Tag Archives: Traveling Teachers

A visit to Spain’s Alhambra, either in person or virtually, well worth the effort

Posted on by

Now that school is out for Spring Break, many educators are eager to include travel in their vacation plans. Teachers know that travel is not only fun and intellectually stimulating, but it is also is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. Recently, I returned from a vacation to Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar, and while I was there I could see many opportunities for incorporating travel experiences into classroom curriculum.

Part of my Iberian tour was a visit to the medieval fortress and palaces known as the Alhambra, located in Granada, in the Andalusia region of Spain. The place, which has been called one of the seven wonders of the modern world, is visited by thousands every year from all over the world. In fact, for the Alhambra’s outstanding universal cultural value, the site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

The author Terry Lee Marzell and her husband, Hal, visit The Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell

World History teachers will note that the Alhambra was the former rural residence of the emirs who ruled Granada in the 13th and 14th centuries. The fortress was built by the Nasrid Dynasty, who governed the region from 1232–1492. The Nasrids were the last Muslims to rule in Spain. After King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I reconquered Granada from the Moors in 1492, the “Catholic monarchs” temporarily established their court in the Alhambra’s palaces.

The Alhambra features three main sections: The Alcazaba, a military base that housed military guards and their families; the palatial structures, which contained several palaces for the sultan and his family; and the Medina, an area where court officials lived and worked. There are also carefully cultivated ornamental gardens, vegetable gardens, and landscaped paths incorporated throughout the grounds. In all, the Alhambra complex encompasses 26 acres.

The palatial zone is divided into three distinct and independent areas. The first includes the Mexuar, a semi-public part of the palace used for administering justice and business of state. The second is the Comares Palace, the official residence of the sultan. The Comares Palace is comprised of several rooms that surround the Court of the Myrtles, an outdoor area containing a lovely, rectangular-shaped pool lined with myrtle bushes. These rooms include a throne room, a reception, and a meeting hall. The third is the Palace of the Lions, a private area of the palace which served as the residences for the king and his family and concubines.

The Alhambra complex contains numerous other structures, perhaps the most famous of which is the Courtyard of the Lions. This Courtyard was named for the central fountain, which is surrounded by 12 lions ejecting jets of water. Alas, the jets were not functioning on the day of my visit. Encircling the courtyard is an arched covered patio supported by a series of slender columns.

Author Terry Lee Marzell admires the Moorish architecture and embellishments found in rooms that surround the Courtyard of the Lions. Note the channel of running water built into the floor at left. Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

Throughout the complex, the royal spaces and formal rooms are lavishly decorated with intricate architectural embellishments carved into stucco panels, and they feature equally stunning geometric tile dadoes, which are lower wall panels distinct from the stucco areas. The most formal rooms are also adorned by lacy-looking carved ceiling embellishments. These ornate decorative features display exquisite curvilinear artistic designs and inscriptions presented in Islamic calligraphy. Many of these rooms were kept cool in the summer months through a series of fountains and carefully constructed channels of running water built into the floors.

Descriptions of the Alhambra have been enchanting readers for centuries. In fact, English teachers will no doubt know that in 1829, American author Washington Irving established his residence at the Alhambra. Inspired by the grandeur of the place, he wrote and published a collection of essays and stories about this palatial city which he titled Tales of the Alhambra. Students may enjoy reading these tales.

You and your students can take a look at a virtual tour of this wonderful historical site at this link: The Alhambra. Here is another really informative website your students can explore: The Alhambra SmartHistory. Students can access another excellent source of information about the Alhambra provided by Khan Academy.

 

Viewing Picasso’s art, birthplace will inspire any teacher’s curriculum

Posted on by

Teachers know that travel, in addition to being fun and intellectually stimulating, is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. And Spring break is a great opportunity for travel! Recently, I returned from a vacation to Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar, and while I was there I could see many opportunities for incorporating travel experiences into classroom curriculum.

The iconic painting Guernica by Pablo Picasso has become a universally recognized representation of the horrors of war and a symbol of the Spanish Civil War.

