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

Portugal

This past weekend, we traveled to Portugal. It would have been really fun, had it not been rainy and had I not been coughing and in pain all weekend. These things aside, it was fun being able to see another country really close to Spain.
We left Thursday morning, the day after finals were over for the classes in the first half of the semester. After checking into the hotel, we went and visited the Tower or Belém. It is a pretty small tower built many years ago (I can’t remember the actual year) and since then, the coast of Lisbon has never been successfully attacked. We got to climb the stairs and look out the top, which gave us a beautiful view of Lisbon, included the April 28th Bridge, which was built by the same people who built the Golden Gate Bridge, so it looked pretty similar. Then we went to a monastery, which was really pretty. That night, we went and ate at a Brazilian steakhouse, where we ate delicious fried bananas, a wide variety of wonderful meats (chicken, sausage, roast beef, other types of beef) and topped it off with Vino Verde, aka green wine. It’s basically carbonated white wine made in Portugal, and it was DELICIOUS. Throughout the weekend, I also got to try port, which was too strong for my taste, madero , which is another Portuguese wine that was too sweet for me, and ginja, which is a Portuguese cherry liqueur, which I liked.
Friday morning, we went to the Christo del Rey, which is a giant statue at the entrance to Lisbon. We got to go to the top and look out, seeing pretty much all of Lisbon. The only bad thing was it cost 4 euro to go to the top, but it was worth it. Afterwards, we went to the Oceanarium, which was a giant aquarium that was a really cool experience. We took the metro from there (another new experience for me) to the biggest mall in Europe. The stores were pretty average, on the expensive end of stores, but it was a 3 storey mall with hundreds of stores and a large food court. There was a lot of art and things to look at around the mall too, so it was more than just stores.
Saturday we went souvenir shopping and walking around Portugal. Then we went to the art museum, then back to the hotel to rest. So overall, it was a fun trip, aside from being sick and the rain.

Port- sweet wine made in Portugal, I saw a few bottles from 1900 that cost 1600 euros!!!
Madero- fortified wine made in Portugal that has a roasted flavor.
Ginja- cherry liqueur made in Portugal
Vino Verde- green wine, basically carbonated white wine.

Morocco

I’ve been to Africa!!! I just got safely back to Seville from an amazing weekend in Morocco. In an all-included price, a group called We Love Spain took a large group of students on a professionally-planned trip to Morocco. We left Friday afternoon, took a bus to the coast, and then boarded a ferry that took us to Africa. That was my first boat ride, and it was sooooo cool. Luckily, I didn’t get sea-sick. When we arrived on the continent of Africa, we came in at the port of Ceuta, which is actually a Spanish city. So as we left the city, we came to the border, where we got our passports stamped, and entered into Morocco. From there, we went to our hotel in Tangiers. Saturday morning, after a breakfast of basically just bread in the hotel, we went on a tour of Tangiers. I touched the Mediterranean sea and the Atlantic ocean in the same day!!! AND that morning, I rode a camel! It was a real Moroccan camel, but it was only there in the northern part of Morocco for tourists. They only use camels like that in the southern part of morocco in the Sahara Desert.
We ate lunch at an authentic Moroccan restaurant: we ate Moroccan salad, an interesting Moroccan vegetable soup, couscous (rice dish with vegetables and beef), then mint green tea and a cookie with sesame seeds on it. I drank a Moroccan coke, which was even sweeter than Spanish coke, which is even sweeter than American coke. It was delicious though. As we ate, we got entertained by some Moroccan musicians, an acrobat, and a belly dancer. Then, I got a henna tattoo on my hand. The lady drew a floral design on my hand, then I let it dry, it peeled off, and now I have an orangish tattoo that should last about 5-10 days. 
That afternoon, we went to a spice market, where we learned a little about Moroccan spices. Then we walked through the city and the markets and got to do a little shopping and practicing bargaining. One thing I learned about Morocco: there are no set prices. It seemed like nothing had a price on it, and when you ask the guys how much something costs, they make up a price. The point is to bargain with them until you come to a trade. It’s pretty fun, but it takes practice, I think. Then as we walk down the street, little street vendors walk along side us trying to sell us little trinkets like bracelets, postcards, drums, and gum. It was a fun walk through the city.
Saturday night we stayed in Tetuan, where we ate a good chicken dish for dinner. After dinner, we walked along the beach of the Mediterranean Sea for a little bit, before heading for bed early because we were so tired. Breakfast at the second hotel was basically the same as the first, bread and really black Moroccan coffee with milk. We then took the bus along many windy mountain roads to a little town I can’t remember the name of. We had a really cute little old man for a tour guide who spoke English with a really funny accent. Although it was fun, it was raining and we got wet. That put a damper on our fun, literally. Lunch was again in an authentic Moroccan restaurant, with salad that looked just like pico de gallo, beef stew, and fruit salad. And of course tons of bread. I had a sprite which, just like the coke, was really sweet, but delicious. After lunch, we went to a rug and weaving store where they showed us many locally handmade scarves, bedspreads, and rugs. I couldn’t help myself; I bought a handmade silk scarf that is blue and green. We also got to stop at a local bakery and I tried a few Moroccan cookies, all of which were delicious. Of course. After a little more shopping, we hopped back on the bus and headed back to the border, where our passports were stamped again, then back onto the ferry and home to Seville.
It was a long tiring weekend, especially since I was still a little sick and coughing all weekend, but it was so worth it. I had a lot of fun, tried a lot of new things, and going with that big professional group was definitely the best idea. I’m so glad I went, since I don’t know if I will ever get to experience Africa again. PLUS I got my passport stamped!!!  Can’t wait to post pictures so you all can see some of the things I saw. Well, that’s all for now!

