in love with lagos

Well this past weekend marked our last weekend abroad and we were lucky enough to spend it in Lagos, Portugal. This trip was through a company called Discover Sevilla excursions, so instead of traveling with our study abroad program our group was led by about ten men, all about 25, and all drop dead gorgeous--like literally the most attractive men I've seen in my life. Not only were they good looking, these guys were an absolute riot. They are so laid back, super funny, and best of all, they know how to throw one hell of a party.

We left early Friday morning and made the three hour drive to Portugal on a bus. I had heard so many amazing things about this trip and I was so pumped to get to the beach and spend the weekend in the sun. Once we got into Portugal, we stopped off to climb some cliffs and look out at the ocean. The sight was absolutely GORGEOUS but I was about one breath away from a full blown panic attack because those cliffs were sharp and rocky and just too high for a girl who has a paralyzing fear of heights. But I actually did enjoy it regardless of the fact that I thought I was going to fall to my rocky death right into the ocean.

After that, we hopped back on the bus, checked into the hotel, and then threw on our suits and went and took a walk to the beach. And I know I always say everything was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, but Portugal's beaches were honestly the prettiest beaches in the WORLD. Seriously. You all need to go there. They are breathtaking.
Anyway, we spent a while at the beach and then went back to our hotel to get ready. Before dinner, we went to a spot called the end of the world, which were gorgeous cliffs overlooking the ocean. We were supposed to watch the sunset, but it was pretty cloudy so that didn't really pan out, but none of us really cared.

end of the world

We went out Friday night because Discover Sevilla threw a party and we had the entire club to ourselves. A few free drinks and a night of dancing was the perfect way to spend a Friday night, even though when we got there we all were soaking wet (it started POURING rain on our walk). I also tried my first suicide tequila shot that night. Maybe it's because I'm just not an experienced drinker (sarcasm?!), but when one of the Discover Sevilla guys asked us to suicide shots, I said of course. It turns out that when you do a suicide tequila shot you have to snort the salt, take the shot, and squeeze the lemon juice right in your eye. Of course I did it because I didn't want to look like a wuss, and afterward I looked at my friends (out of my one good eye) and NONE of them did it with me. I guess some chicks just can't hang! Will I do it ever again? Absolutely not. But hey, I guess it was an adventure.

Saturday morning we got up and headed to the beach with the whole group. We started drinking our new favorite concoction, peach schnapps and lemonade and then we got to go on a Sangria Sailboat, which is unlimited sangria for two hours straight in the middle of the ocean, or as I like to call it, HEAVEN. It was sooooo fun. I think I had enough sangria to quench the thirst of an entire army, but I don't regret it one bit. It was a blast. We got off the sailboat for a bit and took a smaller boat to see some more cliffs.



elephant!

Of course after the sailboat was done, we continued to party for the rest of the day and night and kept going all the way into the next day. We sat on the beach, got a nice tan, and then headed home. It was one of the most fun weekends I've had. Ever. I'm thinking maybe study abroad Lagos 2013 ;)

And now in the blink of an eye my time here in Sevilla is finished. I have finals today and tomorrow and then tomorrow night I take a bus to Madrid to begin over 24 hours of traveling back to the US. I really don't think it's hit me yet that but I do know that I am feeling a million different emotions. Last night we went to dinner with our padres and they were telling us how much they've loved living with us for the last few months and how great we are and I almost lost it right there in the restaurant. I honestly do not know how I'm supposed to leave them. Tonight I am getting together with a big group of friends for one last time and I'm afraid I'm going to be the only sap at the table who is a blubbering mess. Sevilla has become my home and these people have become part of my family and saying goodbye is going to be the worst.

Gonna go study for some more finals and maybe buy some more Kleenex...God knows I'll need it.

See you all soon!

Nat

My pictures from Lagos:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3110196274438.2126544.1250280194&type=1&l=7858fdd4ec

 

Ann was a better photographer than me. Here are her pictures:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3096232885362.2126309.1250280227&type=3&l=1e2f43ced1



home sweet Sevilla

Our Lanzarote vacation officially ended on Friday. And it kind of made me sink into a deep dark depression. It was the best and most relaxing vacation of my life. Suntans and sangria during the day and Cactus Jacks at night.... Every night. I'm not sure if I was more sad to leave the island or our new friends at Cactus Jacks...maybe a little of both.

Our plane got delayed a while Friday night and I was SO ready to be back in Sevilla (and not to mention to be DONE with Ryanair and their stupid luggage restrictions FOREVER!---I only had to wear three shirts on the way home!) Finally we made it back and thankfully Sevilla was the perfect cure to my post Canary Island depression...

Sevilla is celebrating Feria this week, which is basically a city-wide party full of flamenco dancing and drinking. Not bad, right?? So there is an entire section of the city dedicated to Feria and it's full of private tents (casetas) where people dress up and dance flamenco and party into the early hours of the morning. Unfortunately, we could only get into the public tents, but it didn't really matter because people literally break out in dance in the middle of the street. Not to mention, Feria is just a beautiful thing to see....The entrada (entrance) is all lights and there are lights hanging all over. It was so fun just to walk around and look at everything..We are such tourists!! After three months I am still amazed by this city every single day.

We went back for a little while yesterday and hit up a public tent to try some manzanilla, a type of sherry typical at Feria. The manzanilla itself was AWFUL. But once you mix it with sprite and make a rebujito it is a little piece of heaven. Feria was definitely one of the coolest things I've seen so far in Sevilla. And there is no doubt that these people know how to party. Woo.

We spent the rest of the day yesterday hanging out with our friends...We are all having slight panic attacks over the fact that we only have 12 days left to do so. We all got dressed up and ready to go to the disco last night (because it was our last Saturday in Sevilla) but apparently the entire rest of the city shuts down during Feria so all the discos were closed. Of course. =/ We ended up spending most of the night at the bar and then took a walk through the city to get some food...in the pouring rain. It was freezing and gross, but so fun nonetheless. I seriously have the funniest friends ever.

And today we actually have to be good students again and finish our final essays of the semester...It is really sad how little work we've done this semester and how out of practice we are at writing. I can't say that I'm mad about it. We have had the best semester of our lives---but I think maybe I'll save the sentimental stuff for another post ;)

As time is winding down at a rapid pace, I am feeling a million different emotions right now:

HAPPY that in 12 days I get to meet Luke Ryan Bos and give a hug and kiss to him and my sweet niece LouLou.
EXCITED to see everyone I've been missing... My parents, siblings, and Blake...and my friends too.
THRILLED to be back in my own bed in my own house and eat my own food. (and by my own, I mean my dad's food!)
NERVOUS to go back to all the things I haven't done in months---staying on a schedule, driving a car, waking up to an alarm clock, NOT going to different countries every weekend...
SAD to leave my friends here. I feel like I've known them forever and I don't know what I'm supposed to do when I can't see them every day.
DISAPPOINTED that I can't walk through this city every day, that I can't drink Sangria on a daily basis, and that I will no longer be able to look at Spanish people, especially the men! They are honestly the most attractive people on the planet. Good thing I have a handsome cowboy waiting for me at home!
HEARTBROKEN that I have to leave my Spanish padres. Not ready to talk about that just yet or I will probably just break down.

