thank goodness we had a smooth sailing rest of the trip home! The flight from Madrid to JFK seemed endlessly long, and I could definitely tell the time change got to me by the time I was staggering out of the plane in Raleigh half asleep. Very glad my parents were already there waiting for us, and that they drove home so I could crash.
I'm sure no one really wants a description of the events in JFK since they weren't nearly as entertaining as the trip over, but let me just say that although it's wonderful to travel and get out of one's comfort zone, it's also a wonderfully relaxing feeling to collapse in the back of the family car and wake up in your own bed at 5:30 am. No alarm; that's 11:30am Spain time.
I assume my kitchen was very glad to see me... I had a delicious yet insanely large breakfast of honey roasted peanut butter and banana sandwiches, several slices of guac on toast, and greek yogo &peaches is in my stuffed tummy!
finally, I'm looking forward to lacing up my running shoes later today!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
flying over the atlantic ocean, 8:50 am est time, april 6
Yesterday was our last day in Spain. Although I’m glad to be coming home for some
things, like jumping back into training again, I’m going to miss Spain. On our
last morning, we woke up, had breakfast at the hotel and piled into a tour bus
for the hour’s drive to Toledo. Even though I had a decent night’s sleep, it
wasn’t hard to sleep the entire way.
panoramic view of Toledo
Toledo was a beautiful city. Before beginning our walking
tour, we drove up the hill to see a panoramic view of the city. We got lots of
good pictures! Then we went to a jewelry/sword making place where we watched
them make local crafts by hand, and had a much-appreciated opportunity to go
shopping in the gift shop with a 30% group discount. This is where I bought
most of my souvenirs for y’all!
 |
| Parrott Seniors |
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| group photo overlooking Toledo |
My first impression of Toledo was that it was a gorgeous
city, although hilly (not that I minded of course). Like most other Spanish
cities built during this time, the streets are narrow and paved with
cobblestones; however, unlike Rhonda and Cordoba, the buildings aren’t
whitewashed to keep out the heat. Instead, most of the buildings have
incredibly thick walls for insulation. It’s become a tourist trap in that
everywhere you turn, you’ll either see a restaurant or a place to buy touristy souvenirs.
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| cobblestone, and hilly streets of Toledo |
After seeing several cathedrals, they all start to blend
together. However, the Cathedral of Toledo stood out to me in that it was home
to a good collection of El Greco’s works. Of course some are housed at the
Prado, and the burial of some guy (along with that guy’s coffin/body, surprisingly!)
is housed at La Iglesia de Santo Tomes. Anyways, the Cathedral of Toledo also
had an awesome skylight that at exactly 12 noon, the rays of light would hit a
sculpture of a sun to reflect light throughout the cathedral.
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| here's a Bible from the 1200s! all the pages are like that-- amazing! |
cathedral group picture
After that, we walked into La Iglesia de Santo Tomes and the
Jewish synagogue. The synagogue had Islamic arches and mosaic tiles, yet there
were Christian crosses decorating the walls to accompany the traditional Jewish
decorations. What a wonderful example of religious tolerance!
Lunch overlooking Toledo was freaking nasty. The soup was
incredibly oily and looked downright disgusting, and I didn’t think it was
possible for the main dish to be any more unappetizing. Unlike other meals, I
wasn’t served a vegetarian meal-- instead; a waiter loaded my plate with chewy,
overcooked pork roast, deep fried French fries, and frozen vegetables and
promptly smothered the entire thing with beef droppings. My lunchtime
entertainment was Henry trying to convince Arden to eat an olive. She just
wouldn’t chew it! She’d get it in her mouth, bite down, and then spit it right
back out. That happened several times until she got the not-so-brilliant idea
to cover the olive with salt and then try to eat it. Her repulsed face was
priceless; after that, she decided a couple Euros weren’t worth it.
on the way to lunch overlooking Toledo
Next was the uneventful bus ride back to Madrid spent
sleeping and anticipating our much-deserved free time to finish shopping. Some
of our group went to the Modern Art museum, but Arden, Kimia, Alex and her
parents took us shopping on the Gran Via. I only bought a black and white
tribal print rain jacket with a coral lining that Arden picked out for me.
Before heading out for dinner, a couple of us decided to go real tacky tourist
souvenir shopping. I bought the replica Real Madrid jersey I had been wanting,
as well as a couple other knick knacks.
Dinner was super!! We were free to go where ever we wanted
as long as we were in at least pairs and returned to the Plaza Mayor by 9:40.
My friend Karina and I immediately made a beeline for the market, where we
decided to buy different snacks from different vendors instead of sitting down
for another three course meal. I bought a few slices of open faced smoked
salmon and basil mini-toast to accompany a large bowl of fruit, while Karina
sampled pizza, fruit and chocolate. I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity
to pick and choose what I ate! That’s one of the things I’ve missed the most in
Spain. I’ve had to be more flexible than usual in dietary choices and timing
this week, and it was fine, but it’s always nice to be able to walk to the
refrigerator and pull out some fruit or whatever whenever you want.
Back to yesterday night, churros and chocolate afterwards
was rather interesting. The entire group attended a restaurant that solely
served churros (aka fried sticks of refined carbs) and hot chocolate (which is
more like molten chocolate than traditional American hot chocolate). After eating what we wanted, there was
left-over chocolate, and a few friends got into a hilarious yet messy chocolate
fight. Since the Parrott seniors didn’t misbehave, Mrs. Piner let us 4 go hang out
with a couple of the Cali kids for an hour longer before subjecting us to go
pack (since we weren’t going to pack anyways). It was fun! We headed back to
the market which sold virgin drinks so we could say we had tapas for dinner. I went
to the place that put real fruit in it— at least it was mildly healthy?
I don’t remember how thoroughly I’ve described tapas in this
blog, so if I already have, you just get to read it again. Spaniards typically
eat a large lunch and nibble for dinner. That’s where the concept of “barhopping”
for tapas comes from—purchasing little “snacks” from one place (usually
accompanied with a beverage), and when you want a change, going to another
nearby place for a different food and drink. There were lots of people in the
market, and it was fun to be a part of Spanish culture!
churros and hot chocolate  |
| senior privileges |
Then we just headed back to the hotel to pack, an uneventful
ending to an adventuresome day (minus 2:30am room checks).
And now, the next day, I’m on the way home, somewhere
between Madrid and JFK at the moment. Getting through the Madrid airport was
ridiculous; we had to check most of our bags in because the weight limit
changed for carry ons (10kg coming back as opposed to 44lbs going). Pain in the
butt, let me tell you! Mine was 11.1kg but the lady made me check it anyways,
when I could have easily put a couple things in my backpack to make weight.
