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Roman Ruins of Italica
Where the slaves walked through to meet their death
Me and Ellie!
I am a little behind on my writing and I have an exam tomorrow so this one will be quick. The same weekend of the bullfight I also took a trip to the cities of Italica and Cordoba with the school. On Friday we went to Italica which was a city the Romans built and where we were able to see some ancient Roman ruins. Julius Ceasar had been to that city twice; it was where two Roman Emperors had been born and although all that was left of the villages were the foundations of the houses, it had an awesome Amphitheater where many slaves fought lions, tigers, and bears, for the entertainment of the Roman people. After the Roman ruins we all went out to eat at a restaurant that had amazing Spanish food, our options were swordfish or a steak…I got the steak Mmmm! There was also a town fair going on that we stopped in for that was lot of fun. Italica was beautiful and I loved seeing all the little girls running around in their flamenco dresses at the fair.
We went to Cordoba the next day and me and about 10 other students must have been at the very end of the telephone game on what time we were suppose to meet for the bus because we missed the bus the school had taken to Cordoba. That was frustrating but if anything we got a great lesson on how the bus system in Sevilla worked, as we had to buy our ticket and get on a different bus to get there. We were able to catch up with our school and get a tour of the Alcazar. There are Alcazars all over Spain and what they are, are Muslim palaces that were taken over during the Reconquest.
(brief history: first nomadic tribes occupied Spain called the Celts and Iberians, then the Romans took over, by the end of the Roman rule Christianity had been introduced into Spain, the Visigoths were a powerful tribe that took over as the Roman empire fell and introduced the idea of monarchy and kings, Then the Muslims kicked them out of power and ruled for 800 years meanwhile the old Visigoth kings turned Christian and took refuge in northern Spain converting others to Christianity and forming a military until the Muslim power became weak, which then lead to the Reconqust; when the Christians and the “true Spanish” took back their land and kicked the Muslims out.)
SOO Alcazars are old Muslim palaces (that were usually buildings built by the Romans) that the Christians took back; a lot of them are still used by the Royal families today!!! This was the Palace where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel lived and where Christopher Columbus had gone to ask Queen Isabel to fund his explorations…(the exploration that lead to the finding of the New World) Ohhh history!! I love it. The Alcazar had BEAUTIFUL gardens, and also had renovated Roman mosaic floors that were cool to see.
Then in Cordoba we went and saw the OLDEST Cathedral in all of Europe. This has a similar history as the Alcazars. First it was a Jewish Synagogue, then it was a Muslim Mosque, and then it became a Catholic Cathedral! As you looked from the floor all the way up to the ceiling you could see how the architecture and style changed with the different rulers throughout Spanish history. I hope this didn’t bore you to death but all I can say is for a history major its paradise!!
Muchos Besos xoxox
Where the slaves walked through to meet their death
Me and Ellie!I am a little behind on my writing and I have an exam tomorrow so this one will be quick. The same weekend of the bullfight I also took a trip to the cities of Italica and Cordoba with the school. On Friday we went to Italica which was a city the Romans built and where we were able to see some ancient Roman ruins. Julius Ceasar had been to that city twice; it was where two Roman Emperors had been born and although all that was left of the villages were the foundations of the houses, it had an awesome Amphitheater where many slaves fought lions, tigers, and bears, for the entertainment of the Roman people. After the Roman ruins we all went out to eat at a restaurant that had amazing Spanish food, our options were swordfish or a steak…I got the steak Mmmm! There was also a town fair going on that we stopped in for that was lot of fun. Italica was beautiful and I loved seeing all the little girls running around in their flamenco dresses at the fair.
We went to Cordoba the next day and me and about 10 other students must have been at the very end of the telephone game on what time we were suppose to meet for the bus because we missed the bus the school had taken to Cordoba. That was frustrating but if anything we got a great lesson on how the bus system in Sevilla worked, as we had to buy our ticket and get on a different bus to get there. We were able to catch up with our school and get a tour of the Alcazar. There are Alcazars all over Spain and what they are, are Muslim palaces that were taken over during the Reconquest.
(brief history: first nomadic tribes occupied Spain called the Celts and Iberians, then the Romans took over, by the end of the Roman rule Christianity had been introduced into Spain, the Visigoths were a powerful tribe that took over as the Roman empire fell and introduced the idea of monarchy and kings, Then the Muslims kicked them out of power and ruled for 800 years meanwhile the old Visigoth kings turned Christian and took refuge in northern Spain converting others to Christianity and forming a military until the Muslim power became weak, which then lead to the Reconqust; when the Christians and the “true Spanish” took back their land and kicked the Muslims out.)
SOO Alcazars are old Muslim palaces (that were usually buildings built by the Romans) that the Christians took back; a lot of them are still used by the Royal families today!!! This was the Palace where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel lived and where Christopher Columbus had gone to ask Queen Isabel to fund his explorations…(the exploration that lead to the finding of the New World) Ohhh history!! I love it. The Alcazar had BEAUTIFUL gardens, and also had renovated Roman mosaic floors that were cool to see.
Then in Cordoba we went and saw the OLDEST Cathedral in all of Europe. This has a similar history as the Alcazars. First it was a Jewish Synagogue, then it was a Muslim Mosque, and then it became a Catholic Cathedral! As you looked from the floor all the way up to the ceiling you could see how the architecture and style changed with the different rulers throughout Spanish history. I hope this didn’t bore you to death but all I can say is for a history major its paradise!!
Muchos Besos xoxox
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