Excuse the cliché, but these next twelve days are going to be an absolute roller coaster of emotions. We're just going to try our best and enjoy every second we have left.

Cheers to making the most of it!

The rest of our canary islands pics:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3006718287553.2124840.1250280194&type=1&l=6e7ec220f0

And a few of feria in this album:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2599553108678.2116410.1250280194&type=1&l=f5474df50a

 

Until next time,

Nat

love love love lanzarote

Well, lucky for us the lovely island of Lanzarote has been just plain perfect the last few days. Though the forecast looked pretty depressing before we got here, we have had sunshine and a nice breeze every single day so far. And I think it's supposed to be like this every single day we're here.

So far this has been the best vacation I've ever taken. Why? Because all I've been doing is sitting in the sun and drinking at happy hour for the last three days. Day one was kind of chilly and just a little overcast, but the sun we did have was intense! Ann and I both got a good sunburn, but we didn't mind because the poolside bar has happy hour from 2-4, and the sangrias are two-for-one. Turns out the sangria here packs a little punch, too because Ann and I both needed a nap after we got done!

Day 1!

After we had a nice long rest (vacation is tough, huh?!?) we decided to check out the local bar scene... Costa Teguise is a tiny little town and I think it has about as many bars as it does citizens and I am NOT mad about that. We decided to try out Cactus Jack's because, well, that was the only bar with people in it. Cactus Jack's is a Mexican, British, Native American, karaoke, live entertainment, family fun bar. Let's just say it's nothing short of a melting pot of culture and things to do. The first night we went, there was an Elvis impersonator, quite possibly the worst one in the world...But he was very sweet and his outfit was bedazzled better than anything I'd ever seen. We had so much fun sipping fruity drinks and just hanging out (and people watching of course). We also managed to make friends with the bartender and get some free caramel vodka (my new favorite) shots. Yummmmy.

Yesterday was pretty much an exact repeat of day 1, except I wore a different bathing suit ;)

We enjoyed some more sangria at happy hour, went back to the room, took a nap, and headed back to dear ol' Cactus Jack's. We sipped some more fruity drinks and made friends with the funniest man. His name was Anas and he sat by us all night and asked to have his picture taken. Not only was he funny, he was also a dancing machine and he told us about one million times that we were the most beautiful girls he's ever seen. (And believe it or not, he was sober!) We also sat and talked to the bar owner, Jay for a little while. He's sweet as can be and also funny like his friend Anas. Free drinks and good company make for a wonderful vacation!

My sweet new friend =]

Today, we broadened our horizons just a bit. We still sat by the pool ALL DAY. Believe it or not, I've actually had to start wearing sunscreen-- I think I reapplied about ten times today. And of course, we just couldn't pass up two-for-one sangria at happy hour.

Tough life, huh?

But tonight we actually walked farther than Cactus Jack's and made our way to the beach, where the wind was OUTRAGEOUS. It was kind of dark and hard to take pictures, but I'm sure we'll be back at least once this week (if we can ever draw ourselves away from happy hour) to get some better ones. The beach was so pretty though, made me love this place even more than I already do!

After almost getting blown away, we walked along all the shops and restaurants on the beach and found....drumroll please...a Tex-Mex restaurant! I have never been so happy to see a sombrero in all my life. Of course there was no doubt that we would eat there because, behind my sweet niece and nephew, there is nothing I miss more than Mexican food. (Okay, that's a gigantic exaggeration. But I really do miss good Mexican food).

I don't know how many times it's going to take eating Mexican food in Europe for me to realize that it just ain't the same. Period. End of story. I am just praying for the day that these people learn what taco seasoning is and start refrying their beans! It actually wasn't bad, but my burrito was nothing like what my dad makes! Not to mention, what we ate today was pretty spicy, and water was 1.79 per bottle. (Europeans don't drink tap water in restaurants, either. Annoying.) Regardless of how the food was, it was fun to get out and explore the city a bit. We even showed some serious self-control on the way home because we walked right by Cactus Jack's and didn't even stop. Even though Jay and Annis were outside waving to us! I have a bad feeling that this self-control thing is only gonna last for a day!!

I had to laugh the other day when I was talking to my sister. I told her we were leaving for vacation and she asked, "Haven't you been on vacation for the last three months?!" Well, I really have and this week is only making this whole experience all the better. I am so lucky and getting very nervous about returning to a real schedule when I get back to the states. I've gotten used to sangria and siestas in the afternoons!! Of course I'm so excited to see everyone, though! I'll be home in exactly 18 days... Time is winding down a little too quickly, so I'm trying not to blink and trying to live it up in Lanzarote before I get back to Spain for my final two weeks abroad.

Heading to bed now so I can rest up for my day of absolutely nothing to do tomorrow. ;) Life is good!!

Pictures of the first few days of vacation:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3006718287553.2124840.1250280194&type=1&l=6e7ec220f0

Until next time,

Nat

a rough start...

I am one happy girl to annouce that our vacation is finally here! I am writing this post from the patio of our hotel room, looking at our pool and some palm trees. Life is good. But we deserve to relax after the start we got yesterday...

We flew with an airline called Ryanair, which is incredibly cheap but has all these hidden rules when you fly, as well as the strictest baggage regulations ever. The ONLY piece of luggage you can bring is backpack. So, Ann and I decided to share a checked bag (we were actually being proactive for once!) to save a little money. Of course I packed just about as much stuff as humanly possible in my half of the suitcase (no surprise there). It was stuffed to the brim with clothes, sandals, jewlery, you name it. We knew it felt heavy, but the normal limit at Ryanair is 20 kilos (about 44 pounds) so we thought we'd be good. We stuffed as much as we could in our backpacks so our bag wasn't as heavy.