Why I Love the People of Seville

So I finally decided to go to the doctor today. I had a cold almost 2 and a half weeks ago, which I got over, except for the cough. This dang cough has stuck with me since, and has really been starting to annoy me. So I went to the pharmacy the other day and got cough syrup for a very mucus filled cough and some cough drops. When that didn't work, I went back and got some more cough syrup for a dry cough. Finally, when THAT didn't work, I decided to just give up and go to the doctor for something stronger.

So after English class today, we went to the oldest bar in Seville, which was about a 7 minute walk from the school, to an area of town I don't know very well. After leaving the bar, I headed toward my doctor's appointment (which I was going to by myself), and wasn't sure which was I was headed. So I am walking around the streets of Seville, it's pouring rain, dark, cold, I'm alone, don't know where I am,coughing, and basically on the verge of tears. Finally, the street I am on leads me right back to the school, then I make my way to the doctor's office from there. When I get there, the receptionist isn't the nicest to me, but we get through that.

Then the doctor calls me into his office. This is where the story turns good. He was so nice to me. He asked if he needed to speak slower, but I understood him perfectly. He was very nice, and really explained everything very well. He told me that I have and inflamation of the pharynx, aka a very sick throat. He wrote me a prescription, along with a little chart on the back of when to take them. He was so nice and explained it so well, I felt really comfortable. I also told him I was going to Morocco this weekend, and he told me to be careful with what I eat since he's had a lot of american students come in after visiting Morocco with diarrhea. Ew. He also told me to drink bottled water only because of infections.

Following this great experience (where I spoke and was spoken to only in Spanish, by myself) I headed home stopping by a pharmacy on the way. The guy at the pharmacy also made my day. He was very kind, told me I spoke good Spanish, tried to ask me how long the prescription was for in English. When I didn't know how long it was for (4 days or 7), I made the executive decision to get the amount for 7 just in case. So here is me being decisive!!! I'm so proud of me. Then he gave me my drugs (an antibiotic, cough syrup, and something like a pain killer that he suggested over ibuprofen), told me I spoke very good spanish, and I helped him with the phrase "How long is the prescription for?" in English. Then I left and came to mcdonalds to post this blog and eat an ice cream cone for my throat. :D

So basically, 5 minutes before my appointment I was on the verge of tears. 5 minutes after leaving my appointment I was smiling. Thanks to the very kind people of Seville who treated me well and helped me gain confidence in my abilities of speaking Spanish, plus the fact that I accomplished this all on my own. It was an interesting evening. :D