Then it was just a trek to get to the gate, but what made it horrible (b/c I
didn’t mind the walk at all) was that you had to check in before entering a
waiting area before boarding. It was irritating that you were unable to leave
because said area had no good shops, and Arden and I saw a Starbucks a little
while before entering. Whatever. We’re planning to hit the restaurants in JFK
hard as soon as we go through customs. I can already taste the Subway on my
tongue accompanied by some fresh fruit. I’ve missed guacamole this week!
Anyways, I’m thankful I had the opportunity to travel to
Spain over spring break. I’ve wanted to go to Spain ever since I started taking
Spanish, since I love to travel. It’s awesome experiencing new cultures and
seeing that Greenville isn’t the only little corner of the world. Sounds cliché,
but traveling abroad is incredibly eye opening. Not only was this the second
time I’ve been in a foreign country without my parents, it was the first time I
felt like I was solely responsible for myself and others. Although I had to use
more English this week than I would have preferred, as my group’s tours were
only in English, but when it was necessary to use Spanish, such as for asking
for another room key after locking it in the room or even asking what a menu
item was, it handy to feel confident enough in my abilities to perform a given
task. I fully intend to come back to Spain sometime, and really explore the
cities by running, as well as spend time in Barcelona and other cities we didn’t
have the time to visit. But for now, I’m glad I had the opportunity to get a
glimpse of Spain- one that will have me coming back for more!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
really wishing i was doing something else rather than laying in bed in our hotel room, 11:46 pm, madrid, april 4
obviously I'm blogging a little early tonight since we didn't do anything after eating dinner besides go back to the hotel. Anyways, today was a pretty darn amazing day; I'm smiling just thinking about it while writing this.
I woke up a little late since we didn't get a wakeup call, but no biggie. even thought I woke up shortly before 8, we were given an additional 30 mins to sleep in today. this is easily the nicest hotel we've stayed at, and breakfast most certainly did not disappoint. First of all, they had ice for the water/orange juice/whatever, and secondly, they had a buffet of freshly cut fruit and toast and jams and it was just so wonderful.
After breakfast, we rode around Madrid on a tour bus and received a commentary in Spanish about the city. As much as I hated riding around on the bus instead of walking, it was super to get a good feel for the city and its roads.
The Prado Museum wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. For starters, we concentrated on viewing the works of the three Spanish artists that I've studied in previous classes-- El Greco, Velasquez, and Goya. Seeing Las Meninas in person was breathtaking, and El Greco's paintings just look so much better in person than on google images. I've never been the biggest fan of Goya, but hey, I can't paint like that so I shouldn't comment on his style. Secondly, even though I'm taking Latin American Culture and Civ this semester, we've still studied some Spanish history because you have to understand what's happening in the old world before you can comprehend its effects on the New World. As a result, I could see the barroque style in Velasquez's works, and I knew the history behind religious paintings. Having the previous knowledge made it cool to see in person what we've studied in class.
Before lunch, we were given ten euros and sent to an open stall market for our Spanish Food Challenge. There, I saw all sorts of weird meats, such as entire pig heads, blood, skinned pig heads and eyeballs intact... it was just nasty. The roasted almonds we had were amazing, though, as were the mussels I tried.
this is just sick.
The 11 of us from Parrott eventually found lunch downtown at an upscale sidewalk-cafe type place. I just wasn't that hungry; I had a couple rolls of crusty sourdough bread and then potatoes and steamed broccoli and some sugary mango smoothie thing for dessert. Perfect, actually, that I had so many carbs because immediately after lunch Mrs. Riddle and I walked to the park so I could go for a run!
my potatoes and broccoli
Although the park was further from the hotel than I intended, it was perfect because it was the large park of Madrid with plenty of paths to run on, as well as a large perimeter. I felt a little weird running at first, but after uploading my run to GarminConnect I realized that Madrid is 2000+ feet above sea level, whereas eastern NC is about 60-80 feet above sea level. Whoa. No wonder I felt like I was running faster than I really was. It took a few miles to start feeling like normal, but then I was thrilled to be out on a sunny, warm day in a beautiful place listening to the birds chirping and pedestrians talking in a foreign language (okay I was eavesdropping at times, but whatever). I didn't realize Madrid was so hilly... I gained 574 feet of elevation over 7 miles.
after my run through the parks of Madrid
After running, Mrs. Riddle and I went shopping at El Corte Ingles, a Spanish department store. The weird thing with Spanish chain stores is that there is never just one within a block or two-- often times, there's two or three within a few block radius. That's how it was for El Corte Ingles, except they just divided their merchandise between 4 or 5 stores. Mrs. Riddle found what she was looking for in the first store, but all I got out of the first store were confusing directions showing how to find the El Corte Ingles that sold CDs. Once we followed the map, we ended up at an intersection where 3 of the 4 corners housed an El Corte Ingles. The second one didn't have CDs, but the 3rd one finally did. And the CD I was looking for, Mucho + Facil by Maldita Nerea was right by the door, and I didn't see it! I had to ask the guy in Spanish where it was and couldn't believe I missed it! (if you guys were wondering, this CD isn't available in the US yet; this chase was so worth it! <3)
Dinner was a little on the disappointing side. I knew it would be hard to take a large group of people legit Spanish bar hopping for tapas, but going to one restaurant and ordering a few tapas for each table isn't exactly Spanish culture. I had a slice and a half of sourdough bread (of course), a seared tuna filet, potatoes, and octopus. I was really hoping to try those open face "bocadillos" (sandwiches) of smoked salmon and a vegetable medley that I saw last night at the market. Oh well.
octopus and potatoes
my tuna filet steak
Then we were all herded back to the hotel because "we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow". It was only 10 pm!! I was hoping to walk around and go tacky souvenir shopping with a group of friends, but to my dismay, I'm laying on my comfy hotel bed typing this up. But it probably isn't awful that I might actually get a decent night's rest of sleep. Oh well; if I wake up early tomorrow morning, I'm going for a run before we go to Toledo on a day trip!!
I woke up a little late since we didn't get a wakeup call, but no biggie. even thought I woke up shortly before 8, we were given an additional 30 mins to sleep in today. this is easily the nicest hotel we've stayed at, and breakfast most certainly did not disappoint. First of all, they had ice for the water/orange juice/whatever, and secondly, they had a buffet of freshly cut fruit and toast and jams and it was just so wonderful.
After breakfast, we rode around Madrid on a tour bus and received a commentary in Spanish about the city. As much as I hated riding around on the bus instead of walking, it was super to get a good feel for the city and its roads.
