I received my parcel containing my five Loreena McKennitt CDs and two bonus DVDs. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful Loreena is. Just listen to her, you don't have to take my word for it. The first thing I did was watch the DVD of her concert Nights from the Alhambra. I was lucky enough to visit the Palace in Granada in 2004 during what remains my best school trip. One word comes to mind : breathtaking. Literally. I remember our little group of high schoolers becoming very very quiet all of a sudden when we entered the place : I forgot to breathe. In Arabic, "Alhambra" (which is so delicious to pronounce) means "the red one". The complete name, al-Qal'at al-Alhambra, means "the red fortress".
If you have one place to visit in Spain, I'd strongly suggest visiting Andalusia and while you're at it, just buy a house there and move. We visited a mosque, a synagogue and a cathedral in Seville, Granada and Córdoba. Spain is my favourite country in the world for so many reasons. I know it doesn't show as I barely read literature written in Spanish but truly it is, and if you knew me, I'm sure you'd instantly understand why. They have a great government (sadly one of the few in Europe that's still good, a far cry from mine), managed to convince enough of the population (mostly Catholic or of Catholic upbringing) so that Spain became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2005 as well as (even more importantly) adoption rights for same-sex couples on equal terms and under the same law, they have the most beautiful region (Andalusia) and an awesome, liberating literature and a blooming cinema. There's a freedom and a love for life I haven't found anywhere but in Spain. Spanish is the most beautiful language I've ever heard (still learning). An amazing example of a great country which learnt from its past mistakes. I remember the exact moment when I had to make a choice for my Major and chose English over Philosophy and Spanish. I don't regret it, I'd be miserable without English but there's definitely something wanting. There's some part of me that realises that Spain sums me up better than anything English could ever do.
