Friday, September 30, 2011

So it's been my first full week in Sevilla (hard to believe I already feel like I've been here for months!). This week was our first week of classes. All of my classes are great, and the teachers are all so enthusiastic and fun here. I am taking a Literature/Cooking course that discusses how food and cooking have influenced literature over time. It is really interesting and we even get to cook every Thursday class. Yesterday we made three different types of bread, since our main focus right now is the significance of bread and beer.

I am also taking a flamenco class to satisfy my music credit back at Rhodes. The teacher is a renown flamenco guitarist and plays so beautifully. He brings his guitar to class and we spend half the time learning the different styles of flamenco, and then the other half he plays the styles for us. My three other classes, Arabic Influence on Spanish Literature, Phonetics and Phonology of the Spanish Language and a History of Three Cultures; Moors, Jews and Christians are all equally as interesting. All of them are taught in Spanish which is a really cool way to be learning about Spain and it's history.

Last night I went to a Flamenco Bar. There is this restaurant called Flamencito right across the street from my University and after class a couple of my friends and I went to watch the last show. There was one guitarist, one man who primarily sang but danced as well, and then the flamenco dancer. It was so beautiful and so inspiring, the way they play the music and are so passionate. I'm definitely going to be going back there again.

Off to Portugal for the weekend, more stories to come after that!

XO

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Alcazar. Sevilla, Espana

Toledo, Espana

Royal Palace. Madrid, Espana

Madrid, Espana

Las primeras dias en Sevilla

Hola a todos!
It's been my first week in Sevilla and I've already had an amazing time. Our orientation started off in Madrid where we saw El Escorial, the Royal Palace and visited the Prado Museum. El Escorial is where the royal family lived and is a little outside the city. The remains of all the wives of each King are kept in the basement of the palace in lavish tombs. As of right now, there are four empty tombs waiting to be filled.

On our way down to Sevilla, we stopped in Toledo and got a private bus tour of the city and got to visit it's most famous sights. The city is absolutely beautiful and so rich in history/culture with a strong Arabic influence. Once we got to Sevilla, Amanda (my roomate) and I met our host family. Our host mom (senora) is Maria Luisa. She is the sweetest lady and the best cook! Already she has cooked us gazpacho, gambas ajillo (which I helped her make), croquetas, tortillas and even perros calientes (hot dogs!!). She makes the most delicious tomato salad which actually is very simple, but is better than any tomatoes I've ever had! Already in Sevilla we have done a bike tour, visited Alcázar (the famous Moorish palace) and had the opportunity to see a bull fight. This past Saturday a couple of friends and I went to a Sevilla v. Valencia football game. It was amazing! So cool to finally go to an actual football match, especially with two great teams playing eachother! Sevilla won (1-0) and the whole crowed went wild singing their "Sevilla anthem" which I plan to learn by the end of my stay here. :)

This weekend a couple of my friends and I are going to Lagos, Portugal. We can't wait!!!!! Going to be a great beach weekend, planned by this program called Discoversevilla that coordinates cheap trips for students studying in Sevilla. More to come after my trip!


BESOS