One reason why there has been a resurgence of nationalistic pride in recent years is due in part to the rule of Francisco Franco, the dictator of Spain from 1936 to 1975. In order to create a single, unified culture, Franco outlawed the public use of any language besides Castellano, or the traditional Spanish dialect. He was especially repressive toward the Basque, Galician and Catalonian people. Even today, there is a divide between people in those areas who identify as "Spanish" and those who identify as some other nationality.

My teachers in seminar and Basque country classes stress that understanding these differences is essential to understanding Spain. In order to fully "know" the country, one has to investigate and study the country's different regions, as well as the individual cultures in each area. For example, some parts of Spain, including the city of Toledo, have served as centers of Christian, Muslim and Jewish culture as the result of hundreds of years of Muslim rule (from approximately 711 to 1492) prior to the Reconquest and the Inquisition, led by "The Catholic Monarchs" Ferdinand and Isabel.

Enter American University students.

Toledo is about an hour outside of Madrid by bus. The long, winding roads cover mountainous terrain. As we entered Toledo, our bus paused and we were able to get out and take photos of the view.

In Toledo, there were many examples where one could see a mixture of Arab, Jewish and Christian culture. One such place was St. Mary's Synagogue. Once a Jewish place of worship, the synagogue was taken over by the Muslims. Later, it was turned into a church. This changing pattern of ownership was quite common in many parts of Spain, especially in Toledo or places like Andalucia, or the southern part of Spain that borders the Mediterranean. The walls and columns are covered in geometric patterns and there are many Arabic-style arches, in keeping with the Muslim tradition of not drawing pictures of living beings (and especially of the prophet Muhammed), since only Allah, or God, can create life.

Here is a picture of the inside of St. Mary's Synagogue:

Even though the inside of the synagogue was dark, if you look closely at the picture, on either side of the cross, there are geometric tile designs, and the supporting arches of the synagogue are ornately decorated.

Since the three major cultures were distinguished from one another by their religious practices, there are appropriately many religious sites throughout the city. Here are some of a Catholic cathedral. Inside the cathedral is a mural painted by El Greco, a famous artist in Spain known for his religious art.

Our group also explored a monastery during our visit. What surprised me the most, though, was that there was an orange tree growing in a protected pavillion inside the monastery. First, I was not expecting a live garden in the middle of the monastery courtyard. Second, I was shocked to see full, ripe oranges growing in February in central Spain, which is known for its cold winter temperatures, aridity and blustery winds.

We also got to see the carvings that monks had made over time in the walls of the monastery. While most were tasteful and of artistic merit (usually those depicting saints), there were some others that proved that even monks had sick senses of humor.

That's right. It's a monkey having a bowel movement on a chamber pot. Lovely.

In spite of all the religious-themed sites, the streets of Toledo were thin, cobblestone walkways going past rows and rows of gift shops and eateries. More than once, our group was surprised by cars driving through the streets, forcing us to squeeze by the moving vehicles and other pedestrians blocking the way. It's a good thing nobody tried to drive an SUV through!

And, because it is situated in the mountains, Toledo had some amazing scenic views of the surrounding area.

I took this last picture of Paul, a fellow AU student, because it's somewhat of a funny story. We were surveying the cliffs overlooking the river from behind a metal fence, when Paul realized there were dirt paths leading down to the edge of the cliff. So, he took his camera and JUMPED over the side of the railing, walking down the paths. As soon as he did that, Cristina, our program assistant (who is experiencing her first semester as a coordinator and chaperone), nearly had a heart attack. And, of course, did the other program participants stay still? No! They decided that they should follow Paul down to the cliff's edge. The rest of the group then started joking with Cristina, saying they were going to come back on their own free time and re-visit the cliff. Cristina just said, "Don't call me if one of you falls. I don't want to know." Luckily, there were no accidents or mishaps, though I think Paul likes tormenting Cristina by keeping her on her toes. At least no one can say our group outings are dull and boring!

Hasta luego!