Jaca

                Yesterday, we went to a really awesome monastery that was built into a cliff. It’s called San Juan de la Peña. For those of you who aren’t on Facebook, here’s a picture so you can get an idea of what I mean:

                I couldn’t get a good picture because of how big the rock was, but it really was incredible. Álvaro, my history and art history teacher, told us about how San Juan used to be completely isolated. The monks liked the seclusion and quite. I can see how they could have both of those things there.  The road we took to get there was winding and I’m glad I’m not afraid of heights since I was in the front row of seats on the top of the bus and could see just how close we were to the edge. I can’t imagine how people got up there before the road and without cars. No wonder the monks didn’t have much company.

                Álvaro was our guide as we went through the monestary. One of the things he told us that I found particularly interesting was how some of the arches are “romanico” (romanesque) and are semi-circular, while others have a horseshoe shape because of the influence of the Arabs in Spain. Also, as we were walking through there were several places where they were in the process of restoring some of the original fresco and carvings. It was awesome.

                I also enjoyed the chilly air at San Juan. I’m ready for winter.

                After the monastary, we drove back into the valley for lunch in Jaca. The view from the bus was incredible, both coming and going. Seeing the Pyreneese Mountains was really unforgetable. And it’s pretty cool that I can say I’ve seen France now. (:

Ciao,

Sharron