More of Spain and Spanish Food

Although this weekend was pretty fun, I am getting really tired of the rain. On Friday we went to a town about an hour by bus away from Seville where Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world back in 1492. It would have been really cool to go see the replicas of the 3 ships out in the harbor, except it was raining and really cold. When we got to the monastery La Rábida, we got to go inside and see the beautiful place where Christopher Columbus asked for help from one of the monks who was really close with Queen Isabella.
On our way back from Huelva (the city where we were) we stopped by a beach really nearby where I got to touch the Atlantic Ocean!!! So I’ve been to both sides of Spain and gotten to touch the Atlantic Ocean AND the Mediterranean Sea! I would have been even more excited had it not been raining. Oh well, I plan to go back when it’s sunny.
That night, my friend Kristen and I went out and tried Churros con Chocolate, which were AMAZING! It was a fried churro served with a cup of hot chocolate so thick it was like melted chocolate. Saturday, I learned to cook some Spanish food with my housemom, Amalia. We made pisto, which is basically fried green peppers, red peppers, onions, squash, and eggplant in a tomato sauce. We also had a fruit salad with a mustard/vinegar dressing that I learned to make also. It was a lot of fun and I hope to learn to cook more delicious Spanish food soon. After that, Kristen and I went out exploring Seville. We ended up walking a lot, tried gofres con chocolates (waffles with ice cream and chocolate sauce on top) and finding a really fun outdoor market. There were a bunch of tents with vendors selling things from many different part of Europe: jewelry, rugs, candy, bags, hats, scarves, etc . Sunday was mass at the Cathedral, coffee with friends, and then Kristen and I went and saw Tiana y el Sapo. It was the Spanish version of the movie The Princess and the Frog. It was so cute, and they even translated all the songs into Spanish. It was a great weekend. Even though I couldn’t spend it with my boyfriend, Valentine’s Day was pretty fun.
Update on Spanish food:
~Battered and fried cauliflower= delicious
~Churros con chocolate- fried breading like a funnel cake served with a cup of hot chocolate like melted chocolate
~Gofres con chocolate- hot waffle topped with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce
~Cuñitas- two layers of a bread-like cake with some cream in the middle with a little chocolate on top
~Rosquitos- basically cinnamon/sugar covered doughnuts
~Fanta Limón- lemon flavored fanta, made with real sugar. DELICIOUS!! (and not very good for you)
~Cafe con leche- delicious coffee with milk
~cafe cortado- coffee with a little milk. usually served in a smaller cup
~Cafe solo- just coffee. usually served really strong in a really small cup. it makes it seem like you get less for your money, but it's still pretty good.
~Pisto- Olive-oli fried green peppers, red peppers, onions, squash, eggplant, in a tomato sauce
~Melocoton- peach. :)

