My last and final trip of my study abroad adventure was to Spain!
Accompanying me were two of my best friends that I have made in London: Katelyn & Jade.
Our week in Spain was filled with lots of history, walking, laughter, sunburn, and memories that I most definitely will never forget!
Madrid
Upon arriving, our first order of business was of course food and drinks.
This was just the first of a lot of jamon (ham) and sangria!
Later in the evening, we walked around the area called Sol & listened to mariatchi band perform!
The next morning we met in Plaza Mayor for a walking tour of the city.
The oldest restaurant in the world, yes WORLD!
The Viaduct of Segovia
Old city wall from the 9th century
Almudena Cathedral
Just hanging out with Pope John Paul II
Royal Palace of Madrid
After walking for two hours we needed a little pick me up. So after some more jamon and sangria, we headed over to San Gines for some chocolate and churros!
Yes, that is a entire coffee cup filled with chocolate...
One of the perks of studying abroad is that anywhere you travel, there will most likely be someone in the city you know. In Madrid, we were able to meet up with Jade's friends and go out with them!
We started at a tapas bar where we were served huge mojitos and even bigger plates of tapas, which were free with each drink ordered!
We also made friends with a deer!
Our final destination of the night was Kapital! Anyone who has been to Madrid knows about this club. Although it was pricey to get in, the seven story club did us well, playing great music the whole night!
Air vortex in the middle of the club to keep everyone cool!
The next day we decide to take on the city ourselves and headed over to the Prado to begin our day!
No pictures were allowed but I can assure you that there are two particular paintings I did see! If you have ever been in the powder room at my house you will know there are two pictures of the same lady (clothed and naked) hanging on the wall. Well the Prado has the actual paintings, which are about 10x bigger! So it was cool to see them after staring at them for basically my whole life every time I use that bathroom!
The Clothed Maja
(https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/online-gallery/on-line-gallery/obra/the-clothed-maja/)
The Nude Maja
(https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/online-gallery/on-line-gallery/obra/the-nude-maja/)
After the Prado we happened to stumble upon the most fabulous wedding we'd have ever seen.
All the women looked so glamorous, dressed in bright dresses with matching hats or head pieces. After seeing this I have decided that head-ware is a must for my wedding! So everyone better start looking... just kidding, you have some time before you have to worry about that!
Our next destination was Retiro Park
Immediately upon entering the park we all felt so relaxed!
The park is absolutely beautiful and has such a peacefulness to it.
Everyone was sprawled out on the grass picnicking and laying out. So we decided to go along with the natives and claimed a nice grassy area for ourselves!
We spent our final night at a rooftop bar that overlooked the city.
With sad cliche background music playing, we reminisced on our study abroad experience and bid our farewell to Madrid.
Seville
As always, first on our agenda after arrival was food and sangria!
So we set out to explore the city and to find a restaurant.
The main street of Seville
In no time we found ourselves super sized glasses of sangria!
After lunch the exploration continued!
Triana Bridge
Eventually we stumbled upon the The Plaza de Toros
Before I go on let me share a little story:
While we were on the train to Seville, the girls and I were discussing whether we wanted to see a bull fight or not. During this time a girl about our age interrupted us and said, "They don't kill the bulls anymore." After hearing that the three of us were like oh, we can definitely go then!
Let's just say we were in for a rude awakening.....
Here we are pre-bullfight, happy and excited...
After all the Matadors were paraded out, the fighting began.
To say we were confused about how things worked would be a total understatement. The entire time we sat there asking each other questions, not being able to find answers.
Finally the first bull went down, confusing us because the girl had told us they don't actually kill them. Therefore, we came to the conclusion that the bull was just tranquilized.
We believed that until the next bull went down....
Bloody and basically seizing, they hooked the bull up to the horses and dragged it out of the plaza. While everyone stood clapping and cheering, the three of use just sat there with our mouths open, not believing what just happened.
There was no doubt in our mind that those bulls were dead.
THANKS GIRL FROM THE TRAIN!
After seeing four of the six bulls fight to their death we decided we had enough and made an escape!
Never again...
However, our happiness was soon restored with a little paella and sangria!
We started our first whole day in Seville with another walking tour!
Giralda Tower
Cathedral of Seville
Alcazar of Seville
University of Seville
Plaza de Espana
Monument to Christopher Columbus
This time, Katelyn had a friend in Seville whom we met up with and chatted with for a while over some fresh juice! Before parting she recommended two places for us to go:
El Rinconcillo, the oldest bar in Seville
And Rayas for the best ice cream in Seville!
After a full day of touring the city, we decided to take a trip to the beach the next day. After a two hour bus ride we arrived in the little town of Cadiz!
After a longer than expected walk, we claimed our spot on La Playa Victoria. As you can see we basically had the beach to ourselves!
After about four hours of basking or shall I say burning in the sun...
we grabbed some lunch and headed back to the bus.
Although our time in Cadiz was short, we loved every minute of it.
The beach was a beautiful change and scenery was the perfect opportunity for us to relax after a long day of touring the city!
Our last day was filled with views of Seville!
We started at the Metropol Parasol, which is the largest wooden structure in the world!
While some people dislike it, I though it was kind of cool. Designed as a pathway, visitors are able to walk around the top of the structure and see every angle of Seville.
Next, we headed back over to the Cathedral to explore the inside.
From there we entered the Giralda Tower, where we hiked up to the top to see some more views of the city!
Finally we ended in the Orange Tree Courtyard of the Cathedral
Before I end I have to comment on one last thing! I can't believe I almost forgot about siestas! In Spain, siestas are a part of the everyday schedule, taking time to rest after midday meal for a couple hours. Obviously we took full advantage of this EVERY day. I think that's what we all are going to miss the most. That and sangria...
All and all Spain was the perfect last trip. Spain was absolutely beautiful and thanks to Jade and Katelyn, I had the most amazing time. There's no doubt we'll be back someday.
Just as Katelyn said,
"Espana, tiene mi corazon."
Adios amigos!
