{"id":111,"date":"2025-05-10T19:06:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T19:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/?page_id=111"},"modified":"2025-05-31T18:03:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T18:03:57","slug":"friday-may-23-2025","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/spain\/friday-may-23-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday, May 23, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Blogger, <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/sample-page\/kacie-lennon\/\">Kacie Lennon<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Traveling South \u2014 From Madrid to Sevilla<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Daily Highlights:<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Morning Departure from Madrid<\/li>\n<li>Train journey to Sevilla (~3 hours)<\/li>\n<li>Personal work: presentation and leisure reading<\/li>\n<li>Arrival and check-in at the hotel in Sevilla<\/li>\n<li>Visit to the <i>Royal Alcazar of Sevilla<\/i> with a presentation from Syd<\/li>\n<li>Encountered a Greek Orthodox procession<\/li>\n<li>Dinner at Holy Roll<\/li>\n<li>Evening visit to <i>Metropol Parosol<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Leaving Madrid<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Today marked a major shift in our itinerary as we checked out of our first hotel in Madrid to travel to Sevilla. We gathered in the hotel lobby at 11:30 am, suitcases in tow, ready to catch our train at Madrid Puerta de Atocha. The ride to Sevilla took about 3 hours\u2014just enough time to dive into some course-related work! I took the opportunity to refine my upcoming presentation on the <i>Puente Romano<\/i> in C\u00f3rdoba, focusing on its Roman origins and layered architectural evolution. I also squeezed in a few chapters of <i>Mickey7<\/i>\u2014 a fun sci-fi read I\u2019d recommend so far!<\/p>\n<p>ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder<b>Arrival in Sevilla and a Visit to the <\/b><b><i>Alc\u00e1zar<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>After a short tram ride from the station, we reached our hotel and had an hour to settle in. A few of us grabbed sandwiches at a nearby caf\u00e9 before making our way to the <i>Royal Alc\u00e1zar of Sevilla<\/i>, where we had a timed entry at 6:30 pm. Sydney opened our visit with a well-researched presentation on the <i>Alc\u00e1zar<\/i>\u2019s long history, tracing its origins from a Moorish fort to a royal palace that still hosts Spanish royalty today.<\/p>\n<p>The <i>Alc\u00e1zar<\/i> is a remarkable example of Mud\u00e9jar architecture, a style that blends Islamic art with Gothic and Christian traditions. The intricate tilework and horseshoe arches all reflected centuries of multicultural craftsmanship. Wandering the palace&#8217;s sprawling gardens\u2014filled with citrus trees, fountains, and even a few strutting peacocks\u2014felt like stepping into another era. The gardens were constructed alongside the palace but were expanded and enhanced after the Castilian conquest in 1492, demonstrating how the palace evolved with each ruling dynasty.<\/p>\n<p>ngg_shortcode_1_placeholder<b>An Unexpected Encounter and Evening Explorations<\/b><\/p>\n<p>On our walk back to the hotel, we stumbled across a Greek Orthodox procession winding through the streets. Accompanied by brass instruments, the procession added an unexpected spiritual layer to the evening, demonstrating that even daily city life in Sevilla is saturated with ritual and tradition.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dinner brought us to Holy Roll to get smoothies. While we were there, we took the time to admire the <i>Metropol Parasol <\/i>(commonly known as <i>Las Setas<\/i> or \u201cThe Mushrooms\u201d), a massive contemporary wooden structure located in Plaza de la Encarnaci\u00f3n. Designed by architect J\u00fcrgen Mayer, it\u2019s one of the largest timber constructions in the world and offers a striking contrast to the surrounding historic buildings. The modern honeycomb pattern serves as a bold architectural gesture\u2014and a unique example of Sevilla\u2019s blend of old and new.<\/p>\n<p>ngg_shortcode_2_placeholder<b>Reflections<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Sevilla immediately feels more intimate than Madrid, but no less vibrant. Between the <i>Alc\u00e1zar<\/i>\u2019s beauty, the unexpected procession, and the contrast of <i>Las Setas<\/i> against the city skyline, today was a vivid reminder of how history and modernity continuously coexist in Spain. Some questions I&#8217;m left with after today are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How does the <em>Alc\u00e1zar\u2019s<\/em> architectural fusion reflect the layered cultural history of Spain\u2014especially the blending of Islamic and Christian influences?<\/li>\n<li>What role does preservation play in shaping our experience of historic sites like the Alc\u00e1zar? Are we seeing the \u201creal\u201d building or a curated version of the past?<\/li>\n<li>What impact do modern structures like the<em> Metropol Parasol<\/em> have on historic cityscapes? Can innovation and tradition truly coexist in public space, or does one inevitably overshadow the other?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I&#8217;m especially excited to present in C\u00f3rdoba tomorrow and to continue uncovering the layers of cultural exchange that define Andalusian history!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blogger, Kacie Lennon Traveling South \u2014 From Madrid to Sevilla Daily Highlights: Morning Departure from Madrid Train journey to Sevilla (~3 hours) Personal work: presentation and leisure reading Arrival and check-in at the hotel in Sevilla Visit to the Royal Alcazar of Sevilla with a presentation from Syd Encountered a &#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/spain\/friday-may-23-2025\/\"> Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2215,"featured_media":0,"parent":21,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-111","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2215"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/111\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/arth223leir2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}