Stories from the Alhambra

So I just got back from my trip to Granada, Spain. It was so beautiful, I really had fun.
It was a school planned trip, so we left Friday morning at 7am. That was very early. We rode the bus for about 2 and half hours, with one stop at a gas station (which had really great café con leche). When we got to Granada, we went straight to the Alhambra. This is an Arabic palace where the Moorish sultan would live and rule in the 14th century for many years after they took it over from the Christians. Granada is located on a hill, next to the tallest peak in Spain. There was a lot of snow on the tall peak, so some people went skiing (I didn’t). The Alhambra was so beautiful on the inside, with patios decorated with beautiful pillars, gardens, and so much detail on the walls. The main colors that they decorated with are yellow (air), red (fire), blue (earth), and green (but I can’t remember what that stood for). Many ceilings were decorated in intricately sculpted wood. We got to see the throne room where the sultan would work from, which also happened to be the same room that Ferdinand and Isabel gave Christopher Columbus the money to go discover America. Also inside the palace were the rooms that Washington Irving stayed in and inspired him to write many of his works. Charles V also used the Alhambra for his honeymoon.
After looking inside the Alhambra, we walked through the gorgeous gardens that are near it. Following the guide through the maze of a garden, we went to the summer house for the sultan. Located on a neighboring hill that was cooler in the summer, we had a great view of both the Alhambra and Granada. It was such a cool sight to see.
After the Alhambra, we went to the Capilla Real, where the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabel are. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t let us take pictures, but it was a really beautiful church with big tombs sculpted from white marble. Following the Capilla, we went right next door to the Granada Cathedral, which was of course amazing. This cathedral is more light and open than the Cathedral in Seville because it is all painted white. There are more beautiful doorways and chapels, as well as a gorgeous altar. They also had some giant choir books that they would put on a stand and turn so those in the choir could read them. That way, the church would only need to buy two of each book, not having to buy one for every member of the choir.
Outside of the Cathedral, we went to a little spice market, where I was able to get 2 grams of saphron for 7,5 euros. The leader of our group told us that buying an amount of Saphron that costs about 30 euros in Granada would cost about $400 in the States. What a difference!! So I bought a little of that, in addition to a bag of ground white vanilla and some Andalusian tea. The smells from that market were so delicious and appealing. I wish I could take a picture of the smell so that I could share it, but I’ll just have to remember it and try to bring some of the tea home with me.
After that bit of shopping, we went to get some Kabobs for dinner. We found a nice little whole-in-the-wall place and had an amazing kabob for 3 euro. Then of course we went and got some ice cream. That night, we went with a big group of us went up to the gypsy cave (an area of gypsy descendants about a 15 minute bus ride from Granada). For 16 euros, we got a bus ride from the hotel, a sangria, and a show of authentic flamenco dancing. In addition, during the performance, the dancers chose a few of us to get on the little stage in the middle of the floor and do a little flamenco dancing with them. One of the older ladies dancing actually chose me!!!!! So I got to dance for a few minutes with a REAL flamenco dancer making a fool of myself in front of everyone. It was AWESOME! I can’t believe I had that chance, since only about 5 other people did. How often and I going to get a chance to do that again? Never! So that was a great little addition to my night. Following the show, which was really interesting and worth the money, one of the guys gave us a little tour around that part of Granada. It was beautiful at night, and I could even see the stars.
When we got back to the hotel, me and my roommates for the night, Kristen and Loki, went to go find a drink. We went to a bar that was close to the hotel and ordered a glass of wine. We started talking to the bar tender (in Spanish of course) and he was impressed by us Americans speaking Spanish. He ended up treating us to free tapas, tortilla on bread and croquettas*. It was a lot of fun talking with him and having wine and tapas.
*Croquettas are fried deliciousness that looks like a cheese stick. It’s shredded chicken mixed with flour and egg and a few other things I think. Then it’s cooled, then rolled and cut. Then they bread it and fry it and they are the most delicious thing ever! Our house mom makes really great croquettas, but she says they are a lot of work to make.

Today (Saturday), we got up and had a delicious breakfast at the hotel. Then my English class walked to the house of the famous Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. It was his summer home and still holds the original furniture and stuff. It was pretty cool to see, especially since we’re about to start studying some of his poems. After his house, we were free to go, and me and some girls went shopping in the center part of time.
We went to a beautiful jewelry store where I couldn’t help but buy an Italian-made hair clip. If I had a million dollars, I think I would be happy buying all of the contents of that store. After that, we just walked around that area looking at things in the shops, then eating roast chicken for lunch. It really was a great trip, and I had a lot of fun. Check out the pictures for more details!!!!

Barcelona!

Barcelona!