We waited in an incredibly long line to check the bag, and got incredibly nervous as we saw at least three groups of people in front of us sitting on the floor next to the line rearranging their stuff because they had gone over the limit. Not gonna lie, we got just a little nervous... We finally made it to the front of the line and set our bag on the scale.... 23.5 kilos.
Whew, not bad. We were thinking it would be easy to take six(ish) pounds out of the suitcase and stuff it somewhere in our backpacks. Just after that, the woman told us that somehow we were only able to have a 15 kilo bag, which made us 8 kilos (over 16 pounds) above the limit. That's when we hit panic mode. We asked if we could just pay the overage fee and the woman said of course, but it's 20 euro per kilo. 120 euro for a lousy 8 kilos! NO THANKS LADY.

So, we were those girls. Sitting on the floor, suitcase wide open, everyone looking at our underwear, jewlery, everything. We were frantic. We took almost ALL of our jewlery out and put it on. I was wearing necklaces, earrrings, and literally had three rings on every finger. Still too heavy. Then we took all our bathing suits and stuffed them frantically into the side pockets of our backpacks. Not enough. Curling iron, out. Straightener, out. Back to the scale. Still too heavy. Shoes out. Still need more. I was a nervous wreck. We were running out of time to make it through security and to our gate. Even though I was freaking out, I couldn't stop laughing. People in line were laughing at us, people who were doing the same thing as us were laughing. EVERYONE laughed.
Finally, we came to the conclusion that we had to throw somet stuff away. We had NO choice.
The new lotion I had bought a couple of weeks before. Garbage.
The new tanning oil I had bought YESTERDAY for 8 euro. Garbage.
I was about to sink into a deep depression, but then the lady behind the counter FINALLY let us go...Still a half a kilo over. Thank God.
We walked through the airport with bathing suits hanging out of our packbacks that barely zipped from all the stuff. I was wearing FIVE shirts, jeans, and, worst of all- a jean shirt over that. I was walking through the airport with a full- scale JOUTFIT and a fedora. We were definitely a sight to see. We were laughing so hard I think I sweated through all five layers.
When we got to security, the man stopped me after my bag had gone through and told me that I had a plastic bottle in my bag. I panicked for a second because I didn't want to have to unload EVERYTHING in front of everyone in the airport. Thank goodness, I had shoved my jar of crunchy peanut butter from aunt Georgia in the side pocket but completely forgot about taking it through security. I was so embarrassed cause the man was looking me up and down in my five shirts and Mr T jewlery, I told him to just take it and throw it away. He just ignored me, waved the guard over there, and held up the entire line to ask if I could bring crunchy peanut butter on an airplane. EMBARRASSING.

We made it. Crunchy peanut butter and all. And as soon as we got on the plane we were the people taking off three shirts in front of everyone cause we just didn't give a damn anymore..

A rough start? Maybe. Do I regret it? No.

Ready to soak up some sun (if this forecast ever turns around) and enjoy my week in the Canary Islands.

Until next time,
Nat

Making the most of it...

This week's mission has been to start crossing things off our list of to-do's before our time here runs out. We've actually done a decent job so far:

1. Eat churros & chocolate at Valor, supposedly the best chocolatería in Seville. Check.
It really was some of the best chocolate I've ever eaten. I think I consumed about nine billion calories in 15 minutes, but I'm gonna go right ahead and say it was worth every one of them. You only live once, right?

2. Drink a gin & tonic sorbet. Check
Okay, I'll admit, it's not exactly "authentic" Spanish culture. But hey, would you turn it down? I can sum that drink up with one word. Delicioso.

3. Eat more tapas and drink more sangria. Check and check.
Well the Sangria here is just so good and I know I am going to miss it like crazy when I'm back home drinking Boone's Farm (although I DO love my Boone's Farm!) And the tapas are always good here and we've actually only gotten them a couple times. Our favorites so far: Patatas Bravas- fried potatoes covered with a so-far unidentifiable sauce. I honestly just think it's a mix of ketchup and mayonaise. Croquetas- Normally filled with ham or cheese and some other stuff...Breaded and fried. Let's be honest, who doesn't like something when it's breaded and fried?!? Calamari- cause it's just plain delicious.
Some of the tapas we've ordered have been a little disappointing. The other day we were so excited to see chicken taquitos on the tapas menu. Of course we all practically danced with joy at the thought of the little boxes of taquitos at the grocery store with the little fried tortilla shell with cheese and calorie-filled goodness.
Disappointing.
Fried chicken wings. No seasoning. Hardly any meat. Not happy.
Live & learn, I guess.

4. Bull fight. Check.
We went to our first (and I can say with 100% certainty last) bull fight last night. Some of our friends had gone the night before and warned us that it was a little difficult to watch, but we knew that we couldn't possibly be in Seville and not be a part of the most time-honored tradition here, so we went in with open minds.

Let me sum this up for you as quickly as possible:

Step 1: Bull comes into the ring with several bandilleros (men holding yellow and pink capes). Bandilleros wave their capes to see just how angry and fierce the bull is.
Step 2: Picador (man with a lance on a horse) enters the arena and delivers the first blow to the bull right in its neck to weaken it.
Step 3: Three bandilleros plant two barbed sticks into the bull's shoulders to weaken it again. That's a grand total of six little barbed sticks in the bull's neck.
Step 4: The matador (aka the man of the hour) comes out with a cave and sword. (Fun fact, the color red doesn't actually anger the bull because they are colorblind. The cape is red because it masks the color of the bull's blood). This process takes quite a while, as the matador wants to put on a good show for his audience and wear the bull down. Finally, he stabs the bull between the shoulder blades (into his heart).
Step 5: The bull has to be put out of it's misery by at least one small jab in its head.
Step 6: If the audience is happy, they stand up, cheer, and wave white flags for the matador.
Step 7: If the matador has done a really good job, the president cuts the ear off of the bull and presents it to him.

There are SIX bulls at every bull fight.
I watched six bulls get killed last night.

If I'm being completely honest, I almost got up after the first round and left. And if you know me, you know I am NOT an animal person in the least, but it was just not an easy thing to watch. And I've spared you all some details that can really just turn your stomach. I ended up staying, and as horrible as this sounds, you actually just kind of become accustomed to the whole thing by the end. Does that mean I enjoyed it? Hell no. It just means I could actually keep my eyes open and watch.

Am I glad I went? Let's say I'm glad I got to experience first-hand a piece of Sevilla's culture.
Will I EVER go back? Not a chance.

Afterward, we went to a bar with our ISA director and we all tried another tapa, Cola del Toro. That means bull's tail. The irony was almost too much for me to handle. (But for those of you who are wondering, it tasted just like pot roast).

If you'd like to see photos (nothing too morbid, I promise), click here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2982394559475.2124472.1250280194&type=1&l=78834b0e30

I can say that today I feel a great sense of relief that I've crossed the most difficult to-do off my list, but for now, I think I'll be sticking to the sangria.

