Marquette takes on Córdoba and Sevilla!!

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to travel with the whole Marquette group down to
Córdoba and Sevilla, Spain. This was our last full group, organized activity and it was so nice to get to spend the weekend with everyone I have grown so close to over the last three months.

We left Madrid at 7am on Saturday, well at least we were supposed to, but the MU group is kind of scattered and we got a later start than planned. After a 5 hour bus ride we got to Córdoba. Córdoba is the location of a famous Mesquita that was built starting around 600 and has changed so much since that time. During the reconquest the Catholics took over the Mesquita and built a Cathedral in the center of it. It was one of the most interesting buildings I have ever seen. The architecture and the contrast between the mosque and the cathedral were amazing! One of our professors was on this trip with us and he is a never ending supply of knowledge about the things we were seeing. While it is nice to have a personal guide who knows a lot, (in fact random bystanders often jumped into our tour to listen to my professor), it can get a little boring and dull. After some free time and a tour through a cute "barrior" (area of town) we got back on the bus for a two hour drive to Sevilla.

We got to Sevilla, found our hotel and got some more free time for dinner (always nice)!! My friend Carolyn had made plans for us to meet up with her high school friend that was studying in Sevilla. She took us to a really delicious, cheap restaurant the only the locals know about for dinner. It was so packed and the food was amazing!! After dinner we got to go see a real flamenco show! Flamenco originated in Andalusia (the region of Spain that Sevilla is in). The show was two hours long and consisted of four female and two male dancers. Everyone of them were amazing! I personally liked the male dancers better because they do fancier foot work than the women and it's incredible to watch.

The next day we began early with a tour of the Alcazar, or the royal palace. The weather was amazing that day so it was great to wander around the gardens of the palace and spend some quality time with my friends! Abrantes, my professor, talked at us again about all the architecture of the building and the significance of the different areas of the palace. We moved on then as a group to the Plaza de Espana. This Plaza was like nothing I had seen before. There was a lake/pond in the middle of it and a gorgeous building surrounding it.

One of the major things to see in Sevilla is the Cathedral. This cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It also is believed to be the burial site of Christopher Columbus. The inside was breathtaking and full of great Gothic details. We got to climb to the top of the tower to view the city from above! Sevilla is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, place I have been in Spain so far. The atmosphere was so different than Madrid, it was smaller and was full of character. I would love to go back there some day!!

The trip ended with a six hour bus ride back home to Madrid. I had a great time visiting these cities and spending time with my friends!!

How's life in general? Life is good! I still love being in Madrid and all the amazing experience I get to have! I am enjoying my classes a lot, but I'm not looking forward to mid-terms this coming week! All the friends I have made while here makes it that much better! We have such a good time together!

As it get's closer to Thanksgiving, I am sad that I wont get to spend it with my family, but I know that I will see everyone soon! Also, only 23ish days until my dad comes to Spain!! I'm so excited to get to show someone around the city that I have grown to love and have been calling home!

That's all for now! ¡Hasta Luego!

 Inside the Mesquita de Córdoba

 Friends in the Gardens of the Alcazar

 Gothic Style alter in the Cathedral of Sevilla

MU group!!