Semana Santa

Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) kicked off the beginning of Semana Santa in Sevilla.  Everyone was out in the streets and were wearing the best of their Sunday best.  All of the women wore nice dresses and the men were in suits!  I couldn't figure out where everyone was going, but it looked like many families were eating together at nice restaurants.  This all reminded me of Easter in the US instead of Palm Sunday. I decided it would be appropriate to go to mass at the Cathedral, and I was hoping the pasos would come through at the end, but the processions didn't start until later that afternoon.  Mass was pretty intense (2 hours! ...which I was not expecting) because it was given by the bishop and there were about 10 priests.  I liked going because it was quite the production, plus the bishop spoke really clearly so I was able to understand everything that was going on for once.  After a couple prayers, the entire church got out of their seats to take a walk around the Cathedral.  I'm not really sure why we did this, but it was neat because the priests led the way with candles and huge palms, and the Giralda bells were ringing the entire time.

    After mass I ran into Alison and her 2 friends that were visiting.  They were on their way to see Plaza España and I tagged along.  We did something that I've been wanting to do since the 1st day...row boats on the waterway of Plaza España!  This activity was absolutely hilarious and much more challenging than I anticipated (kayaking/canoeing is way easier).  Half of the time we were running into other boats, going backwards, and making jokes about who would be the boyfriend of the group and row.

    Next we went to eat lunch and get a cool treat, gelato from Rayas (a favorite).  At Rayas we just happened to run into the path of a procession.  Perfect timing because we were able to get our first taste of the pasos/nazarenos and were able to see everything really well.  If you remember from my earlier post about Holy Week, I said I would describe the nazarenos a little bit more.  First of all, if you are from the US and do not know who these people are or what they stand for, you may be quite shocked.  That's because they wear robes, capes, and tall cone hats that cover their face.  In history, a similar outfit would later be worn by members of the KKK, even though it represents exactly the opposite of their group.  It was still a little bit shocking for me even though I was fully prepared.  The paso of Jesus and the Virgen Mary were incredible, and I loved all of the music played by the band.  The songs are specific to Semana Santa and are a type of flamenco song known as saetas (a religious song without words).
     Throughout the next couple days I saw 6 processions.  My favorite cofradía was one that started only a block away from where I live!  I got there really early and got an amazing spot!  win.  It is very popular to see the processions leave from their home church, and that is exactly what I did.  That night, I saw another cool thing, on of the Triana processions carrying their pasos over the Puente de Triana bridge.  Everything was really pretty at night with all of the candles lit, but it was pretty hard to capture in pictures.

Vamos a la playa - Lagos, Portugal

I had the perfect start to Spring Break by spending a few days relaxing on the beautiful beaches of Lagos, Portugal.  I have been wanting to see these beaches for a couple of years, so I was extremely happy that I could fit it in my travel plans this semester.  Lagos was even better than I imagined.  I'll start out by explaining our epic and extremely lucky hostel experience.  So first we find our way to the hostel and it is dark and completely locked up (instant worry).  I was also worried because we wanted to add 2 friends to our reservations who spontaneously joined us.  After straightening things out with the hostel owner over the phone, she sent over the housekeeper to show us our rooms.  This was an interesting experience because she only spoke Portuguese...some of which is similar to Spanish, some not.  The next part of this story is still hard for me to believe.  She led us down the road a bit and we discovered our luxurious housing arrangement: 4 bedrooms with large beds, 4 bathrooms, a kitchen + 2 kitchenettes, a patio, and a POOL!  ...all to ourselves.  It was like a private suite/apartment and we definitely could have enjoyed a few more days there.  We absolutely could not believe our luck and were literally jumping with joy (after Fatima left because we didn't want this to be a mistake).  Also, I should meantion that this was all for 12 euro a night, what a steal!  

    The next morning I continued to be impressed by Lagos.  We woke up early to fit in as much beach time as possible.  Our destination was a local favorite, Playa Doña Ana.  Amazing.  You first walk up to cliffs that hang overlook the shore.  Walking down several flights of stairs you arrive at the white sand beach.  The sun was beating down and the water was crystal clear and my favorite blue-green color.  After setting up camp and lathering on the sunscreen, we sprinted into the icy (but refreshing) Atlantic Ocean.  We swam out to one of the rock islands and from there we could see several other beaches nearby.  From here, we also appreciated the uniqueness of Lagos.  Before Columbus discovered America and everyone thought the world was flat, Lagos was the farthest western point and was therefore considered the end of the world!  I could honestly see how people thought this because the cliffs cut straight down to the water and the water seemed endless in the horizon.  We spent most of the day on the beach before going home to jump in our pool and then shower.  We had originally planned on going out to a restaurant, but the 2 boys we were with insisted on cooking a family dinner (that they would make).  We girls were not going to pass up that offer and they did a great job with the meal - pasta and chorizo, sour dough bread, seasoned tomatoes, and red wine.  It was a blast to eat together on our patio and we just hung out there for the rest of the night.  The next morning we had the same plans....la playa.  I was very happy the water was so calm the day before because the second day was very windy, so it was a little brisk and the waves were extremely tall, therefore no swimming.

pre-Semana Santa

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is a religious festival of utmost importance in Sevilla....and it begins on Sunday! (today by the time I finished this post)  Although, it occurs throughout Spain, the most famous are held here.  Preparations take place all year long, but have been most obvious in the last couple weeks (setting up bleachers, hanging up bulletins, and practicing lifting the weight of the floats).  Today I learned quite a bit more about how everything is going to work.  First, Semana Santa consists of eight days of processions beginning with Palm Sunday and continuing through Easter Sunday.  The tradition began in the 16th century and the processions model the 14 stations of the Passion and Death of Christ.  The processions are similar to a parade, only much more sacred.  Each procession is lead by a Cruz de Guía followed by rows of nazarenos.  Nazarenos are people belonging to the brotherhood (hermandades/cofradias) that own the pasos (pasos are very elaborate floats that are carried through the streets)...the outfit worn by these people is very peculiar (I will describe it next week) and they generally carry candles and religious banners.  Each procession consists of 2 pasos, one representing a scene from the Passion of Christ and another representing the Sorrow of the Virgin Mary.  *Keep in mind that these pasos are extremely heavy (4,000 pounds on average) since they are made of wood, gold, silver, and adorned in candles, flowers, and tapestry...and move only by the strength of the costaleros (men who bear the weight of the float from beneath, about 30-40 under each).  It is so heavy that the costaleros shuffle through the streets because lifting there feet above the ground would be too much extra work.  Next in line are the hooded and barefoot penitents who carry wooden crosses for the forgiveness of their sins and for the granting of wishes.  Finally, a band of trumpets and drums sets the beat of the movement.  All of this is just one procession, and there are multiple processions each day.