Until next time,
Nat

Mi Sevilla, Sevilla Sevilla

As it turns out, I'm not the best at updating this blog as frequently as I should. So I apologize in advance for my lengthiness, but there's just so much to catch you all up on. So, I'll start from where we left off...

We got home from Africa the Wednesday of Semana Santa (Holy Week) so we had Thursday through Sunday to celebrate Sevilla style. Semana Santa is by far the most important week of the year in Sevilla. The city workers spend weeks preparing--Setting up gates, chairs, and bleachers in the main streets and plazas of downtown to get ready for all of the pasos (or processions). The pasos are the main event during the week. What happens is that each church has a "brotherhood" so-to-speak that dresses up in outfits that are very similar to the KKK (obviously with no relation) but in several different colors, mainly purple, red, and black. They walk through the town followed by a giant band and HUGE, intricate altars of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Every church has its own Virgin so the point of the procession is to show it off throughout the entire city. And these altars are INSANE. Most of the time they are made of solid gold, covered in flowers and hundreds of candles, which is absolutely breathtaking at night. It takes about 30 men underneath the altar to carry it--these men have to hold it up for about 12 hours during the day, which to me seems crazy, but so so cool. It rained for most of the weekend so many of the pasos were cancelled, but we still got to see some of the best week in the Sevilla.
Of course my camera battery died while I was watching the pasos (fail!) but I borrowed some photos from a friend so you all could see how cool it was! (Thank you Amanda McQuillan!)

 

One of the altars of Jesus.

One of the brotherhoods from the church. Almost every man in the city dresses up like this. Very crazy to see these men walking through the city all week!

Most of the men had rosaries in their hands or around the crosses they carried.

Altar of the Virgin Mary

The streets were PACKED for an entire week. Every store is closed down and everyone is outside watching the pasos.

Gorgeous altar...They look even better at night because all the candles are lit.

We went to church Easter Sunday with our friend's host mom and then spent the rest of the day doing homework, which was definitely weird. It was the first Easter I've ever had away from my family and I can't say that I enjoyed that part of it. But if I had to choose to spend it anywhere else, it would be here in Sevilla. Semana Santa is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

So our countdown to come home is at 25 days today... Holy sh....mokes. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see everyone back home, but it seems like our time here has passed us by in the blink of an eye. We've compiled a list of to-do's before we leave Spain (because I like making lists of just about anything), so last week we started to cross some things off...

Thursday night we skipped class (which of course broke my heart) to go to our first fútbol game. Before that, I had never seen a soccer game in my life so I really had no idea what to expect. Of course we bought some SFC tshirts to support our team (I think I'd take just about any excuse to shop) and watched SFC beat Real Zaragosa 3 to 0. I have been to A LOT of sporting events in my life, but I have to see I have never seen such intense team spirit as I did at the SFC game. There was an entire section of the stadium dedicated to the rowdy section, which I think was more similar to a mosh pit. The crowd cheered every second of the game, but not just normal cheers. They sang. For an hour and a half. And it was pretty darn cool. It was definitely a fun event to cross off the list, and I don't know if I'll ever get that song out of my head!

Roomies at our first SFC game.

Amigas outside the stadium.

New t-shirts. Heaven.

This past weekend we were off to travel more of the world. We went with our ISA program to Lisbon, Portugal. I wasn't really sure why of all places in the world we were going to Portugal, but once we got there I knew exactly why. It was gorgeous. beautiful. amazing. and any other cliché word I've used a million times in this blog. We got there Friday afternon and checked into the hotel...which was quite an experience in itself. Hardly any of the rooms were ready, so we were just waiting around in the lobby and when we FINALLY got into the room (with ten minutes to get ready), we realized that the water didn't work so the toilet and the shower didn't work either. I tried to avoid pictures of myself at all costs on Friday because clearly I wasn't looking my best!

Even though it was pouring (and pretty darn chilly I might add), we went to the Castillo de San Jorge which, after a never ending climb through the hills of the city, gave us a wonderful view of Lisbon. Even though we were soaking wet and miserable (the wind broke every single part of my umbrella), it was so worth it!

Lisbon, Portugal

My crazy amigas...Not so thrilled about the rain!

Saturday we went to the Monastery de Los Jerónimos which was another cathedral in which I could barely keep my jaw off the floor. Such gorgeous architecture, not that I should be surprised with that anymore I guess. Lucky for all of you who read this blog, I was not a very good tourist and didn't listen to much of what our guide had to say, so I am unable to bore you with useless details you'll never need to know. You're all very welcome! After the monastery we went to the Tower of Belém, which was situated perfectly on a the River Tajo. It was pretty stinkin windy, but still fun to go to the top and take lots of pictures.

The Monastery of Los Jerónimos

Mis mejores amigas!

Amigas at the top of the tower of Belém (thanks Amanda for this photo!)

We spent both nights hanging out in our friends' hotel rooms (somehow they all ended up with suites and we were lucky if our water turned on!) and I have to say that was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I really can't believe how close I have become with these girls in such a short time and I know that our friendship won't end when we leave this place. They are such amazing people and thankfully as crazy and ridiculous as I am. I feel like one lucky girl these days and my amigas are a big reason for that!

So, this week we keep (slowly but surely) crossing things off of our to-do list, such as trying out Sevilla's famous churros with chocolate today and going to our first bullfight on Wednesday. I will keep you all updated and try not to bore you with such a long update next time.

Gonna try my hardest to make the most of these next 25 days en mi Sevilla!

Links to some of my photos:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2599553108678.2116410.1250280194&type=1&l=f5474df50a

 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2959703632216.2124125.1250280194&type=1&l=853fa89ef1

 

See you all soon!!

Nat

 

 









hakuna matata

This past weekend was the one I had been waiting for for a long time. My friend that had studied abroad before me told me that Morocco was one of the most amazing experiences of her life and that it was a must during my time abroad. So, even though it cost an arm and a leg, I knew I wanted to venture to Africa to see what the Sahara desert had to offer. As the trip got closer, I started to get more and more nervous because, let's face it, I'm not exactly the extreme-outdoors type, so tent camping in the desert seemed a little scary. And boy was I in for some surprises when I got there....

We left at 4am Friday morning to begin our LONG trip to Africa. We took a bus and then a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar. Even though we didn't get to the hotel until about 6pm, that day wasn't too bad because we slept almost the entire way. The hotel was called the Menzeh Zalagh and was located in Fes. It's actually a 4 star hotel, but keep in mind that it's 4 star in Moroccan terms. The bathrooms were less than beautiful and of course we couldn't use the tap water for fear of getting sick. But it honestly was a pretty nice place. That night, we had our first experience with Moroccan food and, even though I didn't know what half of it was, it was pretty good (especially the dessert!).

