La Feria de Abril

La Feria de Abril... definitely the most fun week I have had in Sevilla!!!  We have 2 weeks off of school for this, but really it only lasts Monday-Sunday of the first week.  La Feria is basically a huge party/carnival (including rides!) and people from all over Spain come to Sevilla.  There are thousands of tents (or casetas), which are mostly private and you have to pay a lot of money to be a socio (partner) of the caseta.  These tents are individually decorated and are temporarily built on the fairground.  They are extremely nice inside and all of them have a personal bar, bathrooms with running water, a stage for dancing, and tables for eating.  All of the girls wear flamenco dresses, put flowers in their hair, and wear huge earrings that match their outfits.  Here are a couple pictures of the dresses (one taken at Parque de María Luisa and the other on the way to la Feria).

Many girls in my program wore old flamenco dresses that their Spanish families had, but unfortunately mine did not have any that would have fit me or Rebekah.  If you do not wear a flamenco dress to Feria, you are still expected to dress very formally (this gave me an excuse to buy two new dresses and a jacket from Zara hahahaha).

The first night of Feria I went with Gonzalo to see "El Alumbrado," which is the lighting of Portada (front entrance) at midnight (picture on the left).  This was really cool!  Each year the portada is a different shape.  After that we went to Gonzalo’s friends caseta and I was the only American for once (this barely ever happens!).  I tried Rebujitos for the first time, which is the famous drink of the Feria.  It is Manzanilla (an apple wine) and Sprite- very good!  After that one of his friends tried to teach me how to dance Sevillana but it was super difficult!  This is when I realized how very uncoordinated I am.  All of the Spanish people are amazing at it though because they have been dancing all of their lives.  I pretty much made a fool out of myself but it was still fun!

The next day Gonzalo and I went to José (Rebekah’s intercambio)’s caseta.  Rebekah parents were there too!  After that we decided to go to the carnival rides and we all went up la Noría (ferris wheel).  It was cool seeing the Feria from way up high!

The next night we went around with my friend Alyssa.  The host dad of a girl in our program was offering dance classes for any Americans who wanted to learn how to dance Sevillana before Feria.  Unfortunately, I was in Barcelona during this time so I couldn't learn, but she went and now she can dance like a pro!  (Bottom right is a picture of her dancing with a random Spanish man hahahha)

Here is a picture of me, Alyssa, Gonzalo, Pepe, and some of their friends...

The fourth and final night that I went to Feria, I went with a bunch of girls from my program.  At first we were by ourselves (without any Spanish people) and decided to go into a public Caseta.  As soon as we walked in, we decided to leave because it was absolute craziness.  It was so crowded and we could barely hear each other speak.  This made us very thankful to have friends as nice as Gonzalo and José to bring us around to their casetas!  Instead of wandering around the Feria, we decided to get buñuelos while we waited for Gonzalo to come.  Buñuelos are like Churros (fried dough) with powdered sugar that you dip in chocolate sauce.  My señora makes a special trip to Feria every year JUST for the buñuelos.  SOOOOO good.  After that we met up with Gonzalo and my best friend Naomi!  Here is a picture of Gonzalo teaching Naomi how to dance Sevillana (Their height difference is hilarious.  Naomi is also wearing heels in this picture)...

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Also during Feria week, Rebekah’s family was visiting so they took our host family and us out for lunch.  I know many of you have been wanting to see a picture of my Spanish family, so here it is!  I am going to miss them so much!

Only 12 days left until I come back to the U.S.  SOOOOOOOO sad!  But I can't wait to see everyone!

Barcelona!

Barcelona- my last trip of the semester!  I have less than 3 weeks left until I come back to the U.S. and as much as I would like to see my family and friends again, I'm NOT ready to leave at all!  I absolutely love Sevilla and am going to have an extremely hard time leaving.

Anyways, we got into Barcelona Thursday afternoon and checked into our hostel.  The hostel was not the most comfortable experience because although we had an apartment to ourselves, it was absolutely freezing.  Most apartments in Spain do not have central heating and we definitely did not pack warm enough clothes.  We tried to spend the least amount of time there as possible.  It was also raining when we got there and we were afraid that we weren’t going to be able to do all of the touristy things we had planned to do.  Fortunately, it cleared up as soon as we got going.  The first thing that we did was go to el Mercado de la Boqueria, which was a market of fresh fruits, juices, smoothies, and other foods.  Everything was so cheap!  You could get a huge bowl of fresh strawberries, kiwis, and pineapple for only 1 euro.  Unfortunately we had just eaten, so I was not hungry and did not buy anything but it was still really cool to see! 