This past weekend was my trip to Barcelona, Spain. It was so amazing and I had so much fun. So here’s a little recap of my adventures!!
~Friday- I left Seville on a plane for an hour and a half to Barcelona. When we got there, we took the bus into town to the Plaza de Catalunya. From there, me and the 5 other girls that I was traveling with took out our maps and walked a few blocks to the Cathedral, then about 2 more blocks to our hostel (for more details, see below). After checking in, we were hungry, so we ventured out to find some food. The only thing that was open that was close enough that we wouldn’t get lost was McDonald’s, so I tried my first McDonald’s hamburger in Spain! It was about the same, the French fries taste the same, just a little bit better. They have a few different menu items, such as a doughnut and coffee and Toblerone McFlurry’s. After that, me, Kristen, and Sarah went out on our own to find some Cava, a local version of Champagne. It was really good. Me and Sarah tried the white Cava, while Kristen (our wine lover who’s taken a class on wine) had the blush Cava. It was really good and fun because it is grown right outside of Barcelona, where we were. After that, we went back to the hostel to get ready for our big day of touring.
~Saturday- Sarah, Kristen, and I went out on our own on Saturday, leaving the hostel about 9am to find some coffee. Unfortunately, Spain is on a different time schedule than we are used to, and it took us until about 9:30am to find a coffee place that was open. We finally found one, went in, and had a nice cup of café con leche. After that, we took out the maps they gave us at the hostel, and took off exploring, me being the main navigator. We first went to visit the Sangrada Familia, a huge gothic Cathedral designed by Gaudí that is still under construction, not finished. Because it cost 10 euro to go inside, we just stayed outside and took a few pictures. It was a really impressive building. After that, we hit a few souvenir shops then headed to the coast. Since I have never seen an ocean or a sea, this was truly an eye-opening experience. Seeing the coast of the Mediterranean Sea was absolutely amazing. We had some fun taking a few pictures, then walked along the beach. I had so much fun just looking out at the horizon, watching the blue waves run across the sand, listening to the real sound of waves crashing, and just appreciating the amazing view I was seeing. After walking a few miles along the beach, we went further inland where we found a cute pastry shop, which was delicious. I had a Fanta Limón to drink, which I think is my new favorite drink in Spain (since the Coca-cola light is NOT like diet coke, I don’t care what they say). A little while later, and a few more miles later, we stopped for lunch, where I got bread, salad, French fries, delicious salmon, and a glass of blush wine for 5,95 euros. Then we walked some more to the Park Montjuic. It was so beautiful. As we walked along the path, there was a smaller, unpaved path leading a different direction that we decided to explore. After awhile, we realized that there was no more path, so we started climbing to the building that was close above us. We ended up coming out of a gated area that had a “authorized personnel only sign.” Oops. It was a really fun adventure though. Following that, we finished walking through the park a bit, then headed back through the city to our hostel. We took a short nap (after walking all day we needed it) then went out to a popular looking street and found a cute little bar/restaurant for tapas. We split croquetes, (a fried chicken snack that’s DECLICIOUS), some pickled veggies, bread topped with a spicy (“spicy” for Spain is not spicy at all for us) sausage, and some patatas bravas (cooked potatoes with a spicy-ish red sauce). With that I tried a glass of their house white wine. It was a fun place with good food. After that we went in search of a place called Bubo, who makes the 2005 voted best chocolate cake in the world. For 3,50 euro, it was about a 3 inches in diameter circle about 1 inch thick chocolate dessert with a bit of coffee flavoring and a dark chocolate coating. It was delicious, but we shared one to try it, then went for ice cream for a real dessert. After dropping off a sick-feeling Sarah at the hostel, Kristen and I went out for another walk and ended up tasting a few more wines. We tried a local white and red wine, along with another brand of Cava. It was a really fun night.
~Sunday-Then this morning we went to another little café where I got a café con leche and a croissant. After that, we went to another walk around the city to see the Arc of Triumph. Another ice cream cone and a small bocadillo (made with Canadian bacon and cheese, very delicious) later, we got back on the bus to go to the Airport and return to Sevilla. I’m glad I got to visit Barcelona, but I’m glad I live in Seville. This was the first time that I’ve come back to Seville and almost felt that coming home feeling. It’s nice to be back in my own bed here where things are familiar. Now back to class tomorrow, then Granada on Friday!!!
~Hostel- my first hostel experience= not too bad. We got to the hostel, I had never stayed in one so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a cute little place holding, I think, about 30 people. It was so colorful with decorated paintings everywhere. The desk people were really nice. It was 6 of us Tech girls staying together with 2 strangers (who turned out to both be guys) sharing a bathroom with all the girls in the hostel. They had towels for rent, and they supplied sheets, blankets, and pillows. They also had lockers in the rooms to lock your stuff. I have to say that the hostel experience is a cheap way to go, but you kind of get what you pay for. However, I thought it was very clean, friendly, colorful, and warm. So I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a great experience that I hope if I stay in another hostel, will go just as well.