The Prado Museum wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. For starters, we concentrated on viewing the works of the three Spanish artists that I've studied in previous classes-- El Greco, Velasquez, and Goya. Seeing Las Meninas in person was breathtaking, and El Greco's paintings just look so much better in person than on google images. I've never been the biggest fan of Goya, but hey, I can't paint like that so I shouldn't comment on his style. Secondly, even though I'm taking Latin American Culture and Civ this semester, we've still studied some Spanish history because you have to understand what's happening in the old world before you can comprehend its effects on the New World. As a result, I could see the barroque style in Velasquez's works, and I knew the history behind religious paintings. Having the previous knowledge made it cool to see in person what we've studied in class.
Before lunch, we were given ten euros and sent to an open stall market for our Spanish Food Challenge. There, I saw all sorts of weird meats, such as entire pig heads, blood, skinned pig heads and eyeballs intact... it was just nasty. The roasted almonds we had were amazing, though, as were the mussels I tried.
this is just sick.The 11 of us from Parrott eventually found lunch downtown at an upscale sidewalk-cafe type place. I just wasn't that hungry; I had a couple rolls of crusty sourdough bread and then potatoes and steamed broccoli and some sugary mango smoothie thing for dessert. Perfect, actually, that I had so many carbs because immediately after lunch Mrs. Riddle and I walked to the park so I could go for a run!
my potatoes and broccoli Although the park was further from the hotel than I intended, it was perfect because it was the large park of Madrid with plenty of paths to run on, as well as a large perimeter. I felt a little weird running at first, but after uploading my run to GarminConnect I realized that Madrid is 2000+ feet above sea level, whereas eastern NC is about 60-80 feet above sea level. Whoa. No wonder I felt like I was running faster than I really was. It took a few miles to start feeling like normal, but then I was thrilled to be out on a sunny, warm day in a beautiful place listening to the birds chirping and pedestrians talking in a foreign language (okay I was eavesdropping at times, but whatever). I didn't realize Madrid was so hilly... I gained 574 feet of elevation over 7 miles.
after my run through the parks of Madrid After running, Mrs. Riddle and I went shopping at El Corte Ingles, a Spanish department store. The weird thing with Spanish chain stores is that there is never just one within a block or two-- often times, there's two or three within a few block radius. That's how it was for El Corte Ingles, except they just divided their merchandise between 4 or 5 stores. Mrs. Riddle found what she was looking for in the first store, but all I got out of the first store were confusing directions showing how to find the El Corte Ingles that sold CDs. Once we followed the map, we ended up at an intersection where 3 of the 4 corners housed an El Corte Ingles. The second one didn't have CDs, but the 3rd one finally did. And the CD I was looking for, Mucho + Facil by Maldita Nerea was right by the door, and I didn't see it! I had to ask the guy in Spanish where it was and couldn't believe I missed it! (if you guys were wondering, this CD isn't available in the US yet; this chase was so worth it! <3)
Dinner was a little on the disappointing side. I knew it would be hard to take a large group of people legit Spanish bar hopping for tapas, but going to one restaurant and ordering a few tapas for each table isn't exactly Spanish culture. I had a slice and a half of sourdough bread (of course), a seared tuna filet, potatoes, and octopus. I was really hoping to try those open face "bocadillos" (sandwiches) of smoked salmon and a vegetable medley that I saw last night at the market. Oh well.
octopus and potatoes 
my tuna filet steakThen we were all herded back to the hotel because "we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow". It was only 10 pm!! I was hoping to walk around and go tacky souvenir shopping with a group of friends, but to my dismay, I'm laying on my comfy hotel bed typing this up. But it probably isn't awful that I might actually get a decent night's rest of sleep. Oh well; if I wake up early tomorrow morning, I'm going for a run before we go to Toledo on a day trip!!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
1:49 am, tyrp washington gran via, madrid, april 4
Well, we just got back to the hotel about an hour and a half ago from wandering around Madrid. It's been a long day...
This morning the phone rang at 7, and I woke Allyson up since she wanted to take a shower. I slammed down the phone and went back to sleep until about 7:40, since it doesn't take me very long at all to get dressed. We had breakfast and after packing our last things, piled into the bus for a couple hour ride to Cordoba. Our plan for the morning was to tour the Cathedral of Cordoba, have lunch and then board the Ave train to Madrid.
The Cathedral of Cordoba was pretty cool. It was constructed originally as a mosque, but once the Christians captured the city back from the Muslims, an Islamic place of worship was obsolete. As a result, the king gave the order to build a cathedral in it's place. The construction workers didn't completely demolish the mosque, they just made a few changes in the structure. You can still see the original arches and whatnots today. Naturally, since it was noon by the time we walked out of there, mass was going on.
the 10th century part of the former mosque
the cathedral part
Next, we took a walking tour throughout the town of Cordoba. It's whitewashed narrow streets with cobblestone paths were gorgeous. Our tour ended at an Italian-Spanish fusion restaurant for lunch. I ordered a tapa size espinacas y garbanzo, or spinach and chickpeas. It was incredibly greasy, that's my only comment. At least I was eating vegetables, I guess. I wasn't impressed. It started pouring down rain during the hour it took for everyone to get lunch-- uh oh, since I left my umbrella on the bus.
streets of Cordoba
The ave train was lightning fast, but honestly didn't feel like it except when I was trying to take pictures or when we passed another train. It only took an hour and thirty some minutes to get from Cordoba to Madrid. Arden and I played speed for most of the train ride.
We checked into our hotel, which is pretty close to downtown Madrid and right on the Gran Via (prime location). The room is uber nice, definitely the nicest so far. This one actually has a gym, but I intend to run outside instead of on a treadmill. When is the next time I'd have the opportunity to run through the streets/pedestrian "cyclist roads" of Madrid?
Before leaving for dinner, Allyson and I did a little tacky souvenir shopping. Finally purchased some nicknacks to bring back home! Dinner was merely okay as well; the taters were good but the pasta was just average. I believe tonight will be better; we're going "bar hopping for tapas" don't worry, alcohol isn't always involved in tapas, but it is usually the only place they're served. The purpose of small dishes is to help absorb the alcohol, but it's also become a means of obtaining a light dinner in Spain. You can get small servings of traditional Spanish cuisine such as paella, or you can get something along the lines of hamburger sliders (and anything in between).