The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast (which was ALL carbs--rolls and biscuits) and then headed to the Medina of Fes, which is basically a giant market made up of over 9,600 alleyways in the middle of the city. Thank goodness we had a guide to lead us through. The tour was definitely eye-opening. It was crazy to see how some people live every day. Fes has no sanitation system, so there is garbage everywhere you look and sometimes the smell was nearly unbearable. There were fruit stands, fish stands, diaper stores, clothing stores, you name it. There were people EVERYWHERE! We took individual tours of a few different places. The first was called a farmacia, which was basically a shop full of spices and beauty products, like Moroccan oil, lipstick, and soap. I thought that was going to be boring, but that was actually my favorite stop of the whole day. I got some makeup and some delicious smelling spices (that hopefully my dad will use because Lord knows I can't cook!) I think most everyone bought something there; the owner was an excellent salesman.
The second stop was at a giant old palace that sold nothing but carpets. Obviously this one didn't really interest me that much because I have no need for giant rugs, but it was so cool because the place was huge and there were thousands and thousands of rugs, some of them cost as much as 25,000 euro. (clearly out of my price range!) Even though we didn't make any purchases, we climbed to the roof of the building and got a great view of the city, so it was definitely a worthy stop.

Next, we went to a scarf shop, where they make all of their fabric right there. Everything was so beautiful and it was definitely hard to decide what to buy. Shopping is really fun in the Medina because you can talk everyone down and get things for cheap. I wasn't very good at it, but managed to talk the salesman down a couple hundred dirhams (about two euro) and get some really awesome scarves. The people at the Medina are so friendly (mostly because they want to sell stuff to you,) so bargaining can be fun..We walked by one stand and this man screamed to us, "Hello flowers! You are welcome in our country!"
The last stop was the tannery, a shop with all things leather. When we walked in, these men were trying to hand us little plant leaves. We didn't know what they were so we didn't take one. As it turns out, it was mint and you're supposed to carry it through the store and sniff it because the entire place smells like a cow farm from all the leather. It was one of the strongest smells I have ever experienced in my life and it was NOT pleasant. Looking down from the tannery, you could see a whole bunch of men standing in pools of dye coloring fabric and another great view of the city.

We finally stopped for lunch at a great little restaurant for some more unknown food. It was amazing and we also had our first encounter with cuscus, which ended up being the best thing we ate all weekend. (It's a good thing we liked it because we ate it for almost every single meal after that). After lunch, we went back to the hotel to get ready for a belly dancing show. It was at a restaurant near the Medina called So Ho Bag. Watching all the women dance was CRAZY. I never knew people could move their hips like that, but it was fascinating to watch and definitely different than anything I'd seen before.

The goal of the next day was to arrive to the desert by nightfall for a view of the sunset. We spent all day in the bus and we made it there on time, but got to the desert just in time for a sandstorm. It was AWFUL. The wind was crazy and it looked foggy outside from all the sand blowing everywhere. We had to delay our trip into the desert by a couple of hours, so we went to a fossil shop where they make furniture and decorations from ancient fossils. It sounds completely nerdy, I know, but the stuff was so cool. This time, I enlisted the help of a friend and she helped me talk the salesman down so I could get a nice candle holder.
FINALLY, it was time to head to desert. With scarves wrapped around our hair and faces to keep the sand away, we crammed into jeeps and took an hour long ride to the camps. It was pitch black by the time we got there, so we had to set up our tents in the dark. The tents were NOT AT ALL what I was expecting. They were literally pieces of burlap cloth help up by large sticks. We all had a cot and a blanket, but due to the sandstorm that had hit earlier, they were all covered by about ten pounds of sand that we had to brush off. I'm just gonna be completely honest and say that the first night, I just wanted to go home. I wanted a bed that wasn't covered in sand and toilets that actually flushed (they had set up restrooms with two toilets for over a hundred people-NOT a good situation). The Sahara is also home to beetles the size of house cats, which scared the daylights out of me but were completely harmless.
We ate dinner (more cuscus and vegetables) and then went right to bed. The desert gets really cold at night, not to mention we had a nasty stray cat in our tent, so we didn't get a great night's worth of sleep. We woke up early to get out on the dunes for the sunrise and, as soon as I saw the view that it had to offer, it made the entire trip worth it. The desert was absolutely beautiful and the scenery took my breath away.

Later that morning, we got to take a camel ride through the desert. Yes, you heard me correctly: the girl who hates animals rode a camel through the Sahara. It actually ended up being my favorite part of the trip. The camels were HUGE, much bigger than I thought they would be, so the getting up and sitting down was kind of frightening, but they were so fun! We wore our headbands that we bought from the Berber children (who hung out next to the camp all weekend) and rode the camels to the a huge dune that we climbed for a great view of the desert.

We rode our camels back into the city and got to walk around there a little bit and I have to say that was a BIG eye-opener. It is amazing to see how some people live everyday. Kids walk around with no shoes on, most of them aren't in school. They walk through the desert with their homemade crafts to sell. It is impossible to see those people and not be thankful for what you have. We are so lucky that we only lived the desert life for a couple of days, but it is heartbreaking to think that those children will have that life forever.

After a HOT walk back to our camp, we spent the rest of the day hanging out, sweating, and walking around the dunes. I took a million pictures, but they all look fake. Believe it or not the desert is one of the most beautiful (I realize how much I overuse this word and I'm sorry!) places I have ever seen.

We spent our last night in the desert watching an amazing sunset and listening to a Moroccan band in the big tent. We survived ANOTHER sandstorm AND a rain storm and spent another night on sandy, gritty matresses. Yuck. Two nights in the desert was enough for me.

We had another long day of travel and ended in the city of Meknes to stay at another hotel. We were all thrilled to finally have a shower and real beds to sleep on. We ate dinner and went to sleep and woke up yesterday for the longest day of travel I think I've ever had. We were on the buses by about 7:30am and didn't walk in our door until about 1am. I was so thankful just to be back "home" to my bed and running water.

So, this weekend wasn't at all what I expected.
But it was everything I could have ever dreamed of.
Africa was the adventure of a lifetime and I know I will never forget my weekend of sleeping in a sandbox, riding camels, and amazing sunrises. God is good. Life is good. That's just about all I have to say.

Oh, and one more thing: To everyone at home, I MISS YOU!

Here's the link to my full photo album:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2901695142040.2122873.1250280194&type=1&aft=2901876266568&l=48b91b4011

Now time to celebrate Holy Week Sevilla Style!
Until next time,
Nat

Bittersweet.

