Calatrava Vomit



  We were in Valencia for two nights, one full day and all I saw was work done be Valencian born architect, Calatrava. The city of arts and science is a cultural complex compromised of a science museum, an opera house, an IMAX theater, a planetarium, two bridges and covers an area of 350,000 square meters all designed by Calatrava. It is located on what is now a dried up river bed spanning seven kilometers and is designed around a promenade, housing a garden on the top and a parking garage underneath, and reflecting pools, which are supposed to not only mirror the architecture but serve as a reminder of the site’s fluvial past. Speaking of water, some of us were lucky enough to spend a few hours at the beach again, it was much smaller and a little colder than the one in Alicante, but still very enjoyable for October.

FROM VALENCIA (SPAIN), WITH LOVE GRACE

Viewer Discretion Advised

Alicante was our weekend off from architecture, and trust me many of us took it off! We spent our day at the beach; it started with sipping cocktails and laying out and turned into chugging bottles and laying out naked (DONT WORRY MAMI AND PAPI, I KEPT ALL MY CLOTHES ON.) There is not much to say about Alicante other than it was fabulous and now blurry. In addition, I would like to apologize for my lack of pictures on this post as my camera was in my purse while I was in the water.

FROM ALICANTE (SPAIN), WITH LOVE GRACE

Hide and Seek

Imagine you are the son or daughter of one of the kings who lived in the Alhambra and that this whole complex was built for you, your friends, and cousins to play hide and seek in. Gardens filled with peacocks, nightingales, birds, flowers, trees, and fountains. The castle full of tiled patterns on the walls, massive windows allowing the wind, sun and moon into the rooms and corridors providing the most amazing views of the city. In Granada we went to the Alhambra, a Moorish castle and fortress complex. It was built for the court of the Nasrid Dynasty and has been described as “a pearl set in emeralds” or “paradise on earth.” It’s hard to believe but both of those are pretty accurate descriptions.  It is located at the top of a mountain-hill overlooking the city of Granada and at the moment has become its own little town filled with the most amazing clay castles and flower gardens in Spain.

FROM GRANADA (SPAIN), WITH LOVE GRACE

Cordoba

The Cordoba Cathedral started out as a pagan temple, became a Christian church, was claimed by Moors and turned into a Mosque and then reclaimed by the Catholic Church. What’s standing there today is evidence of the different religions and different times that Cordoba has seen. The most contrasting is the placement of the cathedral in the center of the Mosque. I completely disagree with the insertion of the cathedral in the middle of the mosque; there is no transitional space between the two and the Catholics made it clear that they did not consider the Islamic history of the building. The Cathedral-Mosque is best known for its double arches of alternating orange and white. The arches were not all built at the same time as each Islamic ruler kept adding square footage to the mosque; this becomes evident in the different materials used: some arches are red brick and concrete, while others are just painted concrete. The Cordoba Cathedral-Mosque has the potential to give you goose bumps upon entering but the loud and obnoxious tour groups make enjoying the space seem impossible.

FROM SEVILLE (SPAIN), WITH LOVE GRACE

Yes! Lisbon

Lisbon is the new favorite! We took the easiest and fastest mode of transportation there: a plane. Even more important, we stayed in the bessstttt hostel I will probably ever stay in. It was called Yes! Lisbon and they had sangria every night for dinner and free shots for everyone at 11:30pm, in addition to a wild and crazy staff and really delicious home cooked meals. Fortunately we were in a great location right next to a main boulevard, the Bairo Alto, and the river. Although we were there for four full days we spent quite a bit of time wandering the city and LAYING ON THE BEACH. The water was a bit nippy, but the sweat dripping down my face made running in seem like a great idea. We did however spend one whole day sketching and studying some of the more architectural feats Lisbon has to offer. Located in the more modern part of town is a Calatrava train station with a connecting mall, the Portugal Pavilion, the Oceanarium, the Portugal House, the Museum of Science, and Parque das Nacoes all within a fifteen minute walk (total) from each other. One great thing I noticed about Lisbon is that due to the hot climate, most buildings offer a lot of shading and an interesting water feature to help cool off the surrounding space outside. To end our trip in Lisbon and our week of being independent from our professors my friend, Chris, and I enjoyed some amazing views of the city by hopping on a ski-lift over the water. Lisbon had so much to offer and made me wonder what the rest of Portugal is like …

FROM LISBON (PORTUGAL), WITH LOVE GRACE