      On our tour of the parade route (one which passes through some of the most important streets, into the cathedral, and back to its starting church), we talked about other aspects of the festival.  For a week, Sevilla will be filled with smell of incense.  Each brotherhood has it's own color, music, symbols, and smell.  I found out that the primary reason for the incense is to mask the smell of the people carrying the paso because they will be sweating so much and walking for hours (sometimes more than 14 hours).
    Other customs for Semana Santa are to wear new clothes on Palm Sunday, and for women to dress in all black on Holy Thursday and Good Friday to express mourning for Christ's death.  Also, there are 2 sweet pastries that are specific to the celebrations, torrijas and pestiños.  I had the chance to try a torrija and it was delicious....similar to french toast, but dowsed in honey instead of syrup.
     While learning about Semana Santa, we stopped into a couple of the churches that had their pasos on display.  I also went to some on my own and my professor on Thursday took us to a different one during class!  The detail in each paso is tremendous and I loved being able to see everything up close.  These will be the vest views I have because there are so many people during Semana Santa it will be impossible to get that close.

     The first paso that begins Holy Week is housed in the San Salvador church and depicts Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Many other ones are of Jesus carrying the cross.  A famous paso of this scene is named Cristo de Gran Poder and is right by my house.  It is customary to walk behind the figure and kiss the heal of Jesus for forgiveness each year.  Finally, I saw the loved Virgen de la Esperanza in the Macarena Basilica.  An interesting observation is that in Spain it seems as though the Virgin Mary has much more significance in the people's faith and idolization.
     It was awesome to get the inside scoop on Semana Santa and I loved walking into church's to see their pasos this week (if the doors were open and a bunch of people were going in I would just pop my head in to see).  Also, besides the floats, the Basilica and Salvador Church were sites to see themselves.  Both are baroque style, but in very unique ways.  The paintings in Macarena and altar in Salvador are what I enjoyed most.    

Prost! - Berlin, Alemania

Although my German could use a little work, I was able to navigate the big city of Berlin with the help of Kurt Eggebrecht.  Kurt is studying in Kassel, Germany, this semester so we thought it would be fun to meet up for a weekend in Berlin.  Maybe it's the fact that so many German, Irish, and Scandinavian immigrants came to Wisconsin, but Germany reminded me of home.  I tried a lot of new foods in Berlin, including schnitzel, currywurst, and a doner kebab.  The entire weekend was a whirlwind of sightseeing.  It is said that one of the best ways to experience the city is to just walk around, which is exactly what we did.  I'm going to list all of the sites with a brief comment or two about each (with a little extra dedicated to the Berlin wall):

- Berlin Wall aka "Iron Curtain": constructed in 1961, this wall separated West Berlin from East Berlin and East Germany.  The barrier consists of a series of walls, barbed wire, anti-vehicle trenches, and guard towers.  It was made to "protect the people of West Berlin from the side that had not been fully de-Natzified," but in reality it was really to prevent a massive emigration.  Hundreds of people attempted to escape and many were killed while trying.  In 1987, Ronald Reagan challenged Gorbachev to tear down the wall and demolition of the Iron Curtain began on November 9th, 1989.
- Neue Synagoga: a symbol of the previously thriving Jewish community in Germany
- Fernsehturm: a unbelievably tall TV tower intended to be a symbol of Berlin
- Neptunbrunnen: Neptune fountain...in the fountain, the 4 women that surround Neptune represent the 4 main rivers in Prussia
- Rotes Rathaus: Red City Hall
- Marienkirche: Church of St. Mary in the plaza of Alexanderplatz.  This medieval church began construction in 1270, is the 2nd oldest parish church in Berlin, and is still used for worship today.
- Museumsinsel: Museum Island - a collection of 5 impressive museums and a small island located within the Spree River of Berlin.

Berliner Dom

- Berliner Dom: the Berlin Cathedral is the largest/most important Protestant church.  It was constructed during the high renaissance period in Baroque.  This cathedral was probably my favorite building in Berlin because its roof is made of copper and thus has that green color to it, and it is located on the edge of the Spree River (a very pretty location and I loved how the river and its channels ran throughout the city).
- Humbolt University
- Unter den Linden: a boulevard lined with Linden trees
- Brandenburger Tor: The Brandenburger gate is a monument of of great importance to Berlin.  This landmark was once a symbol of a divided city.  Visitors would climb to the top to catch a glimpse of the world beyond the wall that separated East and West Berlin both geographically and politically.  After the wall fell in 1989, the Brandenburger gate was transformed to a symbol of unity.

Brandenburger Tor

- Tiergarten - a large inner city garden similar to Central Park
- Check Point Charlie - this was the best known check point between the East and West during the Cold War.  It became a symbol for the war, and represented freedom for many.
- Reichstag - The parliament house of Germany (Berlin is the country's capital).  The entrance reads "Dem Deutschen Volke" = dedicated to the German people.  The part that stands out the most in this grand government building is the huge glass dome at the top.  The dome used to be open to the public, however it has been closed for the last year due to terrorist threats.

Reichstag

Lastly, my friend Sheila is studying abroad in Germany this year and was nice enough to have us over to her apartment both nights.  The first night we took the S-Bahn (metro) to her neighborhood and explored the area, and the second night we got to meet a couple of her friends from school, which was very fun.

Sevilla To-Do List

My semester abroad has been flying.  It's dawned on my classmates and I how soon we will be going back to the states.  I want to make sure I get to all of the important sties in Sevilla, so I made a to-do list and have gotten to work on crossing things off.  Here are the sites from last week:

1. Torre del Oro - I've talked about the "Tower of Gold" before because it is a common meeting place in Sevilla, but I just found out that you can actually go into the tower and climb to the top!  The view of Sevilla from the torre was spectacular.  It overlooked the Guadalquivir and you could also see the Cathedral and Giralda rise above the city.  Seeing these landmarks never gets old.  Built in 1221, it originally served as a watchtower that guarded the city wall running to Alcázar from foreign attack.  Now it houses a Spanish naval museum.

2. Archivo de Indias - Located next to the cathedral is a 16th century building that serves as a storehouse for documents created during the colonization of the Americas.  There are shelves upon shelves of written references to Spain's New World Possessions and is considered one of the most important archives in the world.  There was a special exhibit going on that chronicled the difficulty of Spain's ability to maintain these colonies.  Their primary problem = pirates.  They were also being bombarded by their fellow European countries, especially England and France.  Others did not like Spain's exclusive ownership of the New World and its riches.  During this time Spain became one of the most powerful countries, politically and economically, but as they slowly started losing colonies, their economic problems were too great and their empire was destroyed.

3. Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo / La Cartuja - This next site I actually wasn't to impressed by, but it was still interesting to see.  La Cartuja was once a monastery that was raided by Napoleon (who expelled all of the Cartujan monks).  More recently, it was fully restored for the 1992 World Explo.  It was nice to walk around the monastery because there were some neat architectural parts in the large gardens, but was not well kept up.

4. After all this sightseeing plus class, I needed to cool off and take a break in Plaza de Alameda. This plaza is located right by my house and is really neat.  The plaza is pretty big with 2 playgrounds, many benches, fountains, and it's entrance is marked by 2 pillars with Hercules statues on top of it (in reference to the same mythological story as in Cádiz).  The plaza is surrounded by countless cafes, places, to eat, bars, and a small cinema.  I bought an italian ice and enjoyed the 80 degree weather we have been having in Sevilla (still considered spring temperatures....I cannot even imagine how hot it is during August...)

5.  The last thing I visited was the Hospital de Caridad.  The Hospital was first a monastery for the Brotherhood of Caridad.  Their 3 dogmas were faith, hope, and care, and for a long time they dedicated themselves to giving a dignified death to people who died in the river and were unidentifiable.  In the past, the Guadalquivir was not a controlled river like it is today, and sometimes it would flood pretty far into the city causing lots of damage and death.  Miguel Mañara was a wealthy sevillano who supported the mission of the brotherhood and donated a lot of money to enhance the monastery and its church.  When the river was better controlled, the brotherhood changed its mission to bring in homeless people and give them shelter, food, and water.  The site was then converted to a hospital for the sickest of the sick...patients that no other hospital would accept.  The brotherhood inherited its fortune during the Baroque art period (the best artistic time in Sevilla), so the art in the building is very pretty.  For example, there are marble sculptures from Genovia in the patio, ceramics from Cádiz depicting scenes from the old testament, and the paintings in the church fit for a museum.  Mañara ultimately moved into the monastery and spent his money making the Iglesia de San Jorge more grand.  Entering the iglesia, I was shocked by the first 2 paintings.  They were both very strong images of death.  The message of the first being that we are all equals at the time of death and everyone is subject to the same decision of heaven or not (where the good and the bad of the soul is weighed).  The second shows that death can happen at any moment.  It doesn't matter who you are (a writer, architect, king, common man).  After this shock I was happy to find that the point of this is to look towards the alter and see how the other paintings leading towards the alter demonstrate the good and how we can save ourselves.  Some are copies of Murrillo's work since Napoleon's troops had stolen the original pieces during the French Invasion.  The final piece is in the choir area that you can see when looking up from the altar and shows the entrance to heaven.

Real Betis Bolompié

Anda, venga, tira!  Oui!!  One fútbol game in Spain just wasn't enough for me.  Today, my friends and I went to cheer on Real Betis at the Estadio Ruiz de Lopera.  Betis is the Roman name for the Guadalquivir river and is the other fútbol club in Sevilla.  They play in the second division but the rumor is they are moving up because of their good season this year (they beat Barcelona earlier, which is the number one team in the first division).  Although Real Betis and FC Sevilla do not compete against each other, there is still an intense rivalry between the teams.  Personally, I choose Betis.  I like them because they are the underdogs....they may not have the big names, but they are still successful and a majority of the players are born and raised Sevillanos.  Plus, Béticos (fans) are very passionate about the game and their team (like the Badgers).  I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the stadium and game.  Just like any other European soccer game, there is a section behind one of the goals that stands the whole time and leads the fans in their team's songs/cheers.  They keep the atmosphere lively and exciting.  We didn't know the cheers, but the beat of some songs was familiar and we were able to clap along.  We also supported our team by yelling and raising our arms up every time someone hit the ground (foul or no), or even just to see if we could get a questionable call to go our way.  Betis was playing a team from the north of Spain, Celta de Vigo.  We got to see 2 goals - one by Vigo and a response by Betis.  When our green and white team scored, the stadium was electric and fans whipped around their scarves in celebration.  Although we didn't lose, the fans in front of us were not so happy with a tie.  One guy kicked the stadium seat so hard that it broke...they take their fútbol seriously here.  

Gibraltar

 A week or two ago my friends Dominique, Mary, and I talked about how we all had the same crazy desire to go to Gibraltar.  I don't know what about this destination struck my attention....probably the monkeys....but I thought it would be a perfect day trip for this weekend.  So, we signed up for a Gibraltar trip through one of the travel agencies here and spent Saturday exploring the last British colony!  That's right, even though the city of Gibraltar is located on the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula, it is British not Spanish territory.  I've gotten the vibe that most Spaniards are not interested in what Gibraltar has to offer.  The government of Spain has been irritated that they were never able to reclaim this 2.4 square-mile territory.  However, the 30,000 Gibraltarians are proud people with a mixed/interesting heritage (a combo of British, Spanish, and Moroccan).  When given the choice, they remained Queen Elizabeth's loyal subjects and voted to continue as a self-governing British dependancy.  Queen Elizabeth visited in 1954 and the locals are still talking about it...many sites and streets were renamed after she visited (ex: the street-name of Queensway).
     The area was once dominated by the military because of it's excellent location and large bay, but is now primarily a tourist location.  King's Bastion was a forefront for battles.  As the southernmost tip, the city witnessed many sea battles and was the site for an important naval base.  The city is surrounded by two sets of stone defensive walls, Roman and British, that have helped to fortify it in the past.  Some key points in history involving Gibraltar: in 711 the Moors started their conquest of Spain from this point; here is where the Duke of Wellington beat Napoleon; and the Allied forces rallied here to begin Operation Torch, or the retake of North Africa from Germany.

St. Michael's Cave

     We were on a tour that took us to all of the main sites in mini buses.  This is ideal, because the sites are all on the rock of Gibraltar, which is pretty high up and an intense hike.  First was the lighthouse at Europa point - from here you can see both coasts of the Iberian Peninsula (one side being the Atlantic ocean, the other side the Mediterranean Sea) as well as Africa (only 14 km away).  Looking back towards the rock is the King Fahd Mosque.  This was a $20 million gift from the Saudi sultan for the Muslims of Gibraltar to worship at.  A little uphill from there was the St. Michael's cave....lots of stalagmites, stalactites, and classical music...what more could you want?  Walking out of the cave we got our first excited/nervous view of the Gibraltar monkeys!!  The rock is home to about 200 of these tailless monkeys.  They are protected animals even though they are clearly not native (probably brought over by Roman troops).  I wasn't nervous about the monkeys until Mary and Doe started getting jittery.  However there are signs everywhere warning tourists not to feed the monkeys because they are still wild and have the capacity to be quite vicious.  We took quite a few pictures of them - one had stolen an ice cream treat from a tourist and our bus driver was giving peanuts to ones that would sit on the side view mirror (top secret because it's a 500 pound fine).  Driving back down the rock we saw several components of World War II - tunnels, barracks, and a 100 pound gun.

