Two weekends ago we decided to stay in Madrid for the weekend and kind of take it easy. Two of my friends from Purdue, Gretchen and Nick, were studying in Sevilla for the semester and decided to take a trip with two of their friends from Mizzou in their program to Madrid. They were all able to meet up with my friends for an excellent sushi dinner. We hung out a little bit more the next day before they had to take their bus back to Sevilla.
This past weekend, my group of friends from Madrid all went to Sevilla for a little taste of southern Spanish culture. I can easily tell why people fall in love with this city. It is hard to compare Madrid to Sevilla because they are both wonderful and very different in many ways. Things are more relaxed, easy going way of life in Sevilla. The weather was awesome (high 70's and sunny) and it really had the authentic Spanish feel to the city.
Five of my friends took a bus down on Thursday night and another friend and I met them on Friday afternoon when our bus arrived. Our hostel wasn't too bad and was in an excellent location. When we first met up with the Madrid clan, we all went separate ways to do a little shopping. I called my friends after we were done and they were able to meet up for a little bit to walk around the city. Both of them had previous plans for that night so the Madrid kids found a nice little restaurant where we could sit outside and enjoy our dinner with some sangria. After we were finished, we headed out to one of Sevilla's most famous Flamenco bars where we were able to catch the end of the show.
The next day the five that went to Sevilla on Thursday left early on Saturday to get back to Madrid. So my friend, Joanna, and her two sorority sisters from IU went exploring the city. We found a great breakfast place where I had probably the best pancakes I have ever had. We sat outside to eat them and the place was right along the river that runs through Sevilla. We went down to the river for a while to just hang out and take the beauty of the city. After a while at the river we were able to meet up with my friends from Purdue in the Plaza de Espana. They were able to give me a little tour of the city as we made our way towards the Seville Cathedral. The Catedral de Santa María de la Sede is known to be the largest gothic cathedral and the fourth largest church in the world. The inside was breathtaking as well as the view from the top of the bell tower looking over the entire city. After the cathedral we grabbed a quick bite to eat (and some banana split gelato), and we headed back to the hostel to get ready for the evening. For dinner we found a nice place where we all split two paellas (Spain's most famous Spanish dish). After dinner we were able to meet back up with Nick and Gretchen for the night.
Our bus didn't leave until 2:30 so we had some time to kill when we woke up in the morning. We went back to that same pancake place because we had a $5 off coupon and they were just so damn good. Gretchen met up with us towards the end of the meal and we said our goodbyes. Hopefully we can see each other again before school starts back up in the fall. We got to the bus station just in time (after it took us 10 min. to find a cab.. that would NEVER take that long to find one in Madrid) and took the 7 hour journey back home.
Each place we travel I always find myself comparing it to Madrid. And each week, I find myself almost anxious to get back "home" towards the end of each trip. Sevilla was a completely different city where I almost questioned if I chose the right city to study. Sevilla was almost like a vacation for me. The city was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and it had a completely different atmosphere that I loved. But in the end, I know Madrid was the right choice. I feel as if I would get bored after a while in Sevilla because there is always something going on in Madrid. In a perfect world, I would live in an apartment in Madrid (near Gran Via probably) and have my weekend home in Sevilla when I just wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of Madrid. I am glad I was able to get a little taste of home by seeing people from Purdue while in Europe. It has also been great to meet all of each other’s new friends while abroad. We already have trips planned together for Wisconsin, Mizzou, and unfortunately, IU. I am thankful each day for this opportunity and I am really not looking forward to going back to reality in less than THREE MONTHS!! I cannot believe how fast this is going and I don't like it. I turn 21 in Barcelona this weekend (March 12) so I am anxiously looking forward to that.
Me, Gretchen, and Nick (friends from Purdue) in la Plaza de España
The Sevilla Cathedral
Plaza de España
View from the bell tower of the Sevilla Cathedral
Sevilla's River
No comments:
Post a Comment