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!