Spain Trips

Madrid

Madrid was amazing. we took a really long six hour bus ride to get there over night. We took a tour of the city and saw Puerta de Sol, Plaza de Mayor, the Palace, and a couple of churches and gardens. Plaza de Mayor is very touristy and there are a bunch of protests that happen at night in that square. Everything is pricey in Plaza de Mayor but if you travel in the outskirts you can find a real traditional spanish meal with sangria for very cheap!! Our hostel on Gran Via was beautiful there, it had an old traditional elevator that you use between floors. We saw the Almudena Cathedral which was very beautiful. Our tour guide said that on one side of the cathedral facing the palace, it's not as elaborate because they didn't want to "out do" the palace. On the other side, it looks like a completely different church because its so much more elaborate and detailed! We also saw the San Jeronimo church on a hill and went to the Buen Retiro Park where we rode boats on a lake! We also went to the national museum of Reina Sofia where we saw a lot of biblical paintings. At night we went to kapital!! a seven floor club with mainly house music but it was a MUST.

Morocco

went on a tour with discoversevilla.com

Barcelona

The first week in Sevilla!

I've been meaning to start this blog as soon as I arrived but I've been so busy that I haven't got a chance to actually sit and write! This week has been amazing! Sevilla is so beautiful and the architecture is unreal. We are just a twenty minute walk to the center where the Cathedral is located with its stunning gothic architecture. The first day we got here we were all so exhausted because we traveled for twelve hours, not to mention I lost my luggage in the process. It got here the next day though thank God. We went to the center where we visited the University of Sevilla which was actually a tobacco factory when the country thrived off of trade when the New World (America) was discovered. Columbus was actually carved into the university! Our tour guides Raul, Fernando, and Marta are great. They gave us an introduction to the city and its rich culture. They told us not to be "ugly Americans" as the Spaniards call us. Aka don't binge drink because the spanish go out and have one drink with their friends. The culture is awesome because everyone is so friendly here. They really don't believe in personal space which is fine because I'm used to it with the Egyptian culture. Also, everyone is always out! It really creates a great atmosphere. AND THE FOOD- delicious. Spanish food is mainly a mix of multiple foods put together in one dish with a certain spice to it. Paella is my favorite food so far. They also don't really believe in heavy breakfast like Americans. People usually have simple bread and coffee. The spanish are also known for their soups. However, the second day before visiting the Aracena caves we tried this cold tomato soup that no one touched. It was different to say the least. Tapas is really good too. They're like little personal appetizers that come in small plates. People order multiple tapas as a meal. The Aracena caves were beautiful! We traveled for an hour to get there and we were in the middle of nowhere. Raul translated for us and he told us that some parts of the cave was almost a half a million years old! He also showed us a part of the cave that looked like the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. The next day Raul showed us around the Guadalquivir River on the way to the center. It was so sunny out that day! Next time its nice out we are definitely taking a horse carriage in that area. The night life is also amazing here! At first we didn't really know where to go so we went to this local bar and the bartender Alfonso is our new best friend. We basically made his business. He was so happy that we were there. Another night we went to this place called Abril and it the nicest club I've ever been to! It was international night so we met so many different people. Everyone danced the night away...literally. The club closed at 9 am and we didn't get home till 5. Not helping jet lag at all. But we had a great time with everyone! I'm starting school tomorrow and we have excursions every day so hopefully I'll be able to find the time to blog again soon! Farewell from Sevilla :)