No More Ireland :(

Due to the volcano erupting in ICELAND, my flight got canceled to Ireland. I was hoping that we would be able to make it out, but found out yesterday it was canceled. I applied for a refund on my plane ticket and the hostel. We lost the down payment on the hostel, and I haven't gotten ahold of the ticket office yet. I almost don't want to get a refund on my concert ticket, it's just so sad that I don't get to go.

So now we're going to go check out the spring fair here in Seville, then try and think of something fun to do later this week. Sigh. That stupid volcano ruined my perfect opportunity to have an amazing week in Ireland. I guess we'll see what happens from here. :(

Last month in Seville!

So I have been neglecting to blog about my everyday life in Seville. The past few weeks I have just been focusing on my classes. I have now finished my internship, got an A in my life and culture class, have this week off for the Spring Fair in Seville, and only have one week left of my literature class until I come home. Because of the volcano that erupted in Iceland, flights to Ireland have been postponed. We’re praying that they resume by Tuesday, since that’s when we leave for Dublin to see the Dropkick Murpy’s concert. I hope it works out. Then the following Friday after my last final, I head out to Rome! 4 days in Rome, then back to Seville to pick up my stuff and get to Madrid to come back home to the states.
We’ve had more rain these past weeks.  We decided not to go to a beach this weekend since it was supposed to rain, so me, Kristen, and Teena went to Jerez, a small town about 1 hour train ride from Sevilla, to visit the bodega (winery) of Tio Pepe. The name of the company is Gonzales Byass, but their famous sherry wine is called Tio Pepe, or Uncle Jo. It was such a pretty winery, we got to see how they make brandy, sherry, signatures on the barrels from the famous people that have visited the bodegas, and try Tio Pepe and Croft wines. It was a lot of fun.
A few weeks ago we went to a Sevilla Futbol Club soccer game! It was half price tickets, and I even bought a Seville scarf. It was a lot of fun getting to see the people of Seville support their home team in the most popular sport over here. We beat Tenerife 3-0. It was a great game, even though I don’t’ know much about soccer.
These past 2 Saturdays we’ve visited the beaches of Cadiz and Matalascañas in Huelva. It’s fun to try different beaches, but mainly it was nice to see the sun. Plus, walking in the Atlantic Ocean in fun. 
I uploaded a few pictures last week of some normal sights of Seville, and some pictures of the Spanish grocery stores. I don’t know what it is, but I really enjoy shopping at the grocery stores. It’s so interesting to just walk down the aisles and see all the different things they have. I’m going to miss the Spanish grocery stores, and the cheap Spanish cookies.
Last night we went to Ashley’s house because her housemom’s son was having a 30th birthday party. It was really fun to see a typical Spanish house party. They don’t do that very often, so it was awesome to get to be a part of it. There was lots of smoking, beer, guitar playing, and singing. I met a guy from Japan, Germany, France, and all over Spain. It was a great cultural experience as well.
Back to the rain. I’ve decided that I DO like rainy days. I prefer thunderstorms, but rain is nice too, either when I am in my house nice and dry, or when it’s a summer rain. I just don’t like the cold that comes with being wet and in the rain. Today after a walk in el centro with Kristen, I ran into a DOWNPOUR on my way home. Even though my pants and shoes were wet, I didn’t feel cold. So I ended up taking off my shoes and walking through all the puddles on my way home. Then I lay in my bed listening to the sounds of rain, thunder, and lightning. It was really nice and peaceful.
I can’t believe it’s less than 3 weeks until I go home. My time here has really passed quickly. I’m excited to be home, but I am starting to get sad to leave. Oh well. I’m going to make the most of the rest of my time here.

Bull Fight!!!!

What a great April week in Sevilla. This past Wednesday, I went to my first bull fight! The bull fighting season starts right before the Spring Fair (this week) and goes through October. it was such an interesting cultural experience. Apparently the bull fights in Seville are some of the most famous. This week they’ve had famous bull fighters such as El Juli and El Cid. (I don’t even really know who they are, but trust me, they’re famous over here). So here’s a little info about the bull fights:

