A Few Days in Seville....

We took a very fast train ride to Sevilla, Spain... home of the bullfighting, and of course Flamenco Dancing! Once we arrived and got into our hotel we were starving, so we ate a tiny little restaurant walking distance from our hotel...and sure enough they served Mexican food! (A pretty good choice considering Cinco de Mayo was the next day!) well at least their interpretation of it! Haha! We ordered tacos and enchiladas...definitely not we were used to, but very good to say the least! It was a fun little place.... lots of old records everywhere and some for sale! I looked through the collection... Elvis, Beatles, Prince, and more....for cheap too! Like 5 Euro, which is like about $7....crazy! You could probably easily sell them for a lot more in the US, but the owner of the place says they love American Music ( it helps them learn English) and that they gets them down the street at the local flea market for even cheaper! If they only knew! By then I was so exhausted from all the traveling....I went straight to bed! I can't believe that is has already been over a week since I have arrived here in Spain...I feel like I have learned so much and see so much! And I still have so much more! I can't wait....but I miss you all back at home...and the food! My stomach is not liking the food here so much... but I am trying to eat new things! We started off walking in the neighborhood Barrio Santa Cruz, which has very confusing, narrow and old streets....but we got lost a few times... but it was fun the explore the old part of the city! It was definitely a maze of streets with lots of plazas, with the whitewashed houses and flowers in the windows, some great shopping and food! And some of the streets were so close that they actually call them "Kissing lanes", but were designed to maximize the shade in the heat....I will admit it was hot already, and definitely cooler in between them! We found the Flamenco Dancing Museum, which was so beautiful.... the way they set it up was fantastic! The videos, pictures, and dresses were unbelievable! It was pretty interesting to see how Flamenco dancing evolved and how many different cultures help contribute to what it is today! I of course had to by some stuff at the gift shop! I should have just bought a flamenco dress, but I just got a beautiful painted fan! ANd some other gifts! By then I swear it had to have been over 90 degrees....! Talk about some warm weather already! We walked around the Cathedral ( the 3rd largest in Europe!), and the largest Gothic Church anywhere! It was breathtaking! It was built over a mosque in 1401 and took over 100 yrs to build! We along down to the Gualalquivir River, which had a great view of the city and the church! We took pictures of the famous Plaza de Toros ( Bullfighting Ring) and walked all the way to the Maria Luisa Park. It is kinda like their version of Central Park or Golden Gate Park... lots of beautiful statues, fountains, ponds, flowers and more! We were so hot so we stopped by a little a place and got some ice cream, and sat and enjoyed the park! It is a great way to people watch and enjoy the city! We also stopped by Plaza Espana, which was built in 1920 for a International Fair. It was built of brick and tiles, with a large fountain in the center. (Sadly that was dry and empty, because Spain is in a huge drought, so a lot of the fountains are not running). We then walked back to our room to take a little siesta, and I swear it felt like I have walked over 10 miles today! Everything here is walking distance from everything, but it definitely can wear you out! and your shoes! We then decided to go out to a nice dinner in one of squares! Very traditional Spanish food! So of course we had to have some Sangria! It was a beautiful night! There was music playing, and many people out enjoying dinner and walking around....and it doesn't get dark here until around 930ish....so you feel like your day can last forever! I was just trying to soak everything in! I am definitely loving Spain! Our last day here in Sevilla we all got up early to make sure we can get to the Cathedral early and beat all the crowds and tour groups! Once we got in it was huge! and amazing! It reminded me of the book I am reading "Pillars of the Earth", which is the building of such a cathedral! I can't even imagine all the work and time that went into building such a place! It is pretty incredible! Christopher Columbus' tomb is even inside! We also climbed up the bell tower to get a view of the city! We walked around some more exploring the old city, visiting a lot of the local artists shops, and having a bocadillo... a piece of French bread with some meat and cheese! always a good snack! My mom really wanted to take a horse and carriage ride around the city! It was actually very nice and lasted almost an hour! well worth it! We saw everything....it was a great way to see the city! We also stopped by the Alcazar, which was a Christian palace, but built and influenced by the Moorish art and architecture! And it still functions as a royal palace. It is pretty incredible how they live and what they built! By then the day was coming to an end, and we had to get to bed early since we had a 730am train ride to Madrid!