While visiting Madrid, Spain, I had the opportunity to visit the Museo Reina Sofia, a national museum which houses Guernica, one of the most famous works of art created by Pablo Picasso. History teachers will note that this iconic painting has become a universally recognized representation of the horrors of war and a symbol of the Spanish Civil War. The painting portrays the bombing of Guernica in the Basque region of northern Spain. The village was bombed in 1937 by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy during the throes of the Spanish Civil War.

The painting, composed of black, white, and grey oils, measures more than 11′ in height and more than 25′ across. The work portrays a gored bull (which represents Spain), women crying out their grief, a dead chid, a dismembered soldier, a wounded horse screaming in agony, and flames. Art teachers will note that the painting is representative of two artistic movements: cubism and surrealism. On a side note, social studies teachers might point out to their students that a full-size tapestry copy of the painting was created by Jacqueline de la Baume Durrbach. The tapestry hangs at the entrance to the Security Council Room at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Later in our Iberian tour, while visiting the coastal resort city of Malaga, we toured the Museo Casa Natal, Picasso’s birthplace. The museum, opened in 2003 in the Buenavista Palace, houses 285 works donated by members of Picasso’s family. Included in the museum’s exhibits is his christening gown, his bronzed baby shoes, and the black cloak given to him by the bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín in 1956. Some of the works of art on display were created by Picasso’s father, Jose Ruiz y Blasco, who was himself an art teacher. In addition to the birthplace, the facility includes a Picasso documentation center and a department of cultural promotion, which organizes art expositions and conferences.

While on a visit to Picasso’s birthplace in Malaga, the author took the opportunity to seek some artistic inspiration by rubbing the head of Picasso’s statue, located in the Plaza de la Merced.

While the Picasso family was living in this humble apartment at the time of his birth, the artist only lived there just over two years. The apartment consists of five rooms: The first is dedicated to the historical period in which the artist was born; the second to his parents, the third to his family; the fourth is a room displaying various images of Malaga in Picasso’s time; and the fifth is dedicated to the painter’s Spanish origins.

In the square directly in front of the museum, the Plaza de la Merced, sits a life-size bronze statue of Picasso, seated on a marble bench. Local lore has it that anyone who rubs the head of the statue will be inspired by the artist. While I am not an artist, I can always use a little inspiration anyway, so I took the opportunity to rub the statue’s head.

I would heartily encourage any teacher who is traveling to Spain to visit both the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid and Picasso’s birthplace in Malaga. Whether you rub the head of Picasso’s statue or not, your curriculum will inspired by the experience!

Here are some resources you can share with your students: Find information about the life of artist Pablo Picasso in Encyclopedia Brittanica. To examine information provided about the painting Guernica by the Museo Reina Sofia, click on this link: Guernica. For a virtual tour of Picasso’s birthplace, click on Museo Casa Natal.

 

Teachers, consider planning a trip to Barcelona’s fascinating Parc Guell

Posted on by

Author Terry Lee Marzell and her husband, Hal, visit Barcelona’s Parc Guell. The Art Nouveau serpentine bench designed by architect Antoni Saudi, and the elementary school behind them, are part of the area designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo Credit: Hal and Terry Lee Marzell

Spring break is the time that many educators are eager to incorporate travel into their vacation plans. Teachers know that travel, in addition to being fun and intellectually stimulating, is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. Recently, I returned from a vacation to Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar, and while I was there I could see many opportunities for incorporating travel experiences into classroom curriculum.

While visiting Barcelona, I discovered it is impossible to overlook the work of famous architect Antoni Gaudi, known for developing a distinctive Art Nouveau style, which is so prevalent throughout the city. Gaudi was born in 1852 in the Spanish city Reus, and tragically passed away in Barcelona following a road accident in 1926. He is best known for his design of the city’s Sagrada Familia Basilica, whose construction is still in progress. But this famous church is not the topic of today’s post.