There are 3 bull fighters at each correo, or bull fight. A bull is called a toro, and a bullfighter is thus called a toreador. There is the main toreador, called the matador who actually kills the bull. Each bullfighter has other toreadors who help him throughout the fight. Each fighter gets 2 bulls, and they go until the bull is killed. The reason why bullfighting is so controversial right now is because they kill all the bulls in the ring during the fights.
Starting the fight, all 3 toreadors and their teams walk out into the ring and present themselves to the President. Then the first bullfighter and his team prepare for their first bull. These bulls are bread for bravery and aggression. They have never seen a human on foot, nor have they ever been outside their pastures. Each bull wears colored tags that show which breeder they come from as well.
When the bull enters the ring, the toreadors use their bright pink on one side, yellow on the other capes, or capas to distract the bull and draw his attention to different parts of the ring. Then the riders on padded horses, called picadors, ride out, they use a long spear to stick the bull in the back of his neck to weaken the neck muscle. Then, three of the toreadors use long sticks with barbs in them, called banderillos, to stick into the bull’s neck muscles to further weaken it. Each one of these toreadors gets a chance to stick 2 barbed sticks into the bull, 6 in total. In my opinion, these are the bravest guys in the ring, because they don’t have capes to distract the bull, and they have to get really close to the bull in order to get these things into the bull.
After they get these sticks in, it’s time for the main event: the Matador. The main bull fighter comes back into the ring with the famous red cape. It’s this bullfigher’s job to study how the bull moves, and conquer the bull. The matador uses the cape along with his knowledge of the bull to get the bull to charge the cape when the matador wants him to. He uses sounds and the cape to make the bull charge and do a few passes. Each time, the bull charges the cape and the matador pivots on his foot so the bull can charge again. It’s really difficult to explain just how much effort and patience it takes for the matador to understand the bull, as well as the majestic way the matador conquers the bull and has control over the bull. By the end, it seems as if the bull is doing exactly what the matador wants him to do, when he wants him to do it. It’s pretty amazing.
And now for the climax. It’s time for the matador to kill the bull. With his slightly curved sword in the palm of his hand, he lines up in front of the bull. He has to stick the sword into the right place in the bull’s neck in order to miss the vertebrae and make it to the heart or the chest cavity. He has to have the bull charge him, therefore charging into the sword, in order to have enough power to get the sword into the bull. A good kill comes when the matador gets the sword all the way in on the first try and hits the heart. Right after getting the sword in, the matador and other toreadors will crowd around the bull until he finally dies If done well, it only takes a minute or two before the bull finally dies. If it’s a bad kill, the matador will either have to try to get the sword in again, or they will just have to stick a knife into the bull’s brain to kill it immediately.
After the bull is dead, a team of horses rides out and the bull is tied to the back of them and dragged out of the ring. Then a clean-up crew sweeps away any remains of blood or deep footprint to get ready for the next bull.
If a bull comes out of the ring and is injured or lame in anyway, he is not fit to fight. They then bring out a few cows (lade bulls) and have the bull follow the pretty cows out of the ring, where they kill him outside of the ring. All the bulls that participate in the bullfight, even if they are handicapped and cannot fight, end up dying. If the matador doesn’t kill the bull, they will be stuck in the brain to instantly kill them. One of the bulls we saw broke one of his horns when he charged the side of the ring. Because of this, they brought the cows into the ring, then the bull followed them out. After he had left the ring, they would have killed him back in his pen or holding area. So the bull fight we saw, there were 7 bulls killed that day.
Sound a bit sad? I guess it is. But their entire life, they are treated well in plentiful pastures with lots of lady cows around. They are only bred for the bull fight, so they have no other purpose in life. The bull fight was a bit bloody, but it was really interesting to see this cultural event. It was so different from anything else I’ve seen. I actually enjoyed seeing it. I hope you enjoy the pictures, although they really can’t do justice to the actual event.

