First of all, Oxford is a very humid place. Not Minnesota hot humid, but strange, cold humid. So I developed a cough and it sucked. So that made me want to go to Spain even more. So I left Friday afternoon. I took the train to London, then a bus across town, then another bus to the airport. I got to the airport 45 min before my flight left. The line for security was crazy! I was still in line at 5:44 and growing quite nervous. Then my bag got searched because my Nalgene bottle had a few drops of water left in it.
At 5:52 I started speedwalking to my gate... of course it was the last gate. I made it just in time, yet my plane was late boarding, so it didn't even matter. I was really bummed because I didn't get a window seat, but had a good flight anyway. My airplane was the kind that you had to walk outside and get on via latter... that was pretty sweet! I was one of the last people off the plane, and so when I got off, I was the only one on the latter... it was cool.. I felt like the president or something. Haha! The whole trip was worth it just for the first breath of the Spanish air. I took a bus to town and walked to my hostel. The town was amazing. Trees and flowers everywhere and the buildings were beautiful. My hostel was nice and I spent the night talking to some girls from America who were studying in Paris and London. (Above: Plaza Nuevo... Orange trees on the right and palm trees in the middle, as well as "regular" trees; Below: View down the river)
The next morning I met my friend and we walked around to find the marcato (market). We asked many people how to get there, in Spanish of course, and after wondering around and taking in the business of the town, we reached the market. It was amazing! Cheap but cute clothes, food, jewelry, everything! I didn't bring that much money, but I did buy things. After that, we headed for a park to relax. It had imported, tropical trees, beautiful fountains, and fresh grass warmed by the sun. After relaxing, I headed back to my hostel. It had free international calls. I didn't reach anyone at home, but I did get a chance to talk to Jonathan. Then I headed back out on the street to meet another friend from Oxford that was coming to visit as well. We were all going to go to the flamenco, but I was tired so we went to sleep. (Below: Part of the park)
(Left: The garden in Real Alcazar) Sunday we visited Real Alcazar, a fortress built by the Moors. It had a beautiful garden and architectural design. Then we visited the world's second-largest cathedral, Catedral de Sevilla (Cathedral of Sevilla). It began as a mosque, but was transformed into a cathedral when the church influence came to Spain. It was huge, but about the same as any other cathedral I have visited. We did get to climb the tower, which was 35 stories. There wasn't stairs, but rather a ramp that went around so the nobility could be lazy and take their horses up
the top, we could see a large portion of Sevilla and the surrounding towns. (Right: A small portion of the outside of the cathedral) Next we walked toward the river to get chocolate con churros. The hot chocolate in Spain is very think; so thick, it is barely considered a drink! It was so delicious, especially with the churros. We walked around more and then rested. I had to leave to catch my plane, so my friends escorted me to my bus stop. When the bus came, I gave them a hug goodbye and the driver almost left - even though I was standing in front of the door! My plane ride was slow because there was so much turbulence.
I landed almost an hour late and ran through the airport to catch a direct bus to Oxford. I barely made it! I got to Oxford at 4am... extremely tired, yet extremely satisfied with my amazing trip to Sevilla, Spain :)(Left: A view of the Cathedral, towns, and surrounding hills)
Things I have learned (or that just refreshed my memory):
The feeling after finished a big paper is just like a runner's high
When it is seventy and sunny and I am outside all day, I need sunscreen
¡Me gusta hablar in español!
No comments:
Post a Comment