This past weekend we went to Córdoba and Granada with our ISA program, which turned out to be one of the most fun trips we've taken. Once again I was blown away by the cities of Spain, and I'm not sure why it keeps surprising me that everything here is absolutely amazing. Maybe I'll get used to it...someday ;)

We left Sevilla early Friday morning, just in time to escape the first rain they've gotten in about 6 months. We took a bus to Córdoba where we stopped to visit la mesquita--which is an absolutely huge mosque/cathedral in the center of the city. I feel like my jaw was on the floor the entire time as we walked through. Every single thing in there was made with so much care and detail, not to mention it was an architectural mixture of so many different types of people. The coolest part about la mesquita was that it has over 800 columns holding it up, all made out of different materials and with slightly different designs.

La mesquita was huge and (get ready for the overused word again) BEAUTIFUL and I loved every second of it. We toured some more chapels of the city after la mesquita, and it started to rain for the first time in SEVEN months. Even though we all ended up looking like wet dogs, the tour was so fun and so worth the ruined hairdo because the city was...ummmm...(insert synonym for beautiful here). There were flowers everywhere--in the alleys, on the sides of apartments, everywhere. I'm not a flower person, but all those colors and sights sure do put you in a good mood. After the tour, we had some free time so we went and had some of the best sangria we've had yet..and some calamari. Yum.

After we were finished, we hopped on the bus and headed to Granada. We went out at night with the entire group and walked up to the Albaycin quarter, which gives you the best view of Granada. The whole city is made up of mountains and hills so the walk was a little strenuous, but the view was so worth it. My camera didn't do so well, so this is the best picture I could get.

After that, we went to "Los Tarantos," a small but charming little place for a flamenco show. Ann and I had just gone to an AMAZING show the Tuesday before, so even though the dancers at Los Tarantos were great, they didn't quite compare to a professional show. It was still very cool to see them in a more intimate setting. And it is just plain crazy how fast those people can move their feet. Here I go sounding like a giant nerd again, but it is so cool to see now that Ann and I know a lot about flamenco from our class. We felt like experts! I didn't get a picture of the actual dancers (I was too busy watching) but here is a picture of the sweet little venue.



Friday night, thanks to the recommendation of a friend, we went and ate at Kebab King, a tiny little restaurant that has some of the best food I've tasted since I've been here. We went back to the hotel and hung out with our crazy amigas, and, if it wasn't for the kebabs, I think I'd have flat abs from all the laughing we did.

Saturday morning was our visit to the Alhambra, an old castle of the Arabs. Thankfully for you all, my headset was broken during the tour so I couldn't hear the guide, nor can I bore you with a million facts you don't care to know. But the buildings and the gardens and the fountains were all gorgeous. And I loved every single minute of the tour.

After that, we had free time all day, so we made another visit to Kebab King (I think the people there knew us by name by the end of the weekend) and then spent the afternoon shopping. I got some great black and white flamenco portraits and I can't wait to get them home and decorate with them! I also found a couple of souvenirs for my family--finally starting to buy things for someone besides me!! We managed to find a tiny little grocery store and 1 euro bottles of wine, so we ended up going back for a second bottle later on. It was pretty terrible, but I think I'd drink just about anything for one euro. We went out Saturday night to celebrate St. Paddy's day (Just learned that it's correct to spell that with a 'd' by the way). First, we went to an Irish pub but it was pretty dead so we decided to find a discoteca. Lucky for us, we stumbled upon some Spaniards in the street and asked them where the disco was. They were going too so we walked together and discovered the longest line I've ever seen...we were feeling very discouraged until our new Spanish amigos went to the front of the line to talk to the bouncer and, just like in the movies, the bouncer lifted the velvet rope and nodded us through, no cover charge, no waiting. It was amazing.

The club was unlike any I've seen before. It was an old theatre that had been converted into a disco so there were three floors of bars and dancing, but it was so wide open that you could see everyone. People were shoulder to shoulder, music was crazy, and the atmosphere was out of this world. We ended up back at the hotel at 6am, we were in bed at 6:30, and had to wake up at 9 for breakfast. I'm sure you can figure out that Sunday was NO FUN AT ALL. We all felt like hell, so we skipped the tour, sat at the hotel, and waited for the bus to take us home. Sunday evening was spent on my bed watching movies and it didn't bother me one bit.

I thought things couldn't get much better until I woke up Monday morning and got an email from Ryan telling me my sister's water had broken. I was on eggshells all day; I think I checked my email about 1,000 times. Finally, while I was in class, Ryan called me on Skype and I got to meet Luke Ryan Bos about ten minutes after he was born. He was 6lbs, 10oz, and 20 inches of perfection. He has the sweetest face and the most precious dimple on his chin. It's hard to explain just how I felt yesterday, so ecstatic that everything had gone so smoothly (even though my nephew made his debut a month early) and so heartbroken that I couldn't be there to give him a kiss or congratulate my sister and brother in law. It was the most bittersweet day of my life.

I have Skyped with them a few times already and have fallen deeper in love with Luke's sweet face. He is such a peanut! I am proud to say that Lexi Lou is the best big sister, and so happy that my sister is doing well. So even though I can't say it in person, Congratulations Audra, Ryan, and Lexi. Luke Ryan is the luckiest baby in the world to have you for a family! I love you!!

Not much more to say, except auntie has to go shopping and buy her new nephew some clothes!!

Here is the full album from my trip this week:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2823280341719.2121158.1250280194&type=1&l=c8bafde239

And here is the link to Ann's pictures so I'm actually in some of them!!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2822141313244.2121130.1250280227&type=1&l=efffdf9db2..

Until next time,
Nat

Great Scot!

This past weekend was one of the best we've had yet. We finally got to see some familiar faces and experience yet another amazing country!

We left our house right after class on Wednesday night to get to the train station. We took the fast train to Madrid which takes about two and half hours and then headed straight to the airport. We got to the airport at about 12:30 in the morning. Unfortunately, our flight didn't take off until 6am. Since it was too late to check in and get through security, we were forced to sit on the floor of the airport all night. We froze our you-know-whats off and that turned out to be one of the longest nights of my life.

We arrived in Scotland late Thursday morning to meet aunt Georgia and Tyler at the hotel. I can't even describe how good it felt to see family again! We were exhausted from the night before, but couldn't pass up the chance to drink a margarita (ahhhhhhhh!) and have some American food..even though we were in Scotland ;) And let me tell you, that margarita was heavenly! We did a little shopping in the afternoon and then aunt Georgia and I went to hang out at yet another American bar for the night....It was great to catch up with what's been going on back home...and also great to down just a few more margaritas!! Our waitress was from New Zealand and of course aunt Georgia made friends with her and ended up extending her an invitation to her house when she comes to America. Always something interesting with my auntie!!

