Courtney and I have been watching a lot of soccer this semester. We've been Barcelona fans from the very beginning and have had so much fun watching them rise to the top of every league they're in. Soccer is a big deal over here and I'll miss the atmosphere of watching soccer in a bar packed full of fans. Courtney and I have watched most of the games at an Irish pub in Granada. We usually watch them with our Egyptian friend named Camel. Yes, his name really is Camel!
Here's Courtney and I at a restaurant with our Barcelona socks celebrating the victory over Madrid, 6-2!
This is a picture of one of the crosses that was decorated for el Día de la Cruz. The holiday commemorates Santa Elena's discovery of the cross of Jesus' crucifixion, however the celebration has lost much of its religious significance. On el Día de la Cruz there are many cross displays like this one and women and girls dress in traditional flamenco dresses. People used to spend the day walking from cross to cross drinking alcohol, but it has since been prohibited. Nowadays the celebration is more subdued.
My Spanish politics class took a field trip to learn more about Spain's law of historical memory. The law calls for an investigation into historical events in order to better understand what happened in Spain's past. The law is largely aimed at uncovering information about events that occurred under Franco's regime. The purpose of the law is not to bring retribution against those who committed crimes, but rather to find out information that will provide a better understanding of a time when much was kept hidden.
We took a bus to the nearby town of Víznar to visit a site where thousands were executed during the Spanish Civil War. García Lorca was among those who were executed there. It is estimated that there are more than 1,000 bodies under the piece of land. Our professor was very knowledgeable about the site and shared with us what he learned from conversations he's had with people from Víznar who were there during the war. It's not easy to get people from Víznar to discuss what happened. Many would like to forget. The whole experience was very interesting and moving. It is one of my most memorable experiences in Spain. There's a lot more I could share about this experience. If you're interested in knowing more please tell me and I will be happy to share more with you.
A group picture on our walk from Víznar to Alfacar.
This is the tree where many of the locals believe García Lorca was killed. It is located halfway between the prison outside of Alfacar and the execution ground outside of Víznar.
In Alfacar there is a park dedicated to García Lorca. It's a beautiful courtyard that displays plaques with passages from García Lorca's writing.
Alfacar is known for its delicious bread and after our long walk we were ready for some lunch. The road signs even pointed us toward the bread.
This man was really cute. He explained that he's baked bread his whole life just like his father and his grandfather. He was so friendly and happy to talk to us.
Here's a link to more pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2196748&id=27218371&l=e6bbda7091
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