Adios Espana

 

Our last day in Spain, and we were all ready to head back to Longwood! Our eleven days in Spain turned out to be quite an amazing time as we fell in love with the beautiful historic cities, architecture, and Mediterranean flora. After visiting 6 different major cities (North and South along the eastern coast of Spain), we were able to fully experience the Spanish Culture. This study abroad trip was a great experience, and we were able to learn much from our garden visits. 

Dr. Trader pumping the gas before we return our rental vans, which clocked 1,852 km

Friday morning we left our hotel at 8 AM for our 12:30 flight, with our bags weighing more in olive oil than they did of clothes. At the Madrid airport we parted with three of our classmates (Emma, Deb, and Gavin) who were traveling on to England for a visit.

Our plane from the airport window

In the terminal waiting for our flight

Our plane departed without delay, and we arrived safely in Philadelphia around 3:30 pm Eastern U.S. time (9:30 pm Spain time).

Last group shot while we wait for the Longwood Vans! Thanks for the ride Janet!

We are all very excited to be back at Longwood Gardens, however slightly confused as to the current time and day.  Thank you for following our travels through Spain; we sincerely hope you enjoyed reading all of our posts. We invite you to attend our”Brown Bag” highlighting our travels through Spain, which we hope to schedule near the end of the month. 

  

 

 

Andalucia bound and snow…?

View of the Alhambra from the Hotel road

This morning we concluded our visit in Valencia, and headed on our way to Granada in southern Spain.  The drive was expected to be about five hours.  Not far into the drive, we found ourselves climbing through winding mountain passes and becoming surrounded by plateaus and mesas.  We saw large mountains up close and at a distance, but we also saw many more agricultural plantings of Citrus sp., Olea sp. (olives) and some other crops such as pineapples, avocados, and grapes.  It was fascinating to see how the Spanish people made excellent use of their land.  Some growing techniques we observed during our travel were; terracing on mountainsides and large fields/orchards that were weed free and cultivated well between the rows.  It was surprising to see how well the plants were growing, especially on the terraced mountain sides, where the soil is expected to be shallow and uneasy to work with.  We had seen areas like these on our way to Valencia, but noticed an increase in land usage on the mountainsides on our way to Granada. 

Sierra Morena in the distance on the drive in

Granada is located in the middle of the Sierra Morena Mountains: Morena translates to Nevada. It was very interesting to see the mountain range which aside from the agricultural crops were also covered in , Poppies,  Agave, many various grasses, and several species of Pines and Palms. There were also the remains of many castle-like structures, some of which were built into mountains sides. To our surprise, as we approached Granada, we were met with a beautiful view of a snow-capped mountain! We were all trying to explain why there would still be snow on a mountain top, in June, when the temperature was approaching 90 degrees F, and we found as we came closer that the mountain was much higher in altitude than it appeared when we first saw it. 

Andalucia is one of the seventeen autonomous regions located in southern Spain. It is one of the most populous communities and is divided into eight seperate provinces:  Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and Almería. The city has a heavy Iberian/Moorish influence and a rich history which we are all very excited to learn more about. The streets are cobblestone and extremely narrow and the homes are charming and well kept with many plants on their balconies and patios.

The Spanish love their window gardening!

Please enjoy some pictures taken around our hotel (Hotel Zaguan del Darro).

Gardens at a local residence

A city view

 

Tomorrow we will be visiting the Alhambra!

Class picture in the alleyway

 

 

El Mundo es un Jardin

Follow the Professional Gardener class of December 2010 as we travel through Spain. Follow our travels on this interactive map that includes thumbtacks you can click on to preview some of the gardens and other horticultural sites we will visit during our 11-day excursion. Check back frequently for updates and pictures from the road.