After the Mercado, we went to Palau Guell, Placa Reial, and the Cathedral.  We did not go inside any of these because everything was closed by the time we got there.  Then we went to Park Guell, which was at the top of a really high hill, which we had to take a set of extremely steep escalators to get up to the top.  Once we finally reached the top, the views were absolutely amazing.  We had actually gotten there at the perfect time too, because the sun was just setting.

After that we went to meet up with one of Rebekah’s friends (who is studying in Barcelona) and her boyfriend for tapas.  The restaurant was at the top of an old bullfighting stadium in Plaza de España that had been turned into a mall (As I mentioned before, bullfighting is now illegal in Barcelona!).  At the restaurant we ordered my favorite tapa too, which is fried eggplant covered in some sort of sweet syrup.  SOOOOOOOO good!

The next day we took a tour of Casa Battló, which is one of Gaudí's famous works.  The entrance fee includes a free audio tour, so we were able to learn a lot more about Gaudí's life and ideas.  This was one of my favorite parts about Barcelona because it was so unlike anything I had ever seen before!  Here is a picture of the outside...

After that we went to Sagrada Familia.  They have been building it for over 100 years and they still aren’t finished!  Isn’t that insane?  The detail in the building is absolutely amazing.  It is so intricate and everywhere you look there is something different going on.  It was also MASSIVE.  No wonder it is taking them so long to build!  Gaudí is also buried inside, so we were able to see his tomb!  After that we took a lift up to the top and got another gorgeous view of the city. 

Here is a picture of me at the top of Sagrada Familia...

After a long time at Sagrada Familia, we were starving and decided to get lunch at a restaurant that Rebekah's friends recommended.  The restaurant offered a "menú del día" (very common in Barcelona), which included 2 courses, a drink, and a dessert all for 9.50 euros.  Rebekah and I split a salad, pasta, chicken, and steak, with flan for dessert.  I was stuffed after that!

Then we took the metro to the beach, planning on laying out in the sun for a couple hours.  It ended up being extremely windy, so we just walked along the beach and then got some hot chocolate to warm up.

After that we went to Parc de la Ciutadella and saw the Arc de Triumph.  For dinner we went to a restaurant along the beach and had vegetable paella (not as good as the paella our señora makes, but still good!).  Here is a picture of me by the Arc de Triumph....

That night we did not get a hostel because our flight was at 5:55 AM.  We decided to pull an all-nighter to save money and went to a beach club instead of sleeping (hahah typical college students).  We left for the airport around 3:00 AM  and by the time we finally got back to Sevilla it was 9:00 AM.  We were pretty much zombies by then!  We were exhausted and slept until lunch time.

It was amazing how extremely different Barcelona is from Sevilla.  We heard more people speaking English than Spanish and the locals speak Catalan.  Catalan is so different from Spanish, we couldn't understand a word of it!

I'm excited to stay in Sevilla now until I leave.  There is so much I still want to do in the city!  La Feria de Abril is also this week, which is a huge festival with a lot of dancing, eating, and drinking.  It should be a lot of fun!

La Corrida de Toros

Last week I went to my very first Corrida de Toros (Bullfight).  It was quite the cultural experience!  Here is a picture of me and my friend Katie before the show...  The stadium (or plaza de toros) was beautiful!

When we got to la plaza de toros we did not really know what to expect.  We knew that in the end, each bull would be killed by the torero, and this thought definitely freaked us out.  We did not know how long we could stay and watch, because it is really a gruesome experience and many people cannot handle watching it.  My friend Rebekah left after the first bull was killed, but Katie and I stayed for about an hour an a half (after 3 fights).

After having researched a little bit, I learned that at each bullfight, there are 3 different toreros who each fight 2 bulls over the course of the show.  There are several other people on the field as well in case something goes wrong.  The show starts with a sort of parade, where all of the people involved in the fights walk around the field.

The fight then begins with the torero testing the bull with various passes to get acquainted with his opponent.  He uses a pink cape to do this, which starts to aggravate the bull and gets the audience excited.

After that, the lance-carrying picadores on horseback "punish" the bull by jabbing him in the shoulder and neck to break muscles.  The picadores are followed by the banderilleros, whose job is to decorate the bull by puncturing him with pairs of brightly colored darts.  Here is a picture of a picador, getting ready to approach the bull...

In the end, the action narrows down to just the torero and the bull.  The torero then uses a red cloth to lure the bull over again.  He then wraps the bull around himself in various passes and after a number of passes, the time comes for him to kill the bull with a sword.

