truthfully enjoyed the time I have spent in Bilbao and the rest of Spain and the things I have learned, but I am ready to be back home where I belong.

Now, enough with the heavy. I have found some pictures of Herman hiding that I haven't put up yet. All the pictures are from various places around Bilbao. He is in every picture so have fun looking!

Over and out.

La Alhambra

The Alhambra in Granada is located about two hours northeast of Málaga by bus and was quite a bit colder because of it's proximity to the mountains. This famous Moorish structure was completed at the end of the 14th century just before the Ferdinand and Isabel reconquered Spain. It is an amazing fortress of immense size. The thing that draws people to the Alhambra is the beauty, history and architecture.

One of the most famous areas of the Alhambra is "La Plaza de los Leones" which is located in the center of the Nasrid Palace within the Alhambra. Right now, they are refurbishing the lions and I was unable to see the fountain. There is a picture above.

The Generalife is also within the Alhambra, an absolutely beautiful garden which is kept up with quite well even in the fall months.

If you would like more information about the history of the Alhambra and everything that's in it, I must direct you to good ol' Wikipedia. All that I could tell you about the history is all there.

As for whether or not I think y'all should go: well, if you ever have the amazing opportunity to visit Spain, it would be an absolute shame/travesty if you didn't. It is by far the most interesting and beautiful place I have been to in Spain.

Málaga

"La Costa del Sol" - the coast of sun or the sun coast. Málaga has a lot of history - mostly of being conquered and reconquered many times. Coastal cities are not the best place to try and maintain an empire.


A few interesting facts:


Pablo Picasso, the famous painter that pretty much everyone knows about, was born in Málaga. However, during his lifetime, he swore off his birthplace and pretended to be French for most of his life. His most famous painting ever is the painting he made after the bombings in Guernica - the painting's name is Guernica. Take a look at my previous post for Guernica if you want to take a look.


Antonio Banderas was also born in Málaga and, unlike Picasso, he is actually proud of his heritage. The people of the city are so proud of him that they have a statue of him in a park.


Without tourism in the city of Málaga, the economic status of the city would drop to the status of a third world country. (According to my tour guide).


There's a lot of orange trees in the city. Are these oranges free to eat? Sure, but you'll pay the price. It is rumored that the city puts something in the soil to make these oranges really bitter and therefore not very pleasurable to eat so you'll buy your oranges at the store and stop eating their decorations.


There is a mini-Alhambra or little brother to the Alhambra located in Málaga which Ferdinand and Isabel, most important king and queen in Spanish history, visited while reconquering Spain from the Moors.

Not considering Málaga, but an interesting fact nonetheless; there is a rumor that Queen Isabel was having an affair with Christopher Colombus and that King Ferdinand funded Colombus' voyage to the eventual discovery of America only because killing Colombus for his affairs would be too obvious.


That's it for "La Costa del Sol." Hopefully y'all enjoyed your small look.