Walking out of the restaurant, I was immediately hit with a gust of cold, cold air. It seems like the rain made it a good twenty degrees cooler, as we went back to the hotel to bundle up before exploring the plaza mayor? of Madrid in our quest for churros and chocolate. Our expedition was pretty fun; we found a market that sold just about any food imaginable besides fruit and vegetables and I took tons of pictures. After walking to the Royal Palace, we decided to call it quits. So here I am, laying in bed about to fall asleep. Prado museum later in the morning and shopping/running in the afternoon if the weather isn't completely miserable.
churros y chocolate
This morning the phone rang at 7, and I woke Allyson up since she wanted to take a shower. I slammed down the phone and went back to sleep until about 7:40, since it doesn't take me very long at all to get dressed. We had breakfast and after packing our last things, piled into the bus for a couple hour ride to Cordoba. Our plan for the morning was to tour the Cathedral of Cordoba, have lunch and then board the Ave train to Madrid.
The Cathedral of Cordoba was pretty cool. It was constructed originally as a mosque, but once the Christians captured the city back from the Muslims, an Islamic place of worship was obsolete. As a result, the king gave the order to build a cathedral in it's place. The construction workers didn't completely demolish the mosque, they just made a few changes in the structure. You can still see the original arches and whatnots today. Naturally, since it was noon by the time we walked out of there, mass was going on.
the 10th century part of the former mosque 
the cathedral part Next, we took a walking tour throughout the town of Cordoba. It's whitewashed narrow streets with cobblestone paths were gorgeous. Our tour ended at an Italian-Spanish fusion restaurant for lunch. I ordered a tapa size espinacas y garbanzo, or spinach and chickpeas. It was incredibly greasy, that's my only comment. At least I was eating vegetables, I guess. I wasn't impressed. It started pouring down rain during the hour it took for everyone to get lunch-- uh oh, since I left my umbrella on the bus.
streets of Cordoba  |
| my greasy espinacas y garbanzo |
The ave train was lightning fast, but honestly didn't feel like it except when I was trying to take pictures or when we passed another train. It only took an hour and thirty some minutes to get from Cordoba to Madrid. Arden and I played speed for most of the train ride.
We checked into our hotel, which is pretty close to downtown Madrid and right on the Gran Via (prime location). The room is uber nice, definitely the nicest so far. This one actually has a gym, but I intend to run outside instead of on a treadmill. When is the next time I'd have the opportunity to run through the streets/pedestrian "cyclist roads" of Madrid?
Before leaving for dinner, Allyson and I did a little tacky souvenir shopping. Finally purchased some nicknacks to bring back home! Dinner was merely okay as well; the taters were good but the pasta was just average. I believe tonight will be better; we're going "bar hopping for tapas" don't worry, alcohol isn't always involved in tapas, but it is usually the only place they're served. The purpose of small dishes is to help absorb the alcohol, but it's also become a means of obtaining a light dinner in Spain. You can get small servings of traditional Spanish cuisine such as paella, or you can get something along the lines of hamburger sliders (and anything in between).
Walking out of the restaurant, I was immediately hit with a gust of cold, cold air. It seems like the rain made it a good twenty degrees cooler, as we went back to the hotel to bundle up before exploring the plaza mayor? of Madrid in our quest for churros and chocolate. Our expedition was pretty fun; we found a market that sold just about any food imaginable besides fruit and vegetables and I took tons of pictures. After walking to the Royal Palace, we decided to call it quits. So here I am, laying in bed about to fall asleep. Prado museum later in the morning and shopping/running in the afternoon if the weather isn't completely miserable.
churros y chocolate |
| the Gran Via at night |
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
totally on a runner's high, 12:57 am, hotel don paco, april 3
Well, as made apparent from the title of the post, the my favorite part of yesterday was my "nightcap" or my 45 minute run through the cobblestone streets of Seville. But I'll start at the beginning.
Our wake-up call came at 7am, but we were so exhausted from getting back from the game so early that I promptly slammed down the phone as soon as it rang. That was a horrible mistake; the next sound we heard was Mrs. Piner knocking on our door at 8:30 all perkily awake demanding we come to the door. I stumbled out from under the covers to a chaperone politely informing me that we had thirty minutes to get dressed and eat breakfast before the tour bus leaves us. I don't think either of us had ever gotten ready that fast-- we were downstairs eating sliced fruit before 8:45. The hectic getting ready rush was totally worth it-- I felt amazing with an extra hour and a half of sleep.
The tour bus took us to the center of the Spanish Exhibition of 1929 first. The goal of this gathering was to mend relationships with other countries, because after Spain lost their colonies in the New World, other countries (the US being one) felt like Spain had betrayed them. Many new buildings were constructed and remodeled in order for this massive conference.
Alex and I
After taking a bunch of pictures, we toured the Alcazar, which is a palace built under the short Christian rule around the 1300s but modeled after La Alhambra (or after Islamic influences). It was really interesting to see how the different religions influenced the decorations, because even though there was a bunch of mosaics which obviously came from the Middle East, there were also stars of Davids and crosses scattered throughout the architecture. The gardens outside were simply gorgeous, especially the huge fountain! It was a beautiful day to spend outside.
Oh, and the Alcazar is the oldest palace still in use today! When the royal family needs to spend the night in Seville, they spend it in the Alcazar.
Kimia and I in the gardens of the Alcazar
Next, we headed through the Jewish section of Seville, which isn't very large. They were officially run out of the country in 1492, but unofficially left in masses in the preceding century and a half due to persecution. On the way to the cathedral, Mrs. Piner and Kimia both got bird pooped on....
The Cathedral of Seville is the fourth largest in the world. It was restructured to showcase the wealth of the city of Seville, because there was not a need for such a large cathedral for such a small population. Actually, first it was a mosque, but it was torn down and rebuilt as a cathedral. When we went around noon, there was actually mass going on! We didn't listen to it, but it severely restricted our use of flash photography. Inside, we saw the tomb housing the remains of Christopher Colombus, as well as the Virgin Mary who protected him throughout his trip to the New World.
One of the remaining two portions of the original mosque is La Giralda (the Giralda tower). It was used to call the faithful Muslims to pray 5x a day during the period of Islamic control. It's 34 flights of narrow curving paths to reach the top of the bell tower. If you're curious, it's called La Giralda because the verb "girar" in Spanish means "to turn", and it twists and turns to the top. I ran up it as much as I could; there were a lot of slow, walking people in my way. From the zenith was the most gorgeous view of everything in Seville. It was simply breathtaking.
Seville from the top of La Giralda
Kimia, me, and Alex at the top of La Giralda
The tower one is La Giralda. The other building is part of the cathedral
Next we had tapas for lunch. I wasn't too impressed with my greasy paella, and the "espinacas y garbanzo" (spinach and chickpeas) was okay. The sourdough was merely bread, nothing special about it. But we were starving, since we eat lunch around 2pm.