In the end I actually more or less enjoyed going to the bullfight because it really made me feel like I was in Spain.  The stadium was beautiful and the music really added to the experience.  Although bullfighting is an extremely controversial form of entertainment, it is a highly-skilled art form in Spain and is extremely important to Spanish culture.  Bullfighting is now outlawed in many places in Europe, including Barcelona.  The show was DEFINITELY hard to watch at points (especially since I am such an animal lover), but overall it was a great cultural experience for me and I learned a lot from it. 

Semana Santa en Sevilla

Semana Santa (or holy week) in Sevilla- now that is a sight to see!  Spain is historically a very Catholic country and because of this, almost every city and town in Spain has activities for Semana Santa, but Sevilla has the most famous processions.  The city pretty much completely shuts down and people from all over Spain come to see the amazing processions that the city puts on. 

I went to el centro twice during the week to see the processions.  The first time, I just went with my friend Kristen and we had absolutely no idea what we were doing.  We just followed where all of the people were going and came across people wearing black hoods and capes.  Now these costumes look like the costumes that the KKK wore, but there is no relation between the KKK and these processions.  These holy week traditions started happening years before the KKK even existed. 

The next day that I went to the processions, I went with Gonzalo, Rebekah, and Rebekah's boyfriend who was visiting from the U.S.  This was a much more rewarding experience because we had a true Sevillano with us to explain what in the world was going on!

This time we actually got to see a paso, which is pretty much a float of like-life wooden sculptures that depict different scenes.  The one that we saw was of the Virgin Mary showing restrained grief for the torture and killing of her son (there is a picture below).  Each paso is carried by between 25-50 men, who support the structure with their shoulders and necks.  Some men even walk barefoot!  They are hidden inside the paso and cannot be seen by the viewers, so it looks as if the paso is moving by itself.  It was so cool to see!

To the End of the World and Back- Lagos, Portugal

Last weekend I went to Albuferia and Lagos, Portugal with a program called "We Love Spain." It was 100 euros for a transportation and a hotel for 3 days and a bunch of foreign exchange students go on their trips.  It was a nice to not have to worry about a flight or scheduling our own activities because they planned everything for us.

So anyways, we got to Albufiera on Friday after about a 2 hour bus ride from Sevilla.  It was not super warm, but we were able to lay out on the beach for a couple hours even though it was only like 60 degrees.  The reason why people can wear coats, boots, and scarves when it is 80 degrees here is because if you move to the shade, it becomes significantly colder.  The sun is so much stronger in Spain and Portugal than in the United States.  After we laid on the beach for awhile, we went exploring and took some pictures...

That night me and my friend Rebekah went out for dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant.  We both got Penne Carbonara and it was so good!  After that we went back to our hotel and got ready to go out.  Each night we were there, our program offered a free bar tour.  In most clubs in Europe, you usually have to pay a cover fee to get in, but our program covered the cost.  We decided to go the first night and it was really fun!  The first bar that we went to had a live band that was playing classic American rock like Queen and Journey.  We were having a blast singing along and dancing! I just had to post a picture of the lead singer of this band because it makes me laugh every time i look at it... 

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH

The next day it was kind of rainy and cold.  We got on the bus and drove about an hour and a half to "the end of the world."  It is called the end of the world because before Columbus discovered America, these cliffs were thought off as being the actual end of the world.  How cool is that?!!!  I absolutely loved this place!  Oh, and did I mention that my best friend naomi was on this trip too?!  Here is a picture of us... (it was EXTREMELY windy).

The next stop was Punte de Piedad, which is a lookout place with giant cliffs and beautiful rock formations. 

After that we went to Praia Dona Ana, which is the most popular beach in Lagos.  It was so pretty!  Here is a picture of me, really happy to be in Lagos...

We had to leave after being there for about 30 minutes because it started to rain.  We didn't really enjoy the beach as much as we would have liked because of the rain, but we drove into Lagos City Center instead to do some tourist shopping.  We also stopped in a cafe and got chocolate-covered waffles.  Yum!  That night we stayed in and had a girl's night because we were exhausted.

The next day we went to another beach in Albuferia, which was absolutely amazing!  It was extremely windy though, so I definitely took home a bunch of sand with me in my purse and in my hair.  It was so relaxing to just lay on the beach and hang out with my friends!

I would have to say that Portugal has been my second favorite country that I have visited so far (Spain is first of course!).  The beaches are absolutely incredible and the views are breathtaking! I DEFINITELY want to go back someday.

