During this program, my understanding of world cultures has expanded exponentially. From learning about sites in Spain and Germany, I have been able to really understand how different cultures work and operate around the world. Some of my favorite cultural sites that I have seen on this trip are the castles of Ludwig the 2nd, the Segrada Familia, and the traditional Flamenco show.?
For the first free weekend, I traveled to Munich Germany. I went on a guided tour of two of Ludwig the Seconds castles that he had built for himself. These castles are known as the Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles. They are located in the German countryside. The villages near these castles were so picturesque, I felt like I was walking through a German postcard. From these tours, I learned so much about Ludwig the Second and how he lived his life. One very interesting fact that I learned about Ludwig was that he hated people. For being a King, you would expect him to be constantly surrounded by subjects and advisors but it was quite the opposite. He did not enjoy the power that he held as king and would escape from his duties by spending time at these castles. He had them decorated and designed in extremely intricate and beautiful ways. When he was designing the Linderhof castle, he wanted it to be the most beautiful and stunning castle around, so he modeled it after the Palace of Versailles. Ludwig was a fan of the responsibilities that come along with this role so he would live in his ?dream worlds? whenever he wanted to spend time by himself. These castles really gave me an insight on how the German government of that time operated and how Ludwig handled his role in the government.
The Segrada Familia was one of the most impressive structures I have ever seen. Learning about the impressive thoroughness that Gaudi displayed while designing it was astonishing. Every single detail about the building was intentional and had a meaning behind it. Everything from the layout of the building to the shape of the columns on the inside have a meaning. From the outside, The sculptures and facade of the east side of the building depicts the birth of Jesus. All of the statues and images are very light and colorful. These are meant to be very happy and joyous, representing the joyful event that the birth of Jesus was. As you transition to the west side, the facade drastically changes. The sculptures and images depicted on this side are much more gloomy and depressing. There are not any happy faces or colorful imagery. These images depict the death of Jesus. They are meant to be dark and somber. When you go inside of Segrada Familia, you notice how there are tons of depictions of nature throughout the whole building. Gaudi did this because nature is considered one of the places where you can be closest to God. Gaudi believed that nature is where one can connect with God and talk with him. The physical construction of the church was also extremely intentional. Inside, there are 52 columns for the 52 Sundays that are in a year. The entire building, when looked at from the top, is the shape of a cross. It really is an amazing structure.
When I traveled to Seville, I attended a traditional Flamenco show. I did not have any idea on what to expect when I sat down. I was familiar with the classic long dress that I have seen on the walls of Mexican restaurants in Texas, but that was about it. It was very apparent once the show started that this show was laced with an intense cultural background. Everything from the dresses, the shawls, the guitars, and the hairstyles had significance. Coming into the show, I was expecting a much more graceful and smooth partner dance. I was very surprised when the dancers started tap dancing aggressively and jerking their bodies around. It really was a beautiful thing. One of my favorite aspects of the show was the band. The way the band was able to sing so well and play along with these dancers was very impressive. The main singer sounded incredible and I was so impressed that three guys could make such beautiful music with just hand clapping and a single guitar. The control that the dancers had over their feet while wildly tapping and kicking the ground was mind blowing.?
Looking back at my time in Spain, I realize that I have learned so much about myself and my abilities. I have learned that I truly have a love for traveling. The experience that one gets from being immersed in other cultures is invaluable.