After lunch, we were free to wander throughout Seville! Alex, Kimia, Arden, Allyson and I went shopping. I bought a rose colored dress that Kimia picked out for me, a sequined tank top and a scarf. It wasn't too far off the prices in the US after converting Euros to dollars. We have a whole day in Madrid to shop... Just getting that out there, Mom! Several things I still have yet to purchase, like a copy of the "Mucho + Facil" CD by Maldita Nerea that isn't available in the US, Real Madrid memorabilia, and souvenir shopping. I really need to get with it on that end.
Dinner was just eh as well. The bread was awesome though, and I was glad to get a few vegetables in my soup. I had some sort of lightly fried fish while the others had carne paella ( meat paella).
And now brace yourselves for the best part of my day. Instead of going on a boat for a "junior discoteca", a few of us, Allyson, Hawes and Fernando decided to go back to the hotel. We got permission to go out and explore the city, which we promptly took advantage of. I changed into running clothes and shoes, and we hit the streets. Those 3 just walked on the avenue while I ran up and down it for about 45 minutes, and we were back at the hotel before 11:00. Running was amazing. I felt the breeze on my face, and I was getting all sorts of weird looks because I just couldn't stop smiling-- it felt that great to be moving at a decent clip instead of slowly slogging along. I'm pretty sure I got at least 3.5 miles in, probably more. I'm pretty positive I was running around 7 min/mi, but I don't know for a fact because Garmin wouldn't load. It's cloudy here, and the streets are really narrow; but it doesn't matter. What matters is that I had the opportunity to run. I was going crazy only walking a couple of miles a day and eating as healthy as I can, which isn't that healthy (much to my dismay). When we got back, I ordered a bottle of water from the hotel bar, and I got a HUGE 1.5L bottle. I'm definitely not getting dehydrated!
Anyways, that was my day. I'm still on that runner's high! Oh, and I also bought a copy of "El Mundo de Corredores" or as y'all would call it, Runner's World Spain! That'll keep me entertained on the morning's bus ride to Cordoba, and then on the Ave train later in the afternoon. I don't plan on ignoring the wake-call in about 6 hours :P
Our wake-up call came at 7am, but we were so exhausted from getting back from the game so early that I promptly slammed down the phone as soon as it rang. That was a horrible mistake; the next sound we heard was Mrs. Piner knocking on our door at 8:30 all perkily awake demanding we come to the door. I stumbled out from under the covers to a chaperone politely informing me that we had thirty minutes to get dressed and eat breakfast before the tour bus leaves us. I don't think either of us had ever gotten ready that fast-- we were downstairs eating sliced fruit before 8:45. The hectic getting ready rush was totally worth it-- I felt amazing with an extra hour and a half of sleep.
The tour bus took us to the center of the Spanish Exhibition of 1929 first. The goal of this gathering was to mend relationships with other countries, because after Spain lost their colonies in the New World, other countries (the US being one) felt like Spain had betrayed them. Many new buildings were constructed and remodeled in order for this massive conference.
Alex and I After taking a bunch of pictures, we toured the Alcazar, which is a palace built under the short Christian rule around the 1300s but modeled after La Alhambra (or after Islamic influences). It was really interesting to see how the different religions influenced the decorations, because even though there was a bunch of mosaics which obviously came from the Middle East, there were also stars of Davids and crosses scattered throughout the architecture. The gardens outside were simply gorgeous, especially the huge fountain! It was a beautiful day to spend outside.
Oh, and the Alcazar is the oldest palace still in use today! When the royal family needs to spend the night in Seville, they spend it in the Alcazar.
Kimia and I in the gardens of the Alcazar Next, we headed through the Jewish section of Seville, which isn't very large. They were officially run out of the country in 1492, but unofficially left in masses in the preceding century and a half due to persecution. On the way to the cathedral, Mrs. Piner and Kimia both got bird pooped on....
The Cathedral of Seville is the fourth largest in the world. It was restructured to showcase the wealth of the city of Seville, because there was not a need for such a large cathedral for such a small population. Actually, first it was a mosque, but it was torn down and rebuilt as a cathedral. When we went around noon, there was actually mass going on! We didn't listen to it, but it severely restricted our use of flash photography. Inside, we saw the tomb housing the remains of Christopher Colombus, as well as the Virgin Mary who protected him throughout his trip to the New World.
One of the remaining two portions of the original mosque is La Giralda (the Giralda tower). It was used to call the faithful Muslims to pray 5x a day during the period of Islamic control. It's 34 flights of narrow curving paths to reach the top of the bell tower. If you're curious, it's called La Giralda because the verb "girar" in Spanish means "to turn", and it twists and turns to the top. I ran up it as much as I could; there were a lot of slow, walking people in my way. From the zenith was the most gorgeous view of everything in Seville. It was simply breathtaking.
Seville from the top of La Giralda 
Kimia, me, and Alex at the top of La Giralda
The tower one is La Giralda. The other building is part of the cathedralNext we had tapas for lunch. I wasn't too impressed with my greasy paella, and the "espinacas y garbanzo" (spinach and chickpeas) was okay. The sourdough was merely bread, nothing special about it. But we were starving, since we eat lunch around 2pm.
After lunch, we were free to wander throughout Seville! Alex, Kimia, Arden, Allyson and I went shopping. I bought a rose colored dress that Kimia picked out for me, a sequined tank top and a scarf. It wasn't too far off the prices in the US after converting Euros to dollars. We have a whole day in Madrid to shop... Just getting that out there, Mom! Several things I still have yet to purchase, like a copy of the "Mucho + Facil" CD by Maldita Nerea that isn't available in the US, Real Madrid memorabilia, and souvenir shopping. I really need to get with it on that end.
Dinner was just eh as well. The bread was awesome though, and I was glad to get a few vegetables in my soup. I had some sort of lightly fried fish while the others had carne paella ( meat paella).
