Capilla Real

Yesterday was pretty cool. As you know, I started class, and as you also know, I've been going to choir rehearsals, despite the fact that I can't sing with the chorus in their concert on Sunday in the Capilla Real (the section of the cathedral in Granada built by the Catholic Kings as their burial site) because I'll be in London, visiting my friend Steve, who's also keeping a blog. That didn't stop me from going to rehearse there, in spite of the fact that I had missed the last four rehearsals for various reasons. It was absolutely unbelievable. First of all, the group met outside the Capilla after it had been closed for about two hours, and we were shown in by a security guard. Of course, no one was in there, and we were pushed through a secret door hidden behind a blood-red velvet curtain hanging next to one of the two side altars. As we walked behind the 30-foot high iron gates next to the 40-foot tall gilded altar (though not the main one), we passed through a three-foot thick wooden door, and up a huge, slippery, curvy staircase from the very beginning of the 16th century. At the top, the whole Capilla opened up to us in the choir loft, which overlooked the three major altars in the darkened, cavernous space, the majority of the light reflecting off the four huge marble sarcophagi of the royal family behind the massive gilded grille. We were greeted by a gilded, carved sign stating "Hic Est Chorus," or Here is the Chorus, in Latin. It was great up there; not only did we have a phenomenal view, but everything was dusty, they hadn't replaced the floor, so it was the original ancient tile, and there was graffiti all over the stone balcony, some of which dated from the 1800's. The acoustics were also phenomenal. Who needs a bishop as an audience? It was very, very cool. Here's a picture.

Today, I went to "Dunkin' Coffee," the name Dunkin' Donuts has given to itself in this country, and ordered a Dunkin' Original, the only way you can get a "normal" American cup of coffee in a to-go cup. I wanted it because it's pretty blustery today, and I have to say, it was the best cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee I've ever had. In the morning, I went with some friends to a gelatto shop I don't much care for to try one of their specialties: essentially, a piece of ice cream cake in a cone. It was pretty good, but way creamier than what I'm used to here, so I'm not rushing back. Tomorrow I fly to London, and I found out that the earliest bus I can take gets in only an hour before my plane leaves if everything runs on-time, so we'll see how this works out.