Spanish Steps

Sure, many of people mainly visit Spain to visit the big cites of Barcelona and Madrid, but I can personally assure you that there is so much more to explore. Running bulls, flamenco dancers, museums, Ibiza, Sagrada Familia, and Alhambra. The list goes on and on about the different places that an individual can experience whilst out there exploring the world. Let’s not forget the mouth-watering food too, one of which is by far the most popular dish that comes from Spain, and many fan-favorites, paella (a rice dish prepared with seafood). To further drive you to Spain, I’d like to address this. According to an article, “Why Take the Time to Visit the Alhambra in Spain?” it boldly states, “The ancient buildings, aqueducts, and other leftovers from hundreds of years ago offer amazing opportunities for tourists who take the time to visit them.” This is self-explanatory, if you would only take the time to really push and learn about the background of Spain, you will have the most amazing experience

During the last decades, Madrid has surfaced as the heartbeat of modern business, art, technology, and fashion. Traveling to Spain on a tourist travel will only show me a glimpse of what Spain’s history treasures are, but this program will unveil many aspects of the Spanish culture that are unique and exclusive to the country. In addition, it will be a great opportunity to learn about my own culture a little better. As we already know, Spain conquered a vast majority of what is now the American continent. While in Madrid, and since I will be only a few hours from Seville, Spain; I would love to be able to visit the General Archive of the Indies which holds the records and complete documentation of the historical administration and discoveries made by the Spaniards in the New World during its prominent years in exploration. As a native Guatemalan, it would be fascinating to learn about my own roots from the accounts of the Spaniards who set foot on my country and many of the other American countries that were conquered by Spain. Sometimes, we get a better appreciation of history when it is viewed from both perspectives. It’s not the same to learn history of a country based on the narratives of a textbook, than to be actually experience it from its culture and people. The study abroad program will consist of a total of ninety classroom hours of interaction with native Spanish students and professors. In addition, one of the courses will be taught fully in Spanish, which will benefit me greatly by strengthening my Spanish speaking, reading, and writing skills. While in Spain, I hope to be able to interact with Spaniards and exchange information in order to compare and contrast their culture from my own. I’d also like to explore the city of Madrid,

The fortress is large and rises up to 140 feet above the sea. In addition to this, the museum composed of six huge levels of ramps, dungeons, towers and tunnels. This is a favorite for tourist who enjoy learning about history while on their trip. The museum offers a lot to learn and beautiful displays and views. This also a very popular attraction because of the attention this large fortress bring by just its simple display. This is one location you can not miss if you’re in Puerto Rico.

Many decades’ architects have failed to seal the enormous hole in the roof of the great Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. In 1418, the city Fathers announced a contest for the idea dome design; a promise of gold and eternal fame was granted for anyone who is able to construct it. A goldsmith, Filippo Brunelleschi won the contest by proposing his design of “double dome” to the Fathers.

From sandy beaches to rocky mountain ranges, astounding big cities to mosques and gothic cathedrals, vibrant festivals to the theatrical historic bullfights, Spain has about everything. Spain has been the center of culture in Europe for thousands of years. Spain is an astonishing place with rich heritage and lively festivals and art. Spain is not just about the flamenco dancing, bullfights, and the religious festivals, it has so many things to offer. Even Lenny Kravitz the American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer said, “It’s like a dream to come to Spain and stay a for a couple of years and get somebody to teach me Spanish music.” Today I am going to inform you about the well-known features of La Siesta in the Spanish culture, the creative and energetic Flamenco dance, and the historic subculture of Basque.

Traveling to Spanish speaking countries and understanding the culture will make any trip the ultimate experience!