    Next was free time.  We were dropped off in Casemates Square.  Here is where it really hit me that we were in British territory...here were a few clues: the red classic telephone booths, garbage cans were labeled as litter cans, "God Save the Queen," British accents, and every restaurant sold fish and chips!!  I was ecstatic about all of these thing since I chose not to visit London this semester (since I have already been there with Velocity before our tournament in Spain).  I was fun to visit an area that made me feel like I was in London.  We strolled the square and main pedestrian street where all of the shops are duty free!  As per usual, my only purchase was a postcard.  All this sightseeing made us hungry, and fish & chips was the solution.  We stopped at a cute restaurant/pub and sat down at a table outside.  Although I have heard that this meal is actually not that good in Gibraltar, we were all very pleased...especially after loading up on tartar sauce (haha, sometimes it's the smallest things that make us so content).  By the end of our meal it was time to cross the border and head back to Sevilla.  

Kayaking the Guadalquivir

What incredible weather we've been having in Sevilla.  Wednesday through Friday we soaked up some 80 degree sunshine and it felt amazing!  ...I'm working on my tan, haha.
     Besides the Santa Paula Monastery on Wednesday, I found my way to the area called Macarena for my Spanish for Health Professions class in the afternoon.  We went to the Facultad de Medicina (med school) of the University of Sevilla to hear one of the professors speak a little bit about their health care system.  These are the types of situations where I have to invest a LOT of effort in trying to understand Spanish in Sevilla.  Not only was the topic very complex and different from the US's health care system, he was speaking quickly.  I learned quite a bit and enjoyed switching up our class routine to see a guest speaker.  

    Thursday night I had fun celebrating my friend Dominique's birthday, and Friday I had a great time at my interest group activity in the morning, kayaking!!  I absolutely love kayaking so I was super excited to hit the Guadalquivir by paddle!  After a brief (very brief) introduction to the skills of paddling (most people had never been), they set us free onto the river.  The day was perfect - sunny and clear without boat traffic.  I was able to do some extreme sightseeing and it was neat to take pictures while actually on the water.  Luckily, we were able to travel quite a bit down the river as well.  I was one of the only people in a single kayak (doubles can be too frustrating for me sometimes), so I felt pretty tired at the end, but loved every minute.  Honestly the hardest part was when the instructors kept making us pull up our boats next to each other to take group pictures...it was a struggle every time to get people's boats facing the right direction.  That afternoon I hung out with Mary and Natalie where we just spent time sitting in the grassy area by the water (where everyone - Spanish and American - goes during nice weather).  My host mom thinks it is funny when all the girls from the US flock to the river and pretend it is a beach, but it's the closest thing we have so I'll take it.  It was great to have some time to enjoy Sevilla (even though I enjoy it every day) because I'm going to be doing quite a bit of traveling coming up soon.

Puente de Triana: built in 1854

Monasterio Santa Paula

found a nun on the 2nd level (left)

So I'm a little behind on my blogging, but I will catch you up and what's been going on in España recently.  Wednesday's cultural visit was to the Santa Paula Monastery in Sevilla.  Monasteries are a popular place to get baked treats like cookies, magdalenas, little cakes and more (including the unblessed Eucharist bread I talked about in Granada), and are found throughout the city....just look for their marker: a crested bell tower (that is flat instead of cubed like a church).  Santa Paula is a monastery consisting of 36 nuns from all parts of the world.  It was founded in the 15th century...that's 600 years of women dedicating their lives to prayer.  The first nun and creater of this monastery was Doña Anna de Santillán, a widow whose daughter died at the age of 18.  After such tragedy, she wanted to devote her life to God and founded this monastery (her father was accompanied Fernando the 13th in re-conquering Sevilla, so they owned lots of property in the city).  It is also dedicated to the Jerónima nuns.  These nuns follow the teachings of San Jerónimo.  In addition to spreading christianity with his study of the Holy Scriptures, San Jerónimo founded countless monasteries, including several in Sevilla with the help of Santa Paula (another widow who had met the saint while in Jerusalem).  The most interesting part of this monastery was that it is the only one in Sevilla to have a museum within it's protective walls that is open to the public.  In general, nuns own a copious amount of religious art and sculptures.  I encountered the Spanish painter, Bartolomé Murillo, once again here.  (quick thing, as I was walking home from class I noticed in the plaza right by my house is a large statue of this beloved painter....I have realized that I really need to look up a lot more while I am walking because I am missing things even on my everyday route to class)  Anyways, Murillo has a style that is imitated by, he had many followers and usually it is hard for the untrained eye to tell the difference between his work and someone else's.  His style of Baroque was different from that of the standard dark, aggressive, and realistic images of his colleagues.  Murillo is commonly found in churches because he painted a lot of biblical scenes so that illiterate people could understand religion without having to read it.  Another painted I liked was by Diego Rivera with the technique of only painting the light, sometimes you don't even realize the details in the dark are there until they're pointed out.  A couple other art pieces we saw in the museum were many figures of baby Jesus in different depictions, a large detailed cloth stitched with gold string for Semana Santa (unbelievably heavy), and my favorite of all was the most detailed Nativity set I have ever seen (complete with the heavens and angels above).  Part of the museum was the old church, but we were able to look down into where mass is held these days.  Masses are open to the public, but all of the nuns have to stand in the back of the church behind this gate type thing.  Remember that nuns are never allowed to leave the monastery.  Everything from the outside world is brought in.  ...this is so intriguing to me.

detailed Nativity scene

      As I said, monasteries are known for their home-made baked goods.  Santa Paula Monastery is especially popular because of their praised marmalade (so well known that it is even for sale at Corte Ingles).  They had a large variety of different types for sale to the public (this money goes straight to the upkeep of their home) and I bought a jar!  I chose to get the orange marmalade made from Sevilla oranges.  I felt it was the most appropriate choice because I've been dying to see how they oranges on the street are changed to a delicious treat. I have to wait quite a while to try it since I'm not going to open it before coming home.  Speaking of the orange trees, they are in full blossom for spring!  The streets are so beautiful and smell fantastic with these white flowers (azahares) everywhere.  The last thing I did before leaving the monastery was try a taste of the bizcocho de frutas that our guide bought us.  It was delicious...kind of a cake/bread with fresh fruit chunks and no preservatives.    

