After the tremendous rain showers that we were having in a Sevilla for what seemed like forever...we finally have some amazing southern Spain sunshine! I remember just two years ago when I was in Ireland with my family we experienced what was probably one of there largest rain storms and flood. Looks like this kind of stuff likes to follow the Schanzs...
I was in Sevilla this past weekend and due to the changing weather I was okay with that. It was a nice weekend get some stuff done and relax. My next few weeks are going to be fun and hectic! I am heading to Interlaken and Geneva, Switzerland this weekend for some skiing and other activities with some friends. Next week my mom comes!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooo excited. We will be in Sevilla for a few days and then heading up north to visit family- Jake, Luise and baby(Princess) Clara. After that we will return to Sevilla and then she heads home. I am looking forward to all the crazyness!
The weather today in Sevilla has been gorgeous. It may rain some days but when it's sunny, it's SUNNY. I am hoping that this is a sign that the real spring is here...(especially for the sake of my mom, i know she would appreciate some of the nice warm weather when she is here!)
My goal for today is to get packing for Switzerland! We have not checked any luggage and are all only taking carry ons so that our luggage makes it all the way there. I have my good ole zebra duffle bag that is going to make the journey with me. I am hoping that all my warm ski clothes are going to fit inside....Alot of airlines have a rule where you can only take ONE carry on. That means ONE single bag with no other large purse. I thought i would be able to sneak bringing my duffle and my big longchamp to pack stuff in as well but it won't fly in this case. Taking one bag is a tough sacrafice for me but im learning.......
I hope all is sunny back home :)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
More Granada Pictures
These pictures are a little bit out of order---oops!
^^^Inside the Cathedral in Granada
^^^girls at the Alhambra
^^view from the Alhambra--you can see the snowy sierra nevadas in the background!
^^^At the Alhambra
^^^Cameron and I at a teteria in Granada
^^^Inside the Cathedral in Granada
^^^girls at the Alhambra
^^view from the Alhambra--you can see the snowy sierra nevadas in the background!^^^At the Alhambra
^^^Cameron and I at a teteria in Granada
Granada
^^^At the Alhambra with my friend Kerry Anne
^^^Inside the Alhambra--awesome detail!
^^^View of Granada from the Alhambra
^^^Cathedral in Granada
^^Ferdinand and Isabella's tombsGranada, Granada, Granada!
This past weekend i went with my program to Granada, Spain.
Granada is about a 3 hour bus ride from Sevilla. It is situated near the Sierra Nevada Mountains and has a bit of a cooler temperature. This is a great place to visit for many reason. It is the home of the Alhambra. The Alhambra is pretty much a walled city or medina. Alot of history has taken place here including many events with Christopher Columbus as well as "Los Reyes Catolicos" -Ferdinand and Isabella.
We arrived in Granda early afternoon on Saturday. Unfortunately there was not very good weather- rain, rain, rain. We had a few hours to grab lunch and walk around but due to the rain it was a bit difficult. After this time we went as a group to go see the large Cathedral in Granada. Once again another gorgeous Cathedral! and absolutely huge! We also managed to see the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella. A little bit freaky but at the same time pretty neat!
Before heading to dinner we had a few hours to kill. Granada is known to have some great "teterias." Due to the Islamic influence here they are very abundant and have a great atmosphere. We went with a small group to have tea and crepes at a very authentic teteria. We had to climb a spiral staircase up to where we sat. The place had awesome decor and music that really made the experience. I tried a fruity tea and went for the chocolate and strawberry crepe!
That night we had a scheduled dinner at our hotel. We had heard that this dinner was supposed to be very good so we were looking forward to it. Well...the entire meal was white and plain, plain, plain. White soup, white chicken breast, white potatoes, vanilla ice cream. I sat at a table with 5 other girls and we did end up having a good time despite the boring food. We played some games and literally laughed until we cried. After our meal we made a mutual decision to head out for some yummy dessert for Valentines Day. We went to a little ice cream shop and all got some great dessert.
The following morning, we were ready to set off to our tour of the Alhambra. This was planned to be a 3-4 hour tour outdoors and we were very lucky that the weather cleared up for this. The sun did end up coming out for the day! We spent a majority of the day walking around the grounds of the Alhambra and listening to our great tour guide/professor Fernando. The Alhambra was absolutely beautiful and had some great views of Granada and the snow topped Sierra Nevada mountains. Later in the day we had a bus ride back to Sevilla to make it home just in time for dinner!
This week has been a fun week! School has not been to stressful because the previous week was full of tests and papers.
I was really fortunate to have one of my sorority sisters and good friend come to visit me this week! My friend Elizabeth is studying in Roubaix, France and made her way to Sevilla for a few days this past week along with her friend Kat. They arrived in Sevilla late Tuesday afternoon. I met up with them at their hotel right after class. It was so weird to see a friend in Sevilla! Definitely took me a little bit to get used to that. Hungry for dinner we headed into el centro to grab a bite to eat at one of Caroline and I's favorite little italian spots. We were lucky that it was not raining this evening and walked around outsite in el centro for a little bit after eating. After walking around for a while we headed to La Carboneria for some tinto de verano and to watch a quick little flamenco show. By the time the show was over it was time for us to head our separate ways for the night---in the pouring rain!
