Sevilla!!!

I love Seville. It was such a nice change to arrive in a medium sized city, where the directions to our hostel were so easy to follow. I also knew enough Spanish to converse with the people well. The people there were so nice, and having the restaurant waiters come to our table was such a difference from English pubs, where you have to go to the bar and fight for the bar tender’s attention in order to be served. The architecture there is amazing: a beautiful mixture of Christian influence on established Islamic structures. Many buildings were built in the 9th and 10th centuries, then renovated/taken over through Chrstian conquests in the 14th century. Capree and I spent a lot of time at the Alcázar, a beautiful fortified palace.
We arrived arrived around 3-4 pm, and had we done our research we would’ve known that everything was closed due to Siesta. It was fascinating to be immersed in this culture where people walked slower than England and the U.S., and at the height of the afternoon heat people went home to rest in the afternoon. That night Capree and I got so dressed up for a night on the town, but from 9-11pm, what we in the States would consider prime time for nightlife, the Spanish were actually having dinner. Because it was Monday night and because we were not rested enough to stay up until 12:30-1 am, when the locals went out at night, Capree and I spent that night “pasando” through the city. Also, if we had done our research, we would’ve known that a major festival was taking place at the end of the week, where we could’ve seen bull fighting for our first time. Regardless, we still enjoyed the sights of Seville, including the Torre del Oro, the Catedral and Giralda, the Alcazar, and many other structures. We were in love with the paella, the pastries, ice cream, cute shops and colorful streets. The second night we saw some Flamenco dancing, which was amazing, and in that crowded, sweaty room while sipping on a sangria, I was elated to finally be doing something typically Spanish.