Spain Days 1 and 2: Cadiz and Sevilla

06.25.09
Espana!
Qualifier: there are pictures of everything, I just have to get them from my friends cameras b/c my Canon is acting up.

We pulled into port early Wednesday morning. I tried to get up to watch the Spanish coastline appear, but of course I woke up too late :) I spent all of yesterday in Cadiz, the port town that we're docked in. It's very small for a city. In the morning I went on a beach walk for my physical oceanography class that we learned about the Coastal Landforms and Processes in Cadiz from a local geologist who has written many papers on the subject. It was very informative, and very hot. But I enjoyed standing on the boardwalk while we listened to the lecture and it was a good way to see the city a little bit right off the ship. In the afternoon I walked around with a large group of my friends and explored the city...we found a bunch of cute plazas and walked through countless narrow streets lined with apartments and shops. Most of the upper stories had balconies filled with flower pots. We went up into the tower of the cathedral and had an Amazing view of the city before we walked out along the Paseo Fernando Quinones to see up close the ancient fortress that used to guard the city. There were locals all over the rock sea wall that connected the shore to the fortress and also all over the beaches. Everyone here is so tan and lively, and at the same time you can tell that they're enjoying their day and just taking their time. And it's SO sunny here! I'm already getting tanner (even though I'm putting on SO much sunscreen and even wearing my very trendy (ha ha) red sunhat). In the evening I went to a flamenco show at a local place. The dancing was so intense; the sound of their heels was deafening at points and you could feel the passion for the dance when they were performing. At the end of the show they took "volunteers" from the audience...and they grabbed me out of my seat! (I had dressed in my silk flowing skirt from Haleiwa, as opposed to all the other American girls who were dressed super squarish) so I got to swirl my skirt, flick my hair and try to move hands in the odd way that the flamenco dancer was moving hers. I guess it was pretty funny. After the show ended we went out and had sangria with the nurse from our ship and the art professor...it was a very interesting night.

Today I went to Sevilla with three of my girlfriends. I passed out on the bus ride there, but not before I saw the fields of sunflowers that we were passing through! Sevilla was everything that I thought Spain would be...there were tangerines on the tangerine trees lining the streets, we pulled into the city through a promenade lined with palaces, palm trees were everywhere, the sun was shining brightly, the skies were a clear blue, all of the buildings were bright pastels and everything was alive! We saw the Catedral (basic catholic cathedral, pretty lame I thought, except for the stone carvings of Noah, the animals, the ark, and God (?). a before and after scene. that was pretty sweet.) but then we walked up to the top of the Giralda (the cathedral tower) and saw the WHOLE city view. there were domes covered in blue ceramic tiles, red top buildings, patches of palm trees, elaborately carved towers and rooftops, and swimming pools and laudry dotting the local rooftops. It was an amazing view. (and both only cost 2 euro total!) Then we went to the Real Alcazar (au gratis!)...it's this gorgeous palace that is a mixture of archaelogical styles. It was so peaceful from the moment we stepped through the gates. The tiles on the walls and floors were elaborate and the columns, walls and ceiling were really elaborately carved to look like scrollwork. I can't give it justice...I thought it had a lot Muslim influence, if that helps at all. There are pictures, you will see. then we went into the gardens...I could live there. Even though it was in the middle of the town you couldn't hear any urban noise...only the birds singing and water flowing. It was lined with tall walls covered in ivy and was so big that we couldn't ever find the end of it! There were peacocks, and rose gardens, hedges cut in elaborate shapes, tall trees (palm and deciduous), bright purple flowers on the end of stalks, dirt lined paths, fountains, statues...I could have stayed in there all day! Before we came back to Cadiz for the night we went to see the Plaza de Espana, a huge semicircular palace like place, it looked like they still used it but we couldn't figure out what for. They made the small pillars holding up all the railings from ceramics! Also the steps and parts of the walls. it was gorgeous. Today I tried: tortilla espaignola and queso manchego. The tortilla espaignola (a regional potatoe and egg tortilla0 was a bit greasy, I think it had more eggs in it than most do. The queso manchego was delicious! slightly nutty, a bit dry, and perfect with our jar of sangria! tomorrow I'm hiking in grazalema national park for the whole day...someone put their ticket in the free box, so I get to go on it au gratis!

My Spanish is allright. I can say pretty much whatever I want to, for the most part I don't understand people talking to me...but one of my new friends is fluent...so that's okay!