Catie McKee: Alhambra

The Alhambra is one of the most majestic places I have ever visited.  I had the pleasure of going to Granada on a group trip while I was studying abroad in Spain. The Alhambra, an ancient palace, was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. 

I went with the other Lander students who chose to study abroad in Spain, Carlos, Caroline, and Freddie. We were scheduled to tour and walk around for the entire morning, and I could understand why; if I hadn’t been with others, I would have walked at a slow wandering pace to soak in every detail.

The self-guided tour started with The Palace of Carlos V. It was nice, but it was probably the most underwhelming part of the trip because they had similar palaces in Madrid. The second part was the gardens. This was one of my favorite parts, but I just really like flowering plants. I’m so thankful I got to see them in mid-March when all the gardens were in full bloom. And while I spent an unholy amount of time in the garden; it wasn’t the most impressive part of the tour. 

ThoughtCo: Temp Pic. An example of the walls and tile.

The most magnificent part of the Alhambra, and likely one of the best places to visit in Spain, is the Palace de Nazaries. Maria Jesus, my Spanish art and architecture teacher, had hyped this place up. And rather than be disappointed by it, I would say it exceeded the expectations that had been built up. It was the Muslim palace that was built before the Spanish reconquering in the late 1400s. Surely this palace was why everyone was here. Every inch of the walls and tiled floor were decorated in intricate detail. The floors in every room were patterned with several colors: making gorgeous designs from a more aerial view. The walls were covered in wood with carvings of Arabic writing or geometric floral patterns. The Arabic phrases were repeated over and over, praising Allah. And the arches over each doorway were like the walls, but even more detailed, filling up every space with masterful carving. I’m honestly not sure I will ever see a more intricately designed building. Looking back, though, I’m not sure I would have had this reaction because of the people who built it.

I grew up in a family with lots of military service. Basically, at least one male from each generation served in the army or national guard. My dad and eldest brother served after the events of September eleventh.  Needless to say, I grew up with negative feelings towards Islamic people, especially those who lived in the Middle East. But as I’ve gotten older, distanced myself from my family a bit, and talked to people outside of the social bubble I grew up in, I learned that Islamic people are just human beings that practice a different religion than I do. And as human beings I think most of them are inherently good. Visiting the Alhambra was confirmation of this. I don’t think it would be possible for a group of people to pour their heart and soul into art that praised their god and be inherently bad. I had something happen at a much smaller scale with Caroline, also during my trip to Granada. 

I have known (or at least known about) Caroline since freshman year because we were in the same travel lab class. And then, we were in the same study abroad class before we left, and I still didn’t bother to get to know her. This is largely because she intimidated me. She is a business major, and I always got the feeling that if I ever somehow got in her way, she would do whatever it took to get ahead. Quite frankly, upon first meeting her, she was the most Slytherin person I had ever met. 

We went to Spain together, and while I saw her at least once a week in our art and architecture class, I didn’t talk to her that much. And then, we went to Granada. After the six-hour bus ride and an hour-long journey to our hotel, we still had two hours before our tour guide took us to dinner. Freddie decided that he was tired and was going to lay in bed until it was time. Carlos didn’t have his phone (it was stolen at the end of January) and decided to stay so he wouldn’t get lost. Caroline didn’t want to wait inside a hotel in a new city, and neither did I. So, naturally, we set out together. 

I was a little worried, but it was such a pleasant walk. She let me choose which way to turn, and I felt like we had a conversation where we both talked and listened. I told her about my trip to Sevilla, and how I went by myself. She seemed shocked. She asked me why I hadn’t asked her or Carlos to go and. I told her the truth. I didn’t think they would want to. Caroline then said that she had already been on trips with Carlos and Freddie, so, we could plan to go somewhere. (This ended up not happening, due to COVID). We got to see the river that ran through the city and got ice cream before heading back to the hotel. 

Once I started to talk to Caroline and get to know her, what I perceived her to be changed to something closer to reality. While I still believe her to be an ambitious individual, I am no longer intimidated by her. 

Two times during my trip to Granada, something was different from how I originally perceived it. The Palace of Nazaries was made by people praising their god and making unbelievable art and Caroline is a good-hearted person who wants to (and will) achieve much. Both times, I spent time with something/someone I didn’t understand, and I learned. It opened me up to appreciation and a potential traveling companion. Even if realizing my previous bias was uncomfortable, I think I should make a habit of having experiences to help me better understand other people and cultures. 

Catie McKee is an Early Childhood Education Major with Emphasis in Montessori and a minor in Spanish. She traveled to Madrid, Spain to study Spanish. She will graduate in the fall of 2022 and will go on to be a teacher in the state of South Carolina.