And now brace yourselves for the best part of my day. Instead of going on a boat for a "junior discoteca", a few of us, Allyson, Hawes and Fernando decided to go back to the hotel. We got permission to go out and explore the city, which we promptly took advantage of. I changed into running clothes and shoes, and we hit the streets. Those 3 just walked on the avenue while I ran up and down it for about 45 minutes, and we were back at the hotel before 11:00. Running was amazing. I felt the breeze on my face, and I was getting all sorts of weird looks because I just couldn't stop smiling-- it felt that great to be moving at a decent clip instead of slowly slogging along. I'm pretty sure I got at least 3.5 miles in, probably more. I'm pretty positive I was running around 7 min/mi, but I don't know for a fact because Garmin wouldn't load. It's cloudy here, and the streets are really narrow; but it doesn't matter. What matters is that I had the opportunity to run. I was going crazy only walking a couple of miles a day and eating as healthy as I can, which isn't that healthy (much to my dismay). When we got back, I ordered a bottle of water from the hotel bar, and I got a HUGE 1.5L bottle. I'm definitely not getting dehydrated!
Anyways, that was my day. I'm still on that runner's high! Oh, and I also bought a copy of "El Mundo de Corredores" or as y'all would call it, Runner's World Spain! That'll keep me entertained on the morning's bus ride to Cordoba, and then on the Ave train later in the afternoon. I don't plan on ignoring the wake-call in about 6 hours :P
Monday, April 1, 2013
hotel don paco, sevilla, 2:17 am, april 2
this is just going to be a quick one. i need my energy for tomorrow. after exploring the giralda tower tomorrow morning, i hope to be able to sneak off for a run. i saw a park that should be big enough for several miles not too far from the hotel.
well, last night and into this morning was pretty darned adventuresome. after we checked into the hotel in sevilla (and after i slept the whole rest of the bus ride) and i published my last post, we explored the streets of sevilla on our way to dinner. we passed through the pedestrian streets filled with shops that i may or may not shop in tomorrow, as well as la torre giralda, which we will be climbing in a few hours!
los calles de sevilla (the streets of seville)
dinner was uneventful. the salad starter was not that amazing, and i wasn't in the mood for more refined carbs and olive oil. the olive oil was more of a greenish color this time; usually it just had a yellowish tint. my dinner of sea bass and veggies made up for the salad though.
my sea bass and veggies
after dinner, we had the option of going to a futbol (soccer) game or just chilling at the hotel. i went with a few others to the futbol game. although it wasn't a team i was hoping to see (real madrid or barcelona) i enjoyed it more than i thought i would, since i'm not really a soccer person (futbol americano and basketball all the way!). it was cool just to see how many people got up in the chants (not repeating, if you think we have bad chants in the united states...) real betis (the sevilla team) tied getafe c.f. in a shutout. the main downside was it. was. so. cold.
henry and i afterwards-- seniors!
we couldn't hail a cab after trying for at least 10 minutes, so we just decided to walk back to the hotel. it took about an hour, maybe, so i'll guess it was about three miles. it felt so good to get out and have some exercise! we walked down the avenue of the palms and then through "ghetto" sevilla where all the hostels were. it wasn't sketchy at all; quite frankly i enjoyed exploring parts of the city that more than likely we weren't going to tour.
not sketchy y'all
anyways. i need to get my rest for later. five hours of sleep a night isn't going to cut it. i need to do better tomorrow.
well, last night and into this morning was pretty darned adventuresome. after we checked into the hotel in sevilla (and after i slept the whole rest of the bus ride) and i published my last post, we explored the streets of sevilla on our way to dinner. we passed through the pedestrian streets filled with shops that i may or may not shop in tomorrow, as well as la torre giralda, which we will be climbing in a few hours!
los calles de sevilla (the streets of seville) dinner was uneventful. the salad starter was not that amazing, and i wasn't in the mood for more refined carbs and olive oil. the olive oil was more of a greenish color this time; usually it just had a yellowish tint. my dinner of sea bass and veggies made up for the salad though.
my sea bass and veggies after dinner, we had the option of going to a futbol (soccer) game or just chilling at the hotel. i went with a few others to the futbol game. although it wasn't a team i was hoping to see (real madrid or barcelona) i enjoyed it more than i thought i would, since i'm not really a soccer person (futbol americano and basketball all the way!). it was cool just to see how many people got up in the chants (not repeating, if you think we have bad chants in the united states...) real betis (the sevilla team) tied getafe c.f. in a shutout. the main downside was it. was. so. cold.
henry and i afterwards-- seniors!we couldn't hail a cab after trying for at least 10 minutes, so we just decided to walk back to the hotel. it took about an hour, maybe, so i'll guess it was about three miles. it felt so good to get out and have some exercise! we walked down the avenue of the palms and then through "ghetto" sevilla where all the hostels were. it wasn't sketchy at all; quite frankly i enjoyed exploring parts of the city that more than likely we weren't going to tour.
not sketchy y'allanyways. i need to get my rest for later. five hours of sleep a night isn't going to cut it. i need to do better tomorrow.
somewhere on a bus between rhonda and sevilla, 4:01 pm, april 1
Waking up this morning was incredibly difficult at 7am. I literally got out of bed, turned off the wakeup call and crawled back in bed for the next thirty minutes before getting dressed. Breakfast was the same as yesterday at 8am, plates of sliced fruit. We left Granada around 9 to head by bus to Sevilla. On the way out of Granada, I observed kilometer after kilometer of greenways—shame that they were across the river. Of course I saw people running, which made me thrilled that we were on the way to Sevilla, where rumor has is there’s a park safe for me to run in. Hopefully Alex will decide she wants to burn some calories and go for a run with me, since we’ve eaten so much these last few days. I don’t care about pace, I just want to inhale and exhale Spain while gracefully gliding across cobblestone streets – is that too much to ask?
Anyways, since we’re staying in the Andalucían region, the
scenery was pretty much the same as the ride to Granada: plenty of olive trees,
mountains and little random houses. Most of the houses in this area are white
because in the summer it can get quite hot, and white reflects the heat. We made
a “pit stop” to take a walking tour of historic Rhonda and tour the
bullfighting ring. Old Ronda was breathtakingly gorgeous, filled with
whitewashed buildings, and lined with cobblestone streets and bitter orange
trees. I learned the specifics about some of the context Spanish history
covered on my last 2441 test about the brief period of French rule. In Rhonda
during Jose Bonaparte’s reign, the bridge linking Old and New Rhonda was used
as a prison. Pretty smart idea if you think about it—either remain in captivity
or jump hundreds of feet to your death in the gorge below. Although the Muslim
influence is heavily noticed in the structure of the cities, including the narrow
streets, exterior decoration of buildings and in a few
mosques-later-turned-churches, it’s not as prevalent as I would have imagined
for a city this far south of Spain founded during the 800 years of Islamic
rule. I believe the main reason is because the city was destroyed in the 1600s
by an earthquake—almost 150 years after the unification of all of Spain by the
marriage of Fernando and Isabel and the subsequent kicking out of the Islamic
tribes.
first glance of Rhonda! 
old Rhonda 
group photo at the bridge
After touring Old Rhonda, we headed to the oldest
bullfighting ring in Spain. It’s still in use today (and it smelled like it
too) but most of the bigger bullfights are in other places, like Madrid. This
ring was small in seating, and because of this is home to 5 fights a year. However, the ring itself is one (if not the)
largest in Spain.
