Spring has sprung + a story for you

Yesterday we were locked INTO our apartment building. I went to leave for class (luckily I was leaving extremely early so I could stroll through the park before class) and the door wouldn’t bug. So of course I trudge back upstairs to tell Ana that the door is broken. She assumes I just don’t know how to open the door (how did she think I exited the building the last 2 months?) and when she can’t open it either I was off to get our neighbor. Our neighbor is a woman of action. She came striding down the stairs screw driver and hammer in hand. This entire time I am just giggling away in the background as 2 elderly women are banging at the door with a hammer, making the loudest sound I have ever heard. They wouldn’t let me take a crack at it. Finally they let me try and I popped the screwdriver in between the doors, 2 whacks with the hammer, and presto! Open Sesame. I was off to the park to enjoy the park because Spring has SPRUNG!!!!

 

El Parque Maria Luisa is a giant park that was donated to the city of Sevilla by the Queen before the 1929 world exposition. The park borders Sevilla’s Plaza de Espana. I am not sure which is more impressive. Yesterday I went, camera in hand, to explore the park and take some pictures. I had tried to run in the park earlier yesterday morning but found it too distracting. I want to stop and smell the flowers, climb the hidden path up to a lookout point, and wander aimlessly down the paths that disappear into a deep green background. I’ve put up a few of my favorite pictures from my stroll through El Parque Maria Luisa. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot more of my time here. With such beauty only a 10 minute walk from my house I have to ask myself how anyone would want to stay inside. It’s sunny out, the flowers are blooming, and my own personal paradise lies just across the river. 

Locked IN  :)

This picture cost me a nasty scratch from the thorns on this bush. Worth it.

I love the climbing vines that snake up the pillars on this path. They form an overhead canopy. Beautiful!

The hidden lookout point. So cute!

One of many walkways that wind through the park Maria Luisa.

It looks like it's straight out of a fairy tale!

What a nice place to sit and chat with friends. I will have to do that soon!

Happy St Patty's day. I enjoyed it last night by grabbing a green cider after dinner with my friend Brittany and then headed to bed nice and early so I could get up and enjoy my day today!

Today is another gorgeous day in Sevilla and I am officially breaking out the bikini top and getting some sun today! I bought the sunscreen yesterday so I'm all set!  Tanning in winter = my kind of place! I love and miss you all and wish you could be here with me to enjoy the beauty, the laid-back culture, and the sun!   <3 At

* HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH *

You are the most beautiful, wonderful, intelligent, outgoing, loving, creative, athletic, awesome little sister anyone could ask for. I love you so much and hope your birthday is amazing. Love ya babe!

Church and Brunch

I went to church for the first time here. Couldn't understand a thing but it was still comfortingly familiar to go through the motions: sit, kneel, stand...  After church I got an American style breakfast brunch! we're talking 2 pancakes, 2 fried eggs, 2 pieces of toast, 2 pieces of bacon, OJ and country style potatoes. Yes, I was in heaven this morning. If I go again I will choose the french toast option instead of the pancakes because nothing can hold up to my Dad's pancakes. I should have know better  :)

I love and miss you all   - At

I saw the ocean!

Big news - I saw the ocean and walked on the beach for the first time since I have been here! We only had about 30 minutes of sun shine but it made me the happiest girl ever yesterday. The feel the warm sun on my face, wind in my hair, and the smell of the ocean all around - sheer happiness.

I took a trip down to Jerez yesterday with my interest group here and we went to a winery that produces Tio Pepe Sherry. The town of Jerez is the only place that manufactures "real sherry." It is equivalent to the sparkling wine vs champagne name game. Sherry can only be called that if produced in Jerez (Sherry is the old Arabic name for the town). The winery was cool but I came to one conclusion - Sherry is disgusting.

A big shout out goes to all my college friends who have spring breaks this week! Enjoy your fun in the sun, stay safe and come back with fun stories for me please!

I miss and love you all  <3 At

The barrels at the winery. 

