Para reencontrar el bueno, levántate de tu culo mujer.

To find the good again, get up off your butt woman.

This morning I woke up with an unusually high level of optimism. Saturdays tend to be the most boring day of the week. We sit around and eat, and go out or walk around in the afternoon/ night if we haven’t gone somewhere for the weekend. All three of the other international girls are on trips this weekend. And my host family is going to the wedding of Alejandro’s niece. So they are busy preparing for the wedding and aren’t in the house today. So I knew today I was going to be flying solo for the most part. But thats totally okay with me because I get the tv to myself tonight!!!

When I woke up, I didn’t have very many plans, but I got dressed and headed out for a walk. I’ve never walked north of my house, just because everything is located to the south. So I took the road back just to get out of the house for a while.

There is a lovely little building with a fountain and a gorgeous tree. It’s super close to my house. There is a playground and some benches that are covered with shade from the tresses around.

Cup of Noodles

I found a ‘Chinese’ grocery store, its really like Thai, Chinese and Japanese but who is getting specific. They had everything from mochi, sake, sriracha sauce, and top ramen. And right next door is a Chinese restaurant with very reasonable prices and sweet and sour chicken and spring rolls. YUM

I followed the same street down and crossed a church that was having a wedding today. It was right in a little square, super cute.

I loveeee olives

The street turned into an alley of sorts, with candy shops, bars, art stores and everything else you can think of, until I ran into the Setas. My cuisine teacher told us about a market that happens under the Setas every day; I hadn’t seen it yet so I ventured in. Similar to the Market of Triana, there is jam, all types of meat, cheeses, spices, olives, fruits, vegetables and random stuff. 

I’m not sure if its because I grew up in the PNW, or because I went to Central Market frequently, but I LOVE looking at dead fish, clams and snails and octopus, like any sea animal on ice, I’m there.

Snails!

They also had pig and every single piece of the pig you could imagine. Such as pig tongue, brains, feet, heart, ears, blood, liver, lungs, oh yeah AND AN ENITRE PIG HEAD.

Brains, right next to the tongues and hearts. 

who wants a lucky pig foot?

This little piggy made it all the way to the market...

And rabbits and ducks…. Like fur and everything. Well those were a little more I’m not sure those are my favorites, especially since the ducks were so cute still.

Next weekend we are off to Mérida, Cáceres and Trujillo. Mérida is the capital of Extremadura, which is the province just north of Andalucia. There is a Roman theather there that is very well preserved. Cáceres is in Extremadura as well. It is a walled city located just north of Mérida, and it is a World Heritage City. Trujillo is located within the province of Cáceres in Extremadura.  It is famous for its monuments and considered a premier resort in Extremadura.

Then we have just three short days of classes and we leave for Paris that next Thursday! We’ve got our list of places to go, and we are working on an schedule for each day there. There is a World chocolate fair the same weekend we are in Paris, we're buying tickets tomorrow!  I’m also looking forward to seeing all the super famous monuments, the museums and just being in Paris. I have a lot of things to be excited about in the coming weeks, and although I'm getting over a rough patch, the only thing I can do is get up off my butt and stop feeling sorry for myself, and start getting excited about my amazing adventures to come. All my love xoxoxox

Tarde a Córdoba!

I realize this is a little late, but better late than never, right?

On the 5^th, my program had arranged a required trip to Córdoba and the Mezquita.  We left Sevilla at about 9 am and after only an hour and a half bus ride, we arrived. 

Outside Walls

It was interesting to see the ruins inside, but my favorite part was easily the gardens. 

The gardens stretched forever and it was so fragrant. Depending on the season and the year, the flowers planted are different colors. I loved the contrast between the orange flowers and the blue green water.

We took the tiny streets of Córdoba to the Mezquita. The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also called the Great Mosque of Córdoba, is a medieval Islamic mosque that was converted into a Catholic Christian cathedral after the Reconquista of Córdoba. 

The Mosque was and still is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture. Spanish Muslims have lobbied to be allowed to pray inside the Mosque, but because the Spain is a Catholic country, the Church and Vatican hold the power in present day, Muslims have been denied the right multiple times.

Lil Jesus peaking through

Most pictures of the Mezquita are of the red and white arches that go for yards inside the building. But what those pictures don’t show you is equally important to present day. After the Spanish Royals took control of Córdoba, instead of tearing down the mosque, they built their cathedral right inside it, in the middle… I mean don’t get me wrong, this is a gorgeous cathedral. But leave it to the Spanish Catholics to do something like this.

You can walk through the outer parts of the mosque and stay within the Islamic design. But head anywhere towards the center, and Catholicism rears its head loud and clear. The contrast between the two is striking and slightly unappealing. Visually, you go from red and white arches with very little natural lights/ windows to white and gold ceilings, two stories high with windows pouring in all the natural light your eyes can handle.

After the tours, we split up for a couple hours to eat and see a little more of the city. Naturally Emily and I found a place near by with good beer and tapas for only a euro each. 

I enjoyed Córdoba, we had good weather and it was nice to get out of Seville for a little bit. But I wish we hadn’t rushed the day so much, I felt like we could have stayed everywhere for at least half hour more and still arrived home at a decent hour.

 

Not this coming weekend, but the next we have another required trip, but it is overnight to Méridia, Cáceres and Trujillo. I have no idea where they are or what we are seeing there, but it should be interesting. And then the Thursday after that we head to PARIS! It is nice to have something in the near future that I’m so excited about. It helps when I’m feeling a little homesick or whiney. But I’m getting super excited!! All my love to everyone, xoxox

Esperanza

Dear Grandpa,

I struggled to come to terms to write about you here in Spain. I didn’t wish to talk about something that hurt so much and that was so personal. I came to the realization that it is now part of my story and it is very much relevant to my time here in Sevilla.