Semana Santa in Sevilla

Semana Santa in Seville, Spain is quite a different experience than it is in America. It’s a really big deal here, where they celebrate an entirely different way than we do. Every day, starting Palm Sunday, the entire city is filled with people coming from all over the world and all around Seville to see the churches’ procession.
A brotherhood consists of people (some only men, some men and women), and depending on how many people they have, their processions may consist of hundreds of brothers. There are many different brotherhoods, each based out of a different church. Many have been around for hundreds of years, and own valuable religious pieces, such as crucifixes and candelabras, that they keep in their home church and bring out for Semana Santa. They wear robes of penitence when they walk through the processions, each wearing pointed hats much like those of the Ku Klux Klan. Each brotherhood wears a different color, or set of colors with their own seal embroidered somewhere on it.
A paso (pah-so) is like a float in a parade. Normally, each brotherhood’s procession has a Christ scene at the beginning of the procession (usually one of the stations of the cross) and a virgin figure at the end. Most of the virgins look the same with the exception of eye color and pattern on her train. Each of them rests under a canopy on a float filled with candles and flowers. She also has a crown on her head, usually gold and with many rays coming forth. Usually she is pictured crying with open hands, because of her son’s death. They each, also, have a long train that drapes over the back of the float.
A cofradilla (co-fra-dee-ya) is the name of the procession in spanish. It is the procession of one brotherhood, with their Christ figure in front, and their virgin figure in back. In between them walk all of the penitent brothers in their outfits, walking in 2 lines down the streets. Brothers vary in age, even very young children walk in the processions (with their parents close by to pull them out when they get tired). The main reason that the brothers walk in the procession is a show of penance. Some of the brothers actually carry the pasos, which each weigh a LOT, hundreds of pounds. These men wear workout-type clothes, as well as a rolled up towel on their shoulders to help protect them from the weight of the paso. There are backups as well, to take over after a while, so the other guys can take a break. Each paso will walk about 50 yards, then stop and put the paso down for a little while. When they make the turns, it gets really interesting to see all the practice and coordination they have had to put into this week.
Depending on where the church is located tells how long their walk will be. Some really far away churches have to walk about 14 hours. Each brotherhood carries their pasos to the Cathedral to be blessed and back. Their only real break is when they get to the Cathedral. That’s when they get a chance to go to the bathroom, before starting the journey back to their church. The whole time that they are out walking through the streets, people are walking alongside the procession to watch it go past. The bands that they have in the processions periodically play music to help keep the beat for all those walking. The guys under the floats walk in time to the music.
That’s about all I can write about Semana Santa in Seville, because it’s just something that needs to be seen. It’s such a different experience than anything I’ve seen in then United States. I can see why they make such a big deal out of it here. I hope everyone someday gets a chance to see what Semana Santa in Spain is all about.

Bon Jour de Paris!

Bon Jour!

What a great trip to Paris, France!!! It was so much fun. The only problem we had was some cold weather that I hadn’t packed sufficiently for, but other than that it was pretty amazing.

Kristen and I left Seville at about 9am on Friday, and after a layover in Barcelona, arrived in Paris. After taking the bus into town, the metro to our area, then trying to find our hostel and get checked in, we went for a walk around the streets of Paris. It was pretty cold and raining a little, so we just bought some French cookies at a local grocery store, and then went to get some sleep in our 10 bed mixed dorm room. Luckily we shared the room with 7 other girls from the CIEE program in Seville who were all from the USA. The other guy in the room we didn’t really see. The hostel was pretty clean, but it was still a hostel.


For breakfast, we got cereal, coffee, orange juice and baguettes with Nutella. That was a GREAT breakfast. Then we set off for a free walking tour around Paris leaving from our hotel and meeting the tour guides near St. Michael’s fountain. We walked around getting to see the Seine River, bridges, the Louvre, the Obelisk, and the Champs-Elysees. We got to hear a lot of interesting stories and history as well as get a feel for the city. After the tour, Kristen and I went to go see the Eiffel Tower up close! It was so great.



After standing in line for about 45 minutes, (and eating some French fries, lol) we started to climb the steps to the top (because it was cheaper than the elevator). It was really cold and windy up there, but so cool to get to see Paris from that high up. We decided to pay the extra amount to go to the very top, but after standing in line for about an hour, we found out that you had to buy tickets BEFORE standing in line, and the booth was already closed.  so we only got to go up to the 2nd level, but honestly the tower is cooler to look at than be on. Although it was a great view of the city. ;) At a little café outside of the Louvre, we stopped in to try our first French crepes. I think so far it is the best thing I have tasted in Europe. We tried a ham and cheese one (which was sooooooooooooo delicious) and a Nutella with whipped cream one, which made me realize just how much I now love Nutella. It was such a fun meal.

After taking about a hundred pictures of and with the Eiffel Tower, we headed back to our hostel, taking the confusing Paris metro. By the end of the weekend, we were pros at the metro.