The first thing that one’s eyes lay on is the amazing trade mark of marble stone from the architect Rafael Guastavino. The façade out of this building shows Spanish Renaissance architecture at its very best. The brick work could not be copied and is no longer done in this day and age. This herringbone pattern is also the trademark that Guastavino uses in all the buildings that he created (Carrasco, Mercè Piqueras). On the top of the church stands the churches Saint; Saint Lawrence. He holds a gridiron; which is the method by which he was martyred (saintlawrencebasilica.org). Saint Lawrence is flanked by Saint Steven, the very first martyr, who holds a stone; which was the method of his martyrdom. On the opposite side, Guastavino’s favorite saint, stands Aloysius Gonzaga. He was a young seminarian at the time of the plague that died assisting other people (Swain, Elisabeth). The inside of this building contains no structure, but yet in the last one hundred years there was never one tile that was lost. Inside the church one can’t help but notice the many banners hanging around the perimeter. The banners on the eastside of the building are the coated coats of arms of all the popes who have reined since

One of the more inspiring and brilliantly conceived and constructed dome structures in the world is the Pantheon of Rome. This example imposes a magnificent strength of ingenuity and dominance over their surrounding landscape, and the Pantheon deserves to be researched and admired for its architecturally innovative and bold design of its time. The building was accommodated with serious technical impediments that required a thorough and scrutinizing attention to detail in order to overcome. It is because of the prevailed obstacles by the various designers, architects and builders of this building that captures the consideration of those interested in the development of building technology and progress throughout the

La Compañía de Jesus is a Jesuit church built in the Moorish style; taking 160 years to build, it was finished in 1705. The entire interior is detailed in gold leaf; the symmetric design combined with indigenous elements bring a distinct grandeur to the building. Look for the sun in the door on the way in and also in the ceiling; a symbol borrowed from the Incas by the Spanish to entice locals to attend church.

In her article “These strange castles are all over Ecuador’s capital. And they may be in danger,” the author, Jim Wyss, explains that there are some castles in Ecuador which are seen as a burden because they are different from the cities architecture. These castles are located in the Mariscal Sucre neighborhood, the new commercial hub of Quito, Ecuador’s capital. They were designed and built by Ruben Vincy, a Mexican immigrant who loved the fantastic things. He built more than a dozen castles, some of which are still standing intact externally, but they had been changed internally and turned into offices, hotels, and restaurants. In addition, Castillo Larrea and Rickie’s department store, are two of Vinci’s original masterpieces that maintain

The portrait that I decided to analyze was called The Ponte Salario by “Hubert Robert. The reason that I decided to choose this painting was because it had a very natural feel to it. The painting takes place outdoors and there is an older building that looks as if it dates back thousands of years. The bridge connected to the tower made of rock which looks very run down; I am assuming it is from age. According to Robert ‘The Ponte Salario takes its name from the Via Salaria,

It is a 12-foot-high and 72 x 72 foot piece, it is relatively large in size, one can observe it by looking at the piece from different angles. This piece is made of grass, concrete, composite steel, granite, plaster, paint and programmed LED lights. The installed LED lights are programmed to change just before sunrise and sunset. The symmetrical balance of the piece conveys a sense of stability. The diagonal lines of the stairs suggest a feeling of movement, also the thin vertical line of the pole makes the roof look like it is floating. Turrell took this image from a low angle and we as viewers are drawn to look upwards and forward through the doors and into the

Wonderful and picturesque churches were constructed by Spanish like “Templo de Santo Domingo” or the “Zocalo”, this two places are quaint and you can see the all the handmade work. On the other hand you can visit the “20 de Noviembre market”

This place is located in Granada, Spain. The name of this palace means "the red one". It was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 and then largely ignored until Moorish emir Mohammed ibn Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada renovated and rebuilt its ruins in the mid-11th century. He was the one who built its current palace and walls. In 1333 Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada converted it into a royal palace.

The Pantheon being one of the main tourist attractions in Rome, Panini’s depiction of this architectural model is populated with a lively mix of Romans and other foreign visitors who are visiting the Pantheon to admire the marvellous architecture, chat, and to pray. Panini being a trained expert in theatrical design and architecture has provided a larger view of the interiors of Pantheon than what is possible in real from a single point. The viewpoint is intense while it faces the entrance. Panini's attempt to show the bright blue sky through the oculus in the centre of the dome just adds to the magnificence of the painting. The psychic line towards the sunlight creates a soft feeling that is not too harsh on eyes but directs the vision to the right point. The ground is a terracotta-coloured layer that is reddish and contains several translucent white pigments to provide a certain depth. The lines were incised using straightedge into the