My time here in Spain has gone by faster than I ever could have imagined. I am already halfway through my journey! Time goes extremely fast when you are constantly on the move. I haven't posted much about my stay lately, but that is because I have been so busy these past few weeks. It was midterm time here in Sevilla, which forced me to actually sit down and focus on school. Midterms suck in general, but I definitely was not prepared for how much they would suck abroad. Classes here don't give out homework, or require much effort; however, once the midterm comes, they do require that you remember everything that you have learned in class for the first half of the semester. This becomes tough, being that I do no homework outside of class. Remembering the detailed, nit-picky material and concepts is near impossible when you have no notes to study from and no worksheets to look back on. I spent a little over a week studying for my four exams, and this past Wednesday I am happy to say I completed all of my midterms, and it was a success! In this crazy week of studying and stressing, I did embark on a journey to a city near Sevilla. My program offered a second excursion to Ronda, Spain. Ronda is one of the most historical cities in Spain, and one of the most highly visited in Europe. After spending a day in the city, I definitely understand why, We started out by catching our bus in Sevilla at 8:30 am. We departed towards a hiking trail just outside of Ronda. We spent a little over two hours walking along the River Majaceite. It was a beautiful hike and I learned a lot from our two tour guides.
The hiking trail
My tour group!
Me along side River Majaceite
After the hike, we got back on the bus and left for Ronda. I love the rides between cities in Spain. There are rolling hills of green, tall snowcapped mountains, and lakes that appear out of no where. The geography of this country amazes me, as you never know what you will come across. In Ronda, we just went on a walking tour of the city. All I have to say to describe this place is amazing. There were views that could not be captured even by the most profound cameras. It was something that you had to see to believe. To describe my time in Ronda the best thing I can do is provide a few pictures!
A look at the countryside below
The bridge connecting old Ronda with new Ronda
Panoramic of the spectacular view
One of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen.
Ronda was definitely my favorite place I have traveled to thus far. The sites, the food, the history, it all captured my attention and left me wanting more. I plan on going back to Ronda one more time before my journey in Spain is done. After my midterms were over, my roommate and I decided that we needed a little reward for doing so well on our exams. We decided to take our first trip to the ocean! Sevilla is in a great location as we have access to many different beaches, all of which are just about an hour away. Bus tickets are usually only 7 euro, so it makes going to the beach very attainable. I am an ocean finatic. I love being on the beach, listening to the waves, and taking in the sun. So living this close to an ocean is quite honestly the best thing I could ever ask for! We bought our bus tickets late Thursday night and left for the ocean early Friday morning. The bus ride there took longer than expected, as we stopped in 4 different cities before finally arriving in Matalascanas, Spain. This small village is a beach town on the Atlantic Ocean. Being that it is not quite beach season, it seemed vacant. Most of the shops and restaurants were closed for the 'winter'. I put winter in quotations because to the Spaniards, winter is a nice 75 degree and sunny day. My roommate and I were blessed with clear skies and warm air at the ocean. We spent five hours just laying out, eating our packed lunches, reading magazines, and chit chatting. I felt so content sitting there listening to the waves crash on the shore. It is my happy place. Lucky for me, I will be on an ocean just about every weekend from now until I leave.
So happy to finally be at the ocean!
White, sandy beaches
We had the beach to ourselves!
I have many more places to see in these next two months. I can only hope that the second half is as great as the first! Stay warm back home, sending my love!
This weekend, my friends and I decided to take a day excursion to a city right outside of Sevilla. This city is called Aracena. We woke up early to catch a bus at 9 am, and we arrived in Aracena by 10:30. Right off the bus, I could tell that it was a very small city. All of the buildings were white and there was almost no one to be seen on the streets. This was very different from what we were all used to in Sevilla, but it was nice. It kind of reminded me of home. When first walking through the city the one thing that stuck out was the huge castle atop the hill. It looked like a castle that would be shown in a movie, one that a dragon would pop out of. We started to wander the streets around the castle until we came upon a famous cake shop that is known throughout Spain. It is famous due to the fact that the King of Spain visits it regularly. This cake shop had some of the best pastries that I had ever eaten in my life. I had a fluffy seven layer cake, as well as a chocolate covered croissant. Everything was just 1 euro so we ended up going back to this shop on our way out because it was so cheap and delicious!
After stuffing our faces, we were off to find the famous caves to tour. We bought our entrance tickets and got in line. Unfortunately, pictures weren't 'allowed' on the tour so I only could snap a few without getting my camera taken away. However, the image of the caves will always stay in my mind. It was probably the most beautiful thing I have seen to date. We went so far underground and saw a plethora of different rock formations and lakes. It was incredible. The tour lasted almost an hour and I was definitely sad to see it end. This is something I would highlyrecommend to anyone coming to southern Spain.