Another Day in Seville

Hola! It’s been just a few average days in Seville. I don’t say great days, because I’ve been a little sick. I’ve had a bad cough, a sore throat, a fever, and today my stomach was hurting. But I think I’m getting better. I went to the pharmacy (very different here) and bought some delicious Cranberry flavored Ricola cough drops, which have helped tremendously. I have my first Spanish test on Thursday and my first big English paper due next Thursday. The good news is we finally finished the Odyssey and are moving on to other poems.
Today, I finally went to go check out La Plaza de España! It was so amazing. I took some good pictures, which I will post on facebook as soon as I can. There was a lot of construction going on, but it still looked amazing. In part of the plaza, there are these bench-lookin-like things, which I sat on and did homework for awhile, then read more of my book the Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. It was the first time since I’ve been here that I felt hot. I was sitting in the direct sunlight blocked from the wind, and it felt amazing! I really enjoyed walking around looking at this beautiful building that is still used as a government building today. It is a beautiful curved structure with a lot of colorful paintings all over it. There is a flat stone area in front of it with a pretty fountain. You’ll just have to see the pictures to get an idea of it. I am really loving my book. It’s amazing that I can be sitting at the Plaza de España, a really beautiful place, and not even remember where I am because I’m so intrigued and taken into my book. That’s what Dan Brown does to you.
One of my favorite Spanish phrases has come to be “Cariñas, a comer,” meaning, come eat. The carina is just a term of endearment that my house mom Amalia uses with us all the time. Her other favorites are mi vida, meaning my life, and hija, or daughter. She really does treat us like her daughters. But back to the food. Amalia is a great cook. Breakfast is usually just milk, juice, and water along with either cereal or a muffin or croissant. They’re not really big breakfast eaters around here. Then for both lunch and dinner, there’s always a few loaves of delicious white bread that usually all gets eaten during each meal. She has made us some fish, but not too much because my roommate, Emily, told her she doesn’t like fish. Yesterday, however, along with leftover lasagna (which is different than in the United States, but still really good) we had fried fish. It still had the back bone in it, so I got to learn to cut it down the middle, take out the spine, then eat the rest. I thought it was really delicious. Tonight, we had an easy frozen pizza, topped with ham and mushroom. This isn’t the first time we’ve had this pizza, but it’s still delicious. Other foods that I’ve tried include vegetable soup with homemade croutons (cut up bits of bread fried in olive oil), salad (lettuce, carrots, corn, and onions topped with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper or some mixture of all), paella (rice, meat, and seafood dish REALLY popular in Spain), and of course, the on-the-go lunch: a bocadillo. The difference between a bocadillo and a sandwich: a bocadillo is usually a whole loaf of bread, similar to those at Subway, but a little longer, filled with either ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, tuna, or tortilla. The tortilla here is basically an omelet. They’re really good. The tortillas that we’ve had in the house have been round, about 1 inch thick scrambled eggs with potato and I think onion all mixed together. A sandwich here is usually on sliced white bread and may sometimes contain other vegetables or condiments, unlike the bocadillos. Wheat bread is harder to come by here. It’s an idea that’s been passed down for centuries that a more technologically savvy country or society will have better methods for creating really refined flour for really white bread. So everyone here eats a lot of white bread, and I’m starting to miss wheat bread. I also miss Jason’s Deli, where sandwiches have so many toppings and veggies on them it’s hard to remember and name them all. Oh well, Spanish food is good and I am enjoying almost all of it.
I guess that’s about it for now. Just a few fairly average days living in Spain. :D The really exciting news is that on Friday I am going to Barcelona for the weekend with a few friends. We’ll be leaving at about 7pm and coming back Sunday evening. I won’t have internet, since I’m traveling light and staying in my first hostel (wish me luck). But I will be sure to take loads of pictures and tell you all about it when I get back. So I’ll come back with great stories and pictures from Barcelona. That’s all folks! (for now that is).

Seville Week 2 and Córdoba

Hi everyone!
So it’s a rainy day here in Seville, so our tours of Seville today got cancelled. So I got to sleep in and catch up on some reading. It’s a good thing I get to stay inside all day, because I have a little bit of a cold, I think.
Yesterday we traveled to nearby Córdoba, a city in the same region as Seville. We took a bus for about an hour and a half, then arrived in the city. We went to visit the Mosque and the Cathedral, which was really easy because they are both in the same place: literally. The great mosque was built when the Moors controlled Spain, but when the Catholics took over, they decided to built a Cathedral. Instead of using a different spot of land, they just built in right inside the Mosque! So they have this amazing mosque filled with hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful Roman and Moorish pillars, almost like a geometrical forest of pillars, then right in the middle, the Christians removed some of the pillars and built a Cathedral right inside of it. It would have been a beautiful Cathedral, had it not ruined the beautiful mosque that was there. It ruins the absolute beauty of all the pillars being able to be viewed from all over, by putting this cathedral really out of place smack dab in the middle. These pictures can by no means do it justice, but they can give you a general idea of the place. It really was truly amazing to see this place. And the orange patio outside the mosque was really beautiful too.