 

Tio Pepe

The winery puts out wine and cheese for the mice - they have specially made little ladders for them too! 

The Beach! Ohhh how I've missed the ocean!

Attie fur aqui  = Attie was here  

The salt marshes on the way home - it was a very picturesque drive home.

Preparing for la primavera (spring!)

All the oranges are being shaken out of the trees around Sevilla. I am told soon we will have the heavenly fragrance of orange blossoms in the air. It's been a rainy week but you know what they say... April showers bring may flowers (fast forward that a little and you get Sevilla's "la llueve de marzo trae las flores de abril.") Doesn't have quite the same ring in Spanish...

This pic was taken by my friend behind the cathedral. I take this path to get to school on Monday and Wednesday. So scenic!  Also this street is filled with tapas places - all smelling so tantalizingly good on my walk home from class!

Friday I am heading back towards Cadiz to the town of Jerez to go wine tasting at a vineyard with my interest group. I'll bring back stories and pictures of course!

Love and miss you all - At

Cadiz Carnival ~ Gaga, Glitter and Glam

I got home this morning from Cadiz Carnival. Cadiz is a small town about an hour from Sevilla that hosts the world's 3rd largest Mardi Gras festival in the world. It last for over a week! It very different from the New Orleans festival though -there is NO earning beads here (thankfully!). Instead EVERYONE is in costumes. Some get really creative - I saw a set of 8 guys dressed at Rimmel London mascara brushes- and some are more chill like Brittany and my makeshift angel costumes.

The second you arrive in Cadiz you look out the bus window and see all the people on the sidewalks migrating down hill towards what you can only assume to be the town square. The bus starts to slow down and all of the sudden you turn the corner and there it is! Carnival!  It's packed with people. Colors everywhere. There are giant light masks in the streets hanging 100 ft above your heads and costumes of every shape and color swarming around you. You hop into the mass of people and head towards the city center. Once there you make friends! Everyone wants a photo with you, wants to talk, dance, sing, celebrate! "Oh Americanas!!"  Every once in a while a band makes it's way through the crowd of people and you break out in a dance you have your new spanish friends teach you the worlds the the song. Everywhere you look people are having the time of their lives and so are we!

I went with a 2 girls I know really well and we made friends with a group of 5 Spanish guys about  an hour into Carnival. It was so fun that we hung out with them the rest of the night exploring all the is Cadiz Carnival!  Antonio #1 -the gypsy, Antonio #2 -the pink hair, Manuel -Lady Gaga, Fran -the Crusader, and Miguel -the fireman. They live in  pueblo close to Sevilla and we are going to meet up with them next weekend here in Sevilla. They were so nice and made sure we got back to our bus safely and then headed off to catch their train. The 6 hours we were there flew by. Definitely a once in a life time experience for me and one that I will always remember.

Enjoy the pictures!  I love and miss you all  <3  At

Our best friends of the night!

Girls from school!

Pirates! Arrrrrgggg

I found Waldo!   known here as Walie

A good example of every single street in Cadiz during Carnival  - not the easiest to navigate with wings on your back...

Dance!

Impressive costumes  :)

Clown!

Antonio #2 and Lady Gaga  - they are cousins and Gaga is the brother of Antonio #1.

If you would like to know a little more about Carnival, check out this link!
http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/fiestas/carnaval.cadiz.asp

What's the plan, Stan?

Here is the general plan for my month of backpacking after school gets out. I am getting a Eurail pass so I will taking trains everywhere. I'm starting from Sevilla on May 13th, hitting Barcelona, southern France, and Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome). I will fly to Paris to meet Emma and Reuben May 25th, and after that I'll be going through Switz to Vienna (with a side trip to Budapest hopefully!). I will head back West through southern Germany (Munich and wherever my friend Evan lives...) on my way to Belgium and finally I will end up in Amsterdam where I leave on June 15th. A month isn't very long to see all of Europe but I am sure going to try my hardest! If you have any suggestions, by all means, send them my way! 

I love and miss you all  <3  At