¡Toledo y Sevilla!

The past few days have been a complete whirlwind! Let's see, the last time I posted, we had just gotten to Toledo. I hadn't read much about Toledo before coming to Spain, so I didn't really know what to expect, but dang. It was honestly a breaktaking place. The whole city is surrounded by a huge stone wall, and the cobblestone streets within the city are winding and narrow, just like a tiny medieval town. Every time we would turn down another street, I would slow my pace and just look around, trying to remember everything I was seeing. On Friday, we went into the city for a tour, but before the bus dropped us off, it took us to a spot above the city where we could get out and take pictures. It was amazing. If you ever get to Madrid, make the short trip to Toledo-- you won't regret it. :)

On Saturday, we were finally on our way to Sevilla! There was a 7-hour bus ride involved, but even that was awesome. We got to see a lot of the Spanish terrain-- green fields, rows of olive trees, rolling hills... Plus, it was good to relax for a while after the craziness of the first week.

When we finally got to Sevilla, all of our host families were waiting for us, and they were all just as excited and anxious as we were. My roommate and I were introduced to our house-mom, and away we went! She drove us home, helped us get our luggage situated, and then showed us around. She is so incredible! I can't say that enough. The first night, she sat in the living room with us and asked us a whole bunch of questions about ourselves, writing down our answers so she could remember them-- she said she has a photographic memory! Since then, she has told us over and over that we are now her "niñas" and that her house is our house. She is really patient with us, too-- if we don't understand what she's saying, she'll repeat it or find a different way to explain it. Plus, she's an awesome cook!

Sevilla has been amazing so far. It rained the first day we were here, so it was a little difficult to get oriented, but it's all starting to click now. (Of course, I should definitely say that none of this would have gone as smoothly if we hadn't had our wonderful ISA directors guiding us!) On Monday, we took a placement test and went on a tour of the university. Everyone keeps saying that it is so big, but I just smile-- it's got nothing on UAB! Haha. But it is really cool. I actually can't wait to start classes! I got my schedule today and am going to be taking Advanced Spanish I, History of Spain, Spanish Civilization and Culture, and History of Spanish Art. Fun, right? :)

Well, it's late, and I have classes tomorrow, so hasta luego!

¡El Primero!

¡Hola! So I finally made it. ¡España! The first day consisted mainly of trying to get everyone situated in the hotel. We did take a night bus tour of Madrid, which leads me to one thing that I have learned already on this trip: Spain is gorgeous at night. I've only been to two different places at night (Madrid y Toledo), but they are both really stunning.
On Day 2, we took tours of El Museo del Prado y El Palacio Real. I was so excited! I was able to see Velasquez's Las Meninas up close and personal, as well as some Goya works! In the afternoon, we had free time, so a group of us set out to explore the city. We walked over to Parque del Retiro (Madrid's equivalent to Central Park, as we were told) and wandered through it. One of the best memories of the day was finding a playground in the park!

After the hanging out in the park, we decided to walk back to our hotel because we wanted to be able to see Madrid. And do you know what we happened to come across on our way home? The Hard Rock Cafe Madrid. Yep. And of course, I stopped in and got the shirt to add to my collection. (For those of you who don't know, I collect the Hard Rock shirts that are made especially for each location.)

There was one other thing that should be mentioned. There are cows. Everywhere. Painted cows. Cowparade.com.

Today we visited Valle de los Caídos and El Real Monasterio de El Escorial de San Lorenzo. Valle de los Caídos was not at all what I expected. The inside was awesome, but we weren't allowed to take pictures. :( But the huge cross was pretty cool, too.

Tomorrow is Toledo! Talk to you soon! ¡Chau!