Wednesday morning i headed to class as usual and then met them at the metro station right by school after my class. I took them to our favority little greek place for lunch. They were loving the 5 euro meal deal because apparently that is much cheaper than in France. After lunch we were ready to start our tourist day. Let me mention that we were having the WIERDEST weather wednesday. It would pour rain for ten minutes and then be sunny as can be for like an hour the entire day. Our stops for the day consistest of Plaza de Espana (awesome plaza in sevilla, great for pictures and walking around. unfortunately at this time they are doing construction there but you still get the just of it. Plaza de Espana was actually Queen Amidala's castle in star wars.) Reales Alcazar (good thing the rain held off most of the time and we could walk through the gardens in the sunshine!) and the Cathedral (again, good thing the rain held off, we climed all the ramps to the top of the Giralda to look out over Sevilla). In the time that we spent walking from Reales Alcazar to the Cathedral one of the most surreal things happened. Well let me set the stage and drop a big hint by saying that the Gibbons Spain trip was in Sevilla this past week as well (this is the Spain trip from my high school). We had seen school groups all day in Sevilla and I always looked to see if anyone looked familiar. Sure enough in one of the groups I spotted one of my favorite teachers from Gibbons--Mrs. Gallagher! I was so excited and ran up to her, her reaction was perfect ---"oh my gosh Sarah is this for real!" It was great to run into them in the middle of Sevilla. I had actually previously planned attending dinner with them wed night so i was going to see them again later that night.
After touring the Cathedral with Elizabeth and Kat we walked through some of the touristy shops and slowly made our way to my favorite churro place! It was a little ways out of town but definitely worth it for a taste of some churros and chocolate. After our snack, we parted ways for a little and for dinner because I was meeting up with Gibbons and Sean for dinner.
I met Sean and one of our friends younger brother George near the Cathedral to head to dinner with the Gibbons crew. Sean and I really had a great time catching up with the two teachers on the trip--Mrs. Gallagher and Mrs. Williams. Both were teachers that we had both really enjoyed at Gibbons and Mrs. Williams is actually one of our friends mom. It was awesome to be having dinner with them in Sevilla. I am definitely glad that we took the time to do that.
After dinner, Sean and I met up with Elizabeth to hang out for the rest of the night and show her a little bit of the Spanish nightlife. Sounds like it is a little more exciting than the nightlife in Roubaix.
Today was a day to shop! I met the girls in the center and we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a cafe and then had big plans to shop (whats new!). Shopping in Spain is WAY less expensive than shopping in France so it was a bit of fresh air for them. It was definitely a successful shopping day minus the rain. We went to dinner at a mexican restuarant and then grabbed some ice cream at a little shop that i really enjoy in the center.
After todays fesivities it was time to say goodbye! It is weird that we are both living in different countries right now but have the opportunity to visit. I am so glad that they took the time to come see me in Spain! It is alot of fun to show people around. I hope to get up to France to visit them in the end of April and I am really loooking forward to that.
This weekend Caroline is out of town again! I will be spending the weekend in Sevilla because next weekend I am jetting off to Switzerland (I can't wait!!!!!). I am going to spend time this weekend with my friend Kerry Anne. We are going to venture around and try and find some new sites in Sevilla!
I am taking an intensive literature class and this coming up week is the last week so i am REALLY looking forward to the end. After the class is over, I will have entirely free afternoons to spend in Sevilla.
That's all for now!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Busy Week!
Wow this has been a busy week!
Just like normal school..all the professors decided to give their tests in the same week. This definitely does not make for a fun week.
Sunday was fun!
While Caroline was still in Florence for the weekend i was home alone in my home stay with my Senora Paqui and her daughters Julia and Blanca. Sunday morning, Paqui and Julia invited me out to lunch with them at a local "Cerveceria"/tapas place. We headed out to lunch around 2:30. Come to find out that Paqui knew almost everyone at the Cerveceria! She was chatting it up with some of her little man friends and giggling like crazy. She kept introducing myself and her daughter Julia. I was known as her "North American Student." They were all so excited to meet me and kept giving me the normal welcoming kisses. I tried my best to stay up with the conversation between them but sometimes their conversation became a little too fast for me and i just continued to nod and laugh. When it came time to order food I was a little nervous. I had no clue what anything on the menu was! All i recognized was "pescado" or fish--which i had no intention of ordering. Paqui knows that I do not care for fish and went ahead and ordered me a little ham and cheese sandwich. Julia and I both had the same thing. It was not to bad but i have a hard time watching them actually carve the ham and then put it right onto the sandwich. I ate it quickly with a positive mindset! When i was through, Paqui proceeded to ask me what else i would like to try. I was a little nervous to try more...but she had another good call when she ordered me some eat with a side of salsa. I am not sure what the meat was but it was very good! I am glad that i did not share in what they ordered....sardines! We stayed at this cerveceria until it closed and all Paqui´s friends had gone home. It was probably around 4pm. At this point Julia and I were both craving something sweet. Our next stop was to a little bakery with ice cream and churros! yum! Right when we walked in Julia noticed that her Grandparents and Great Aunt happened to be there as well. We went ahead and sat down with them. Once again I got the introduction as their "North American Student" which came along with plenty of welcoming kisses. I definitely felt like part of the family! We sat for a while and ordered churros and chocolate. Before sitting to the table Paqui had quickly told me that her family was a little crazy and very talkative. This was quickly proven to be true. The girls, Paqui, her mother, her aunt and Julia were chatting up a storm. So quickly i could only catch a couple of words. The little grandfather just kid of sat there and watched, on ocasion he would get in a quick comment! Every so often they would look over at me and smile, sometimes i had not clue what they were talking about and I would just smile and laugh right back. One thing the grandmother said that i thought was very interesting was that she thought that I did not look like a "North American" and that i was "guapisima" or very pretty. I wonder what they assume that a North American looks like??? After a fun little family gathering we eventually made it out the door and on our way home---right across the street. It was a fun experience to be able to go out with the family.
Going home meant that i actually had to concentrate on school work! This was just the beginning of a loooong school week. Monday I had a spanish literature paper due as well as a presentation and a quiz. Tuesday I had a midterm in my Literature class. Wednesday I had a test in my Art and Culture class and another quiz in my grammer class. Thursday was a break :) aka catch up on sleep lost from studying for tests! Today, Friday I had a test in my Spain and Islam class and a paper due in my grammer class. It doesn't seem too bad but its all in spanish!
I am so glad that it is Friday and that the week full of tests and papers in over with!
This weekend we will be heading to Granada with our program. There are some great sites to see here. Hopefully the weather will be nice for us!
Just like normal school..all the professors decided to give their tests in the same week. This definitely does not make for a fun week.
Sunday was fun!
While Caroline was still in Florence for the weekend i was home alone in my home stay with my Senora Paqui and her daughters Julia and Blanca. Sunday morning, Paqui and Julia invited me out to lunch with them at a local "Cerveceria"/tapas place. We headed out to lunch around 2:30. Come to find out that Paqui knew almost everyone at the Cerveceria! She was chatting it up with some of her little man friends and giggling like crazy. She kept introducing myself and her daughter Julia. I was known as her "North American Student." They were all so excited to meet me and kept giving me the normal welcoming kisses. I tried my best to stay up with the conversation between them but sometimes their conversation became a little too fast for me and i just continued to nod and laugh. When it came time to order food I was a little nervous. I had no clue what anything on the menu was! All i recognized was "pescado" or fish--which i had no intention of ordering. Paqui knows that I do not care for fish and went ahead and ordered me a little ham and cheese sandwich. Julia and I both had the same thing. It was not to bad but i have a hard time watching them actually carve the ham and then put it right onto the sandwich. I ate it quickly with a positive mindset! When i was through, Paqui proceeded to ask me what else i would like to try. I was a little nervous to try more...but she had another good call when she ordered me some eat with a side of salsa. I am not sure what the meat was but it was very good! I am glad that i did not share in what they ordered....sardines! We stayed at this cerveceria until it closed and all Paqui´s friends had gone home. It was probably around 4pm. At this point Julia and I were both craving something sweet. Our next stop was to a little bakery with ice cream and churros! yum! Right when we walked in Julia noticed that her Grandparents and Great Aunt happened to be there as well. We went ahead and sat down with them. Once again I got the introduction as their "North American Student" which came along with plenty of welcoming kisses. I definitely felt like part of the family! We sat for a while and ordered churros and chocolate. Before sitting to the table Paqui had quickly told me that her family was a little crazy and very talkative. This was quickly proven to be true. The girls, Paqui, her mother, her aunt and Julia were chatting up a storm. So quickly i could only catch a couple of words. The little grandfather just kid of sat there and watched, on ocasion he would get in a quick comment! Every so often they would look over at me and smile, sometimes i had not clue what they were talking about and I would just smile and laugh right back. One thing the grandmother said that i thought was very interesting was that she thought that I did not look like a "North American" and that i was "guapisima" or very pretty. I wonder what they assume that a North American looks like??? After a fun little family gathering we eventually made it out the door and on our way home---right across the street. It was a fun experience to be able to go out with the family.
Going home meant that i actually had to concentrate on school work! This was just the beginning of a loooong school week. Monday I had a spanish literature paper due as well as a presentation and a quiz. Tuesday I had a midterm in my Literature class. Wednesday I had a test in my Art and Culture class and another quiz in my grammer class. Thursday was a break :) aka catch up on sleep lost from studying for tests! Today, Friday I had a test in my Spain and Islam class and a paper due in my grammer class. It doesn't seem too bad but its all in spanish!
I am so glad that it is Friday and that the week full of tests and papers in over with!
This weekend we will be heading to Granada with our program. There are some great sites to see here. Hopefully the weather will be nice for us!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
A Sunny Weekend in Sevilla
No travels for me this weekend! It has been a beautiful weekend here in Sevilla. The weather has been bright and sunny ever since i stepped foot out of the classroom on Friday. Nothing like a 65 degrees and sunny in the beginning of February!
Thusday Night I went with my friends Copeland and Amanda to a Haiti benefit concert here in Sevilla. We trecked a few miles and eventually found where we were headed! The next (difficult) step was to find somewhere to get something to eat. After about thirty minutes of walking down little streets we eventually found a little pizza shop to stop in and grab a bite to eat....reminds me of our adventures in Paris! After eating, we made our way back to the place the concert was being held. It was really neat to see a concert in spanish! I would say the exact same as watching a band in english except for the language barrier. I am definitely glad we had this experience and that we did a little something to benefit Haiti.
Friday was a great day! I have had the itch to go shopping for a few days now and Friday was my chance. I returned home from class for lunch and then headed into the center on my bike to shop, shop, shop. It was beautiful outside, a great day for some outdoor shopping. I began shopping at siesta and it was kind of nice because there were not a ton of people around. Eventually the streets began to fill and you could tell it was a friday afternoon! For some reason i noticed that there were alot of people walking around with map in hand. I am guessing that people tend to come to Sevilla for weekend trips due to its warmer climate. After a few hours of shopping, i made my way back home. I love walking through the streets in the center in the evening. All the buildings are so beautifully lit, especially the Cathedral! There are so many families out in the streets and people eating in the little cafes. Around this time of day is when the street performers tend to come out also. I dont mind them too much, especially those that play nice music. It is nice to hear as you are walking around. Friday night I was headed out to eat with Copeland and Amanda again. We really don't eat out all that often but decided it would be okay every once in a while because we want to explore the different menus. This way when we have guests come into town we know the good places to eat at! After dinner, we met up with some friends and sat by the river for a glass of wine. It was sooo pretty! We found a spot where not to many people were and hung out for a while before eventually heading in for the night.
Apparently I did not get my shopping fix on Friday because I went out shopping again today...
This time my friend Kaleigh joined me and we ventured into a different part of the center to shop. Once again, it was a beautiful day to be outside. On these kinds of days I enjoy people watching and wandering through town.
On a different note...
As i stated previously my roommate Caroline and I have finally received our SEVici bikes. What an adventure it has been!! I don't even rememner the last time that I rode a bike and forgot how much of a workout it is. I probably look like a fool doing my best to keep up with Caroline and others as we make our way down the street.
Here are some lessons that we have learned with our SEVici bikes:
1. GREAT means of transportation, riding a bike is definitely faster than walking!
We learned this Wednesday when we woke up at 9:15am for our 9:30am class, good thing we had our bikes and made it to class by 9:35!
2. Riding a bike is a different means of exercise than walking, it is likely that the day following the first day that you rode a bike in a long time your butt may be a little sore. I forgot how uncomfortable those seats are....
3. Always make sure that you lock your bike into the rack properly and the rack registers receiving your bike.....or you may end up getting home (2 miles away) and realizing that your bike is not checked in at a bike rack and make your roommate walk with you all the way back to that rack to nudge your bike into place. THEN you can proceed to go home, this process will probably take around an hour.
4. When checking out a bike at a rack be sure of the following: there is air in the tires, the bike has a chain, there are two handles on the bike. If you forgot to do either of the following you will likely get some looks. Maybe it was just our luck that Caroline and I BOTH got bikes without chains and tried to ride them-which does not work, meanwhile two nice looking spanish men looked on and giggled...
5. Once again, make sure your bike has a chain! This is generally something that you want to check BEFORE checking out your bike, OR you will find yourself checking out 3 bikes in a row that don't have chains....By this point you may give up and proceed to walk
6. When approaching a sand pit, don't slow down OR you will find yourself falling over into a construction fence right on the side of a major avenue AND all your school books will more than likely fall out of your basket....At this point your roommate has every right to laugh at you.
7. Make sure that you can reach the pedals on your bike (aka adjust the seat) OR you will find yourself falling off your bike in a major avenue in front of the University of Sevilla and all it's students. By this point you may forget that none of the people you ran into understand "I'm sorry, I'm Sorry!"
8. Avoid riding your bike near people that are talking on their cellphone while riding a bike. They will run into you and act like it is your fault.
9. Riding a bike makes you look more like a local! wohoo! (minus all of the above)
10. People here actually respect the bike lane and move over when you ring your bell.
Caroline and I have had some adventures with our bikes!! We are getting better everyday, one of these days we will be able to ride with no hands down a cobblestone street....
Thusday Night I went with my friends Copeland and Amanda to a Haiti benefit concert here in Sevilla. We trecked a few miles and eventually found where we were headed! The next (difficult) step was to find somewhere to get something to eat. After about thirty minutes of walking down little streets we eventually found a little pizza shop to stop in and grab a bite to eat....reminds me of our adventures in Paris! After eating, we made our way back to the place the concert was being held. It was really neat to see a concert in spanish! I would say the exact same as watching a band in english except for the language barrier. I am definitely glad we had this experience and that we did a little something to benefit Haiti.
Friday was a great day! I have had the itch to go shopping for a few days now and Friday was my chance. I returned home from class for lunch and then headed into the center on my bike to shop, shop, shop. It was beautiful outside, a great day for some outdoor shopping. I began shopping at siesta and it was kind of nice because there were not a ton of people around. Eventually the streets began to fill and you could tell it was a friday afternoon! For some reason i noticed that there were alot of people walking around with map in hand. I am guessing that people tend to come to Sevilla for weekend trips due to its warmer climate. After a few hours of shopping, i made my way back home. I love walking through the streets in the center in the evening. All the buildings are so beautifully lit, especially the Cathedral! There are so many families out in the streets and people eating in the little cafes. Around this time of day is when the street performers tend to come out also. I dont mind them too much, especially those that play nice music. It is nice to hear as you are walking around. Friday night I was headed out to eat with Copeland and Amanda again. We really don't eat out all that often but decided it would be okay every once in a while because we want to explore the different menus. This way when we have guests come into town we know the good places to eat at! After dinner, we met up with some friends and sat by the river for a glass of wine. It was sooo pretty! We found a spot where not to many people were and hung out for a while before eventually heading in for the night.
Apparently I did not get my shopping fix on Friday because I went out shopping again today...
This time my friend Kaleigh joined me and we ventured into a different part of the center to shop. Once again, it was a beautiful day to be outside. On these kinds of days I enjoy people watching and wandering through town.
On a different note...
As i stated previously my roommate Caroline and I have finally received our SEVici bikes. What an adventure it has been!! I don't even rememner the last time that I rode a bike and forgot how much of a workout it is. I probably look like a fool doing my best to keep up with Caroline and others as we make our way down the street.
Here are some lessons that we have learned with our SEVici bikes:
1. GREAT means of transportation, riding a bike is definitely faster than walking!
We learned this Wednesday when we woke up at 9:15am for our 9:30am class, good thing we had our bikes and made it to class by 9:35!
2. Riding a bike is a different means of exercise than walking, it is likely that the day following the first day that you rode a bike in a long time your butt may be a little sore. I forgot how uncomfortable those seats are....
3. Always make sure that you lock your bike into the rack properly and the rack registers receiving your bike.....or you may end up getting home (2 miles away) and realizing that your bike is not checked in at a bike rack and make your roommate walk with you all the way back to that rack to nudge your bike into place. THEN you can proceed to go home, this process will probably take around an hour.
4. When checking out a bike at a rack be sure of the following: there is air in the tires, the bike has a chain, there are two handles on the bike. If you forgot to do either of the following you will likely get some looks. Maybe it was just our luck that Caroline and I BOTH got bikes without chains and tried to ride them-which does not work, meanwhile two nice looking spanish men looked on and giggled...
5. Once again, make sure your bike has a chain! This is generally something that you want to check BEFORE checking out your bike, OR you will find yourself checking out 3 bikes in a row that don't have chains....By this point you may give up and proceed to walk
6. When approaching a sand pit, don't slow down OR you will find yourself falling over into a construction fence right on the side of a major avenue AND all your school books will more than likely fall out of your basket....At this point your roommate has every right to laugh at you.
7. Make sure that you can reach the pedals on your bike (aka adjust the seat) OR you will find yourself falling off your bike in a major avenue in front of the University of Sevilla and all it's students. By this point you may forget that none of the people you ran into understand "I'm sorry, I'm Sorry!"
8. Avoid riding your bike near people that are talking on their cellphone while riding a bike. They will run into you and act like it is your fault.
9. Riding a bike makes you look more like a local! wohoo! (minus all of the above)
10. People here actually respect the bike lane and move over when you ring your bell.
Caroline and I have had some adventures with our bikes!! We are getting better everyday, one of these days we will be able to ride with no hands down a cobblestone street....
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures
^ ^ Our Cable Car ride over part of Madrid
^ ^ view from the Cable Car of the Royal Palace
^ ^ Cameron and I on the Aerial Tram
^ ^ Our first hostel!
^ ^ Royal Palace in Madrid
Monday, February 1, 2010
Madrid, Madrid, Madrid!
Ah i have just returned from a long weekend in Madrid!
My roommate Caroline, friends Cameron, Kaleigh and I all headed to Madrid for the weekend leaving on Friday after class.
We headed to class Friday with all our bags ready to head off to Madrid later that afternoon. We completed class at 1pm and ate lunch at one of our favorite spots-Doner Kabobs. After that we made our way to the bus station. Not looking like an American, I toted my little zebra duffle bag all the way there! Sorry for not travelling discretely girls!
At the bus station we boarded our "Socibus" and lucked out with front row seats. Little did we know you are assigned seats on your tickets, no one bothered us this time because we were 4 of about 15 people on the 55 passenger bus. This was no ordinary bus! It was definitely a top of the line charter bus with movies and a ton of space in the seats. It was a six hour drive from Sevilla to Madrid but time passed relatively quickly as we watched two spanish movies and enjoying scenery nearly the entire way there.
Once to Madrid, we had our first experience with an advanced Metro system, seeing as the metro in Sevilla is new and has only about 6 stops. We were so proud of ourselves for making the jumps and getting all the way to our hostel with no problems. Lucky for us, our hostel happened to be on yards from a Metro stop.
I was a little nervous finding our way to our first hostel, hoping that my booking was going to be a success we finally made it! The hostel ended up being very nice. The four of us girls shared a private room-which was great and had a bathroom right across the hall. There was a common room upstairs with a tv and several computers (generally packed!) as well as a common eating area with a full kitchen. The staff was very helpful! Once we got comfortable in our room, we ventured out into Madrid to find something to eat. After wandering the streets (a little lost) we found ourselves in a restuarant that appeared to have a good menu and cute spanish atmosphere. Little did we know it was a Peruvian restuarant! Still had great food and atmosphere :) After that we were off to find some yummy churros. Madrid is apparently the best place for Churros. By 1 am we were ready to head home! Madrid may have just been getting started at this point but we were exhausted from a long day of travel.
Saturday morning, we woke up with a big day ahead of us! Our first stop was The Prado-this is the big art museum in Madrid and known to be one of the best in the world. It is home to several famous pieces and works by artists such as Goya, Ribero, Velazquez and Rembrandt. Absolutely stunning! After spending a few hours in this huge museum we were ready for lunch. We ate at an American restuarant! I know so sad that we went to an American resturant...but we were just craving it! After a great lunch we made our way back toward the Prado and to a huge park called El Retiro. We spent alot of time just strolling through this pretty park and gardens. There were fountains and statues galore-great place for pictures! The park was full of families getting out on this Sunny Satuday. Right in the middle there is a lake where you can rent little row boats. It was a little chilly for us but there were plenty of boats out. It made for a great picture. After venturing through the park we headed to the other side of Madrid (via metro!) to see El Palacio Real- The Royal Palace. It was in a really neat part of town and had a great view of a park outside of Madrid and the mountains. We went inside and took a tour for only a few euros. The Palace was so beautiful and elaborate. The dinning room table was one of my favorite parts! It was huge!!! I would guess that it seats easily 80 guests and stretches several yards. After touring through the palace we walked back to our hostel through a popular part of town called "Puerta del Sol" this is basically a big shopping area and plaza that was full of people on Saturday. We made it back to our hostel and of course--it was time for a siesta :) After our nice siesta it was time for dinner. We were out to find an Italian restaurant to continue in our cultural experience. We found a GREAT little place on a side street....dont remember the name but the food was awesome!! We had huge portions that definitely suited our appetites :) After a filling meal and some yummy tinto de verano we walked down Gran Via, a main street in Madrid. This street really reminded me of NY. There were tall buildings, traffic, and alot of people! It was time for desert and we were on the search for a good little ice cream spot. After our ice cream trip we were ready for bed. We had walked who knows how many miles that day and our feet were definitely feeling it!
Day two of our Madrid adventure started at the Market. The open air market in Madrid known as El Rastro is apparently one of, if not the largest open air market in Europe. Streets upon streets of vendors were lined up bright and early to face a large crowd. Lucky for us, El Rastro was on the street right behind our hostel so we only had a short walk to it! It was neat to venture through the streets but after a while some of the stuff got a little repetative. We were ready to go after about an hour of on looking and the crowds began to grow thick. El Rastro is a GREAT place for pick pockets due to the thick crowd and the fact that people carry cash on them to pay the vendors. We held our purses close and got out when the crowd began to grow massive. From El Rastro we headed across town via metro to a park. This park was the home to "El Teleferico," which is a skilift/gondola type ride that takes you high in the air above part of Madrid. It beings in one park and drops you off in another. Or for us, we were just there for the ride so we just stayed in our little gondola as we passed through the station at the park. This ride offered us a great view of madrid as well as the Palace and the mountains. Definitely worth it!
After our Sunday adventures, we had time to grab a quick lunch and head back to the hostel to pack for our bus ride home. We left Madrid at 6pm and made it home at midnight. We were not as lucky as we were on the way to Madrid and had to ride in the back of the bus..bummer!
Overall our experience in Madrid was great! The bus ride went very smoothly and our experience with the hostel was great. We feel as though we "conquered" the metro system as well! After visiting such a big city in Spain it felt so good to come back to Sevilla, it was a sense of "coming home." I have a greater appreciation for the cleanliness and this city and definitely is astounding beauty! I have learned that I absolutely love the culture and architecture of southern Spain. Madrid was a great experience but I am so glad to call Sevilla home :)
List of events in Spain:
>watching a french movie with spanish subtitles on board the bus-way to test our spanish skills!
>clear shower doors at the hostel--good thing we had friends to hold towels up and lock the bathroom door
>hostel in the "Chinatown" of Madrid? - Definitely a great location but all the shops and resturants around us were Chinese
>when we asked the front desk at the hostel if it was a safe area she recommended us "not to go right out of the hostel, definitely stay to the left"--sorry i ask so many questions guys! good things i did our we would have been venturing down to the right.
>running into a girl from NCSU in the hostel in Madrid, as well as ANOTHER person that Caroline knows. (she runs into people she knows everywhere!)
>immediately after proclaiming that we have conquered the metro system, Caroline jumps off the Metro at the wrong stop.......Cameron followed suit demanding Kaleigh to "Jump" as if it were a life or death situations----we definitely dont look like americans....
>waiting in line for the teleferico we offered to take a picture of the family in front of us, after this the dad continued to ask us where we were from, after telling them we were from the US he told us that his daughter thought we were Japanese because she could not understand what we were saying....wow thats a first!
>Cameron continually referred to our Metro stop at tiramisu even after countless times of correcting her that our stop was Tirso de Molino
>Cameron always going with the flow--
Caroline: So Cameron you are sleeping on the floor tonight right?
Cameron: Yeah okay sounds good!
>Right after telling the girls my two biggest pet peeves in an airplane--people that smell and people with gross hair that gets in the way--of course on the bus I would be the one to sit behind a STINKY man and woman with nasty hair that was in the way of the movie the entire time.
>Cameron is a pro at sneeking pictures in museums that do not allow cameras--way to go!
>We went into a restuarant and thought it had the cutest spanish atmosphere-what we assumed was a diamond in the rough, as we were getting excited and sitting at our table we realized that there was a huge map of Peru on the wall----definitely not a spanish restaurant
There are a million more memories from this trip! We had a blast!
Today was Caroline and I's first day with our SEVIci bikes. We were both a little nervous at first because neither of us could remember the last time we rode a bike....so far I have been okay! It has been great because the people actually respect the bike lane here so it is pretty much a straight away to school. No major problems...YET. With my luck I am sure I will fall over soon. Caroline was stuck in the middle of a major road at one point because her bike was in 1st gear and she could not pedal fast enough to get out. She only ran into a few people---too bad they don't understand "sorry! sorry!"
My roommate Caroline, friends Cameron, Kaleigh and I all headed to Madrid for the weekend leaving on Friday after class.
We headed to class Friday with all our bags ready to head off to Madrid later that afternoon. We completed class at 1pm and ate lunch at one of our favorite spots-Doner Kabobs. After that we made our way to the bus station. Not looking like an American, I toted my little zebra duffle bag all the way there! Sorry for not travelling discretely girls!
At the bus station we boarded our "Socibus" and lucked out with front row seats. Little did we know you are assigned seats on your tickets, no one bothered us this time because we were 4 of about 15 people on the 55 passenger bus. This was no ordinary bus! It was definitely a top of the line charter bus with movies and a ton of space in the seats. It was a six hour drive from Sevilla to Madrid but time passed relatively quickly as we watched two spanish movies and enjoying scenery nearly the entire way there.
Once to Madrid, we had our first experience with an advanced Metro system, seeing as the metro in Sevilla is new and has only about 6 stops. We were so proud of ourselves for making the jumps and getting all the way to our hostel with no problems. Lucky for us, our hostel happened to be on yards from a Metro stop.
I was a little nervous finding our way to our first hostel, hoping that my booking was going to be a success we finally made it! The hostel ended up being very nice. The four of us girls shared a private room-which was great and had a bathroom right across the hall. There was a common room upstairs with a tv and several computers (generally packed!) as well as a common eating area with a full kitchen. The staff was very helpful! Once we got comfortable in our room, we ventured out into Madrid to find something to eat. After wandering the streets (a little lost) we found ourselves in a restuarant that appeared to have a good menu and cute spanish atmosphere. Little did we know it was a Peruvian restuarant! Still had great food and atmosphere :) After that we were off to find some yummy churros. Madrid is apparently the best place for Churros. By 1 am we were ready to head home! Madrid may have just been getting started at this point but we were exhausted from a long day of travel.
Saturday morning, we woke up with a big day ahead of us! Our first stop was The Prado-this is the big art museum in Madrid and known to be one of the best in the world. It is home to several famous pieces and works by artists such as Goya, Ribero, Velazquez and Rembrandt. Absolutely stunning! After spending a few hours in this huge museum we were ready for lunch. We ate at an American restuarant! I know so sad that we went to an American resturant...but we were just craving it! After a great lunch we made our way back toward the Prado and to a huge park called El Retiro. We spent alot of time just strolling through this pretty park and gardens. There were fountains and statues galore-great place for pictures! The park was full of families getting out on this Sunny Satuday. Right in the middle there is a lake where you can rent little row boats. It was a little chilly for us but there were plenty of boats out. It made for a great picture. After venturing through the park we headed to the other side of Madrid (via metro!) to see El Palacio Real- The Royal Palace. It was in a really neat part of town and had a great view of a park outside of Madrid and the mountains. We went inside and took a tour for only a few euros. The Palace was so beautiful and elaborate. The dinning room table was one of my favorite parts! It was huge!!! I would guess that it seats easily 80 guests and stretches several yards. After touring through the palace we walked back to our hostel through a popular part of town called "Puerta del Sol" this is basically a big shopping area and plaza that was full of people on Saturday. We made it back to our hostel and of course--it was time for a siesta :) After our nice siesta it was time for dinner. We were out to find an Italian restaurant to continue in our cultural experience. We found a GREAT little place on a side street....dont remember the name but the food was awesome!! We had huge portions that definitely suited our appetites :) After a filling meal and some yummy tinto de verano we walked down Gran Via, a main street in Madrid. This street really reminded me of NY. There were tall buildings, traffic, and alot of people! It was time for desert and we were on the search for a good little ice cream spot. After our ice cream trip we were ready for bed. We had walked who knows how many miles that day and our feet were definitely feeling it!
Day two of our Madrid adventure started at the Market. The open air market in Madrid known as El Rastro is apparently one of, if not the largest open air market in Europe. Streets upon streets of vendors were lined up bright and early to face a large crowd. Lucky for us, El Rastro was on the street right behind our hostel so we only had a short walk to it! It was neat to venture through the streets but after a while some of the stuff got a little repetative. We were ready to go after about an hour of on looking and the crowds began to grow thick. El Rastro is a GREAT place for pick pockets due to the thick crowd and the fact that people carry cash on them to pay the vendors. We held our purses close and got out when the crowd began to grow massive. From El Rastro we headed across town via metro to a park. This park was the home to "El Teleferico," which is a skilift/gondola type ride that takes you high in the air above part of Madrid. It beings in one park and drops you off in another. Or for us, we were just there for the ride so we just stayed in our little gondola as we passed through the station at the park. This ride offered us a great view of madrid as well as the Palace and the mountains. Definitely worth it!
After our Sunday adventures, we had time to grab a quick lunch and head back to the hostel to pack for our bus ride home. We left Madrid at 6pm and made it home at midnight. We were not as lucky as we were on the way to Madrid and had to ride in the back of the bus..bummer!
Overall our experience in Madrid was great! The bus ride went very smoothly and our experience with the hostel was great. We feel as though we "conquered" the metro system as well! After visiting such a big city in Spain it felt so good to come back to Sevilla, it was a sense of "coming home." I have a greater appreciation for the cleanliness and this city and definitely is astounding beauty! I have learned that I absolutely love the culture and architecture of southern Spain. Madrid was a great experience but I am so glad to call Sevilla home :)
List of events in Spain:
>watching a french movie with spanish subtitles on board the bus-way to test our spanish skills!
>clear shower doors at the hostel--good thing we had friends to hold towels up and lock the bathroom door
>hostel in the "Chinatown" of Madrid? - Definitely a great location but all the shops and resturants around us were Chinese
>when we asked the front desk at the hostel if it was a safe area she recommended us "not to go right out of the hostel, definitely stay to the left"--sorry i ask so many questions guys! good things i did our we would have been venturing down to the right.
>running into a girl from NCSU in the hostel in Madrid, as well as ANOTHER person that Caroline knows. (she runs into people she knows everywhere!)
>immediately after proclaiming that we have conquered the metro system, Caroline jumps off the Metro at the wrong stop.......Cameron followed suit demanding Kaleigh to "Jump" as if it were a life or death situations----we definitely dont look like americans....
>waiting in line for the teleferico we offered to take a picture of the family in front of us, after this the dad continued to ask us where we were from, after telling them we were from the US he told us that his daughter thought we were Japanese because she could not understand what we were saying....wow thats a first!
>Cameron continually referred to our Metro stop at tiramisu even after countless times of correcting her that our stop was Tirso de Molino
>Cameron always going with the flow--
Caroline: So Cameron you are sleeping on the floor tonight right?
Cameron: Yeah okay sounds good!
>Right after telling the girls my two biggest pet peeves in an airplane--people that smell and people with gross hair that gets in the way--of course on the bus I would be the one to sit behind a STINKY man and woman with nasty hair that was in the way of the movie the entire time.
>Cameron is a pro at sneeking pictures in museums that do not allow cameras--way to go!
>We went into a restuarant and thought it had the cutest spanish atmosphere-what we assumed was a diamond in the rough, as we were getting excited and sitting at our table we realized that there was a huge map of Peru on the wall----definitely not a spanish restaurant
There are a million more memories from this trip! We had a blast!
Today was Caroline and I's first day with our SEVIci bikes. We were both a little nervous at first because neither of us could remember the last time we rode a bike....so far I have been okay! It has been great because the people actually respect the bike lane here so it is pretty much a straight away to school. No major problems...YET. With my luck I am sure I will fall over soon. Caroline was stuck in the middle of a major road at one point because her bike was in 1st gear and she could not pedal fast enough to get out. She only ran into a few people---too bad they don't understand "sorry! sorry!"
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