Semana Santa in Andalucia

Tuesday morning of this past week I finally arrived back into Alcala de Henares after 11 days of traveling with a fantastic group of people. We left the 26th of April for Sevilla/Seville for the celebrations of Semana Santa or the Spanish Holy Week. 12 of us from CSU embarked on our spring break adventure into the wonderful community of Andalucia in the South of Spain. When we arrived in Sevilla, we had one minor mishap, but everything went great for the rest of the trip. Sevilla was beautiful and probably one of my favorite Spanish cities thus far. Small streets that make the city like a labyrinth, the river dissecting the city, the orange blossoms and the sweet smell that fills the streets, the beautiful gardens, the third largest cathedral in the world, and the impressive Pasos that take place during the religious celebration are just a few to describe our experience in Sevilla. The processions in the city during holy week are like nothing I have seen before. Thousands gather, friends and family, to witness the different churces line the streets in suits that resemble the KKK in the United States but they are very traditional attire for the celebration, and some of the people hold the honor of carrying Los Pasos or the large structures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. It is incredible to watch them navigate their way through the crowded streets blindfolded with the Spanish band playing strong and valiant behind and los penitentes (people who carry crosses asking for forgiveness). It surely is a beautiful display to appreciate on the streets of Spain.
Throughout our entire trip we managed to visit four Spanish cities in the south, the next being Cordoba. We took a day trip to Cordoba to see the Mezquita/Cathedral and the impressive Roman bridge. The cathedral was very interesting because one side and the architecture retained a strong Muslim influence where the center was clearly converted by the Christians during the 15th century. The city of Cordoba was another great to see and we had a blast as a group exploring the different sites.
I had a wonderful time with the group of 12 from CSU and our adviser Sheri Anderson who is just great. After Sevilla, the journey continued for 5 of us to arrive in Malaga and then later Granada. We spent 3 marvelous days on the beach taking in the sun, and even one night three of us guys: John McGough, Noah Sandoval, and I spent hours under the moonlight sky on the beach drinking wine and discussing life...in Spanish...A great bonding experience I will not soon forget. We did manage to see other sites such as the cathedral, el Castillo and the Alcazaba or Roman Ampitheater. Malaga was wonderful, and we had a great time in our hostal which certainly possessed a free spirit vibe with really interesting people. I love making connections with others and engaging in conversation, especially now when I can engage in conversation in a different language. It is certainly something special to cherish.
Our last city landed us in the very special city of Granada. Granada had an incredible hillside landscape with the Sierra Nevada mountains resting in the background. There we spent Easter Sunday at the cathedral and the next day at La Alhambra, the respectable antique Muslim fortress that sits proudly on top of a hill overlooking the entire city of Granada. Again, another great Spanish adventure spent with a special group of people. I will not soon forget the adventures we had during our southern Spain tour during Semana Santa 2010. What a treat it was to see the sights we saw in this incredible country. I am thankful for every moment that I spent on the trip with our group from CSU.