The architecture in Spain is very interesting. So far I have visited multiple cities and landmarks and each has its own type of interesting designs. First many of the streets of Cadiz and other cities are very narrow. This allows the streets to be cool during the morning and evening as well as trapping wind and creating a breeze in the street. This type of intuition when building has amazed me especially in a city like Cadiz that is so old. Another thing I have noticed is many streets with arches or cathedrals and places of worship that use semi circular or arches in the building design. For example yesterday I visited the Oratorio de la Santa Cueva which used in the prayer room semi circular arches and other features to make the room echo as well as give the small worship space a more compact feeling. Many other structures use this type of design in different forms to achieve different things. I have just been so amazed by the intricate designs of every building, place of worship, and street while also remembering that much of what I am seeing has remained the same since it was built many years before. The dedication and detail take to create the littlest of things is amazing. Today we visited El Puerto de Santa Maria and while we were on the tour we were told that the altar displayed in the castle was used in a church and was created by a prison inmate that had worked for 7 years to complete it. The altar was designed and placed inside the church with gargoyles designed into the altar to help fend off the evil spirits. Even though it was built by someone who was not a well known person of the time being a prison inmate, I believe this piece could stand up to any of the other pieces of art I have already seen. The way a place or city was designed in the past is almost like a piece of art and it was before all the modern advances of our time. This showed me that even with all the new technologies we have today that could reproduce any thing you see, I think these buildings and pieces of art of the earlier time are amazing because they took a persons desire, drive and determination as well as many years. Now we can produce anything of that caliber in much less time, but giving your whole heart and desire to the work is what makes it special.

Today we visited El Puerto de Santa Maria and the Bodega. The Bodega was very interesting because we saw how the wine was stored and saw many prized wines. Also we learned about the history of the wines that we saw and how they were aged. The most interesting part for me was learning about the aging process and how the wines are made. Later we learned some more history about El Puerto de Santa Maria and saw the Castle of San Marcos. It was very informative learning about the intricate details of how the castle was used and seeing the preserved relics of past eras. We finished the tour by sampling the wines. They all had different tastes but I personally liked the sweeter ones better.

The arches of the oratorio create an echo.

The markings of the top row describes the period of time and ruler of Spain and the bottom describes the awards won.

The Altar created by a prison inmate.

So far I have been in Cadiz for the first 4 days of the second session. This city is very small but if you don’t know where you are going you can get lost easily and end up along the ocean but miles from where you need to be. This was my experience on the first day when I arrived in Cadiz. I spent many hours looking for the university and then getting lost. Although Cadiz I much more than that it is a very pretty city with a very lively culture and the people are very kind. The classes are very accommodating to all students and ability levels and I have not felt rushed or overwhelmed by my teachers. During the first day of classes I was given a tour of the city. This included La Plaza de San Antonio, La Plaza de Mina, La Plaza De Las Flores, and many other places this tour showed me how diverse and culturally significant this city is and how the style of the city varies every few blocks. During my second day I learned about the history of the Spanish languages. It interested me a lot how the different languages were all contained into their own perspective regions. Another very interesting part was that some of the oldest languages in Spain have no known roots. I have also seen the el Museo de La Catedral, La Catedral, and El Torre de Reloj. These places were so fascinating and each had its own unique parts. All of the catholic artifacts and pristinely created pieces were amazing to see on display in El Museo de La Catedral. The most impressive part of La Catedral was that each chapel had its own distinct characteristics and they were so intricately designed. It was fun to take pictures and see the city from above when we climbed to the top of El Torre de Reloj. Also while we were up in the tower we the bells ring. Although it was very loud the experience of being in a bell tower when the bells rang was a very unique one. I learned about the history of the flamenco and how the flamenco is different from the flamenco in other Spanish cities. The flamenco of Cadiz has a different rythmn to reflect the passion and attitudes of the people of Cadiz. It also has a unique sound with parts originating from Arab music. I learned the history of Spain and its long history of inhabitance and discrimination of religious groups. The interesting part to me is how the majority religion of Spain has changed multiple times in its history and now the cultures can mix well together with all religions.