After seeing the Mosque/Cathedral, we had a chance to just walk around the city and look around. It reminded me a lot of Seville, but it was still cool to see. I have a few pictures that I’ll post on facebook. It was a lot of fun to see this place and I can’t wait for Barcelona next weekend and Granada the weekend after.

Work and Food

So I just got back from my first day at work at the bookstore across the street. I´m not entirely sure if it´s going to be the greatest experience, just because I dont think there´s that much I will be able to do there. I would love to just read through all the books, but that´s not what I´m there for. I will just keep learning as I go. the two people that work there were nice at least. The lady bought me a coke, which tastes a little different than in the states. Unfortunately, the diet coke here is REALLY different, and I don´t like it. So today I tried a regular coke. I guess it´s a good thing so that I won´t drink as many cokes while I´m here.

On Friday we´re going on a day trip to Cordoba. Then on Saturday morning we´re going to a few places around Seville. Next weekend, I made plans with a few girls to go on our first trip by ourselves to Barcelona. We fly out of Seville Friday evening, spend two nights in a hostel, and return Sunday evening. I hope to see the Cathedral and a few other buildings, but we have no specific plans to see stuff. I´m excited though.

Last night we had our first "intercambio" which is a spanish tutor. It´s manditory for everyone, and it´s not like a regular tutor. Last night me and my roommate went with a girl who´s actually from Peru studying here in Seville, and we walked around the downtown area and stopped for a Pepsi. It was a lot of fun, and easy to understand her. I think I´m going to enjoy this weekly meeting with a tutor.

Yesterday for lunch we had pista, which is a mix of vegetables in red sauce. It had green and red peppers, onions, squash, and eggplant. Yes, I ate eggplant and liked it. :) And it had fried potatoes with it, so it was a great meal. I eat a lot of bread here. There´s at least one loaf of good white bread at every meal, and I eat a lot of it. And I went to the grocery store and bought a bar of dark chocolate for .79 €. It´s delicious. I am going to be eating so much good food while I´m here. Good thing I walk to much and get to start my Sevillanas dance class next week.

So I guess that´s it for now. I will check email again before we leave for Cordoba, but I don´t know when I will really have another chance to be on until next week. So I´ll keep you updated!!!

Italica and Going Out in Sevilla

So this has been a very exciting weekend in Spain!

On Friday afternoon I went shopping at the mall that is about a 15 minute walk from my house. I bought a grey sweater, but for the most part their clothing stores are the same as in the United States.

Saturday we took our first group excursion to Italica. It is the Roman ruins that are on the edge of Seville. They were built in the first century, and are still standing (more or less) today. They were so impressive. I took some cool pictures. The sand/clay in the middle of the stadium ruins is the yellow clay that’s all around Seville. It’s famous because it is used in pretty much all bullfighting rings in the world. When it gets wet, it doesn’t get slippery or muddy, making it perfect for using year-round. Seville actually exports it to the other countries in the world.

Saturday night we had our first experience with Spanish night life. We met up around 11pm, and walked about an hour from our house to the other side of the river, Guadalquivir. We went to a bar first, then to a discoteca, or a club. We got there at about 1:45am, and there was pretty much no one there. The place didn’t get going really until about 3am. The Spaniards have a very late time schedule. We ended up leaving around 4:45 or 5am, but me and a guy who lives near me walked a friend home, so I didn’t get to bed until about 6:30am this morning! It was so crazy!!

Then I really didn’t get much sleep, because I woke up to go to mass with some friends. I walked about 35 minutes from my house to the Seville Cathedral. It’s impressive enough from the outside, but the inside was just so fantastic, that there really are no words. I didn’t take any pictures this time, but I will be going back. There was just so much decoration inside, that it’s impossible to see in one visit.