    

Sevilla Se Ve

Check out the newest addition to Sevilla's Plaza de Encarnación, el Metropol Parasol:

This structure has been under construction since 2007 and Saturday was the grand opening of the monument.  When I walked to class on Monday, I was shocked and excited to see that the project was completed!  I walk through this plaza several times a day, so throughout my time in Sevilla I have enjoyed seeing the progress each day...last week they were taking down scaffolding, but I had no idea that it was almost ready for inauguration.  This new monument is also very intriguing to me because it is still extremely controversial.  The Metropol Parasol is gigantic with six fungal-shaped structures (although I think they look more like trees).  It is made of wood (with concrete reinforcements) and it's primary purpose was to have a modern art piece that provides shade for the large plaza.  The movement to bring some modern art into such a historic area is what originally polarized people, plus it cost a lot to invest in such a project.  I think it is pretty neat though...the lower level is a market, and above is a restaurant and a skywalk where visitors can enjoy incredible views of the city.  Also, when they were building "Las Setas," workers discovered ancient ruins!  This discovery put the project on hold, but now the archeological artifacts are now on display in the plaza as well.  I'm excited to the view from the top and maybe even have the chance to eat in the restaurant.

on the flag

on a sewer cap

NO8DO - Sevilla's motto.  This motto can be found absolutely everywhere throughout the city....on the city's flag, streets, buildings, bikes, taxis, and even Christopher Colombus' tomb!  In reality, the 8 is actually a picture of a skein of yarn, which is called a "madeja."  Therefore the motto reads "no madeja do," but sound's like "no me ha dejado"....meaning "It [Sevilla] has not abandoned me."  Pretty cool, and definitely important for the people of Sevilla.  This phrase has been around since the reign of Alfonso X.  This king was ruling Spain from Sevilla when his son, Sancho IV of Castile tried to usurp the throne.  However, the people of Seville did not like Sancho at all so they stood by their king and in return he told them "no me ha dejado."  It's significance is powerful, especially when the motto is seen everywhere you look.

I was also extremely excited on my way to class Monday to see that a new Cien Montaditos is open on Calle Alfonso XII (the street I take to CIEE)!  I have also been watching the progress of this building, and it went way faster than I anticipated...Alison and I thought this restaurant wouldn't be open for a few weeks.  So why am I so pumped about Cien Montaditos??  well, this restaurant offers 100 (cien) types of little sandwiches (montaditos), and everything on the menu is sold for 1 euro on Wednesdays!  ...including delicious tinto de verano.  So, on "Montadito Miércoles," I almost always swing by Cien with my friends during the afternoon...along with 90% of the University of Sevilla.  This restaurant is a hot conversation topic for everyone during class on Wednesdays; good thing there are now 6 location that I know throughout the city!  My favorites are the sandwiches with brie and chorizo (sausage) and the shrimp with cream cheese.

Barcelona, Espanya

Moving out of Andalucía, I got to know the city of Barcelona, Spain this weekend with my friends Dominque, Andrea, and Drew.  The trip was packed with activities and was a huge success in my book.  It was neat to experience Barcelona because this city is extremely different from Sevilla.  First of all, it is in the northeast region of Spain known as País Catalunya (country of Catalonia).  Although Spain is clearly one country, there are 3 specific regions that consider themselves somewhat independent.  Catalunya has its own language, history, and culture.  It's own language?? yep, the primary language in Barcelona is Catalan.  Catalan is a form of the Spanish language with a French influence...some words and spelling are shockingly different from the Spanish I know - Castellano.  (so, when we got in the cab at the airport we had to clarify that we spoke Castellano, not just Spanish...however, most people know Spanish and a large population can speak English as well).  The second difference is that Barcelona is a big city.  Sevilla may have a large population, but it doesn't feel that way.  Barcelona had more of a Chicago/New York type feel with its tall buildings and metro system.  We had a lot to see in Barcelona in a short amount of time, and were able to get it all done with the help of my friends' friend, Lauren.
    First off, we had a perfect hostel location on a Passeig de Grácia.  This street has 2 Gaudí houses, tons of high name stores (Tiffany's, Chanel, etc) and led straight to the main center of the city - Plaza Catalunya.  First thing Friday morning, we walked to the plaza to meet Lauren.  This central square divides the old and new Barcelona, has several large statues dedicated to the history of the city, and is surrounded by tall buildings including a massive Corte Inglés (this is a popular departments store that sells everything you could possibly need - like a combo of Macy's and Super K-Mart...Sevilla has 6).  On the opposite side of the plaza starts Las Ramblas.  Ramblas is a boulevard that has wall to wall shopping and is packed with pedestrians.  A few blocks down las Ramblas is a huge market that I loved, La Boquería.  This market has been an important part of Barcelona since Medieval times.  You could find pretty much any type of fresh food you might want - fruits, dried fruits, candies, veggies, olives, and lots of fish.  If we hadn't just eaten breakfast I would have definitely opted for eating the quarter of the pineapple that they had sliced up and were selling - the outside of it functioned as the bowl.
   Next we hopped on the metro for our next destination: La Sagrada Familia.  In one word, La Sagrada Familia is incredible.  It is Antoni Gaudí's remarkable cathedral that is still in the making.  Gaudí was born in Barcelona and made the entire city his art project.  When you think of Barcelona, you think of this architect.  Nature is one of his primary inspirations and this is apparent in all of his work.  The construction of La Sagrada Familia is fascinating.  Construction started in 1883, and although Gaudí dedicated the last years of his life solely to this work, it was only a quarter complete by his death in 1926 (he actually lived on site for more than a decade and is buried here).  Private funds and the Spanish Civil War are a couple of the reasons for the slow progress (many of his original blueprints were destroyed during the war!).  Additionally, it has been challenging for other architects to take over this larger than life project.  From the outside, it is very obvious which parts are newer and what designs are from Gaudí's original plan.  Walking out of the metro station, the view was breathtaking.  The amount of detail and symbolism in this one cathedral is unreal.  I probably took around 50 pictures (but I suggest you look at some google pics of this cathedral too, because it was hard for me to capture it).  The side most often seen, with the four towers rising above the city, depicts the Nativity of Christ.  This is the only part that was finished during his life and is a combination of Gothic-style symbolism, images from nature, and Modernista asymmetry.  The opposite side depicts the Passion of Christ.  There are parts that show the Last Supper as well as the Resurrection.  This side is controversial because it fits the original formulation, but the style is very distinct from that of the front.  Moving inside, I was stunned.  Gaudí intended the inside to be like walking through a patch of trees.  The windows and vaults capture the sunlight to illuminate the interior.  The galleries can hold about 1,000 singers and the acoustics here are brilliant.  Finally, the colors of the stained glass and alter stand out perfectly from the white interior.  Although the Sagrada Familia is already amazing, there is much work to be done...I think the estimated date isn't for 30 more years.  An interesting quote from Gaudí himself regarding the construction of this cathedral was: "my client is in no hurry" - his client being God

       Jumping on the metro again, we traveled to another Gaudí masterpiece: Parc Guell.  This 30-acre garden was intended to be the centerpiece for a high-income gated community...although the housing development never went through, the architect lived in one of the two houses in the park.  The main selling point here is the beautiful mosaics.  At the entrance are two houses that resembled gingerbread houses to me.  There is a famous mosaic dragon fountain that is located on the stairs leading to the main terrace that has a magnificent view of the city (you can see Sagrada Familia as well as the beach) and more mosaic designs.  We took our time strolling through the paths of Parc Guell and taking lots of pictures.  There were architectural pieces throughout the park as well that were constructed entirely of stones that looked like mosaics too, only of the same color and not ceramic.