When we left the caves, we were all ready for lunch. We set off to find a restaurant and came upon a cute tapas cafe. We sat outside and ate our food while taking in the hot sun. After eating, we set out to climb the large hill to the castle. I really enjoyed this part of the day, as I felt like an explorer climbing up the big mountain. Upon reaching the top, my breath was taken away. I felt as if I was on the set of The Sound of Music. There were rolling green hills and dandelions everywhere. My friends and I started to run around, as if we were in the movie ourselves. Atop the hill there was also a little church. Inside we just sat and reflected on our day, thanking God for all we have been blessed with.
We left the castle and were ready to head home. We had a long day of exploring and were in need of some sleep. We got to the bus station with the help of some locals. Thinking we were early, we climbed on the bus and took our seats, expecting to wait a half hour until we left; however, that was not the case. Suddenly, the bus began to back up. We were slightly concerned because the driver had not checked our tickets and we were leaving a half hour early. With panic in our voices we ran to the driver and asked where the busses destination was. He did not say Sevilla, so we ran off the bus. We found out that we actually hopped on the bus that was scheduled to leave from our terminal a half hour before ours arrived. We all got a good laugh out of it, just thankful that we didn't end up in a random city in Spain on a Saturday night. We eventually got on our correct bus and headed back home.
I absolutely love being blessed with the opportunity to travel through Spain and Europe. I could not be more grateful for all of the support I am receiving while abroad. I have learned more than I ever thought possible, and I am excited to continue exploring this beautiful world.
So I’ve been in Spain for one month officially, and that month has gone by so unbelievably fast. I feel like it was just yesterday that I got off the plane, scared to death of what was to come. I have grown so much over this past month and I can’t wait to see where these next three take me. I thought that since I did not embark on any large excursions this past week that I would blog about some random information. Enjoy!
Favorite Restaurant in Sevilla + Favorite Food/Drink -Cien Montaditios- A restaurant that sells just as the name says, 100 different sandwiches. It is so cheap, so delicious, and there are many different locations all around Sevilla!
-My favorite food has definitely got to be the jamon croquettes. These are similar to cheese curds with the added bonus of ham!
-My favorite drink is Tinto de Verano. This is a red wine mixed with fruit juice and fresh fruit. It is served on tap at many different places and is the cheapest drink around.
Favorite Location to Spend Time
-This is easy. My favorite place to spend my time is right on the river. The view is amazing and it is the prime spot to catch some sun. I also enjoy hanging out at Plaza de Espana; however, it is more touristy and quite noisy.
Favorite Spanish Commonality
-The slow paced lifestyle. Walking slow, eating slow, taking siestas, and being late. All of these are very typical in Sevilla. I love this aspect because time simply does not matter. Back home I always had to rush to be somewhere or constantly felt the need to be doing something, but here it is totally acceptable to take your time and enjoy the moment while doing nothing.
Least Favorite Spanish Commonality
-The timing of meals. Sevillians typically eat their dinner at 9 or 10 at night, and even after a month of being here, that is almost impossible to get used to. I get so hungry by 8 o’ clock that I usually cave in and eat an early dinner.
-Military time and the metric system. It sucks. I can’t read the clocks and can’t figure out the distances. Hopefully by the time I leave I will grasp this.
Some Interesting Facts
-Typically men are the servers in Spain, it is rare to see a female waitress. The women are typically in the kitchen at restaurants.
-The people here are unbelievably nice. Anywhere, anytime, people are always willing to talk, help, or lend a hand.
-Once again, hearing English is a very rare occurrence.
-Shopping on your own in a different country is a lot harder than it seems. The packaging may look the same as it does back home, but what’s inside can taste drastically different.
-They don’t refrigerate their eggs or milk.
-The Spaniards stare.
-They have little to no personal space bubbles. They will brush you as they pass by and it is totally normal.
-There is a hefty amount of PDA. There are always young Spaniards making out in the parks and plazas.
-No one really drives cars, its mostly Vespas.
-If you are not from Sevilla, I would not recommend driving here. The roads are nearly impossible to figure out and the traffic signs are just used as suggestions.
-Prostitution is legal.
Im sure I will have more interesting facts to come.
This past weekend I finally had my first excursion outside of the city. This was a great feeling. I hadn't left Seville since arriving three weeks ago, and I was anxious to start seeing other parts of Spain. My program, CEA, offers many different included excursions and this past weekend we got the chance to go to Cordoba and Granada. We all woke up bright and early and made our way to the bus stop where we boarded three large coach buses that would take us to our destinations. Although tired, everyone was so excited to depart for the new adventure.