In addition to the Sagrada Familia, my husband and I visited Gaudi’s Parc Guell, a public space comprised of gardens and architectural creations designed by Gaudi to serve the needs of residents for a housing project. The architect was hired by Count Eusebi Guell to design a planned community as an entrepreneurial venture. Guell’s intent was to build the residences, along with other community elements, on a tract of land located on the Spanish city’s Carmel Hill. Unfortunately, the residences were never built, but, fortunately, the park was.

I loved Parc Guell far more than I thought I would! I loved the rolling, organic, wavy aspects of Gaudi’s signature style, which is labelled Art Nouveau. Sometimes the style is described as naturalist, but in Barcelona the term used to describe it is Catalan Modernist. I’m not the only one who finds the park’s architectural design fascinating. In fact, the place was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1969.

In his youth, Gaudi had been a sickly child, and as he lay, day after day, staring out his bedroom window, he had plenty of time to observe the organic and animal forms, earthy colors, and polygonal geometries found in nature. These forms made a huge impression on the child, who incorporated them in his architectural designs once he grew to adulthood and launched his career. Gaudi observed that in nature there are no straight lines, so he deliberately avoided straight lines in his designs. I appreciated the curvilinear walking paths, which were innovative in his day, and the roadway bridge supports that resembled the natural lines of tree trunks. And who would think to build nesting areas into those bridge supports, so that birds could build their homes there? Gaudi did.

The park’s grand terrace serves as the focal point of the recreational space. The famous serpentine bench, considered the longest bench in the world, was created around a playground area. Gaudi intended the bench to provide ample seating for mothers who were supervising their children at play and allow for plenty of conversational exchange. Straight-lined benches, he reasoned, restricted interaction. And the architect was ahead of his time, insisting that the seating piece be constructed with recycled materials. Anyone who visits the park can attest that the panoramic view of the city from that terrace is astonishing.

Directly next door to the terrace is the Escola Baldiri Reixac, an elementary school that was converted from Count Guell’s former residence. This probably accounts for the linear construction of this building, which is so different from Gaudi’s typical curvilinear constructions. The school was not opened in Gaudi’s day, but today the structure is in use. More than 17 teachers work there, serving more than 200 young students. As I stood there gazing at the building, I reflected that Gaudi’s decision to build a school in the middle of a park is a demonstration of the architect’s desire to consider the various needs of all the people that would have lived in the community.

Gaudi also incorporated marketplaces and vendor stalls and created an ingenious system of water conservation to serve the planned-but-never-constructed community. He constructed columns to support the terrace from underneath, and these supports served as conduits to direct rainwater flow into cisterns located underneath the marketplace. Really ingenious. Gaudi was more than an architect, he was an urban planner ahead of his time.

Gaudi positioned a ceramic iguana in a fountain built on the staircase that descends from the Parc Guell marketplace. Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell

And the icing on this architectural cake? He also designed two little buildings that resemble the gingerbread houses of “Hansel and Gretel” at the foot of a grand staircase. The architect conceived these little structures as a bit of whimsy meant to entertain children. And who couldn’t be charmed by that the big ceramic iguana positioned in the fountain as you descend the staircase to reach the gingerbread houses?

The entire park is captivating, and well worth a visit for any teacher who may be going to Barcelona on vacation. Keep it in mind when you’re planning future travels! Here at home, a study of the Gaudi’s architectural style would be stimulating for drafting students, and all students could benefit from a study of Gouda’s use of recycled materials and his innovative, environmentally-friendly designs for water conservation.

If travel to Spain is not in the near future for yourself or your students, check out this website for additional photographs of the Park Guell, information, and a virtual tour at this link: https://parkguell.barcelona/en/renovation-works-status.

Portugal’s Monument to the Discoveries stimulates further historical inquiry

Posted on by

While on a recent visit of Lisbon, Portugal, author Terry Lee Marzell visits the Monument of the Discoveries located where the Tagus River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery. Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

Spring break has finally arrived. This is the time that many educators are eager to incorporate travel into their vacation plans. Teachers know that travel, in addition to being fun and intellectually stimulating, is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. Recently, I returned from a vacation to Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar, and while I was there I could see many opportunities for incorporating travel experiences into classroom curriculum.

