I miss you, U.S.A.

I watched Pau Gasol miss a last-second shot Sunday night against Russia in the televised European FIBA Games. Poor Pau and the rest of the Spanish national team had to settle for the silver medal in the one-point loss. The Spaniards cried as Russia's Andrei Kirilenko posed with his MVP trophy and my host sister, Ana, chanted "ROO-see-ah, ROO-see-ah!" just because everyone else was rooting for Spain. I was sad for Pau, but happy to see something familiar - basketball. This week I've desperately wanted to watch a football, not futbol, game, a movie in English or eat a burger, dripping in grease. You know? To do something American. Well, I did visit Burger King, where you can get things "como tú quieras." But I only bought ice cream. I thought that was a good compromise between getting a taste of home and experiencing Spain fully. Other than that, I've had a blast this week learning about Spain's most prized monuments.

Wednesday, the UNC in Sevilla program visited Reales Alcazares or the royal buildings in Sevilla. In other words, we visited where King Juan Carlos I sleeps when he stays in Sevilla. The 14th century palace is open to the public when he's not living there, of course. It was built by the Moors, who weren't allowed to live in the palace. The Moorish influence are present in the colorful tile, arcs and geometric patterns. I could tell you more about the architecture, but I don't want to sound like a brochure.

Me. Notice the colorful, geometric patterns in the tile.

A water fixture outside of the prince's bedroom.

Saturday, we visited La Mezquita in Córdoba. La Mezquita is another 8th-century Moorish wonder. In the 700s, the Moors began to occupy the central and southern parts of Spain and didn't leave until the 1400s, when Spain ventured to America. That's why Moorish architecture still stands in many Spanish cities. Both the Reales Alcazares and La Mezquita are older than the U.S.A.

The word 'mezquita' is arabic for 'mosque' and it was a mosque until it was converted into a Christian cathedral in the 1200s. It was kind of weird to go to this Christian cathedral that's dominated by Islamic features - arcs, colorful tile and a courtyard with a pool for cleansing prior to entering the cathedral and a a fountain. The legend goes that if you drink from the fountain, you'll get a girl- or boyfriend fairly soon. (I drank from it four times. But who's counting?) When you enter the cathedral, you look up to see the red and white double arches and the nearly 1,000 columns made of jasper, marble and granite. Then the sights just continue - golden statues, domes and colors galore. We saw a wedding inside one of the many chapels that the cathedral rents out on donation. I thought that was cool. I was a bit overwhelmed by what I saw and La Mezquita's so wonderful. No photo I could take or words I could say would do it justice.