3695 - Spain’s Delightfully Surprising History & Culture (Eric Bussian)
Course Description
Instructor: Eric Bussian
Where were the primary and most productive gold, silver and lead mines of the Roman Empire?
Why does the Spanish language, based in Latin, contain so many Arabic words?
Why would the Catholic Monarchs of Spain sponsor, an Italian navigator, to sail west across the Atlantic in search of a naval passage to the Far East?
Although a student of Spanish language and culture since junior-high school days, during a 70-day journey throughout Spain I first learned the answer to these questions and many other surprising facts about the rich history and culture of the Spanish. I hope to share the joy and wonder I developed for Spain with the students who attend this course.
Bio: A PhD mathematician, retired military and commercial pilot, world traveler and life-long learner, Eric Bussian has visited much of the Pacific Rim and Western Europe. In 2023 he spent 70 days immersed in the culture of Spain as he visited the country to enhance his command of the language and learned of the amazingly diverse history of the Iberian Peninsula. He hopes to delight OLLI students with his love for the culture and history he has encountered during his many years of study of the language and the people of Spain.