Londres

We got to London late Thursday afternoon and we decided to stay with some of Kristen's friends from Colorado who are studying there this semester to save some money.  London is an EXTREMELY expensive city.  Also, the exchange rate between the dollar and the pound is awful.  1 pound= about 1.6 dollars.  Kristen's friends had a ton of people visiting them from Colorado that weekend because it was their Spring break, so needless to say, it was a bit cramped, but it worked out alright!

The next day, we met up with Kristen's friends again and walked through the Borough Market.  It reminded me a lot of the Farmer's Market in Madison but with more meal-type foods rather than produce.  While at the market, I was told that a part of Harry Potter was filmed in front of the store in the picture of the right.  I got super excited and naturally had to take a picture with it.  The girl who told me this didn't know what scene, so I guess I'm going to have to watch the movies all over again to find out!

After that, I met up with my friends, Jason and Raymond and they brought me to all the touristy sites of London.  They showed me St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, London Eye, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, and the Tower of London.  Below is a picture of me and Raymond in front of Big Ben and a picture of me and Jason in Hyde Park.

On Saturday we went to another market called the Portobello market.  This market sold little gifts and jewelry rather than a lot of food.  We also tried going to the National Gallery, but it was closed when we got there.  The National Gallery is in Trafalgar Square, so at least we got to see that!  There was also a huge Olympic Countdown in the Square and it really got me excited for the games this summer!

That night I met up with Jason and Raymond again and we watched the Barcelona- Athletic Bilbao fútbol game at a pub.  This was actually the first fútbol game I have watched since coming to Europe and I really enjoyed it.  I can't wait to go to a Betis game in Sevilla! 

The next day we went on a tour of the Tower of London.  This was one of my favorite parts of the trip!    Except the majority of the tour was spent talking about the different types of torture they used to use in London.  That was pretty disturbing.  The Crown Jewels are kept inside the Tower, which was amazing to see!  I cannot imagine how much those are worth.  Below is a picture of me and Kristen with the Tower of London in the background.

That night we went on an adventure to find one of the only Chipotles in Europe!  For those who don't know (aka my mom), Chipotle is a Mexican restaurant chain in the U.S. that college students are obsessed with.  Me and Kristen have been craving Chipotle all semester, so we HAD to take a trip there.  It was absolutely amazing.  I can't wait to get another burrito when I get back to the U.S.!  After that I met up with one of my best friends from school, Carly.  We are rooming together in Madison next year.  She is studying in London this semester but I barely got to see her because she had a 7,500 word essay due for a class on Wednesday. It was really good to see her though, even though it was only for a little while! 

On Monday, me and Kristen went extremely out of our way to make it to Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross Station.  And let me tell you, it was worth it!  I had to do something Harry Potter related while in London!

After that we decided to get high tea at Kensington Palace.  High tea consists of tea, crumpets, finger sandwiches, and desserts.  It was so cute!  It was 18 pounds per person though, so we decided to share one serving to save some money.  On the left is a picture of Kristen with our food!

After that I met up with my friends Carly, Michelle, Jason, Raymond, and a bunch of AKPsi people at a restaurant called "Slug and Lettuce."  On Mondays they have half-priced pub food, so it was a very popular place that night!  I got a bacon and cheddar burger (since burgers are NOT the same in Spain) and it was delicious!  After dinner I went to Michelle's flat (Jason, Ray, and everybody live there too) and was able to see my friend Danielle as well!

On the way home, I had my first ever issues with travel this semester.  Usually everything goes fairly smoothly, but this trip was a bit of a struggle.  We didn't go to sleep until 1:00 AM because there were people watching TV in the room we were going to sleep in.  Then we had to wake up at 3:00 AM to catch a 3:45 AM bus to the airport.  The airport was really far from where we were staying and once we got to the airport, me and Kristen both got searched in the airport, which also took forever.  They took out everything from our suitcases and examined it very carefully.  They also made Kristen throw out a bunch of her liquids.  Security is sooooo much more intense in the UK than in any other country I have ever experienced.  After Ryanair was already late letting us onto our plane, our 7:00 AM got delayed 2 hours because of the huelga (strike) in Spain.  We were sitting on the plane for close to 5 hours instead of the 2 and a half hours it was supposed to take.  When we got off the plane, the buses weren't running as frequently from the airport, so we had to wait EVEN longer to get back.  I did not get home until 2:00 PM!!  That was quite stressful, but I got home and was able to sleep all afternoon.

This week is Semana Santa (or Holy Week), so we have the entire week off of school.  I will blog about that after this weekend, because it is HUGE celebration in Sevilla and there are tons of processions.