Just got back from discovering yet another Spanish treasure! My parents are here visiting me (yay!), and this weekend, we made a trip to Seville (Sevilla). I have wanted to see Seville ever since one of my favorite Spanish teachers told me about her study abroad experience there (shoutout to Señora O'Donnell). Unfortunately, Tulane does not have a study abroad program in Seville. As a visitor, I had the fear that I would fall in love and regret not finding a separate program there. While I did fall in love with Seville, I was also excited to return to Madrid last night. I hate being corny, but Madrid is starting to feel truly like home.

After a hot mess of getting from Madrid to Seville, Grace greeted me at the hotel. Grace is a friend I met from Camp Seafarer, and I haven't seen her since summer of 2016. I loved how we were able to connect in a place 4,000 miles away from where we first met. I was reminded of how thankful I am to have had those experiences at camp and have met so many amazing people from around the world. We got some delicious gelato from Rayas and walked over to the cathedral. It was beautiful to see it lit up at night. Grace and I caught up, and it was fun to share our abroad experiences.

The next day, we walked by the University of Seville and bumped into the Palacio de San Telmo, which had one of the most intricate entrances I've ever seen. We also came across a family band playing on the street, which was one of the highlights of the trip. Each of them had a talent and created such a unique sound. Street performers are harder to come by in Madrid, so it was super refreshing to watch them jam. Then, we met up with Grace again and got some tapas and walked to Plaza de España in Maria Luisa Park. What a beautiful, magnificent sight. As I'm writing this, I realize that it is the default background photo on the Off Exploring page!!! Such a good choice.

Proud to say that I saw my first flamenco show in Seville. We went to La Carboneria, which a lot of people recommended. No entrance fee! They just encourage you to buy food/drinks. Overall, it was not what I expected. Imagine columns of picnic tables with a little stage in the front corner of the room. Three people to watch: the guitarist, the singer, and the dancer. All were men - even the dancer! They were all so focused on their crafts. I was really into it because of the complex flamenco rhythms. As a violinist, I know that it can be really hard to pinpoint complicated rhythms. But the three men worked together as a team to feel the beat.

Sunday, we had a busy day seeing the Alcazar, Cathedral, and Giralda Tower. All were amazing in their own, special ways. The Alcazar is a royal palace made by Moorish Muslim kings, known for its mudéjar architecture. According to Wikipedia, it has seven hectares of gardens and seventeen thousand square meters of buildings. Every turned corner brought something new. Both the Alcazar and Cathedral are considered UNESCO World Heritage sites! I don't know how my dad did this with a broken foot, but we ended up climbing the Giralda bell tower (343 feet). He was such a trooper. Seville was a very walkable city, so we walked everywhere. He was able to get around with his boot and didn't complain even once. The Giralda tower gave us the best view of Seville from all sides, making it worth the hike up. We saw the nighttime view at the Antiquarium, also known as Metropol Parasol. This modern structure is only six years old! It reminded me of the bean in Chicago.

I decided to play hooky on Monday to squeeze in an extra day in Seville. With the extreme heat combined with a cold I am still getting over, I was so drained and tired at that point. Luckily we found a cafe and juice shop that recharged us (10/10 would recommend Torch and Milk Away if you find yourself in Seville). We also walked through the Triana neighborhood right across the bridge.

So happy that I got to see Seville this weekend. Andalucía is so magnificent. Heck, Spain is so magnificent. It is crazy to think that I have been in Spain this whole time. Each trip is like no other. And there is even more to see!

Sevilla later!