Location: Sevilla, Espana!

[Still catching up on the blog! Will be updating soon about the rest of Spain and then Morocco! Traveling for 13 days straight makes internet access hard to come by! More soon, I promise!]

September 5th and 6th : (Continuation of our first night in Spain) After a lovely dinner of pizza and enchiladas (not very Spanish, but very delicious!) we headed over to some bars around our restaurant to grab a few drinks with some fellow NU-ers studying in Sevilla. After realizing that these small bars weren’t the best places for conversations we decided to head to the hilariously named discoteque Elefunk (glorious, I know.) A quick pit stop for a shot of vodka and directions from a few Spanish workers and we arrived at Elefunk just as Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” began pounding from the speakers (I signify this as a sure sign of a good night). A few drinks later, we parted from the tired few of our group and continued on to an after hours, locals-only flamenco bar across the river. The band was incredible and as the patrons clapped along and began dancing, there was no doubt that this was the real deal. After acquiring 2 very aggressive Spanish men stalkers we decided it was time to head home at the very Spanish hour of 5AM!
Day 2 in Espana: We awoke soon after 11am-extremely thirsty and desperate for a toothbrush (sure signs of a morning after). After hydrating and dental hygeining we headed out into the city once again. Finally finding the cathedral we so desperately searched for the previous day, we got a wonderful view of the upside to the Catholic Church. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets, taking photos, and eventually ending up sunbathing on our hostel’s rooftop terrace. In a very European move, we befriended a fellow traveler, an Australian named Dave, and two hours of chatting later we had agreed to accompany him to a bull fight! How very Sevillian of us, no? When in the bullfighting capital of the world…GO. So with our new Australian mate and his 2 Australian roommates, we ventured off to witness a real live Sevillian bullfight. Fun fact: Bullfighting = not as romantic as you might think. I mean sure I like a man in tight pants as much as the next girl but watching 4 animals being stabbed to death proved slightly harder to stomach than previously imagined. While I can see the cultural value and the incredible skill the sport possesses and exemplifies, I can safely say that’s gonna be my last bullfight for awhile.
After experiencing such violent and heinous acts as stabbing animals with spears, we were obviously hungry. So off we headed to a highly recommended tapas bar. The place was packed (always a good sign) with mostly locals (an even better sign) so we expected some good eats. And good eats we found as we feasted on beef with port sauce, roasted bell peppers, fried potatoes, steak with chili sauce, and authentic Spanish cheesecake coupled with a few cervecas, of course. The damage of the feat- a measly 8 euros a piece! So with both wallets and stomachs full we headed out for some nightlife, wandering for awhile before we found bar Berlin and at 12am became it’s first patrons of the evening (those Spaniards don’t start the party until LATE). The rest of the night was spent talking, laughing, and imitating YouTube videos until the wee hours of the morn. A truly authentic Spanish day filled with good friends, great food, and a few dead bulls!

Location: Sevilla, España

September 4th - We have finally arrived in port! After 7 long days at sea crossing the Atlantic (and avoiding two hurricanes!), it is wonderful to be on solid ground again. We arrived in Cadiz bright and early this morning. It was a pretty wonderful feeling waking up and seeing land outside of our windows instead of endless waves. I ate breakfast while watching the sunrise over the beautiful city of Cadiz.
Having already packed our backpacks in anticipation the night before Jill and I (have I mentioned Jill yet? She´s my roomate, she´s awesome, we love her.) awaited our passports and promptly headed to the train station. After waiting in line with quite possibly every other SAS student, we got our tickets and beelined it for the cerveceria for a beer and espresso (LEGALIZED DRINKING IS FUN!) The train ride was comfortable and short, clocking in at just under two and a half hours, and we arrived in beautiful Sevilla before we knew it. Bidding adios to our SAS compatriots, we set off- Two girls. Two backpacks. 1 very unhelpful map. And no definite destination...Two hours, two hilariously unhelpful Spanish men, and 4 very sore legs later...We still have no idea where we are. WE JUST WANT TO GET TO THE CATHEDRAL! EL CENTRO, ANYONE??? INGLES POR FAVOR?? Okay, I exaggerate slightly but you get it- definitely an adventure. After a little more wandering and a few more poor attempts at excersizing our (very rusty) Spanish langauge skills we find ourselves in the Plaza de España. Now I still don´t know why this building was built, who built it, or what it is or was used for but DAMN is it pretty (see picture above for proof). And guess what else? It marks the first landmark that our map actually shows! DOUBLE WIN!! Now that we know where we are it proves much simpler to find the general city center and grab a bite to eat before meeting up with my wonderful friend Gaby who is studying abroad in Sevilla for the next 3.5 months.
Now. Seeing a friendly face anywhere is great. But seeing a best friend, in a foreign city, after 7 days on a ship with 800 complete strangers might just be one of the best feelings in the world. Having that friend both find and escort you to an adorable hostel (from which I am typing this blog post, free internet WHAT UP) in a great neighborhood of said foreign city is simply above and beyond. A little taste of home goes a long way in an experience like this and seeing one of my nearest and dearest Northwestern friends provided me with a much needed energy boost after our accidental walking tour of the outskirts of Sevilla. Couple that with the fact that I have been reunited with a little wonder called BBM and this world traveller is one happy camper. After a brief but refreshing rest at our hostel, we ventured back out to meet up with another wonderful NU friend, Alexandra! We soon found ourselves sharing a pitcher of sangria and exchanging stories about sororities, internships, and the glories of being employed by Abercrombie&Fitch. And now I must run because we are meeting for tapas! I need to make up for the usual ship food!

Love from Sevilla,
Tracey


Note to readers: While in port I will be writting blog entries in my journal and then trascribing them when I can so I´m going to start labelling each post as the day they were written as opposed to the day they are posted online! Keep reading!