The next morning, we set off for the Louvre! That was a fun experience, especially since we got library cards from the University of Seville, so they let us in for free! It was really fun to get to see all this famous art in a famous place, but it really was an art overload; I wasn’t really able to appreciate the art, and I definitely wasn’t able to see it all. I did, however, fight the crowds and saw the Mona Lisa, from about 20 feet away, since it was blocked off. It was also fun getting to see the halls and glass pyramids like in one of my favorite Dan Brown books The Da Vinci Code. After the Louvre ad the gardens, we walked over to the cathedral of Notre Dame! That was fun too, getting to see this famous church. I even heard the bells ring! After waiting in line for about an hour and a half, we got to walk up the 400 steps to the bell towers! (we also got in free to this, thanks to our library card). It was fun getting that view of Paris and getting to see the gargoyles and bell up close. Although we were there on Palm Sunday, we were still able to go inside the church and see it. I LOVED seeing all the stained glass in there, but since I’ve seen so many gothic Cathedrals already, it wasn’t as impressive as some of the others that I’ve seen. After going through the cathedral, we walked over and saw the Arch de Triumph. We walked down the famous Avenue de Champs-Elysees. There were so many people on that street, it was hard to walk. It was filled with outdoor cafes and stores like Louis Vitton, Chanel, and many other name brands that I can’t afford. In order to safely cross the most dangerous round-a-bout in Europe, we walked through the underground passage to the Arch de Triumph. Although we had to pay to go up, it was worth it. After only a few hundred more steps, we had a great view of Paris.

That evening, we went and ate some more crepes, where we actually got to see the guy making the crepes. It was fun to see how it’s done, as well as eat the delicious bacon, egg, and cheese crepe and the apple cinnamon crepe. They are sooooooo good!!! We then went across the river from the Eiffel Tower so that we could get a great view of it at night. Although it was cold and windy up on the steps of the building across from the tower, it was worth the wait. We got to see the tower light up, then we even got to see it sparkle, like it does every hour on the hour at night. It was so spectacular to get to see. Of all the things in Paris that weren’t as majestic in real life as I originally imagined (and as I had seen in movies), seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night was truly amazing; one of my favorite memories of Paris.
Monday we set out early to go see the Museum de Orsay, that houses Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, and many others. The only problem was that Monday is the day the museum is closed.  I was very disappointed by this, but we ended up walking around and really having a fun time in Paris. I tried French coffee along with a croissant and a French raisin bun. We had fun shopping and seeing the streets of Paris. That afternoon we took a group tour of the neighborhood of Montmatre (mountain of the martyrs). This is a gorgeous area of Paris where Picasso lived and worked, as well as many other artists. I saw the Moulin Rouge nightclub (where the can-can originated as well as the strip tease). This area of Paris really fits the ideas of Paris: beautiful houses covered in vines, cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes, artists selling their work, history, and so much more. Because it is built on the hill, by the time we walked all the way to the Sacre Dote, (church on the hill), we had another great view of Paris. I even stopped by a street vendor and tried something that I had seen in many stores, which turned out to be just a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with more cheese on top. It was really good though. That was such a fun tour. After that, we hopped on the metro, got a little turned around at the station trying to figure out which one to take to the airport, then finally boarded the right one and headed out to Orly airport. As we flew out over Paris at 9pm, I got my last view of Paris. I was really glad we had a late flight, because getting to see Paris lit up at night from the air was amazing as well. There were golden lights everywhere, we could see the Eiffel Tower, and we got to appreciate just how huge Paris is. We also got to see the moonlight on the clouds from a different angle than ever before.

It was such a fun trip, getting to see all this historic and famous stuff. Although we knew Paris was in France, we forgot that they speak French there; a language neither one of us spoke. I hope to go back someday and be able to show other people the greatness of Paris, but I’m glad I don’t live there. We were able to get along fine, but it was nice to get back to Seville where we knew where things were, how things were done, and we could read the signs and understand the people talk. It was an amazing trip, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it. :)

Au Revoir!


