my first weekend in seville

I’ve almost made it a week!  I’m coming off of my first weekend in Seville, and I am pretty satisfied with all that I was able to do in a matter of days.  I am falling more and more in love with this city.  Honestly, the only thing I don’t like about Seville is the fact that it’s a city- that’s going to take some getting used to- but I love being able to walk everywhere.  There is so much to see and to do right here, which is readjusting my original (and tentative for good reasons, apparently) travel plans.

On Friday, I got to go to the Cathedral (La Catedral) with my school.  The Cathedral in Seville is about a 2 minute walk from my school and is right in the middle of the city.  It is BEAUTIFUL!  It’s the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and it’s the third largest church in the world.  The Cathedral was finished in the 16th century, and there are architectural contributions from the Muslim and Christian influences.  The stained glass, art, arches, and the smallest details in the woodwork and stone are unbelievable; I can’t imagine how much time it would take us to build something like the Cathedral now, even with all of the technology we have. There are so many places in Seville (the Cathedral being one) that are impossible to take a picture of because they are so big and because a picture doesn’t justify how cool and beautiful the buildings actually are.  Christopher Columbus is buried in the Cathedral too, which is amazing to even think about.

Christopher Columbus’s tomb

a view from La Giralda at the top of the Cathedral looking down on Seville

On Saturday Allyse and I slept in until 1!  I felt really lazy at first, but then I was glad that I’d had some rest.  By the time we got up, it was time for siesta, so we didn’t really get going until around 5.  We ended up just walking around Seville for an hour or so.  La Macarena, a huge religious festival, was on Saturday night, so the City Center was extremely busy; streets were closed, and the metro wasn’t running.  Also on Saturday night was the European Fútbol (or soccer) Championship.  Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, two of Spain’s most popular teams, were playing, and Real Madrid ended up winning in over time (not sure if that’s correct soccer terminology).  I’m not a huge soccer fan, but mostly because I don’t know anything about it.  I absolutely loved watching that game, but the atmosphere helped a lot too.  A group from school watched the game at a bar, and the bar was streaming the video online, so it kept pausing and buffering.  A bar next door was watching the game too, so our video was about a minute behind.  We were always able to anticipate what was going to happen next!
 

watching the game (projected on a wall) through the restaurant’s windows... not quite like the Super Bowl at Bdubs :)

Everyone was out and about after the festival and the game, so it took us forever to get back to the school (our meeting spot always).  We had to take all sorts of back streets to cross through the parade.  It’s fun to stay out and just talk in Spanish with other Americans because we all understand each other, for the most part, even though we can’t completely understand anyone else.  We’re all more comfortable talking around each other because if we have to we can speak in English, and then we can figure out how to say it in Spanish with the help of some friends!

Sunday morning I went to mass in the Cathedral.  There is an admission fee for the Cathedral unless you are going to mass, so I got to go again for free!  The service was completely in Spanish, but Catholic mass is basically another language anyways, so I was pretty lost.  I did actually understand some of what the priests were saying.  

you actually aren’t allowed to take pictures during mass. now I know.

After mass, I went back “home” and had lunch, did a little siesta, and then met up with a group from school who went out to get churros.  Churros are basically funnel cakes shaped into big french fries, and then you dip them in chocolate: real good.  

That night I went to a bull fight, or La Corrida de Toros, in Seville.  I can’t say I hated the bull fight, but it was a lot harder to watch than I expected.  I’m glad I went for the cultural aspects, but I don’t think I will go again.  There were 6 bulls, and the bull fight lasted about two and a half hours.  I actually sat about 2 feet away from the door that the bulls ran out of, so that was extra unique!  Basically, the bull runs out into the ring, and there are 6 matadors who mess with the bull to tire it out.  Then, after a certain duration of time, the band plays music and 2 guys come out on horses.  By this time, the bull is wearing down, and when the bull charges at the horses, the guys riding them stab the bull in the back.  Then, the matadors take turns stabbing their own swords in the bull’s back.  The bull keeps fighting for a long time, and the matadors keep taunting it for a long time.  Finally the matador kills it, but even then the bull usually flops around for a little bit before it dies.  Then a few horses come out and pull the bull away.  The matadors are praised and praised for what they do- understandably, because it’s obviously dangerous and they have to be extremely brave.  They were all just 20 years old too!  They’re also pretty cocky.  I want to learn more about their training process, what they do to prepare, and what kind of money they make.  It’s a very interesting event and idea, but you can see why it’s controversial.

I had a great first weekend in Seville!  From here on out, I have a 3 day weekend every week, so I’m going to be doing some traveling.  Next weekend: Granada!