Kimia and I at the bullfighting arena
Thank goodness that after walking around everywhere, it was
finally lunchtime. Henry and Alex chose this place near the bullfighting arena.
Most of us branched out when it came to food selections—Kimia and I split a
gigantic seafood paella, Henry ordered “cola de toro” or bull’s tail, and
Fernando ordered rabbit. I was thinking about ordering gazpacho, but it was
really windy, which made it rather chilly. I didn’t need a cold soup too.
Anyways, the paella was so massive that the waiter brought out a special table
just for it. Between the two of us and my runner’s appetite, we polished it all
off! I wish I had a little self-control to prevent myself from eating whatever
dish is in front of me; I’d like to fit into my prom dress here! The worst part
was the unpeeled shrimp—I can’t count the times I bit into shrimp shell or found
a crab’s claw. Delicious—I see why it’s a favorite dish of Spain!
my paella. don't worry, there's much more than in the frame.. it filled three large plates completely!
last glance of Rhonda
Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s nap time until we get to
Seville so I’ll have plenty of energy for exploring Sevilla before dinner
tonight! From what I learned from my project on Spain last semester, I think Sevilla will be my favorite city of the three we stay in. Guess we'll have to wait and see :)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
should be packing up, 12:56 am, granada. april 1st
Okay, I really wasn't that sleep deprived in the morning; it didn't take too much effort to get out of bed. The wake up call was an abrupt reminder that yup, this is Spain! It was a recording saying "es la hora que despiertase" or something similar (meaning it's time to wake up). After getting dressed to the music of a growling stomach, we headed up to breakfast. It was a buffet style of pastries, cut fruit, eggs, and meat/cheese. I had a couple heaping platefuls of pretty good sliced fruit.
Immediately after breakfast, we left on the bus to visit La Alhambra and Los Gardines de Generalife (same location). I loved taking pictures here; yesterday morning I took 126 good pictures, and that's before attending the Flamenco show tonight (and probably tripping over my own feet learning how to dance) Since it was built for the Arab kings, you can see all types of Arabic influence. For example, the number 7 is everywhere (7th heaven is the closest you can get to 8th heaven, reserved solely for Allah (God)) in the architecture. It might be the sum of the digits of the number of wood pieces, or simply in millions of carvings around the entire palace. The one thing that didn't quite go our way today was the weather; it started raining pretty hard as we left the fourth palace. Rain doesn't really bother me, but I didn't want to ruin my J1 camera! I loved seeing the reflection pools in the gardens, as well as seeing the entire city of Granada from our altitude. It really made me realize how small we were, with the entire city below us and looking straight at the Sierra Nevadas.
Reflection pool at La Alhambra (palace of the king)
Arches from the Sultan's first wife's room
Courtyard for the sultan
Group photo on top of the exterior of La Alhambra
Generalife
After we left Generalife, our bus dropped us downtown so we could explore and hunt for lunch. After purchasing umbrellas, we decided to make our way through the Arab markets in search of the cathedral. After all, it was Easter Sunday. The cobblestone streets are horrible at water drainage; there was standing water everywhere! My wallabies and jeans were soaked when we got back to the hotel. The vendors at the Arab markets weren't very kind, but at least we weren't accused of falsely stealing anything. Also, we have yet to encounter gypsies. Inside the cathedral, it was filled with the scent of incense. To a born and bred Baptist, that smell is just horrible. We didn't stay long, but long enough for me to understand the "preacher" (priest?) was talking about the resurrection and how Jesus rose to save us from our sins. It sounded so much more beautiful in Spanish, just saying.
To relieve our grumbling and growling grumpy stomachs, our next stop was to find something to eat. One day soon, Kimia said that she wants churros for lunch instead of a sit down meal. If you want fried sticks of refined carbs coated in sugar and dipped into very thick sugary hot chocolate I'm not going to stop you. I'm just going to order salmon and veggies, like I did for lunch today. The paella here was served differently-- the shrimp was on top of a pile of rice, calamari and mussels shaped like a 6" cake pan. Mrs. Piner, Alex, and Fernando ordered it, so even though I didn't order it, I still had a large helping to help finish up plates. What can I say, this runner appetite still exists even though it's been two days without doing any vigorous exercise :( I think I'm going to go crazy if I can't run in Seville.
My delicious salmon. Haters gonna hate
Since we were free until 6:30 pm, us students decided to explore Granada by foot some more and go shopping. I bought a couple postcards and a magazine, and Arden got some more ice cream (how she was still hungry after lunch was beyond me), but nothing else since most of the good non-food stores were closed being it was Sunday and Easter Sunday at that. My magazine, although not Runner's World Espana is pretty interesting from the Spanish culture perspective, reviewing recent Spanish races. One day when I come back to Spain, I'm going to race here. Like I've said, if only we were in Madrid on the 28th of April for Rock and Roll Madrid Marathon and Half Marathon. I suspect at least one of my favorite Spanish bands would be there: Maldita Nerea, La Fuga, El Sueno de Morfeo, El Pescao.... Did I mention that I missed the end of La Fuga's tour when they were in Granada LAST WEEK?! End rant. Oh, but we stopped at a chocolate factory that sold flavors from biscuits to tiramisu to lemon... crazy. And they had free samples that the group definitely put a hurting on. No, Dad, I didn't buy any for you. Sorry.
ir de compras con mis chicas! (shopping with my girls)
At 6:30, we were scheduled to leave for our flamenco dancing lesson. It wasn't horrible, but it was a reminder of why I wasn't the best cheerleader because although I had rhythm, I could just NOT do all those fancy hand motions (and my dancing still looked like a cheerleader imitating flamenco style to top it all off--sharp, stiff, impersonal, quick movements instead of appearing graceful and flowing) It was something different, and I enjoyed it even though I was horrible.
Dinner following was delicious! I have no idea how much heaver I'm going to come back to the states on Saturday, but I'm definitely going to be a few pounds heavier... Our appetizer was the typical sourdough bread dipped in olive oil, but the second dish was either a tortilla espanola (layered potatoes and eggs), cured Spanish ham and cheese. I had a salad with more Spanish olive oil. The main course was chicken, potatoes and veggies for most; I had sautéed veggies. For once, I was so full from lunch that I just couldn't quite eat it all (and eating dinner at 10pm didn't help my lack of appetite) While we were eating, a group of professional flamenco performers came and danced for us. Their costumes weren't the traditional attire I imagined, but their moves were on pointe. And the guy was getting it... If only the guys in the US could dance, just saying.
delicious sauteed vegetables!
