biodiversity at the beach

This past week my program took a field trip out to Washington's Long Beach Peninsula to do town studies in the area. On Wednesday we had a little free time to do whatever we wanted. I headed up to Leadbetter Point State Park at the Northern most tip of the peninsula with a few of my class mates for some beach walking.




At the trail head we ran into this sign:




Along the trail that leads to the beach we were treated to a glorious display of fungus, the likes of which I have never seen. Thankfully, I had thought to bring my camera.











After a 2 mile walk we finally arrived out of the forest and grasslands on to the beach.



Snowy Plovers use much of the beach area, even this late in the year, and are the reason that the beach is closed to dogs and vehicles.





During our walk we came across a lot of garbage that had washed up on shore from passing ships.



We also found this milk crate which we used to collect the garbage. We took it as a sign to do our Greener best to leave the beach better than we found it.

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fotos VIII: A visit to Granada and the Alhambra

On Saturday June 2nd we took the final excursion scheduled for our cultural immersion program at Abadat. Our field trip took us to Granada, one of the most historically important cities in all of Spain and perhaps even Europe.

A view of Granada's old city wall from the barrio of Albaicin.


So this one is kind of out of order. Friday I had tickets to see the Czech National Orchestra with another girl from my class, but alas, it was not to be. The concert was canceled and we went out to dinner instead.


A view of the Alhambra from Albaicin.


Some pretty flowers on the walk up to the Alhambra.


One of many towers, as seen from outside the Alhambra wall.


A latern inside the Carmen of the University of Granada. It's hanging from the largest wisteria arbor I've ever seen.


Another view of the Alhambra, this time from the U of Granada's Carmen in the barrio of Albaicin.


Some cool arches in the Generalife, the summer palace alongside the Alhambra. The Generalife was built as a summer palace because although it sits alongside the Alhambra--on a hill overlooking the city of Granada--it is located in the convection zone. As a result, in the summer the average temperature is between 5º-10ºF cooler than that of the Alhambra and there is a constant, pleasant breeze, a definite necessity in the days long before air conditioning.


If there's one thing the Spanish love more than ham and mullets it has got to be arches. These are inside the Generalife and overlook the city. What a view.


One of the many gardens at the Generalife.


Outside the Palace of the Generalife.


The reflecting pool at the Carmen.


Outside the principal salon of the Alhambra. Inside this salon Spanish history was written thrice over.

This is the location where Boabdil, the last Caliph of Islamic Spain, signed the Capitulation, thus ending the 700+ years of Islamic rule in Al-Andalus and placing Spain and the Alhambra in the hands of the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabel.

In this same salon Columbus petitioned the queen and king for permission, and money, to find the new passage to India. Permission was granted, but instead of finding India he got a little lost and made his way to the Caribbean.

Finally, this is the place where Isabel and Ferdinand signed the order expelling all of the Jews from Spain after the completion of the Reconquest.


A ceiling inside a salon of the Alhambra. All of the ceilings are made from hand-carved wood and adorned with ornate designs.


A wall inside the Alhambra. The lower portion of each wall is covered with hand painted ceramic tiles above which are verses, in Arabic, from the Quran [or Koran, if you prefer].


One of the smaller palaces of the Alhambra. This one was the private residence of the Sultan or Caliph and his harem. The harem consisted of the four "official" wives of the Caliph [one for each cardinal point on the compass], their children, and the parents, grandparents, and sometimes siblings, of the Caliph.


Another of the many gorgeous gardens of the Alhambra.

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fotos VII: a weekend in Almuñecar

I spent last weekend with a couple of girls from my program and some local friends in the pueblo of Almuñecar on the Mediterranean. We stayed in a beach house about 100 meters from the ocean--it was wonderful.


We spent a few hours lying on this beach, soaking up the rays before heading out to have some lunch at one of the local dives.


The ruins of a Roman fish-salting plant. If there´s one thing the Spanish love almost as much as ham, it's salty, salty fish.


An unholy combination of the two most popular Spanish past-times: ham and mullets. It´s a little hard to tell, but our friend the mounted pig is wearing a green Christmas garland mullet. Ahhh, Spain.



A view of one of the many beaches in Almuñecar.


Sunset on the Mediterranean.


The street by the beach house.


More of the sunset...what a spectacular sight.


On our way home we met a friendly, if slightly creepy, clown at the local Mickey-D's. After 8 weeks in Spain, McDonald's is culinary perfection for homesick Americans.


The view from the mountain* in Almuñecar.
[*Really just a big rocky hill that jutted out into the ocean, but in Spain...]


The Mediterranean was as turquoise and clear as I had imagined, and much more vast than maps and globes imply.


Another view from the mountain.


Our sun-bathing beach, as seen from above.

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fotos VI: Jim's visit to Spain

Jim came out to Spain on May 10th for an all too brief visit. The pictures below are from the tours of Úbeda and the neighboring cities of Baeza and Jaén. We had a great time riding the bus and seeing the sights.


A view of the olive groves in Úbeda.


Úbeda´s sister city, Baeza.


Um, Jim took this and I´m not really sure what it is.


Fountain in la Plaza de la Constitución in Jaén.


Ruins of an old church in Úbeda.


Church tower in Baeza.


The Cathedral of Baeza, a mish-mash of Gothic and Renaissance styles of architecture--not that impressive as cathedrals go, according to one of my professors.


On the left, the rear wall of the Cathedral of Baeza. On the right, the wall of the Judería (where the Spanish Jews lived, secluded from the rest of society, after the reconquest). Above, the "road" by which the Jews communicated with the outside world.


Inside the Cathedral of Jaén. One of the most impressive examples of a Renaissance-style cathedral in all of Europe.


A walk about in Jaén during the mediodía (the lunch hour, which is only referred to as siesta if you plan on taking a nap).


The Castle of Santa Catalina in Jaén. Perched on top of a foothill of the Sierra Máginas, it was too far to walk and we didn´t have a car, so this photo is as close as we got.


In front of the Cathedral of Jaén. Just as impressive from the outside, it literally dominates the landscape.


Jim just wanted a picture of the Burguer Queen. They serve hamburgers, but they´re really ham and not beef. Crazy Spaniards.


Tower on Hospital de Santiago. The tower roof is covered in hand-made ceramic tiles. I learned after Jim left that both towers of the Hospital were struck by lightning at different times and completely destroyed. This tower is a 1978 reproduction of the original.


The church at Hospital Santiago. The Hospital and church were both contructed by Francisco de los Cobos, son of the Bishop Diego de los Cobos, and a bishop himself as a demonstration of the superiority of his generosity and wealth to those of his father.


View of Hospital de Santiago from the gardens.


More pictures inside the Cathedral of Jaén.


And again.


Self-portrait near the old wall of Úbeda with a view of the olive groves and Sierra Máginas behind us.


Jim, in front of the Palacio Vazquez de Molina in Plaza Vazquez de Molina in the monument zone of Úbeda.


Tree-lined street of Úbeda.


View from the interior patio at Hospital de Santiago.


The patio at the, aptly named, Puerta de Granada, which is a bar located at the old Puerta de Granada in the old muralla (city wall) of Úbeda. The door (puerta) in the wall is named such because it faces the city of Granada and once was the end of the highway between Granada and Úbeda.

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