Córdoba
About an hour after leaving Spain and stopping for breakfast, we finally arrived in Córdoba. This place was filled with beauty. It reminded me of a smaller version of Sevilla. The streets were narrow, the buildings were old, and there were many historical points all around. The first thing we did when entering the city was tour the Mosque-Cathedral. CEA sets up all tours so we simply just have to walk to the door and follow an English speaking guide. This is especially helpful for us to learn the history and get the most out of the city. The Mosque was incredible. Seeing two different religions blend into one was like nothing I've ever experienced before. The architecture was immaculate. The high arches, the detailed ceilings, and the colorful murals, it was all simply breathtaking. The tour started in the Mosque section and slowly moved into the newer part, or the Cathedral. We spent around two hours touring the Mosque and taking in its beauty.
After leaving the Mosque, we made our way to a small restaurant for tapas. I had jamon croquettes and a nice refreshing glass of sangria. After lunch we had some free time. We shopped around a bit, and I picked up a postcard, then we headed back to the bus. We were supposed to make a quick departure for Granada, however the door on our coach bus broke and we ended up spending an extra hour waiting for it to be fixed.
Granada
The drive to Granada was something out of a storybook. There was rolling hills of green olive trees, snowy mountains, and fields that seemed to go on forever. I did not expect to see so much un-populated land; however, for two hours that's all we encountered.
Granada is famous for the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a palace and fortress that was originally constructed in 889. This was, once again, something that cannot be described through words. Right after arriving to our 4 start hotel, we got back on a bus and headed for a night hike on top of the mountain. This hike provided us with a wonderful view of the Alhambra lit up in the night's sky.
After the night hike, we set out for dinner. Granada is known for its wonderful cuisine, and boy did we experience just that. I had my first taste of cous cous (an Arabic meal) as well as some papas fritas (french fries with a garlic mayo sauce). For dessert we went out for frozen yogurt and a few drinks. After this we were so exhausted from the day and we went to bed. The next day we were woken up to an amazing breakfast provided by the hotel. There was fruit, bread, eggs, BACON, toast, cereal, coffee, milk, DONUTS, and much more. I stuffed myself full and then we got on the bus to head to the Alhambra. The tour we were so fortunate to have was four hours long and took us all throughout the different parts of the Alhambra. I saw gardens, palaces, fountains, bedrooms, plazas, and even some original ruins. Unfortunately, it was very rainy and cold (50 degrees) so we were kind of rushing through at the end.
After the long tour we headed back to the buses, grabbed some lunch, and departed for 'home'. I put home in quotations for the fact that this was the first time that I actually became homesick for Sevilla. It really started to feel like home after leaving it for a few days. The bus ride home was quiet, everyone was sleeping and we were all so happy to arrive back in Sevilla.
I had such a great time venturing out of Sevilla this weekend. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful program that sets up everything for us, and I am excited for the excursions to come. Thank you all for keeping up with this crazy journey of mine.
Today is the first day that I have really had the chance to sit and relax. My time here in Spain has been full of adventure. Everyday it seems as if we are running a thousand miles an hour trying to see every monument, tapas bar, and store. I have been on walking tours, been on bike tours, gone bar hopping, and even met some locals. It's is a complete euphoria here, that of which honestly does not feel real. The buildings in Sevilla are indescribable. They are so traditional, large, and filled with detail. I could sit and tour one building for the entire day. Throughout these past two weeks we have come across some hidden wonders of Sevilla.
Plaza De Espana
Triana- the neighborhood on the opposite side of the river
The bullfighting center
The people in Spain are like none other. They are kind, helpful, joyful, and always happy. Although they do not speak much, if any, English, they are always willing to slow their speaking and help us out. They also seem to be very interested in helping us English students learn Spanish. I have fallen in love with the way the locals live their lives. They are constantly interacting with one another by sharing drinks, tapas, and stories, I honestly don't know if any of them work! Families are out walking, dogs and cats are strolling unleashed, and the young crowd is out drinking sangria at local bars. The weather here has also been wonderful. It has been sunny everyday and super warm (for a Wisco girl). Today is the first day that I have seen Spaniards without winter jackets on, which means it must be super warm! Sevilla has a Mediterranean climate, meaning it is a generally warm area with little rain. We have truly been blessed with weather here, considering the temperatures back home.
Enjoying the 70 degree day by the river front
A few happenings over the past two weeeks...
Second day trauma- On my second day in Spain, I had a very terrifying learning experience. I was in need of exchanging money, so my new friends and I set out to find an ATM. I decided to be brave and try out the ATM first out of my group of friends. Unfortunately, being that we were unfamiliar with how their system works, I pressed a few wrong buttons and got my card stolen...by the machine. Now if it were not siesta, a two hour period where the city completely shuts down, I would have easily walked into the bank and retrieved my card. That being said, the bank was closed for two hours and I was forced to sit outside of the machine and wait until I could go inside, ensuring my card didn't pop out to the next user. Thankfully, once siesta was over, I was able to communicate in Spanish to the teller and retrieve my card, whew! I am very thankful for my parents and girlfriends here, as they were all so helpful.
