Wow, it's been a while since I've added an update on my goings-on in Spain. The "study" part of study-abroad has become a little more time consuming over the past week so I've had fewer noteworthy excursions. This weekend, though, a big group of us headed down to Sevilla (Seville in English) to explore the sights, sounds and smells of the south of Spain.
A charming city on the Guadalquivir River, Sevilla has a distinct personality--very different from Madrid. First, the weather was much warmer--it got into the 60s while it's been in the low 30s on my walks to school in the morning in Madrid. Sevilla had a very Mediterranean feel to it--orange trees everywhere, the river running through the city and less big buildings. The city is famous for it's passionate, sometimes over-the-top celebrations which fit perfectly with their two specialties--bull fighting and flamenco dancing (more about those later).
We stayed in a very nice hostel (a good first experience with that!) in the center of the city, a perfect home base for exploring the city. I took plenty of pics so follow along for a tour of beautiful Sevilla!
First stop, the city's Cathedral, just down the street from our hostel and the third largest church in the world. It was originally built as a Mosque and completed in 1198, but transformed into a cathedral after the Christians conquered the area about 100 years later. The tower, called La Giralda, is the only part of the original Mosque still standing and has survived several large earthquakes. At one point, it was the world's tallest building. Also, Christopher Columbus' tomb is housed inside of the Cathedral--or at least that is what Sevilla claims. Apparently scientists have confirmed that at least 10% of Columbus' remains are located in the tomb in Sevilla, although there are many other cities (some in Latin America) that claim to have his tomb as well.
We went into the cathedral a couple of times. Once to look around on Friday and another time to go to mass on Sunday. There were surprisingly very few people there for Sunday mass in Spain's biggest church but it was a fun experience nonetheless.
They sure love their small streets in Europe.
Sevilla's version of graffiti. Looks like something out of Spongebob.
Lots of orange trees throughout the city. Apparently they were planted there when the Muslims ruled the city--it is common for orange trees to be planted outside of mosques for their aroma-therapy potential.
Still some big, busy streets but much more of a small-town feel than Madrid. Kind of like a smaller, more historic Miami.
The main drag in Sevilla. Very pretty.
They like to bike! Public bikes available for rent.
If biking is not really your style, you can take a horse-drawn carriage instead.
Downtown Sevilla with above ground metro tracks.
The street our hostel was on.
The cathedral with La Giralda on the right.
More cathedral.
Still more.
I'm mastering the art of undercover pictures. It's still tough to capture how big this church is.
Not just big but beautiful as well. Lots of stained-glass windows.
Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow (hopefully!), Part 2: The Alcazar and its beautiful gardens. íHasta mañana mis amigos!
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