French phrases I’ve learned: (don’t really know how to spell them though)

Bon Jour- hello
Au Revoir- goodbye
Je tem- I love you
Toilettes- toilets (bathroom)
Boisson- drink
Je suis contao- I’m content
Merci- thank you
SVP- sil vous plais- please
Café- coffee
Oui- yes
Non- no
Rue- street
Musee- museum
Moulin Rouge- red windmill
Femmes- girls

Spring Break in Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia

What a great week in Spain! This past week for Spring break I went with my group to Toledo, Segovia, then to Madrid! It was soooo much fun. Summary: On Tuesday we went to Toledo, which was a gorgeous city. Wednesday, I took the train into Madrid to meet up with a friend, her dad, and my high school Spanish teacher who were all in Madrid for their spring break with a group from my high school. we then went to Segovia, one of my favorite cities so far. I got to visit the castle there, from which the Walt Disney castle was modeled and saw a first-century Roman aqueduct that is still standing. Then we went to the valley of the fallen, which is a church built into the side of a mountain and a really tall cross to commemorate those who lost their lives during the Spanish Civil War. From there, we visited the palace of El Escorial. It was huge and really cool to see. After that, we met back up with our group from Tech. Being that it was also St. Patty’s day, me and my friend went to an Irish pub and drank a guiness and met a guy from Iceland named Raggy.


Thursday, our group went to La Granja, which is another Spanish palace about an hour outside of Madrid. After seeing that, we went to Segovia (the city I had gone to the previous day with the other group). I got to see the Cathedral there and try their famous suckling pig dish. Friday we went to the Prado in Madrid, where I got to see tons of cool art including Diego Velasquez’ “Las Meninas.” After that, we went to the Hard Rock Café where I had a cheeseburger, guacamole, and ice tea. It really hit the spot to eat good American food. The rest of that day was filled with walking around Madrid shopping and enjoying the city. Saturday we visited the Royal Palace in Madrid, which was yet another beautiful palace of Spain. We ate at a Cuban restaurant for lunch, then I saw a Monet exhibit. That night, me and a friend went to go see Star Wars in Concert!!!! It was so amazing; the London Philharmonic Orchestra was spectacular, and the whole thing was narrated by Anthony Daniels, aka C3PO. Sunday morning we visited the Reina Sophia museum where I saw Picasso’s “Guernica” and a few paintings by Dali and Magritte. Then we boarded the train and home to Seville!

So that’s a basic recap of my great week in Spain. Now I’m going to write more detail about each, more for myself so I can try to remember it all than for anyone’s leisure reading. So read it if you want or if you’re interested, if not, you can just look at facebook pictures which I hope to have up soon!! That’s it for now. 



Calatrava: On Tuesday after getting on the bus at 6:30am, we headed off for Toledo. About 4 hours later, we arrived at the old Spanish fortress of Calatrava. It is basically a castle built of stone that used to protect Spain. It was really cool to see, built entirely out of stone.

Almagro: After Calatrava, we went to the city of Almagro for lunch. There we visited the theater that the famous Spanish playwright Lope de Vega wrote and performed many of his plays. Almagro is famous for their handmade lace, although I didn’t buy any. After Almagro, we visited the windmills of La Mancha, where the famous scene from Don Quijote takes place.

Toledo: City about an hour outside of Madrid. It was really hilly, but beautiful. It’s known for its blades, they were making steel before they knew what it was. I got to see replicas of Lord of the Rings swords, although I only bought a mini one. We ate dinner at an outdoor café, then returned to the hotel because we were so tired.

Meeting Friends: On Wednesday, Julie Hartsfield and I rode the train into Madrid and met up with a group from our high school led by our Spanish teacher. Her sister was in the group, as was my friend Maddie Stockwell and her dad. So I got the spend the day with them going around on their bus.

Segovia: A small town about an hour away from Madrid. It has a first-century aqueduct built by the romans that is still functional today, although it’s not being used. It was gorgeous to see, and really cool to know that it was built without any cement: it’s just rocks. Then we walked by the Cathedral, which was so cold inside because of all the stones. It was brighter than the Cathedral at Seville and had more side chapels. Then I tried a pastry from Segovia, which was sticky but delicious. We got to tour the Castle of Segovia, for which Walt Disney’s Snow White castle was based. It was really like a medieval castle, complete with moat.  We even got to go up on the high tower, up the steep winding staircase. It was such a beautiful view of Segovia. When I visited Segovia again the next day with my group, we tried the famous suckling pig dish. It’s basically a baby pig cooked to where it’s so tender, they don’t cut it with a knife, they just use the plate. It was very delicious. I drank a white wine with the meal that I liked so much I bought a bottle of. It’s actually made in Segovia, which I thought was fun.

Valle de los Caidos: Valley of the fallen. Up in the mountains around Segovia there’s a church carved into one of the mountains with a huge cross built on top. It is basically a monument built to honor those who died in the Spanish Civil War, and is also the resting place of the king who commissioned the work done. It also had a great view of the landscape around that area, along with the snow on the snow topped mountains surrounding it.