Although we all knew it could happen while I was gone, I secretly hoped to visit you once more when I returned. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to the states with everyone else. I long to be with them in the house in Louisville, even if it were for just a few hours. It has been really hard to be without everyone, and even harder to mourn without them. Everyone here has been very kind to me here in Spain, its just not the same and sitting with Mom and Grandma and hugging them. I yearn to be with someone who knew you; just to talk about you for a minute, just have someone else. Everyone in Louisville is busy, and it is difficult to line up times to talk. They’re emotionally drained from everything and I’m seeking their comfort from across the ocean. Not exactly the easiest to coordinate.

I still find myself with my breath caught in my throat thinking you aren’t there anymore. You aren’t watching Big Bang Theory or eating Mini Hersey’s or listening to your iPod. And it’s so hard to believe because I can easily conjure up the sound of you hollering my name as if you are in the next room. 

I’ve put a little memorial of you here in Sevilla. There is a bridge that goes into Triana, another neighborhood in the city. It crosses over the Guadaquivir and there is the most wonderful view of the sun rising over the cathedral every morning. On the bridge, there are locks with names and dates. Those locks represent the esperanza of the people who put them there. In Spanish, the verb esperar means, to hope, to wish and to want. It felt appropriate to leave a lock there with your initials, showing I hope you are doing okay, I wish to hear your voice again and I want nothing more but to let you know I’m thinking about you everyday. I know that I would not be here in Sevilla without your love and support. I can't thank you and Grandma enough. I love you so much Grandpa.

Hasta que nos veamos de nuevo

XOXO

La Puente a Triana

My side of the river and Giralda!

I only had my one grammar class this morning, and I wasn't really in the mood to sit at home. My host mother has mentioned the Market at Triana a couple of times, and I asked her about it last night. Every day, this small market, on the other side of the river from my house, opens. They are all small, local vendors. My host mother shops there when she wants fish or meat that is slightly unusual, like bull's tail for example. So after class, I headed over the bridge, not 5 minutes from the center where I am studying and found the market.

The largest piece of meat ever.

 There are about thirty or so windows/ fronts where vendors are set up. It is a rented system, so some change every few weeks, others have been there for years.

There is an interesting mix of locals and tourists. Apparently this is a must see location for tourists, as there were quite a few people there with cameras who were not Spanish. But there were also a lot of Spaniards. Sevillanos aren't known for their tolerance of tourists, so the fact that they were still shopping there means it must be good.




Vendors inside the market had everything, meat, seafood, produce, pastries, a couple of cafes, and of course, ham and cheese.

Fruta

Huge fish.

Snails anyone?

Typical Spain, ham, cheese and wine.

I walked through for about twenty minutes just to see everything, then decided I needed something a little more savory for breakfast. It was interesting and I definitively will return. Maybe when I've got company and a little more cash on me!










The bridge to Triana is decorated with locks with the names of couples. I think this is a fairly recent thing, because the oldest year I saw was 2012... hehe. Anyways, makes a cool picture!


I'm working on plans for my birthday and then my Christmas break. I don't have housing from December 12 to February 1st. I have somewhere to stay around Christmas itself. But I don't want to overstay my welcome there if I run out of places and need a back up plan last January. If you know anyone in Europe, who wouldn't mind keeping an American for a little bit of time, please let me know! I'll bring the wine! I'm trying to get a bit of traveling done in this time, and I would love to stay with people rather than hostels just because I'll be traveling alone most of the time. All my love xoxoxo

Buen Rollo

Hoy, yo he disfrutado todas las cosas pequeñas. Today, I have enjoyed all the little things.

Nothing spectacular or amazing happened. I had my regular Tuesday classes, Grammar and Franco Era History, which, I know, sounds like scraping your nails on a chalk board. But both of my teachers and kind, empathetic, understanding, and they aren't there to push me through a system. Being in that kind of environment makes the world of a difference when trying to learn a language. It's not about my grades, or writing 5,000 words in Spanish. It's about how I prove they have taught me something. And that's a wonderful feeling, to know that someone is trying to help you not to get paid, but because they want you to know it. I love my classes here.

Yesterday, it was hot, and muggy and the humidity was horrid. And it rained. It was a disaster. The forecast was similar for today. But on our way to school, it wasn't raining, and by the time I had my first break between classes, it was blue skies, and the humidity had lessened quite a bit.

Between classes, I went to a little French bakery by school. I smell it every day when walking by, so I figured, today would be the day I would try it. The sun was out, and it wasn't too hot, so I grabbed a chocolate croissant and a latte and found my slice of heaven in Sevilla.

After classes, we ate lunch and had our siesta as usual. I did what little homework I had, and then left to go tutor. I was worried because I wasn't sure where I was going, and the mother had mentioned to me that her son was 'a revolution' when he was with his brother. Being that girl, who has had her fair share of nannying issues, I was petrified of a snooty, spoiled, Spanish boy.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Álvaro is 11, he is sweet, charming and speaks very good English for what little time he has been studying it. We sat today for an hour just chatting and going over small grammar things. And he was a doll. His little brother ages 6 and 4, only bothered us for a minute, but they are totally little brother. And his mother is absolutely stunning, she may be the most gorgeous Spanish woman I have seen in Sevilla. After our English session, I walked home in the sunshine smiling to myself, anticipating next week when we get to hang out again. I love and miss everyone at home so much. But I have to admit, I have such a buen rollo here in Sevilla. All my love xoxo