insert clever phrase here.: The Alhambra

The Alhambra deserves a post all of its own. It is a huge Moorish palace built in the 14th century. Every wall, every piece of tile, every fountain was all thought out carefully before being built. The fountains are narrow at first symbolizing birth, then get really wide symbolizing your journey through life, then wash into another fountain symbolizing life after death. The colors of the tile are black and white symbolizing life and death, blue and brown symbolizing heaven and earth, and green for the color of the king. As I walked through the palace I could not help but touch everything. I was so amazed. It all felt like a dream. There is so much history in Spain. I have read about it in textbooks and seen pictures, but being here in person is something so incredible. It makes all of the things I have learned about become real when I walk through places that have been here for so many centuries.
We also saw a painting on this trip depicting the moment when King Ferdinand defeats the Moorish army led by Abu Abd-Allah at the Alhambra. The painting showed Abu Abd-Allah handing over the keys of the city to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. It is said that as Abu Abd-Allah rode away from his majestic Alhambra that he shed tears. This painting, especially, moved me deeply. I felt myself getting teary-eyed as I thought about what it was like for him to look back on the land he so loved being invaded by the Christian army.
Being here in Spain and learning about the cultures that have influenced it and the religions that have ruled the land has deeply changed what I believe in. There is so much influence in Spain from Islamic religion and culture, Judaism, and Christianity. All three were, and still are, very present in Spain. I see them everywhere I look. The two, sometime even three, religions combine in one place. It is so amazing everything that I am learning here. This study abroad experience has been the most amazing thing and I feel myself changing my beliefs and opinions, especially those on religion, for the better.