The joys of being a legal drinker- So as many of you know, the legal drinking age in Spain is 18; therefore, I am now a legal drinker. It is definitely a weird, yet exciting feeling to be able to purchase an alcoholic beverage at the bar without any hesitation. This past week, we have all had a wonderful time experiencing how some of the locals spend their nights out. Sevilla is known for its nightlife; however, it is very different than what I imagined. The Spaniards typically do not head out to the bars until 2 or 3 in the morning, and they tend to stay out until 6 or 7 am. This is very hard to get used to, as we are still recovering from jet lag. My friends and I have come to love the nightlife here, and we have started to find some local places, as well as clubs, where we feel comfortable hanging out.
My first legal purchase: Tinto de Verano
Buddha Bar
Discover Sevilla welcome party
The start of school- This past Wednesday I started my classes at CEA. I am taking four classes at the University. All of my classes are taught in English alongside American students. My classes all seem to be very interesting, and I am excited for the weeks to come.
First day of school!
The student lounge at my school
As I lay here in plaza de Espana, I can only be thankful for what I am experiencing. Some of these sights are sights I didn't think my eyes would ever see. I have also come to meet some of the most wonderful girls ever. Niki and Emily, my roommates, are amazing. We all get along great and have so much fun exploring this wonderful city together. I have also became friends with other girls in my program! I truly feel blessed for this opportunity I have come upon. I can only look forward to the weeks and months to come.
The start of my journey was one to remember. The anxiety, the stress, the unknown, the fear; my mind felt as if it were woven into one knot that seemed impossible to undo. As I said goodbye to my family, friends, and boyfriend, I knew that my life would change from that very moment on. This first blog post is to describe a bit of my journey so far, as well as touch on some of the beauties of Spain. To begin, the flight from MSP to Chicago was easy. With only a half hour delay, I felt lucky to make it to Chicago on time for my connecting flight, as many others had cancellations. On this flight I met up with another CEA study abroad participant, which helped to calm my nerves. As soon as I landed in Chicago and found my next gate, I was welcomed in by 6 other CEA participants. This was honestly the best thing to happen to me, as it completely took my mind off of the situation. We all introduced ourselves, said where we were from, and were we are living in Spain, and before we knew it, it was time to head to Madrid. The flight to Madrid was long. 8 hours in a tiny seat does wonders on the tailbone. However, with that being said, this was also one of the best flight experiences I have ever had. The flight attendants were extremely helpful and the movie and food selections were great. Along with that, I was lucky enough to get seated next to a woman from Seville who shared many many helpful hints and helped to sharpen some of my Spanish speaking skills. I barely slept on this flight due to my wandering mind, so I watched two movies instead. 8 hours later, I finally touched foot on European soil. This is when everything changed. English was no longer. Somehow, all of us girls managed to find our way to the underground metro, which took us to our terminal, and to our gate. The 4 hours in Madrid seemed to take forever; however, it was breathtaking seeing the sunrise from Spain. Finally, we boarded the last flight to Seville. As soon as the airplane broke through the clouds and we could see Seville once and for all, my heart began to race. It was finally time to see my new 'home'. All 50+ CEA participants un-boarded the plane and got on two large buses to be taxied to our homes. My stop came first. This was quite nerve wracking as they handed me my suitcase and told me and my roommate to get off the bus. Thankfully, a woman was there waiting to guide us to our apartment. The only word I can use to describe Seville is 'breathtaking'. The buildings, the streets, the river, the palm trees, everything here in Seville catches my eye with its beauty, My roommates and I decided to simply explore our neighborhood after unpacking (remember, at this point I had not slept in over 24 hours) to make our first night count. We all wanted to find a spot to treat ourselves to our first legal drink purchase as well as enjoy a Spanish meal. After dinner, my roommates and I decided to head back to our apartment to get some sleep before our big day of tours tomorrow (sleep, which I have yet to have as I write this blog post). Last but not least, I want to inform you all of some things I have learned from my first day in Spain. 1. Seville citizens DO NOT speak English, no matter how many times you try to use it with them. 2. If a waiter says the shots are free, they are in fact NOT free and you will be charged. 3. The cars on the street WILL NOT stop for you, and they DO NOT follow any sort of speed limit. 4. Random cats and dogs are seen throughout the city, and they DO NOT clean up after themselves. 5. Money is spent a heck of a lot faster when it looks like Monopoly money. 6. The accent that Seville citizens have makes the language IMPOSSIBLE to understand. Even when you ask them numerous times to repeat. (Como-My new favorite Spanish word) 7. In Seville, midnight does not mean 'bed time', but rather 'lets start our night of drinking and head downtown'.
Well, that's all for now! Thanks for keeping up with my adventure.