Blogs from Seville, Andalusia, Spain, Europe - page 75

Yesterday (Monday) was another warm one here in Sevilla, the temperature reached as high as 37 degrees and I´ve taken on the same pinkish glow of the city´s buildings courtesy of a trip on the Sevilla Tour, an open deck bus tour that takes you to the most dull areas of Seville. Claims of this tour being airconditioned are farcical and if you ever visit Sevilla, don´t waste your money on catching this bus, no matter how charming the bus tour staff seem. The most interesting parts of Seville are in the old town where there is very little traffic and most streets are pedestrian walkways. The bus skirts around the outside and is a waste of time and money. Last night I had some fantastic tapas at a place called Bar Europa which sits just ... read more

Friday, September 16, 2005 After an early rise, the history of Spanish Art class, along with a bunch of students who just wanted to go, met at the base of the Torre del Oro. We loaded up into a much nicer charter bus than the one I rode from Cuetzalan, Mexico to Puebla, Mexico the summer before last (nobody had to stand up or hold their chickens under their arms), and headed for Córdoba, the Western capital of Islam in the 9th-13th centuries. We went to view the grand Mezquita (mosque) of Córdoba, among other things. This massive construction is currently a Catholic cathedral, built in the middle of a huge Mozarab mosque, on top of a Visigothic church, on top of Roman ruins. Since I got to write an oversized paper on the influence of ... read more

If you find yourself looking for a flamenco show somewhere in Seville, Spain, I highly suggest La Carbonería. Tucked away in the escondido plaza de las Mercenarias, you won’t find La Carbonería in the local hotel guide; and you’ll be lucky to find its microscopic plaza on the street map. As the sound of footsteps echoes down the narrow brick alleys and long ivies from rooftop gardens hang like beaded curtains in front of you, you may find yourself wondering why there are no throngs of tourists or swooning honeymooners. Set in an abandoned coal factory, La Carbonería is one of the cities best-kept secrets. You will know you have found your way when you can see an old, 25 foot tall wooden door, that looks like it belongs on a fortress. One or two people ... read more

So, guess what-I´m in Spain! I arrived safe and sound. Things are pretty awesome here. Sevilla is so absolutely gorgeous and every day as I´m strolling alongside the river looking at some crazy cool buildings or sitting at a cafe with my friends, I´m like, oh my gosh, this is my life! So yeah, it´s pretty sweet. University classes haven´t started yet, so while I´ve randomly met a lot of Sevillanos, most of the people I´ve been hanging out with have been kids from my program, which is actually alright because they´re pretty cool. And we´ve even been making quite an effort to speak Spanish with one another, which is good. I´m taking classes at the center, which are horribly boring, though quite necessary: Contemporary Spanish History, Grammar, and Conversation. I´m super excited for University classes ... read more

Friday, September 9, 2005 Friday night after a hectic run trying to make our arrangements for Portugal, I ate dinner with some girls from the program that I didn’t know very well. I had been enjoying a slightly more relaxing afternoon, until Jared called to say that the website for the travel agency that was taking the bus out to Portugal had been broken and we had no reservations. He and four others had rented a car, but there were still several girls that wanted to go and they were more or less counting on me to rent a car. Of course they had waited until right before the travel agency closed to call and tell me this, so I had to run halfway across Seville to get there in time. Basically the only way we ... read more