Now I'm back in the room, freshly showered and feeling pretty pleased with myself for getting my pictures all uploaded to Facebook. I had written most of this entry earlier, but then my laptop decided that it had to restart in order to install some update or other at that particular second, so I lost it. Whatever. First Wi-Fi probs, then laptop probs. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. Anyways, this afternoon, we're getting on a bus to Seville, but apparently we're doing something in the morning because wakeup call is at 7 and breakfast is at 8. Hopefully they'll have more cut fruit again!!
So I guess I'll go pack up my stuff so I don't have much to do in the morning. No comments please Mom and Dad, I know I need to work on being neater for when I go off the college. And I promise I'll clean my room before I go to school on Monday; you really don't need to go in there...
Immediately after breakfast, we left on the bus to visit La Alhambra and Los Gardines de Generalife (same location). I loved taking pictures here; yesterday morning I took 126 good pictures, and that's before attending the Flamenco show tonight (and probably tripping over my own feet learning how to dance) Since it was built for the Arab kings, you can see all types of Arabic influence. For example, the number 7 is everywhere (7th heaven is the closest you can get to 8th heaven, reserved solely for Allah (God)) in the architecture. It might be the sum of the digits of the number of wood pieces, or simply in millions of carvings around the entire palace. The one thing that didn't quite go our way today was the weather; it started raining pretty hard as we left the fourth palace. Rain doesn't really bother me, but I didn't want to ruin my J1 camera! I loved seeing the reflection pools in the gardens, as well as seeing the entire city of Granada from our altitude. It really made me realize how small we were, with the entire city below us and looking straight at the Sierra Nevadas.
Reflection pool at La Alhambra (palace of the king) 
Arches from the Sultan's first wife's room
Courtyard for the sultan 
Group photo on top of the exterior of La Alhambra
GeneralifeAfter we left Generalife, our bus dropped us downtown so we could explore and hunt for lunch. After purchasing umbrellas, we decided to make our way through the Arab markets in search of the cathedral. After all, it was Easter Sunday. The cobblestone streets are horrible at water drainage; there was standing water everywhere! My wallabies and jeans were soaked when we got back to the hotel. The vendors at the Arab markets weren't very kind, but at least we weren't accused of falsely stealing anything. Also, we have yet to encounter gypsies. Inside the cathedral, it was filled with the scent of incense. To a born and bred Baptist, that smell is just horrible. We didn't stay long, but long enough for me to understand the "preacher" (priest?) was talking about the resurrection and how Jesus rose to save us from our sins. It sounded so much more beautiful in Spanish, just saying.
To relieve our grumbling and growling grumpy stomachs, our next stop was to find something to eat. One day soon, Kimia said that she wants churros for lunch instead of a sit down meal. If you want fried sticks of refined carbs coated in sugar and dipped into very thick sugary hot chocolate I'm not going to stop you. I'm just going to order salmon and veggies, like I did for lunch today. The paella here was served differently-- the shrimp was on top of a pile of rice, calamari and mussels shaped like a 6" cake pan. Mrs. Piner, Alex, and Fernando ordered it, so even though I didn't order it, I still had a large helping to help finish up plates. What can I say, this runner appetite still exists even though it's been two days without doing any vigorous exercise :( I think I'm going to go crazy if I can't run in Seville.
My delicious salmon. Haters gonna hate Since we were free until 6:30 pm, us students decided to explore Granada by foot some more and go shopping. I bought a couple postcards and a magazine, and Arden got some more ice cream (how she was still hungry after lunch was beyond me), but nothing else since most of the good non-food stores were closed being it was Sunday and Easter Sunday at that. My magazine, although not Runner's World Espana is pretty interesting from the Spanish culture perspective, reviewing recent Spanish races. One day when I come back to Spain, I'm going to race here. Like I've said, if only we were in Madrid on the 28th of April for Rock and Roll Madrid Marathon and Half Marathon. I suspect at least one of my favorite Spanish bands would be there: Maldita Nerea, La Fuga, El Sueno de Morfeo, El Pescao.... Did I mention that I missed the end of La Fuga's tour when they were in Granada LAST WEEK?! End rant. Oh, but we stopped at a chocolate factory that sold flavors from biscuits to tiramisu to lemon... crazy. And they had free samples that the group definitely put a hurting on. No, Dad, I didn't buy any for you. Sorry.
ir de compras con mis chicas! (shopping with my girls) At 6:30, we were scheduled to leave for our flamenco dancing lesson. It wasn't horrible, but it was a reminder of why I wasn't the best cheerleader because although I had rhythm, I could just NOT do all those fancy hand motions (and my dancing still looked like a cheerleader imitating flamenco style to top it all off--sharp, stiff, impersonal, quick movements instead of appearing graceful and flowing) It was something different, and I enjoyed it even though I was horrible.
Dinner following was delicious! I have no idea how much heaver I'm going to come back to the states on Saturday, but I'm definitely going to be a few pounds heavier... Our appetizer was the typical sourdough bread dipped in olive oil, but the second dish was either a tortilla espanola (layered potatoes and eggs), cured Spanish ham and cheese. I had a salad with more Spanish olive oil. The main course was chicken, potatoes and veggies for most; I had sautéed veggies. For once, I was so full from lunch that I just couldn't quite eat it all (and eating dinner at 10pm didn't help my lack of appetite) While we were eating, a group of professional flamenco performers came and danced for us. Their costumes weren't the traditional attire I imagined, but their moves were on pointe. And the guy was getting it... If only the guys in the US could dance, just saying.
delicious sauteed vegetables! Now I'm back in the room, freshly showered and feeling pretty pleased with myself for getting my pictures all uploaded to Facebook. I had written most of this entry earlier, but then my laptop decided that it had to restart in order to install some update or other at that particular second, so I lost it. Whatever. First Wi-Fi probs, then laptop probs. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. Anyways, this afternoon, we're getting on a bus to Seville, but apparently we're doing something in the morning because wakeup call is at 7 and breakfast is at 8. Hopefully they'll have more cut fruit again!!
So I guess I'll go pack up my stuff so I don't have much to do in the morning. No comments please Mom and Dad, I know I need to work on being neater for when I go off the college. And I promise I'll clean my room before I go to school on Monday; you really don't need to go in there...
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