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.