España

I suppose I should update this, especially now that I’m actually doing things.


First of all, Spain was a really great country to start off this voyage. I absolutely loved it. Dinner doesn’t start there until 9-10pm, and people typically stay out until 4am or later. It was totally normal for restaurants to be completely packed with families (kids too) at 2 in the morning. And it’s not a big deal because every day there is siesta time from 2-5 in the afternoon where all businesses close for a nation-wide nap. Why can’t we have something like that in America? Seriously. Anyways, I spent all of my time in Cadiz and Seville, both really fun cities in the southernmost province, Andalucía. Cadiz is right on the water and everything is walking distance from the port. I spent a lot of time exploring the old town and hanging out at the beach (I am going to be so tan when I get back, you guys won’t believe it). Seville is a two-hour train ride north, and I spent a few days there with some other girls. We ended up getting lost trying to find a hostel, so we went into a random flamenco dance museum / studio (?) and this old man named Joaquim who spoke really good English was nice enough to actually walk us to our destination. Later we went back to see a show and he got us in for only 10 euro + we got front row seats. Then he recommended a restaurant in the Jewish district which had amazing tapas. Tapas can be any kind of food and are basically just Spanish snacks. I didn’t eat a real meal once in Spain, just 3 or 4 tapas wherever I went. They’re perfect for people who are indecisive when ordering food at restaurants (Mitch). Joaquim ended up meeting us at the restaurant later with his Italian student workers who were studying abroad in Spain and working at the flamenco studio to gain experience. After dinner (so, like 11pm), he gave us a personal tour of Seville by night. We ended up seeing so much of the city, a guidebook would never compare. He took us to this hotel built around Roman ruins where you could still see the columns from ancient Rome. There were so many atriums filled with plants and fountains and Roman art. It was the most beautiful hotel I have ever been to. I really wish I could remember the name but I had had a few glasses of sangria by that point and my memory is a little fuzzy. The next day we went to the Cathedral, which is the largest in Spain and the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. We also went to the alcázar, where the Castiles and a bunch of other famous Spaniards lived. It was so gigantic and elaborately decorated; I can’t imagine how long it took to build. All of the architecture was Islamic from when the Moors ruled Spain, so the walls were covered in detailed and colorful Mosaics. I love Islamic art. But the gardens were the best part. I tried uploading pictures from the Cathedral my last day in Spain (yes, there is free wifi at the CATHEDRAL in Cadiz) but it was taking too long, so those will have to wait. In the meantime, I’m just going to ask all of you to google “Alcázar de Sevilla”.

I’ve been in Morocco for four days now. I just got back to the ship from Marrakech today and I was planning on writing about it, but I’m exhausted and it will have to wait. Bon soir, mes amis.