Al-Andalus (aka Andalucia)

I'd like this blog to be more than just a resume of my life in Spain. So I thought I'd tell my blog readers that I've started reading an interesting book today about the Arabic invasion of Spain. The book is called "Kulturmøter i spansk historie - fra berbere til bergensere" (Knut Aukrust og Dorte Skulstad) and it mainly deals with Spanish history from 711 - 1614. The Arabic influence in Andalucia (the county I live in), or Al-Andalus as it was called before, is quite interesting. Architecture, people, food etc. Along the big roads you will also see lots of signs in Spanish and Arabic. Fascinating!

Here is a copy of the picture on the book's cover:
(Thank you, google pictures)

Do you know what the term Las Tres Culturas refers to in Spanish history?
It refers to the co-existence (sameksistens, Convivencia) that obviously existed between the Jewish, Muslim and Christian people living in what we today know as Spain in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Enough about that!
I have to tell you two other interesting things I've done today:
1.) Had lunch with Souwie at a local Spanish restaurant today. No hablan Español alli. The place was full of Spanish workers, so you can only guess the size of the portions.
2.) Pedro is now clean! I sent him through the lavado, the automatic cleaning thingie at the Shell station down the road. How fun! It made me think of Shell in Brumunddal (where I grew up) and how scared I was of the lavado, and how much fun it was when I grew a bit older... That's life:)

Going to play tennis tonight!
Life is good, and the sun is shining, and I'm throughouly enjoying half term!