    Moving to the exact opposite side of the city, we got to enjoy the beach of Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea!  Although it was chilly and windy, we sat on the grass to give our legs a much needed break.  The waves rolling into shore were rough, but on a calmer day you could definitely go swimming in the sea.  Later, at the hostel we met up with our friends Natalie and Courtney who had flown in that afternoon.  Squeezing one more tourist attraction into the night, we went to see illuminated Magic Fountains on Montjuic.  This was a light and water show set to music in front of Barcelona's Plaza de Espanya.  Together, we ate dinner at a delicious Mexican restaurant, La Rosa Negra...I have been craaaaaving some Mexican, so this meal was phenomenal.  That night, we went out to a bar, Shoko, that was right on the beach where we had been earlier - part of it was inside/underground, and part was covered, but open to the beach-front.  

     We just couldn't get enough of Gaudí, so on Saturday morning we went to his two houses just minutes away from our hostel.  The first, Casa Batlló, we just observed from the street.  Apparently he based this work on the popular St. Jordi legend in which a dragon is slayed, so the balconies and tile roof are meant to suggest a dragon's back.  We chose to see the inside of Casa Milá instead.  My guide book said the exterior is like melting ice-cream, and I would have to agree.  This was Gaudí's last major work before dedicating himself to La Sagrada Familia.  After admiring the patio with lots of colorful wall painting and an intricate iron railing that mirrored the balconies on the exterior, we took a look around the attic.  We kind of got lost wondering through the catenary arches of the attic looking at the different scale models of the architect's project and learning more about his passion/skills, but we discovered it was actually a circle.  After getting our bearings and finding the staircase, we headed up to the roof where we were all surprised by the artwork found here.  There were small towers with abstract faces, chimneys that looked like ice-cream cones made of a white tile mosaic, and a mosaic constructed from green bottle pieces.  We ended the visit by seeing the the apartment that showed typical room designs of people who originally lived in this apartment complex.  The layout was very pretty.
     Last tourist attraction in our jam-packed visit to Barcelona was the Picasso Museum.  On the walk there we were able to check a couple other sites off the to-see list as well.  Walking through the Gothic neighborhood we saw the Cathedral of Barcelona.  Next to it was a plaza where Columbus announced his discovery of the Indias (Nuevo Mundo) and remnants of the original Roman wall that enveloped the city.  Pablo Picasso spent his formative years (ages 14-21) living in Barcelona.  The museum has the best collection of this Spanish artist's early works.  It was interesting to see the progression of his art because the typical Picasso paintings do not start until later in his career.  Also, he did several art pieces on pottery that I liked.  One room had a collection from Picasso's Blue Period (1902-1904) where he paints what he feels: sad images from the bad Paris weather, poverty, and the suicide of his best friend.  His next periods were the Rose Period and Cubism.  My personal favorite was the room that held Picasso's paintings of Las Meninas.  Las Meninas was originally created by the Spanish painter, Diego Velásquez, of the royal court (a painting I have definitely analyzed in previous classes).  Picasso had great respect for his fellow artist, and painted more than 50 interpretations of this famous work.  He put Velázquez's realism into cubism with color or black and white, and different focal points.  (the only part I didn't like is that I couldn't take any pictures! bummer, but I bought postcards of my 3 favorite paintings in the museum)

Barrio Santa Cruz

Barrio Santa Cruz is another important component of Sevilla's history.  I have been through part of this neighborhood before, but on Wednesday I was able to explore these streets a little more and learn about its significance to the city.  First of all, one thing that is heavily emphasized both in and out of the classroom is that Andalucia is a mixture of three prominent cultures: Muslim, Jewish, and Christian.  Historically, Spain reached a climax in culture, wealth, and power when these three cultures lived together peacefully.  During these harmonious years (under the rule of Muslim Moors), Barrio Santa Cruz was a thriving Jewish Quarter (Judería).  Our guide explained the history of Sevilla's Jewish population and told us the legend of Don Juan as we weaved between houses.  Similar to Córdoba's Jewish quarter, the streets here are so narrow that no motor vehicles are allowed and it is almost uncomfortable to walk side by side with someone.  Here, the concept of street does not exist, it is merely a space between houses.  This does serve an important purpose though, the narrow streets keep the neighborhood shaded and cool during the blistering hot Sevillan summer.  Similarly, most of the houses are white washed (like many communities throughout southern Spain) to keep the houses cooler.  Also, the larger homes proudly display their family's interior courtyard so that people passing by can observe the beauty of their flowers, plants, and fountains through a wrought iron door.