We spent the next day on the city sightseeing buses. We went to Edinburgh castle which was just plain awesome. We got some great views of the city from the castle and were nearly knocked down by the insane wind. That would explain my hair in the next picture!

My favorite part of the castle visit was seeing the old prisoners' barracks from the war. I am starting to become a huge nerd on these tours, but it's so cool seeing how people lived hundreds of years ago.

Okay, yeah. I'm definitely a nerd...

We spent the afternoon Friday at a great little place called Deacon Brodie's Tavern, where I was reunited with white zinfandel! I had forgotten how much I like cheap wine after drinking only sangria for the past month and a half!! Ann and I drank a few.....bottles, which made for an early night Friday, but it was SO worth it!

Saturday involved some more touristy stuff, some more delicious food, and, my favorite part, a ghost tour of the underground city. Excuse my inability to remember details, but basically a lot of years ago the Scottish people built this huge bridge to connect the rich and poor ends of the city. Inside of the bridge and underground they built huge rooms that ended up being the home to thousands of refugees from a fire that destroyed the city. The caves had barely any oxygen and obviously no plumbing or anything, so the life expentancy of all the people living there was 3 to 9 months. It was absolutely crazy to think that people ever lived there. It was pitch black, cold, and miserable. Such a sad story.

Woah, I just sounded like an even bigger nerd.

Anyway, our tour guide was great and the dark, scary caves were my favorite part of the trip.

Saturday night I got to skype with most of my Lipski family because they were all together for my fabulous grandma's 90th birthday party. I was so excited to see everyone and the second I saw them I couldn't help but burst into tears. Even though it was great to see all of their faces, it made me more homesick than I could have imagined. Definitely a bittersweet moment but I was so glad that I got to see my beautiful grammy on her 90th birthday!!

We left for the airport at 4am on Sunday. Our first plane was delayed for an hour. We flew from Scotland to France where we had a 6 hour layover, and let me tell you, the French are rude. And boring. There was nothing to do in that airport except study for midterms! Yuck. We finally made it to Madrid, but had to wait another couple of hours to catch the train back to Sevilla. We made it home at 12:30 in the morning, and after 21 hours of traveling, our beds never looked so good. What a buzzkill to end the vacation!!

Overall though, it was such a great weekend. We were spoiled with lots of treats and fun stuff from aunt Georgia (and by treats I mean 15 pounds of chocolate....NO. That is NOT an exaggeration). And we just had a blast. The people there were so nice, too, which was a welcome change compared to Europeans. While we were shopping, I was looking at a purse and told aunt Georgia "At least this purse doesn't make my butt look big" when the security guard smiled and told me "Your butt looks great in that purse!" I was so close to buying it just for that reason!!

As for this week, it's back to the grind. We have midterms, which means I'll actually have to start thinking about school again. Bummer. And then, it's another trip this weekend. I guess life ain't all bad ;)

On a different note, I'd like to wish a very happy birthday (tomorrow) to the best dad a girl could ask for. Love you dad!!

Scotland pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2790916012631.2120356.1250280194&type=1&l=aef4cc3a22

And here is the link to Ann's pictures, too:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2791059176210.2120364.1250280227&type=3&l=53f20db93b

Have a great week. And for anyone who's counting down, I'll be home exactly two months from today =]

-Nat

Outrageous.

So I am happy to report that I can finally call myself a world traveler! This weekend we went to Milan, Italy with our friends Brittani and Ashley. We had such an amazing time and had so many adventures...I think it's probably best if I just give you the play-by-play...

We left Friday morning on an early flight with only two plans: 1) our hotel- we found a deal online so we booked it without really knowing where it was in reference to the airport or the city. 2) to leave Milan on a 6:25 flight Sunday morning. For anyone who knows me, you should know that this type of trip is absolutely NOT me. I plan EVERYTHING. So I was a little nervous, but excited to finally be in a different country. When we landed, we bought bus tickets into the city and hopped on. When we got into the center of Milan, our first decision was to finally try some authentic Italian pizza (true priorities!) We sat down at a restaurant and enjoyed some deeeeelicious pizza. We were unpleasantly surprised when we got the bill to see that we had paid 5 euro a piece for CocaCola and a surprise 12 euro "service fee". We were a little irritated when our waiter asked us to tip him even after he made a service fee, but we were kind of clueless as to what we were supposed to do so we tipped him anyway. Downfalls of being a tourist, I guess.

Afterward we made it our mission to find our hotel and check in. That was much easier said than done. We wanted to use google maps but wifi is virtually nonexistent in Milan. We tried two different McDonald's and still couldn't pick up a signal. We couldn't justify paying to use an internet cafe (clearly the Italians are still stuck in the 90s with that one) so we went to a little tourist stand to buy a map and ended up getting help from a very kind Italian who spoke great English. It turns out our hotel was quite a hike from the middle of the city (no wonder it was so cheap!) so we had to buy a Milanopass, which gave us unlimited use of the subways and buses for the weekend. I should probably point out that using a subway and a public bus system for the first time in your life in a foreign country is NOT the easiest way to learn. So eventually, after much walking, trying to understand Italian, and reading our map we FINALLY made it to the hotel.

So I guess it would be fair to say that day one was not all we had hoped. We felt a little discouraged about the whole situation so instead of going all the way back into the city, we decided to have "dinner" by going to a local grocery store, buying whatever sounded good, and sitting at a park bench to eat. It actually ended up being kind of fun (and cheaper than the 5 dollar Cokes at the first restaurant). And let's be honest, you just can't go wrong with Cheese and Crackers for dinner.

Saturday we got up early for a full day of exploring. We ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to catch the bus. Lucky for us, there was a giant flea market on our way and we ended up walking through about a million tents of everything you can imagine for incredibly low prices. And let me tell you, this flea market was like a grown woman's Chuck E Cheese. Purses, shoes, sunglasses. The good stuff. I ended up with some scarves and sunglasses and a giant grin on my face. Day two had already become a success and that was only about 8:30am.

Thanks to Ashley (and Ann) navigating, we quickly became experts at using the metro and used it to travel all around Milan, looking at castles, churches, and cathedrals. I still cannot get over how beautiful everything in Europe really is. It was like every time we walked into a new place my jaw just hit the floor. My favorite was the Cathedral--it was gigantic; tall ceilings, amazing stained glass windows....Breathtaking. I tried to take pictures of the inside but they just didn't do it justice. The ones of the outside were okay though =]

After a long afternoon of sightseeing, we decided to grab some lunch (pizza again) and do some shopping. We couldn't afford a vast majority of the stores we went into, but it was nice to see what all the "fashion capital" fuss was about. We got a few things at the poor people stores and headed back to the hotel.

