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!