     First, let me tell you about the famous legend that is said to have taken place in Barrio Santa Cruz.  A little background information: in Spanish, is you describe a guy by saying he is a "Don Juan," that means is essentially a womanizer.  Well, according to locals and the monuments here, Don Juan eternal life story occurred in these plazas.  To begin, in the first plaza there was a statue of this famous (probably fictional) 17th century citizen.  The story is that there was a bet with his best friend that he couldn't win the love of two women at once.  Needless to say, Don Juan proved him wrong.  This infuriated the friend (who was dating one of the women) and the father of the other woman, Doña Inez (who was set to marry Don Juan).  Both men attacked Don Juan and in defense he killed them and was forced to leave Spain because of it.  Suddenly the story between Juan and Inez (whose house we also saw) was one of impossible love.  Now, I'm not really sure why the Sevillanos wanted this story to be based here, but it is (and the tour guide was totally not understanding my question, so it is a mystery to me).  Another famous but real person born in Barrio Santa Cruz is Bartolomé Murillo - one of Spain's most loved painters.  I saw many of his religious-themed paintings during my visit to the Museo de Bellas Artes earlier.  It is actually very lucky that the museum even has these works.  In addition to wanting to conquer all of Europe, Napoleon was an art enthusiast.  In Italy, he took a special liking to Murillo's pieces, so while invading Andalusia, his troops also took any Murillo painting they could find.  However, the churches of Sevilla hide their art possessions for many years, which is why the Sevilla still holds a large amount of religious Murillo pieces.  Finally, the tomb of this Sevillano artist is buried somewhere beneath the brick streets of the Plaza de la Santa Cruz (our next stop).
     When the Christians took power, the originally allowed religious freedom and protection to the Jews, but were confined to only one walled neighborhood.  Parts of these walls remain today as the are situated next to the walls surrounding the gardens of Alcázar.  In this neighborhood there were four important synagogues.  One was converted to the church of Santa Maria La Blanca, but the biggest synagogue was located in Plaza de la Santa Cruz.  Keep in mind that the name of this plaza, which is essential to the name of the barrio, was not given until the Christian Reconquista.  The synagogue converted church was ultimately destroyed by Napoleon's troops and is remembered by an iron cross monument.  Continuing through the maze, we got to Plaza de los Venerables.  Now a museum, the large Baroque-style Hospital of the Venerables was once a hospital retirement home for priests.  It later became a care site for all citizens until the Hospital de la Caridad opened.  However, both are now museums because of their rich architecutre, history, and art collection - both have Velasquez pieces.  Another born and raised Sevillano painter that moved to Madrid when he was asked to paint for the royal court (an incredible honor).
     The more tragic history of la Judería took place before Alfonso 13th took throne.  Since Alfonso was not of age, there was a transition time that was very problematic.  At this time, Jewish citizens of Sevilla were very successful and financially stable because they had good jobs in the city.  One of the Catholic priests organized a group to attack the families of this neighborhood and the result was horrible.  Although Alfonso immediately punished this priest when he was able to accept the crown, the Jewish community was still enraged and organized a rebuttal.  However, one of their own daughters, Susona, committed treason that ended with countless more deaths of her community.

     Continuing on in our tour, we walked through a short tunnel that lead us to a red colored wall that I recognized as surrounding the Alcázar gardens.  Here we saw a pretty fountain named Agua de Sevilla.  This is important because it is where the water from the Roman aqueducts came.  Only the royal palace and very wealthy citizens had the privilege of drinking this water.  Also, I have seen parts of the original aqueducts still preserved and scattered randomly about Sevilla (like in Nervión).  Walking through the Patio de Banderas we had an incredible view of the Cathedral and Giralda - I take so many pictures of these two sites, but they never get old.  This is where someone visiting the royal home would enter with a horse parade and flags of their country were flown.  Our last stop is a hidden gem in Sevilla.  Just one block in from the crowded streets surrounding the cathedral is Plaza Santa Marta.  This plaza is incredibly quiet and peaceful with a single monument of a cross.

Andalucía

With all this talk about Andalucía, or southern Spain, I wanted to put a map in my blog so that you can see exactly where in Spain I have been traveling to.

Cádiz y Senderismo (parte II)

Playa de la Caleta

    I traveled to the city of Cádiz for the second time on Saturday.  This time though, it was a day trip with CIEE and the streets weren't flooded with people dressed up costumes like during Carnaval.  This city in southern Spain is actually an island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and is situated only 18 kilometers from Africa (we could faintly see the mountains of the African coast when looking across the water).  Cádiz is about 3,000 years old (one of the oldest cities in Europe) and is crucial to the history of Spain.  In the 1700s the king declared Cádiz as the primary port for Spain.  Pirates were no longer an issue, so ships coming from the colonies/America didn't need to take the Guadalquivir into Sevilla.  With this influx of colonial products and the development of a tobacco factory, the city experienced a golden age and wealth.  Later in history, this island location was a key protection factor during the Napoleonic Wars.  Originally, there was a wall that circled the island, making it almost impossible to invade.  This is important because as Napoleon's army progressively conquered the country, they were never successful in Cádiz.  Quick fact about Napoleon: during the Peninsular War, Napoleon had convinced Spain to join him in invading Portugal, and in return he would leave Spain alone...Spain quickly found out that was a lie.  After taking Madrid, Napoleon locked away the Spanish king, Charles IV.  Luckily, the Spanish government remained unified by moving their base to Cádiz.  It was then here that in 1812 the parliament proclaimed the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812.  Although it was never fully in effect, the 1812 Constitution influenced the one that Spain has today.

Parque Genovés

    Okay, enough history, but the reason I bring up this piece of history is that the Constitution was announced and read to the public on March 19th, 1812 in Plaza de San Antonio.  Not only did I walk through this plaza, but the date was March 19th, so there were several tributes and activities going on in Cádiz related to this.  For example, there were a couple small bands that were marching around the city, a person dressed up as Napoleon, and street decorations.  I thought it was quite hilarious that there were people in costumes roaming the streets of Cádiz because my host parents have given me the impression that people of Cádiz are always happy and it's very normal for them to wear a costume any day of the week (probably not exactly true).  These residents are known for their witty humor though.

view from Torre de Poniente

    On our tour of the city, we started at the Puerta Tierra, an entrance to the city that is a monument representing the protective wall around Cádiz.  The first important site was the neoclassical government building (ayuntamiento).  We learned that the city's flag depicts Hercules between two columns because of the mythical legend that here is where he separated Africa from Europe and the remnants of this separation is the Straight of Gibraltar (on the Puerta there were also two columns referencing this, but on top were the patron saints that protect the city and cathedral).  As we moved along, we passed through the medieval city, or older part that was built upon Roman ruins that date back to the time of Julius Caesar.  The city expanded in population and beauty during their golden years.  Just outside the door of the old city is the neoclassic cathedral and center plaza.  The cathedral has two towers and we were able to walk up to the top of the Torre de Poniente.  The view was awesome and we got our first look at the beaches of Cádiz! The water color was soooo pretty and I was shocked by how narrow the island actually is.  Widthwise, to get from one side to the other would probably only be an 8 minute walk.  Coming back down, we took a scenic boardwalk along the city's coast.  Passing through Parque Genovés there were lots of decorative plants and trees.  Finally, we made it to the beach!!! - Playa de la Caleta.  Since it was the first time going to the beach in Spain, everyone was anxious to get there.  It was gorgeous and I was disappointed I didn't bring my swimsuit because we had 3 hours of free time aka beach time.  I was tempted to just go in with my clothes on, but settled for sticking my feet in.  Interesting fact is that this is the beach where they filmed part of the James Bond, Die Another Day movie.  Cádiz is said to resemble Havana, Cuba in a lot of ways (although Cádiz was first).  In my picture you can see the white building that juts out into the beach area.  I asked what this was and apparently it used to be a place for rich people to come take in some fresh air and enjoy the scenery, but not be out in the sun because tan skin meant you were a poorer person that needed to manual labor outdoors (now it is a building for underwater archeology...there are many boats that were sunk in the nearby water so they look at the artifacts that remain).  