El Escorial: Spanish Palace about an hour and a half outside of Madrid. It is a massive building with thousands of rooms used as the summer palace for the royal family. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, but it was beautiful. My favorite parts were the marble floors and the German inlaid wooden doorframes. We also got to go down into the crypts, where most of the royals are buried. Each of the kings along with the mother of the next king are buried there, with only enough open spaces for the remaining king. There is also one women buried among the kings, because she was the ruler. Therefore, her husband is buried on the side with all the women. I find that funny. There are also hundreds more tombs down there, most made of beautiful marble. I got to see Don Juan, who apparently was a very handsome noble of the Austrian line who won over many ladies. There was also a special crypt shaped like a wedding cake where they buried all the royal children who died before the age of 8. The good thing is, it’s not full. So not that many children died, although the infant mortality rate was really high. After seeing the palace, we walked around the city a bit, where our tour guide took us to a place to try the locally made almond liqueur and hold a locally made rosary made out of rose pedals. It made your hands smell nice too. 

St. Patty’s Day: Since it was Saint Patrick’s day when we got back, my friend Ashley and I decided that we shouldn’t just stay in the hotel, so we went out and stopped at an irish-style pub. We ordered a pint of Guiness beer each, and because we did that we got a free hat. I didn’t like the Guiness all that much, but I’m not really a beer fan. I did finish the whole pint, however. Then we had a guy come up to us and start talking to us. Turns out, he’s from Iceland studied theater in Spain. He was really cool. He also introduced us to his friend from England Rose and a friend from Madrid Ruben. They invited us to go to a discoteca with them, but it was late already and we had an excursion the next morning. It was a really fun experience getting to meet new people from all over the world.

La Granja: On Thursday, we headed for La Granja, about a 20 minute bus ride from Madrid. It is a summer palace for the royal family. The palace was covered in marble floors, frescoed ceilings, and crystal chandeliers. Many of the chandeliers were made in La Granja in the crystal and galss-blowing factory that they had there. I didn’t’ have time to visit the factory, but it was fun seeing the crystal in the palace. It also had a nice clock collection from Charles V. The gardens were pretty, but I didn’t’ get to see much of them because of the little bit of rain we had that morning. The palace also had a lot of statues that were fun to look at. I also bought some Spanish chocolate, which I actually haven’t tried yet.

Walking in Madrid: On Thursday night I decided to go for a walk by myself in Madrid. I walked by the Palace and Cathedral, then just started walking. Because of the construction that was going on, I ended up getting a little lost. I finally found my way back to familiar streets. It was a fun experience.

The Prado Museum: Friday morning we went to check out the famous Prado Museum. We ended up staying there for about 4 hours looking at all the paintings. There was just so much to look at, I really enjoyed it. I got to see lots of Goya, El Greco, and Velazquez. I saw Velasquez’ “Las Meninas,” Bosche’s famous triptych, and Goya’s “2nd of May” and “3rd of May.” I also say some other paintings that I really liked, as well as some marble-inlaid tables. I wish I could have one of those, they were so beautiful.

Hard Rock Café Madrid: Yes, we couldn’t help ourselves, we went to Hard Rock café. It was really expensive, but I got to eat delicious American food: a cheeseburger with guacamole (that actually had a little something spicy in it) and ice tea. I even bought a t-shirt. 

Discotecas: Friday night me, Josh, and Ashley tried out a few different wines. I loved josh’s white wine, and I bought a rose wine. Ashley didn’t drink much, so Josh and I pretty much drank the rest. I was feeling pretty good. Then Ashley and I decided to go try to find a discoteca in Madrid, and fun adventure. Turns out they were all charging 12 or 15 euros entry because it was the weekend, so we ended up just walking around Madrid and got some French fries at Burger King.

The Palace of Madrid: Saturday morning we woke up bright and early again and walked over to the Palace in Madrid. We waited in line then went inside for the tour. We got to walk through the old pharmacy, as well as other parts of the palace. Again, it was just another cool palace, but this one had a lot of embroidered walls, frescoed ceilings, more clocks, more marble, more chandeliers, and more beautiful woodwork. Each of the palaces all had at least one room decorated in an Asian style because the queen liked it. Outside in a little courtyard we saw a peacock, although it didn’t’ have its tail up. 

