Expectations!!!
Since I was a little girl I have always thought about visiting Spain. I always had the curiosity of knowing its people and their way of living. I always wanted to get a feeling of how advanced Spain is compare to United States and other Latin American countries. I always thought of Spain as a country very well known for its history of conquers and royalty, after all my country was conquered by the Spanish. By looking at the news and listening to people who live or have visited Spain before I have an idea of how it may be. I think of Spain as a very advance and organized country. I expect its cities and trains to be very clean, as I have heard and have seen on TV. I expect the cities to be quiet and stopped or the bars full of people drinking and eating their famous Spanish Tapas after 2pm, due to the siestas which are very famous in Spain.
Spanish Tapas!!!
Tapas is the name of a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid). According to legend, the tapas tradition began when Castile's king, Alfonso X of Castile or Alfonso the Wise, recovered from an illness by drinking wine mixed with small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered that taverns were not allowed to serve wine to customers unless the beverage was accompanied by a small snack or Tapa. The word became a kind of loophole in the law to allow drinkers to consume alcohol. I can wait to try their famous tapas during siesta time!!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas
Flamenco!!!
Flamenco is a style of music which is considered part of the culture of Spain, but is actually native to only one region: Andalusia. It is believed to have grown out of the fusion of Arabic, Andalusian, Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures prior to and after the Reconquest. It is also applied to the dance style performed to flamenco music. The origins of the term are unclear - the word Flamenco is not recorded until the 19th century. Flamenco is the music of the Andalusian gypsies and played in their social community. Andalusian people who grew up around gypsies were also accepted as "flamencos" (Paco de Lucía). I believe that flamenco is a very sexy dance..I love to learn how to dance Flamenco!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamencohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamenco
The Mesquite of Cordoba
The Mesquite of Cordoba is a Roman Catholic Cathedral originally built as a Mosque on the place (and partly with materials) of what previously had been a Christian Visigothic Church in the Andalusian city of Córdoba, Spain. It is regarded as perhaps the most accomplished monument of the Umayyad dynasty of Córdoba. After the Spanish Reconquista, it was turned into a church, with a Gothic cathedral inserted into the center of the large Moorish building. Today the entire building is used to house the Cathedral of the diocese of Córdoba in Spain. This is a great example of the different backgrounds one could find in Spain I cannot wait to go there.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezquita
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France and in several Latin American countries, in which one or more bulls are ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle. The tradition, as it is practiced today, involves professional toreros (toureiros in Portuguese; also referred to as toreadors in English), who execute various formal moves in order to subdue the bull itself. Such maneuvers are performed at close range, and have in some cases resulted in injury or even death of the performer. The bullfight usually concludes with the death of the bull by a sword thrust. Although I think that Bullfighting is a very dangerous activity I want to be able to go see one just to see what it is like.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullfighting
La Alhambra
A palace and fortress complex constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus, occupying a hilly terrace on the southeastern border of the city of Granada, now in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Once the residence of the Muslim rulers of Granada and their court, the site became a Christian palace. Within the Alhambra, the Palace of Charles V was erected by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1527.I have read pieces of literature of Spanish writers and I will never forget when in one of my classes we read a poem that talked about The Alhambra. Just to know that I will be going there and that I will be able to see a vivid image of what I read makes me feel lucky.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra
