Today is my birthday :)
Caroline and I have big plans! This entire week is birthday week, of course! Actually, today is my birthday, tomorrow is Caroline's birthday and Thrusday is our friend Copeland's birthday.
We have big plans for the week..
Yesterday, Caroline and I went into el centro (oldtown/"downtown") and went birthday shopping. We had to get new outfits to wear for the occasion! After that we came home to a yummy home cooked dinner and then crashed in bed and watched an english movie from itunes. So entertaining and "21" of us!
Today the celebrations begin! This morning we went to school a little bit earlier and had breakfast at the little cafe, chocolate filled croissants and cafe con leche (espresso w/milk)! After one quick class school was over..wohoo! Plans from here are to go home and soak up some sun and relax. Then we have lunch with our spanish family. After lunch we are heading into el centro to the Arabic Bathes aka the spa! We have booked a spa session with a series of different soaks and then a massage..mmmmm. We will head home from here and get ready for the big night! We are going out to dinner tonight. This one night of going out to dinner we are going to celebrate all three birthdays at a yummy Italian restuarant in el centro with homemade pasta. Can't wait! After this, we will behave ourselves don't worry mom and dad!
Wednesday morning, our first class was cancelled, that means no class until 12:15. What luck! Later that day we are going to celebrate Caroline's birthday some more. Also wednesday one of my best best girlfriends, Karla, arrives in town! Wednesday evening we are celebrating our birthday dinner with our spanish family. Can't wait to see what kind of yummy surprise Pacqui has in store. She was so excited when we told her that it was both of our birthdays this week. fiesta times two!
The celebrations continue into Thursday with Copelands bithday! and Karla here!
Friday we have no class because it is the beginning of our "Semana Santa" or Basically spring break/easter break vacation. Caroline and I along with Karla and her friends from Italy are going to go to Cadiz for the day. Cadiz is a beach town about an hour away from Sevilla. It will be a great way to start our Semana Santa vacation.
Saturday is tour day for Karla! I am going to do my best to show her around Sevilla a little bit for the day..by now i have plenty of experience!(we/she will be doing day trips thurs and fri)
And just to put the icing on the cake, Caroline, Kaleigh and I head off to London and the Canary Islands on Sunday. What a birthday :)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Another great weekend in Sevilla!
The weather in Sevilla this week has been absolutely beautiful! AHH
Our Senora said earlier this semester that Spring in Sevilla basically does not exist and i totally believe that after this week. We were wearing jackets not to long ago and now its getting so much warmer by the day. Love it!
Caroline and I were just walking around town today and the smell of the orange trees was so strong we could not get over it. Makes me love this city even more!
This coming up week is Caroline, my friend Copeland and My 21st birthdays! Its going to be alot of funnnn! Our birthdays are 3 straight days in a row. need i say more? and in addition to those festivities one of my best friends Karla is going to be in town this week and I cant wait! I am so glad she will be here for some of the celebration. We are planning on going to the beach for the day on friday and other than that we will be spending time throughout Sevilla.
Sunday Caroline, Kaleigh and I leave for London for our spring break. We will be in London until Tuesday staying with a friend of Carolines. Then from London we are heading down the the Canary Islands!!!!!!!! Canary Islands is the southern most part of Spain, they are a group of islands off the coast of Africa. Should be warm?! We are staying in a condo on Tenerife for part of the trip and then move to Gran Canary for the last two nights. We are really looking forward to having our own kitchen and fridge and plan on making all the yummy meals that we miss from home.
Alot is coming up in the next few weeks!
Our Senora said earlier this semester that Spring in Sevilla basically does not exist and i totally believe that after this week. We were wearing jackets not to long ago and now its getting so much warmer by the day. Love it!
Caroline and I were just walking around town today and the smell of the orange trees was so strong we could not get over it. Makes me love this city even more!
This coming up week is Caroline, my friend Copeland and My 21st birthdays! Its going to be alot of funnnn! Our birthdays are 3 straight days in a row. need i say more? and in addition to those festivities one of my best friends Karla is going to be in town this week and I cant wait! I am so glad she will be here for some of the celebration. We are planning on going to the beach for the day on friday and other than that we will be spending time throughout Sevilla.
Sunday Caroline, Kaleigh and I leave for London for our spring break. We will be in London until Tuesday staying with a friend of Carolines. Then from London we are heading down the the Canary Islands!!!!!!!! Canary Islands is the southern most part of Spain, they are a group of islands off the coast of Africa. Should be warm?! We are staying in a condo on Tenerife for part of the trip and then move to Gran Canary for the last two nights. We are really looking forward to having our own kitchen and fridge and plan on making all the yummy meals that we miss from home.
Alot is coming up in the next few weeks!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Ronda and the elevator
This past Saturday I went on a day trip with some friends to the town of Ronda. Ronda is a cliff town about an hour and a half from Sevilla. We took a short, cheap bus ride from Sevilla at 9:45am and had a full day to spend in Ronda.
Ronda is known not only because it is a beautiful cliff down but also because it has a large gorge running right through the middle of the town. This gorge separates the new town from the old town. The gorge is huge, it drops some 20 stories and is filled with greenish (fake looking!) water.
We travelled to Ronda with a big group of people from our program. It was not an organized trip but a bunch of us decided to go because the weather was going to be beautiful and most of the activity in Ronda is outdoors. When we first got to Ronda, Caroline and I decided that we were going to go on our own to adventure. We had done some previous research and knew exactly what we wanted to accomplish while we were there. And it’s a little difficult to explore with some 20 people…We ended up with a nice little group of 5 explorers (Myself, Caroline, Cameron, Kaleigh and Elizabeth)
Our first stop was to get a map! After that we made our way to the new bridge. This is one of the main sites in Ronda. It connects the new and old town and straddles the gorge. We got some great pictures here and then moved onto La Casa del Rey Moro. This is a little site down a side street with gardens right on the edge of the gorge and an old mine with steps that take you to the bottom of the gorge. It was not crowded and touristy at all. We walked around in the gardens for a few minutes and then found the mine entrance.
I was a little scared at first. This was a skinny winding stairwell that was barely lit at all. We used our camera flashes the first part of the way to get some light. As we made our way down the stairs there were a bunch of little points to look out over the gorge. The best was yet to come! Finally we made it to the bottom and were able to stand on a little platform right out over the water. It was so neat! We looked straight up the walls of the gorge and around the bends. We sat down there for a little while snapping some pictures and reading our handy “Rick Steves” guide book that told us what to do next. Of course we now had to make it back on the flights of stairs that we came down…
When we made it back up top it was time for lunch. Caroline and I crave Italian food all the time so we convinced the group to go to a little Italian place that we had read about in our Rick Steves. Homemade pasta yumm!!
After lunch the plan was to descend the other side of the bridge and gorge. We found a great little path that took us the entire way down. On the way down we discovered a little trail that we were probably not supposed to go down but offered a great view. Of course we took it! This trail led us right to the edge of a cliff and a patch of beautiful yellow flowers. We found a great spot to hang out for a little while and take some pictures. Off in the distance we had a great view of the bridge, waterfall and the entire town of Ronda.
Later in the day we made our way down the path a little further. We decided not to go the entire way down because that meant that we were going to have to talk the entire way back up. In Ronda there is a saying that goes, “What goes down must come up.”
After a long day of adventuring through Ronda we made our way back to the bus station to head home. Wow was it a curvy ride home! We wound our way through the mountains….not enjoyable.
Of course the day gets more adventurous when we got home that night. We had big plans—siesta, dinner, out for drinks with friends and then dancing! We accomplished it all and made our way home later that night around 3am. I am not a “crazy partier” as it may seem ;) The Spanish have a wild schedule where we eat dinner around 10pm and then meet up with friends around 11pm. Unfortunately that puts us back home around 3am. I prefer the American times but its okay! Even when we go home around 3am it is “early” to them.
Anyways….we made our way home at 3am. Caroline and I hopped right into our little elevator and were ready to get to bed. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy…the elevator slowly came to a stop…not at our floor. Panicked for a second we thought may be someone had called it on another floor. After we realized that was not the case, we pressed buttons to see if it would move. Nope. We were stuck! We felt bad pressing the bell button due to the hour but did it anyways. No one came. Caroline managed to pull open the elevator door and we saw that we were stuck right in between the second and third floor! This is when we knew it was going to be a longer night...
The elevator in our building is a 2 person elevator, about the size of a refrigerator or a little more. There is a door that you open like a normal door and then the elevator door slides open. When the elevator is not on a floor the door on that floor is locked for safety. Of course being stuck in between two floors means that both the doors are going to be locked. There was about ¾ of the second floor door at the bottom and then 3 feet of wall and then a few feet of the 3rd floor door. We pushed and pushed and nothing budged. We tried to call the little phone in the elevator and no one answered. After a few tried someone finally answered but our Spanish skills along with a beeping noise made it difficult to hear what he was saying. Caroline gave him my phone number (I had luckily managed to charge my phone battery and recharge my minutes right before tonight!) and he gave us a call on my phone. We told him the building we were in and he hung up. Great…he thinks we are joking. Next step, call Pacqui. It was about 4am at this point and Pacqui came down to try and help (if you know the little fashionista that Pacqui is that would really help to picture her in her robe trying to open the door). She called the elevator company as well as her ex husband to try and get us out! Her ex husband came and couldn’t get the door as well. Next stop, firefighters. Finally around 4:45am Caroline and I were free from the elevator! They opened the third floor door. I was not tall enough to make it out on my own so one of the men had to pull me out, oh lord. Caroline’s skills got her out on her own. Oh what a night it was! It took us a few days to warm back up to the elevator but we REALLY don’t like walking up eight stories to our apartment so it was bound to happen. At least we know to always bring a phone now.
This week has been busy, busy, busy with school! We have had several tests and papers this week. This week has been gorgeous weather as well! Caroline and I learned that we can go up on top of our building and catch some sun :) We are getting ready to head off to the canary islands in two weeks!
Ronda is known not only because it is a beautiful cliff down but also because it has a large gorge running right through the middle of the town. This gorge separates the new town from the old town. The gorge is huge, it drops some 20 stories and is filled with greenish (fake looking!) water.
We travelled to Ronda with a big group of people from our program. It was not an organized trip but a bunch of us decided to go because the weather was going to be beautiful and most of the activity in Ronda is outdoors. When we first got to Ronda, Caroline and I decided that we were going to go on our own to adventure. We had done some previous research and knew exactly what we wanted to accomplish while we were there. And it’s a little difficult to explore with some 20 people…We ended up with a nice little group of 5 explorers (Myself, Caroline, Cameron, Kaleigh and Elizabeth)
Our first stop was to get a map! After that we made our way to the new bridge. This is one of the main sites in Ronda. It connects the new and old town and straddles the gorge. We got some great pictures here and then moved onto La Casa del Rey Moro. This is a little site down a side street with gardens right on the edge of the gorge and an old mine with steps that take you to the bottom of the gorge. It was not crowded and touristy at all. We walked around in the gardens for a few minutes and then found the mine entrance.
I was a little scared at first. This was a skinny winding stairwell that was barely lit at all. We used our camera flashes the first part of the way to get some light. As we made our way down the stairs there were a bunch of little points to look out over the gorge. The best was yet to come! Finally we made it to the bottom and were able to stand on a little platform right out over the water. It was so neat! We looked straight up the walls of the gorge and around the bends. We sat down there for a little while snapping some pictures and reading our handy “Rick Steves” guide book that told us what to do next. Of course we now had to make it back on the flights of stairs that we came down…
When we made it back up top it was time for lunch. Caroline and I crave Italian food all the time so we convinced the group to go to a little Italian place that we had read about in our Rick Steves. Homemade pasta yumm!!
After lunch the plan was to descend the other side of the bridge and gorge. We found a great little path that took us the entire way down. On the way down we discovered a little trail that we were probably not supposed to go down but offered a great view. Of course we took it! This trail led us right to the edge of a cliff and a patch of beautiful yellow flowers. We found a great spot to hang out for a little while and take some pictures. Off in the distance we had a great view of the bridge, waterfall and the entire town of Ronda.
Later in the day we made our way down the path a little further. We decided not to go the entire way down because that meant that we were going to have to talk the entire way back up. In Ronda there is a saying that goes, “What goes down must come up.”
After a long day of adventuring through Ronda we made our way back to the bus station to head home. Wow was it a curvy ride home! We wound our way through the mountains….not enjoyable.
Of course the day gets more adventurous when we got home that night. We had big plans—siesta, dinner, out for drinks with friends and then dancing! We accomplished it all and made our way home later that night around 3am. I am not a “crazy partier” as it may seem ;) The Spanish have a wild schedule where we eat dinner around 10pm and then meet up with friends around 11pm. Unfortunately that puts us back home around 3am. I prefer the American times but its okay! Even when we go home around 3am it is “early” to them.
Anyways….we made our way home at 3am. Caroline and I hopped right into our little elevator and were ready to get to bed. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy…the elevator slowly came to a stop…not at our floor. Panicked for a second we thought may be someone had called it on another floor. After we realized that was not the case, we pressed buttons to see if it would move. Nope. We were stuck! We felt bad pressing the bell button due to the hour but did it anyways. No one came. Caroline managed to pull open the elevator door and we saw that we were stuck right in between the second and third floor! This is when we knew it was going to be a longer night...
The elevator in our building is a 2 person elevator, about the size of a refrigerator or a little more. There is a door that you open like a normal door and then the elevator door slides open. When the elevator is not on a floor the door on that floor is locked for safety. Of course being stuck in between two floors means that both the doors are going to be locked. There was about ¾ of the second floor door at the bottom and then 3 feet of wall and then a few feet of the 3rd floor door. We pushed and pushed and nothing budged. We tried to call the little phone in the elevator and no one answered. After a few tried someone finally answered but our Spanish skills along with a beeping noise made it difficult to hear what he was saying. Caroline gave him my phone number (I had luckily managed to charge my phone battery and recharge my minutes right before tonight!) and he gave us a call on my phone. We told him the building we were in and he hung up. Great…he thinks we are joking. Next step, call Pacqui. It was about 4am at this point and Pacqui came down to try and help (if you know the little fashionista that Pacqui is that would really help to picture her in her robe trying to open the door). She called the elevator company as well as her ex husband to try and get us out! Her ex husband came and couldn’t get the door as well. Next stop, firefighters. Finally around 4:45am Caroline and I were free from the elevator! They opened the third floor door. I was not tall enough to make it out on my own so one of the men had to pull me out, oh lord. Caroline’s skills got her out on her own. Oh what a night it was! It took us a few days to warm back up to the elevator but we REALLY don’t like walking up eight stories to our apartment so it was bound to happen. At least we know to always bring a phone now.
This week has been busy, busy, busy with school! We have had several tests and papers this week. This week has been gorgeous weather as well! Caroline and I learned that we can go up on top of our building and catch some sun :) We are getting ready to head off to the canary islands in two weeks!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Dublin with Mom
^^^"hiking" with Jake and Clara
^^^Miss Clara playing peek-a-boo
^^^Irish traveller horse market in Dublin
^^Like father like daughter..
Monday, March 15, 2010
Mom comes to Spain!
My mom came to visit me this past week in Spain! It was so great to have her here and we accomplished a lot over the few days that she was here.
She arrived on Wed March 3 and we had plans to stay in Sevilla until Friday when we would head up to Dublin, Ireland to visit family. After spending some time in Dublin we headed back to Sevilla on Monday evening to spend the rest of her time here (until thurs am).
Mom got here Wed afternoon; of course the sunshine was yet to pop through the clouds! I went after class to meet her at the airport and then we came back into Sevilla to check into the hotel. I stayed with her in the hotel for the time period that she was here. It was so great to have a nice big shower for a week :) Unfortunately my mom’s luggage decided not to make the entire trip with her.…
The first day that mom was here was a little bit rainy...of course! So after we got all checked into the hotel we made our way to grab a quick little bite to eat. Sevilla has a lot to do outside and not as much to do inside. Therefore we decided to head to an indoor shopping centre to kill some time. She also needed some clothes since her luggage was yet to arrive. Later that day it cleared up a little bit and we walked around old Sevilla. This day was fairly uneventful due to the weather and jetlag!
The next morning we were ready to do a little more exploring. The weather decided to work out okay for us; it was sunny the entire morning and afternoon! Mom came to class with me and hung out in the little café and internet while I went to class for a little bit. After this we went to some touristy places in Sevilla- Plaza de Espana, the Cathedral and Reales Alcazares. Good thing the weather held out and we could fit all this into one sunny day! Later in the day we were off to my home stay to meet my Spanish family and see my apartment and neighbourhood. My mom was so surprised to see the size of the little elevator that Caroline and I use on a daily basis. We hung out with the Spanish fam for a little bit. Pacqui was chatting it up and showing my mom tons of pictures. My brain was getting a little tired trying to translate back and forth but I think I made it work! Mom had brought some things from home to give to the girls and Pacqui but unfortunately without her luggage we didn’t have anything for them at this point. After some time there and packing my bag for Ireland we made it back to the hotel. Mom’s luggage had yet to arrive! Since it had now been over 24hrs the airline was beginning to give her money to spend on clothes. We were off to shop for about an hour so that she had clean clothes for the weekend in Ireland. Loosing your luggage is not fun but it definitely has some benefits! The airline offers 100euro after the first 24hours that your luggage is lost and then 50euro per day after that. We definitely took advantage of that offer. After running through the stores and rounding up some clothes for the weekend we went to meet my roommate Caroline for dinner at one of our favorite little Italian places. After dinner mom and I had to get packed for Ireland!
The next morning we were off to Ireland! This was my first trip without any delays (so far)! We made it into Dublin around 2pm and my cousin Jake and his little baby Clara picked us up at the airport. From there we went back to their house. Jake and Luise live just in Dublin in a little row house. It is small but very cozy! We hung around here for a little and had a real good lunch! It was so fun to just hang out at “home” and play with baby Clara. The last time we had seen her was in Atlanta for thanksgiving. She has gown up so much over the past few months and has such a personality! We managed to get here out of the house for a little and all went for a little walk through the neighbourhood to grab something for dinner. When we returned home Luise was back from work and we were all about ready for dinner. We sat around the table for a few hours and caught up over dinner. It was great! Later that night my mom and I headed to the little bed and breakfast that we were staying in. It was just under a mile from Jake and Luise’s house. I made it to the bed and breakfast just in time to skype my cheerleaders at their banquet! I was passes along on the computer and had the chance to see a bunch of the girls. It was so great! Mom and I just layed in bed until the end of the night. It was so nice to watch English TV! American idol was on??
Saturday morning we met Jake and Luise and home and headed to the Dublin Zoo (in walking distance from their house). Clara was so excited she slept! We spent the morning walking around the zoo and people watching. I am not sure Clara has the whole zoo thing figured out just yet. But she is one lucky little girl going to the zoo all the time! After the zoo we headed to a favorite local pub called “Ryan’s.” Great food!—good ole cheeseburger and fries! After lunch it was time for Clara’s nap. Luise and Clara headed home and Jake, my mom and I headed to walk around in town. Dublin was hopping! There were SO many people out walking around in the streets. Apparently it had just been pay day the previous week and everyone was out blowing their pay checks shopping. Way to go! After a little while of wandering around we went to a local pub to grab a drink. The atmosphere was great; there was a group of people playing some traditional Irish music. My mom and I went out separate way for dinner and went to the grocery store to try anything that sounded good! After this we went back to the bed and breakfast and watched English tv! Ah what a luxury.
Sunday we had big plans! One Sunday every month there is a horse market in a square in Dublin. This is not highly advertised to tourists….more of a local thing. Irish travellers from all over Ireland come to Dublin this weekend to casually trade horses (and meet wives?!) It is quite a big deal! We were thinking okay maybe there will be a few horses and people casually walking around and what not. NO, it was HUGE. There were people and horses ALL over the place…and horse poop! It was quite interesting to see a little bit of this culture. The people were not what I was expecting. They were more “ghetto fabulous” than what I would expect an Irish traveller to look like. Ghetto fabulous girls, boys in track suits and crisp white tennis shoes and horses? Interesting mix… Later that afternoon we went for a little road trip outside of Dublin. Unfortunately the traffic was a little heavy and we never actually made it to our destination but we still got to see some great views from the car. When we made it home there was a special on Irish traveller weddings on TV. Of course we watched it to further our culture experience of the day.
Monday my mom and I were heading home in the afternoon. In the morning, Jake and Clara picked us up from the bed and breakfast and we made it out to the little spot that we never made it to on Sunday. It was a little Harbour town called Howth. So cute! It was right on the beach and we had great views of Dublin and the Irish coast line. We drove the car around a little and then hiked some as well. We were very lucky to have bright sunny weather all weekend in Dublin. After hiking around we walked around the harbour a little and saw the seals! So cute! We grabbed lunch from here and the headed to the airport. It was so great to spend the weekend with Jake, Luise and Clara. They were GREAT hosts and tour guides.
Our flight was a little delayed in Madrid when we were on our way back...there was snow in Barcelona?!? So random…The flight from Madrid to Sevilla was not so good, we had a ton of turbulence! When we made it back to Sevilla it was still raining, of course-it’s the new Ireland I swear. One good thing was that Moms luggage was finally there! (5 days later) We grabbed some late dinner and then crashed after a long weekend!
Tuesday was a great day. The weather was finally beautiful! I went to class and then met mom back at the hotel late morning. We had big plans since we finally had nice weather. We made it out to the river and walked around the river a little bit. From there we went to Plaza de Toros- the bull ring, and went inside and took a tour. It was really interesting to see the history behind bull fighting; I think it will be a little bit easier to watch a fight now that I know what goes on (bull fights start in April). We ate lunch along a busy street in Sevilla. It was so nice because everyone was walking around outside and we really got to people watch. After this we walked around through some shops and through the Flamenco boutique area. They really take flamenco seriously here! Tuesday night we had dinner at a yummy Italian place and then headed to La Carboneria for some casual flamenco. Mom was cracking up over the guy singing!
Wed was moms last day here. It was nice to take it easy that done because we had done most of what we wanted to go. Mom met me at school after class. This afternoon we went to the flamenco museum. It was neat but not as cool as we expected. Along with a ticket to the museum came a show later that night. So later that evening we returned in time for the show. It was much more authentic and formal than La Carboneria! Along the course of this day we managed to make it back to my home stay one more time to give the girls the little gifts that my mom had brought for them. They loved all the American candy, especially the Reeses and poprocks!
Thursday morning I saw my mom off at the airport bus! It couldn’t believe that time had flown that fast and she had already come and gone. It seemed like just yesterday she was booking a ticket to Sevilla and now she was gone! We had such a great time and I loved showing her around this city that I love so much. I can’t wait til she returns in May with dad :)
She arrived on Wed March 3 and we had plans to stay in Sevilla until Friday when we would head up to Dublin, Ireland to visit family. After spending some time in Dublin we headed back to Sevilla on Monday evening to spend the rest of her time here (until thurs am).
Mom got here Wed afternoon; of course the sunshine was yet to pop through the clouds! I went after class to meet her at the airport and then we came back into Sevilla to check into the hotel. I stayed with her in the hotel for the time period that she was here. It was so great to have a nice big shower for a week :) Unfortunately my mom’s luggage decided not to make the entire trip with her.…
The first day that mom was here was a little bit rainy...of course! So after we got all checked into the hotel we made our way to grab a quick little bite to eat. Sevilla has a lot to do outside and not as much to do inside. Therefore we decided to head to an indoor shopping centre to kill some time. She also needed some clothes since her luggage was yet to arrive. Later that day it cleared up a little bit and we walked around old Sevilla. This day was fairly uneventful due to the weather and jetlag!
The next morning we were ready to do a little more exploring. The weather decided to work out okay for us; it was sunny the entire morning and afternoon! Mom came to class with me and hung out in the little café and internet while I went to class for a little bit. After this we went to some touristy places in Sevilla- Plaza de Espana, the Cathedral and Reales Alcazares. Good thing the weather held out and we could fit all this into one sunny day! Later in the day we were off to my home stay to meet my Spanish family and see my apartment and neighbourhood. My mom was so surprised to see the size of the little elevator that Caroline and I use on a daily basis. We hung out with the Spanish fam for a little bit. Pacqui was chatting it up and showing my mom tons of pictures. My brain was getting a little tired trying to translate back and forth but I think I made it work! Mom had brought some things from home to give to the girls and Pacqui but unfortunately without her luggage we didn’t have anything for them at this point. After some time there and packing my bag for Ireland we made it back to the hotel. Mom’s luggage had yet to arrive! Since it had now been over 24hrs the airline was beginning to give her money to spend on clothes. We were off to shop for about an hour so that she had clean clothes for the weekend in Ireland. Loosing your luggage is not fun but it definitely has some benefits! The airline offers 100euro after the first 24hours that your luggage is lost and then 50euro per day after that. We definitely took advantage of that offer. After running through the stores and rounding up some clothes for the weekend we went to meet my roommate Caroline for dinner at one of our favorite little Italian places. After dinner mom and I had to get packed for Ireland!
The next morning we were off to Ireland! This was my first trip without any delays (so far)! We made it into Dublin around 2pm and my cousin Jake and his little baby Clara picked us up at the airport. From there we went back to their house. Jake and Luise live just in Dublin in a little row house. It is small but very cozy! We hung around here for a little and had a real good lunch! It was so fun to just hang out at “home” and play with baby Clara. The last time we had seen her was in Atlanta for thanksgiving. She has gown up so much over the past few months and has such a personality! We managed to get here out of the house for a little and all went for a little walk through the neighbourhood to grab something for dinner. When we returned home Luise was back from work and we were all about ready for dinner. We sat around the table for a few hours and caught up over dinner. It was great! Later that night my mom and I headed to the little bed and breakfast that we were staying in. It was just under a mile from Jake and Luise’s house. I made it to the bed and breakfast just in time to skype my cheerleaders at their banquet! I was passes along on the computer and had the chance to see a bunch of the girls. It was so great! Mom and I just layed in bed until the end of the night. It was so nice to watch English TV! American idol was on??
Saturday morning we met Jake and Luise and home and headed to the Dublin Zoo (in walking distance from their house). Clara was so excited she slept! We spent the morning walking around the zoo and people watching. I am not sure Clara has the whole zoo thing figured out just yet. But she is one lucky little girl going to the zoo all the time! After the zoo we headed to a favorite local pub called “Ryan’s.” Great food!—good ole cheeseburger and fries! After lunch it was time for Clara’s nap. Luise and Clara headed home and Jake, my mom and I headed to walk around in town. Dublin was hopping! There were SO many people out walking around in the streets. Apparently it had just been pay day the previous week and everyone was out blowing their pay checks shopping. Way to go! After a little while of wandering around we went to a local pub to grab a drink. The atmosphere was great; there was a group of people playing some traditional Irish music. My mom and I went out separate way for dinner and went to the grocery store to try anything that sounded good! After this we went back to the bed and breakfast and watched English tv! Ah what a luxury.
Sunday we had big plans! One Sunday every month there is a horse market in a square in Dublin. This is not highly advertised to tourists….more of a local thing. Irish travellers from all over Ireland come to Dublin this weekend to casually trade horses (and meet wives?!) It is quite a big deal! We were thinking okay maybe there will be a few horses and people casually walking around and what not. NO, it was HUGE. There were people and horses ALL over the place…and horse poop! It was quite interesting to see a little bit of this culture. The people were not what I was expecting. They were more “ghetto fabulous” than what I would expect an Irish traveller to look like. Ghetto fabulous girls, boys in track suits and crisp white tennis shoes and horses? Interesting mix… Later that afternoon we went for a little road trip outside of Dublin. Unfortunately the traffic was a little heavy and we never actually made it to our destination but we still got to see some great views from the car. When we made it home there was a special on Irish traveller weddings on TV. Of course we watched it to further our culture experience of the day.
Monday my mom and I were heading home in the afternoon. In the morning, Jake and Clara picked us up from the bed and breakfast and we made it out to the little spot that we never made it to on Sunday. It was a little Harbour town called Howth. So cute! It was right on the beach and we had great views of Dublin and the Irish coast line. We drove the car around a little and then hiked some as well. We were very lucky to have bright sunny weather all weekend in Dublin. After hiking around we walked around the harbour a little and saw the seals! So cute! We grabbed lunch from here and the headed to the airport. It was so great to spend the weekend with Jake, Luise and Clara. They were GREAT hosts and tour guides.
Our flight was a little delayed in Madrid when we were on our way back...there was snow in Barcelona?!? So random…The flight from Madrid to Sevilla was not so good, we had a ton of turbulence! When we made it back to Sevilla it was still raining, of course-it’s the new Ireland I swear. One good thing was that Moms luggage was finally there! (5 days later) We grabbed some late dinner and then crashed after a long weekend!
Tuesday was a great day. The weather was finally beautiful! I went to class and then met mom back at the hotel late morning. We had big plans since we finally had nice weather. We made it out to the river and walked around the river a little bit. From there we went to Plaza de Toros- the bull ring, and went inside and took a tour. It was really interesting to see the history behind bull fighting; I think it will be a little bit easier to watch a fight now that I know what goes on (bull fights start in April). We ate lunch along a busy street in Sevilla. It was so nice because everyone was walking around outside and we really got to people watch. After this we walked around through some shops and through the Flamenco boutique area. They really take flamenco seriously here! Tuesday night we had dinner at a yummy Italian place and then headed to La Carboneria for some casual flamenco. Mom was cracking up over the guy singing!
Wed was moms last day here. It was nice to take it easy that done because we had done most of what we wanted to go. Mom met me at school after class. This afternoon we went to the flamenco museum. It was neat but not as cool as we expected. Along with a ticket to the museum came a show later that night. So later that evening we returned in time for the show. It was much more authentic and formal than La Carboneria! Along the course of this day we managed to make it back to my home stay one more time to give the girls the little gifts that my mom had brought for them. They loved all the American candy, especially the Reeses and poprocks!
Thursday morning I saw my mom off at the airport bus! It couldn’t believe that time had flown that fast and she had already come and gone. It seemed like just yesterday she was booking a ticket to Sevilla and now she was gone! We had such a great time and I loved showing her around this city that I love so much. I can’t wait til she returns in May with dad :)
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