   Sunday morning rise and shine.  Courtney and I got up early to go on a hiking trip near Huelva.  The area was called Santa Olalla and the route was 14 kilometers (about 8.7 miles).  The hike started at a castle and continued on through the Spanish country-side.  The two times I've gone hiking in Spain, I've been surprised by the scenery...the rolling green hills and animals (we saw sheep, bulls, horses, and pigs) are more of what I picture as Ireland.  There were also large fields of pretty little white and yellow flowers.  Courtney and I were really hoping to see a waterfall because a different hike had one...there wasn't one in this area, but we did get to see a huge quarry where they
                                                      mine for copper.

                  

Palacio de Lebrija & Castillos Medievales

   Now that midterms are over (I think they went well, but grades are sometimes a little subjective here) and the rain has stopped (a solid week and a half of rain had us all down), I can start exploring Sevilla again.  Spring is definitely on it’s way!  …my biggest clue = allergies, haha  The past couple days have been beautiful and the orange trees that span the city are starting to blossom!  If I haven’t talked about the orange trees before, they are everywhere in Sevilla, I love it.  As you can probably guess, the oranges on these trees aren’t edible…technically they are, but just taste veryyyy bitter.  Apparently this is perfect for making a certain type of marmalade that is manufactured in England.  The Queen of England loves it and the Sevillan Orange Marmalade is sold across Europe.  I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m excited to in the future.

mosaic floor: remember it's made entirely of small squares

    On Thursday I visited the Palacio de Lebrija.  Our program offers various guided tours of important places in the city – they’re free and I always learn a ton.  It was fitting that I visited the palacio after going to Morocco this past weekend.  This Sevillan palacio in was similar to the Moroccan riads and palaces.  No judging a book by its cover – if you never entered through the plain wooden front door, you would have no idea how large and beautiful this house is.  It is a typical Musulman characteristic that everything important happens from the door to the inside….they did not want to seem ostentatious and there aren’t even windows to the outside (windows are typical of Christian architecture).  The primary source of light is the central patio.  The Palacio de Lebrija is said to have the some of the best floors in the world (our guide’s opinion).  This is because the woman who once owned it, the Countess of Lebrija, was an enthusiast of archeology and had multiple mosaic floors from the ruins of Itálica transported to be the floors of her home in 1914.  All of the mosaics have incredible detail, tell a story (usually a mythological one), and are constructed of tiny squares (probably 1 inch by inch).  The palace was like a museum and a majority of the artifacts were donated by the countess because she used them as her art/decoration.  The staircase leading from the summer home, or first floor made of marble (thus cooler in temperature), to the winter home, the second floor, was wrapped in tiles from an old convent.  These ceramic tiles (azulejos) are typical of Sevilla – especially Triana – because of their hand-painted geometric or scenic designs, and the color choices.  The ceramic tiles are covered in a crystal powder layer for protection, a technique that has been used since the 16^th century.

   CIEE also offers half-day trips to areas surrounding Sevilla.  Each barrio (Spanish combo of a neighborhood/suburb) on the outskirts of the city in considered Sevilla, but has it’s own name.  This morning I went to 2 of the larger barrios about a half-hour away to see their medieval castles.  First barrio = Alcalá.  For the 1992 World Expo in Sevilla, they built a mosaic dragon into one of their bridges.  The theme of this is based on a legend that Hércules brought a dragon egg to Alcalá and when it hatched, this dragon protected the city and the castle.  Just up the hill from this bridge sits the castle built during Muslim rule.  In the 700 years that Spain was under Muslim reign, the capital city was moved from Córdoba to Sevilla, and finally Granada (remember La Alhambra).  Therefore, the castle importantly located to guard the capital city from invasions from the south.  It’s construction was permitted by the same individual who ordered the Giralda (part of the Cátedral de Sevilla), and it’s towers have the same form as the Torre de Oro (the same architectural forms that are today found in Northern Africa, since many Muslims fled to Morocco after the Christian Reconquista).  Alvero is a material found in the hills here and was used to construct the castle.  It is only found in 2 places in the world, Sevilla and oddly China, but gives the castle a unique yellow color (a color that many houses nearby imitate).  Before we moved on to the next barrio, we had to try some of Alcalá’s notorious bread.  It is known simply for the designs/braids on each loaf, and everyday the breadmakers bring their products to the city and sell them in the Plaza de Pan (apparently close to my classes so I will have to check it out someday).

     Second barrio = Utrera.  Like most Spanish cities, Utrera has a patron saint, the Virgen de Consolación (virgin of consolation).  Our first stop was the sanctuary dedicated to her.  This is where many come to pray for someone to recover from illness.  A room around the corner from the main alter is dedicated to depicting stories of miraculous recoveries that have occurred after someone has prayed to the Virgen de Consolación for their loved one.  Next we got to enjoy the center of town.  We had coffee and some of the sweet pastries that Utrera is known for.  The guides all stocked up on mostachones because this type of traditional sweet pastry is representative of Utrera and isn’t sold in the city of Sevilla.  It had a good cinnamon sugar taste and is kind of like biscotti.  Another thing this town is known for is their talented flamenco singers (cantaores).  Finally, we finished off the visit by seeing the castle of Utrera – near the center and much smaller.  My favorite part was climbing up the tower and looking out over the city.

   After getting back to Sevilla, I met up with Alison and Courtney to hang out by the river (a popular activity for both Americans and Spaniards).  On our way we discovered a food fair that we were pretty excited about.  It's a temporary fair that has stands featuring food from all over the world - our choice was to get some guacamole from the Mexico stand. 
    One final thing that I want to write about in this blog is a brief preview to Semana Santa (Holy Week).  Semana Santa is the week before Easter Sunday and it is one of the most important times in Sevilla.  It is also world renowned, so there are tons of tourists traveling here to catch a glimpse of the pasos that are carried through the streets.  A paso is like a float, except carried by men instead of a vehicle.  Each represents a biblical scene and is incredibly heavy...the average paso weighs more than 4,000 pounds!  As you can imagine, it takes a lot of man-power to carry the pasos through the streets to the final destination of the Catédral.  The point of this preview to Semana Santa is that the preparations have begun in Sevilla.  On Friday night I saw a practice run of the procession near my street.  Usually there are between 30-40 men holding up the paso (in a very small space) and they practice carrying the foundation of the float with big rocks or cement blocks on top to resemble the actual weight.