When we got hungry at night, we decided to have one last Italian pizza (you could say that we were a little obsessed). But, as it turns out, Italians don't quite have the same schedule as Spaniards, so when we went out at 9:30 for dinner there weren't a whole lot of places open. We hopped on the bus and stopped at the first sign that said Pizzeria. It turned out to be a Chinese restaurant that had pizza on the menu, too. I'm not sure if I can call it 'authentic' Italian pizzza that we ate, but whatever it was it was pretty darn good. Not to mention Brittani and Ashley got a chance to practice their Chinese with the waitress. Brittani said she was a little rusty, so while trying to order she was switching from Chinese to Spanish to English...which was just plain funny because the waitress only spoke Chinese and Italian. So even though our order of WonTons got lost in translation, it ended up being a pretty fun dinner.  

After a short and sweet weekend, I have concluded these things about Milan:

The people aren't as fashion-forward as everyone claims them to be.

When you don't speak Italian, everything is an adventure.

When the advertisement for the hotel says it's only 15 minutes away from the airport, you should check and make sure it's the airport that you're flying into.

Sometimes not having a plan is the best plan of all.

And most importantly:

Milan is dangerous on the pocketbook. And on the waistline.

Here are my pictures:



http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2754983474340.2119468.1250280194&type=1&l=f50bf25319

 

Heading to Scotland on Wednesday to keep this whole traveling thing going.

Life is good =]

 

-Nat

Just another day in Paradise...

I know that all the time people use the cliché "time flies," but whoever those people are, they're right. As of Wednesday, I will have been in Spain for a month. I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed here. And I know that it's going to start going even faster because the month of March is all about travel for me and my amiga.

Tomorrow is Andalucia day, basically a "state" holiday when the banks and schools are closed. So we are going with some friends to the city of Jerez for a day of wine tasting. This Friday, we leave for Milan for a weekend. Next Wednesday, we are leaving for Scotland. The next weekend, we go to Córdoba and Granada with our program, and the last weekend in March we are going to Morocco. Needless to say, this month is going to be insane, but in the best way possible.

Though we didn't take any huge trips this week, I still have fallen even more in love with Sevilla. Ann and I finally received our Sevici passes in the mail! Sevici is Sevilla's public bike system. Now we're able to take bikes across the city, which cuts our travel time in half and is a little more fun than walking. Bike riders in this city are maniacs; they swerve in and out of people, of traffic, you name it. So these bikes have definitely been an adventure so far, but a pretty fun one.

Most of the week was pretty monotonous for us. We didn't do a whole lot and started to get pretty bummed out. So Friday we went with ISA to see Alcázar, the royal palace of Sevilla. It was huge and beautiful (not a surprise here anymore) and had acres and acres of the most amazing gardens I've ever seen. The craziest part was that this palace is directly across the street from our school and we never even knew it existed until Friday. After we went there, Ann and I took our own tour of the Plaza de España and el Parque María Luisa and I found my new favorite place in Sevilla. I don't have the best words to describe it (just my typical and much over-used "beautiful," "amazing," and "breathtaking") so I'll try to let my pictures speak for themselves.

After a pretty tame and uneventful weekend, we spent the day yesterday outside and in the sun and went to see la seta (the mushroom) of Sevilla. It's this giant sculpture in the middle of the city. When they were building it, they stumbled on some ancient archaeological ruins, so now there is a museum underneath. There were about a million people there yesterday, so we didn't get into the whole museum, but it was still very cool to see.

We spent yesterday afternoon and evening back in the plaza and the park. We sat on the ground eating sunflower seeds, drinking pop, and people watching. And honestly, it was probably the best Sunday we've had yet.

So, even after our 'uneventful' week, we've discovered some of the best place places Sevilla has to offer. We're living the life and we're loving every minute!

Photos of the plaza and the mushroom here!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2599553108678.2116410.1250280194&type=1&l=f5474df50a

Missing my family, friends, and boyfriend a LOT this week--sending love to all.

-Natalie



La gente está muy loca....Version 2.0

Well let me just get straight to the point and say that we went to Carnival. And it was the most insane thing I've ever seen. Let me elaborate...

Our host mom kept telling us before we went that we would just have no idea how crazy Carnival really was until we got there. And boy was she right. We took a long siesta Saturday afternoon so that we were roaring and ready at 8:30 Saturday night to hop on the bus to Cádiz. Ann and I dressed as nerds (not much of a stretch, I know!) and so did our friend Amanda, so we proudly called ourselves the "nerd herd" as we walked across Sevilla to the meeting point for the bus. I couldn't believe it but of all the people we saw in Sevilla only one man laughed at us. I guess everyone else knew we were heading to Carnival---or we just didn't look that out of the ordinary.

 It turns out there were about 15 buses filled with college kids in crazy costumes heading to Cádiz---so I knew that this party was going to be fun. And crazy.

When we arrived in Cádiz, the bus dropped us off and we got a free shot and a free bocadillo (sandwich). I was a little surprised to see people down their shot and throw their cups straight on the ground---until I walked around the corner and saw that all the streets and sidewalks were covered in garbage of every sort: cups, plastic bags, beer bottles, and just about every other thing you can imagine. I'll leave it at that. We walked to the center of the city where there were thousands of people dressed in some outrageous costumes (I got some great ideas for next Halloween!) and started to mingle with some of the locals. The city was absolutely packed--we literally stood shoulder to shoulder with every person there.

We walked all around Cádiz--every street was filled with borrachos (drunks), booze, garbage, and things so disturbing I don't feel comfortable talking about them. I thought the people in Sevilla liked to party, but compared to Cádiz, they're like...well, I can't think of a good analogy. But let's just say that Sevilla doesn't hold a candle to Cádiz.

We partied until about 4:30, because we had to make our way back to the bus by 5:30. We got back a little early, but ended up waiting a couple of hours because no one could find our bus. And let me tell you, when there are a million drunk people walking through a city with about a billion buses, things can get chaotic. We were freezing and miserable and at that point just ready to be home. When all was said and done, we ended up crawling into bed at about 9:30 this morning. Talk about a long night.

Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, but I can say with 100% certainty that I will NOT be returning to Cádiz any time soon.

But hey, you only live once, right?!?

Enjoy the pictures!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2687892477107.2117892.1250280194&type=1&l=847b223bf0

 

-Nat