Cathedral: We walked around inside the Cathedral for awhile. It seemed much newer and modern than the other cathedrals I’ve seen, but it was still similar. It was gothic style with high pillars, stained glass, and chapels all along the sides.

Cuban Food: We ate a Cuban restaurant recommended by our professor for lunch. We shared some fried plantains (which were basically fried bananas) which were Sooooooooooooooooooooooo delicious. I also had “typical cuban rice” (yes, that’s what it said on the menu) which was white rice with fried eggs and a tomato sauce. It was actually pretty good.

Monet Exhibit: That afternoon I went to a small museum near our hotel that was showing a Monet exhibit. I really like Monet, so I enjoyed getting to see some of his waterlily paintings and others. I even saw a painting of his called “Weeping Willow” that is usually housed in the art museum in Fort Worth.

Star Wars in Concert: We got to see Star Wars in Concert!!! It was so much fun. There were thousands of people in this giant Plaza de Deportes, and we had seats in the VERY top row. But it was still great, I LOVED hearing the London Philharmonic Orchestra play and have Anthony Daniels (aka C3PO) narrate the story in English (with Spanish subtitles). It was just so much fun. AND I bought a really expensive t-shirt, but it only had the dates of the European tour on it, so Lubbock isn’t written on it. But that’s ok. It was so worth it. 

Reina Sophia Museum: This morning after taking my luggage to the Atocha Train station to put with the group luggage, we went to the museum of modern art called the Reina Sophia. I got to see “Guernica” by Picasso! I also say a few other Picasso paintings as well as a Magritte and a few Dali paintings. It was a cool experience, although the other pieces of “modern art” I didn’t understand and don’t know why they are in a museum at all.

Atocha Train Station: Sunday morning I walked from the Hotel to the train station (about a 30 minute walk for me). We went to the museum, then grabbed a snack and boarded the train. 2 and a half hours later I was getting off the train in Seville, where it was about 25⁰C (about 70⁰F). On board we watched “Surrogates” a movie with Bruce Willis. It wasn’t my favorite movie. Anyway, then I took a nap and we were home! (When I say home, I mean my Spanish home in Sevilla).

Anyway. That was my weekend in detail, although I know there are more details that I’ve already forgotten. But I have plenty of pictures to remind me of this trip. Hope you like them. :D

Weekend in Seville with un poquito of sun

So it was a pretty boring week in Seville for me. I’ve been trying to get over being sick, and it’s been raining a lot (still) so I’ve pretty much just gone to class then stayed inside reading and watching Lord of the Rings. However, Saturday was a pretty fun day. First, Kristen and I went walking around and went to the Anthropology museum. Although it was raining as we were walking, it was still fun. Then, Saturday night, we had a great girl’s night out. We went to a bar and shared a bottle of rose wine, then went to a pasteleria and got some chocolate pastries which were DELICIOUS. Then we went to the Arab bathes of Seville.
The Arab bathes are basically an Arabic spa. We made appointments for midnight, because that was the only time they had left. We got there a little early and shared a pot of Sevilla Te, which was basically an orange flavored black tea. Then we changed into our bathing suits, put on the provided non-slip slipper things, then went for our hour and a half in the warm underground bathes of the bathhouse. It felt so relaxing just to be in warm water, then going into the hotter bath, with short stays in the cool bath just to cool down a bit in between. There were about 30 people in our group, but the place was big enough that there was plenty of room. In the middle of our soaking, we got a 15 minute massage. Although it wasn’t nearly hard or long enough, it still felt great. I got to have a good-looking Spanish guy rub oil on my bare back in the dark aromatherapy-filled room, then back to the bathes for the rest of our time. It was so relaxing and such a great girl’s night. That’s that I call a Saturday night in Spain. So worth the money and the cab ride home.
Today, after mass, THERE WAS SUN!!!!! We got a cup of coffee (I tired coffee with cinnamon, which was pretty good), and we got to sit outside the café at a table in the sun. It was so great being able to sit outside in just a t-shirt. And right now, it’s still sunny! I can definitely get used to this weather. Please pray that it stays like this and NO MORE RAIN!!! And, I think I’m finally getting better. I’m coughing less, although there is still a little bit of gunk in my lungs, but I think it’s almost gone. And my back is starting to feel better too, although that may just be from the prescription pain killers PLUS ibuprofen.  Either way, it’s been a great weekend in Spain. :D