Bird's Eye View

I cannot believe that today marks two weeks that we have been in Spain. Time has flown by! Life here just keeps on getting better everyday.

To pick up where I left off, last Thursday we visited La Catedral here in Sevilla, the LARGEST gothic cathedral in the world. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Within the cathedral we got to see the burial site of Christopher Columbus which was SO cool! After the tour, we had some free time to climb the 343 feet to the top of La Giralda (the bell tower). Seeing the entire city of Sevilla from above was absolutely breathtaking.

Saturday we visited the Archeological Museum which my friends and I were not too interested in as you may notice below... 

After the museum, we visited La Plaza de America where we fed the doves. This was by far my favorite part of the day! So fun. 

Later that night, we had a wonderful dinner with the UGA Cadiz group on the roof of the hotel Dona Maria. It was a stunning view and some great memories were made! 

The following day, we headed to Cordoba, a beautiful city located on the banks of the Guadalquivir river. It was definitely a sight to see. We took a tour of the city itself which was lovely, but the best part of the visit was touring La Mezquita, the ancient mosque located in the heart of the city. The history behind the construction and preservation of the mosque is interesting, to say the least.

All in all, it has been a fabulous two weeks here in Sevilla. Tomorrow a new journey begins as I head to London for the weekend! Prayers for safe travels would be appreciated! Thanks for reading.

Alex

Sevilla, Sevilla, SEVILLA

Well...we've officially been living the Sevillana life for 5 days now, although it feels like we've already been here for an eternity. In just 5 days a lot has been accomplished. We have become familiar with the city, started classes at the University of Sevilla, and most importantly, many great friendships have been made along the way.

Our first day in Sevilla, we had an orientation of the city. Every building, street, fountain, house, etc looks like it came straight out of a movie. Sevilla is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Amongst all the excitement of our first full day here, Kelly and I ran into a serious problem.....we couldn't remember where we lived. Our madre, Lole, had driven us to school that morning so when we went to head back home, we realized neither of us even remembered what direction we came from. Trust me, if you ever visit Sevilla you will see how easy it is to get lost. Every street looks the same! We spent the next two and a half hours walking aimlessly down all the wrong streets and waiting at all the wrong bus stops until FINALLY we somehow made our way home, an hour late for dinner. You live and you learn...Here's a photo of us after finally finding our home.

Saturday was also our first night out in Sevilla and it was an absolute blast. Top 5 best nights ever. While walking toward the local bars and discotecas, we met a local named Juanan who told us what bars to check out and which ones to stay away from. Surprisingly, the locals here love us. And we love them because we get to meet new people while also improving our Spanish! Here's some of the group having a little too much fun.

Sunday, we went to the Sevilla vs. Elche soccer game. It was the craziest sporting event I have ever been to, in a good way! Soccer fans here are so dedicated and invested in their teams. The fans were constantly singing, chanting, and waving their Sevilla scarves. So were the tourists...

Monday began our first day of classes/orientation at the University of Sevilla. We got to know our teachers and became familiar with the campus. That afternoon, we played a game of soccer in which I tried, and failed, to kick the ball even once. We had a welcome dinner in the city that evening, and a group of us headed to the park afterward to have .50 euro(50 cent) cervezas. Yes....they were actually that cheap. Yet another reason why Sevilla is the greatest place on earth.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to tour the Plaza de Espana and Maria Luisa Park. Both were stunningly beautiful. Here are a couple of shots I took while we were there.

Sevilla is genuinely the most captivating place I have ever visited with so much history behind it. It is such a beautiful city filled with romance and diversity. I'm beginning to think I'll never leave...

Until next time!
Alex

When in Madrid...

Let me just start this off by saying...SPAIN IS AMAZING.

After a rough couple of jet lagged days, we have arrived in Sevilla and are officially settled into our new home for the next 7 weeks. Our madre is named Dolores, but she goes by Lole. Her husband is Carlo. They spend a lot of time golfing, and Lole has an entire dresser full of trophies she has won over the years. They have two girls, one is 25 and the other is 28 and they live in other parts of Spain. Kelly and I were definitely overwhelmed upon arriving due to the fact that we had no idea what she was saying to us...people weren't kidding when they warned us of those thick Andalucian accents! For dinner, she made us a delicious salad and we had our first experience eating duck...we liked it! She also served us homemade gelato which was delicious.

Going back in time to our arrival- Madrid was magical. We stayed in the Hotel TRYP Gran Via which was right on the main street downtown and was a good walking distance from everything we visited. "El Palacio Real", or the royal palace, was breathtaking. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside but I tried to sneak a few here and there when the guards weren't looking. Here are a couple!

Thursday we had the chance to walk around and explore Madrid during our free time. El Mercado de San Miguel was one of my favorite places we went during our short time in Madrid. It had just about anything you could imagine...cheese, olives, fresh fruit, alcohol, seafood, and all of it was as fresh as they come. Here's me being a little too excited about my olive purchase...

We also had our first taste of REAL sangria and it was everything I could've hoped for and more! Super refreshing and tasty. An elderly couple who was sitting next to us befriended us and ended up buying us another liter of it. Muchas gracias!

Last night was our last evening in Madrid and it was ALSO our friend Metheridge's birthday! Of course that calls for some serious celebration. We first went to an irish pub (typical) and met a huge group of lads from Manchester! They were in town for their friend's bachelor party and were so much fun. We even got them to chant for the Dawgs. The groom was definitely having a good time...

We ended the night at a 7 story club in the center of Madrid. It was one of the best times I have ever had. There was such a diverse selection of people to talk to and hangout with. I wish we had more time in Madrid to experience the city, but I'll be back one day. Meanwhile, the city of Sevilla is awaiting me for the next seven weeks.

Buenas Noches!