While in Portugal, I had the opportunity to visit the Monument to the Discoveries in the city of Lisbon, located on the northern bank of the Tagus River where the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries. This is a fitting location for the construction of such a commemorative landmark, since this is the place where Portuguese ships were launched on perilous voyages to explore India and the Orient. The monument was intended to be a temporary exhibit as part of the country’s World Exhibition in1940, and became so popular that this permanent, enlarged version was constructed in 1960.

The monument displays a Portuguese caravel ship, and features the country’s celebrated Prince Henry the Navigator, a historical 15th-century figure known for being a strong supporter of maritime exploration and trade, particularly along the western coast of the African continent. In fact, it was Prince Henry who designed and financed the building of the caravel, a ship which in its day revolutionized navigational practices.

The Monument to the Discoveries stimulates further inquiry into this fascinating period of European history, not only for students, for history teachers, and for educators who are lifelong learners, but also for anyone interested in world history. Why not incorporate a visit to Lisbon in your future travels, so you can see the landmark with your own eyes?

 

Travel to Egypt teaches appreciation of American schools

Posted on by

Oh, Winter Break! How we teachers love it when you arrive! This is the time of year when many educators are eager to get away, sometimes to visit family for the holidays, and sometimes to take a tour of exotic places in warmer climates that are most appreciated when escaping colder climates.

I remember the time I toured Egypt during my Winter Break, way back in 1988. I had scrimped and saved and worked a second job for four years to save the money for this sojourn. I loved gazing at the pyramids, staring into the face of the sphinx, and cruising down the Nile River with daily stops at ancient archeological sites, including those found in the Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel, Karnak, and Luxor.

Teacher and students the author met when she visited an elementary school on Christmas Eve in 1988. Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell

While in Luxor, I had the good fortune to visit a local elementary school. It was 6:00 at night and Christmas Eve, but the school was open and the children were still there. Remember, Egypt is a Muslim country, so there were no Christmas celebrations in progress. Those were simpler days: I simply walked in, introduced myself, and asked for a tour. No need to worry about security.

This was a small school, only three classrooms, furnished with dilapidated, mismatched tables and benches. There were no globes or maps, no computers, no projectors, no video players—none of the modern equipment one finds in the typical American classroom, even back then. I was led to an enclosed area in the back, where I was shown a dirt-packed playground. Nothing more. No balls, no swings, no slides, no ladders. Beyond, a shack with two small rooms that served as the outhouse.

Teacher Terry Lee Marzell observed that classroom and playground facilities available for these Egyptian students in an elementary school in Luxor, Egypt, were minimal and basic. Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell

Bare bones facilities, to be sure.

I was busy snapping pics of everything in sight with my film camera—no digital cameras in those days—when I suddenly discovered I was out of film. My driver kindly offered to escort me to a place where I could buy more, so I leapt into his “taxi”—which was actually a horse-drawn carriage—and he drove me to a jewelry store, of all places. It was after dark, but as I alighted from the carriage, I saw a young student about ten years old, sitting on the curb under a street lamp, working on his homework.

Just about everyone in Egypt speaks English, so I asked the young man, “How is it that you are here, on the street, in the dark, doing your homework?”

This young student in Luxor, Egypt, was forced to complete his homework assignments on the curb, under city street lights, because it was after dark and he had no electricity in his home. Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell

“There is no electricity in my house,” the boy explained, “so if I’m going to complete my assignment, I must do it here.”

Wow. What fortitude.

Once I returned from my tour and classes resumed, I would sometimes think of this youngster, especially when my own students were offering what I deemed to be feeble excuses for their own incomplete assignments.

Sometimes I would dig up my photo of this little Egyptian boy and tell my students his story. In “talk-to-the-hand” style, I would stop them in their tracks and say, “I don’t even want to hear your excuse unless your obstacle is greater than this young man’s.” Rarely was my student able to top the story of the little Egyptian boy.

We’re fortunate in this country, I attempted to convince my students, to have access to resources and facilities not available in schools in many other countries. We all need to remember this, I would tell them, when we’re tempted to complain or to take these benefits and resources for granted.