But I had the best time in Spain! We arrived in port Cadiz, pronounced CAdith (with a lisp). We took pictures of our first time getting off the ship since Bahamas, and then set foot on land. At the time, we had a hard time adjusting to land, and as soon as someone started complaining about the swaying we all felt motion sickness, especially during the first two days in Spain.
In Cadiz we went to a little café for breakfast/lunch, but we ordered what we knew how to ask for: toast, eggs, coffee. Then we walked through Cadiz, stumbled upon Cathedrals, and monuments, and shopping of course. I signed up for a SAS city orientation, where a great tour guide got us VIP into the Town Hall, the Cathedral for a tour, told us about the local libations, vina y sangria. A wine called Sherry is the regional specialty. It tasted like prune juice, spiked with whiskey…sooo gross but at least we tried it and swallowed it politely. I went to a Flamenco dance and Bull Fight that night too. I was a little disappointed because they tease the bull and torture the trisage horses while the horses dance with the Flamenco dancers. I guess it’s a staple of their culture, and we have to respect that. Then we went out at night to a local bar where there were mostly SAS kids and some locals. One of the locals was a great dancer and lead a group dance very similar to the Cha Cha slide all night long. Obviously my feet were killing me, so I walked barefoot through the streets of Cadiz back to the ship. Good thing I got those Tetanus shots, but at least I can say I really got a good feel for Cadiz.
The next morning I woke up very early to catch a train to Sevilla, a bigger city than Cadiz. Tall orange trees are a staple of Sevilla, which we admired all throughout Sevilla. We checked into the hostel, Triana Backpackers. It was nice, but had a funky smell despite the fact that people were cleaning from the moment we got there to the time we left. Then we went out to a little hole-in-the-wall tapas restaurant for some breakfast/lunch at 3pm. After that we purchased tickets to the Futbol (soccer) game: Sevilla vs. Valencia. We had a great time at the game, Sevilla won, so the town was going crazy that night.
Spain is known for their nightlife and bars don’t get busy until 1:30-2:00 am in the morning. That night we went to Buddha Bar nightclub where we ran into so many SAS people. We danced all night—again, but I kept my shoes on this time. The next morning/day we spent sightseeing in Sevilla. Alcazar was a palace that was built in the 13th century with beautiful gardens, Islamic/Moroccan Influence/massive collection of handcrafted fans and tile.
Right across from the Alcazar is the 3rd largest Cathedral in the world: Cathedral de Sevilla. Christopher Columbus’ tomb is in the middle of the Cathedral right next to the massive, gold altar. The Cathedral was so lush. Then we hiked 40 floors up to the top of the Giralda tower for a panoramic view of Sevilla. I was mostly surprised with the amount of cranes hanging over the city—everything is under restoration. The city is very Romanesque in that each building is older than the next.
That night we went to a locals Flamenco night…we had to stick together because us American’s stick out like soar thumbs. I was wearing flip-flops to walk around the city that night, and some Spaniard who I stopped for directions asked me if I was going to the pool. Generally Spaniards feel contempt for Americans since the beginning of our involvement with Iraq. Nonetheless, I had an awesome experience with all of my new friends in Spain.Morocco tomorrow! I miss you all!
xoxo
1st: picture of me on a vehicle in Cadiz, breaking the SAS rules
2nd: picture of "the posse" in front of Cathedral de Sevilla
3rd: picture me and Natasha at the Futbol game
4th: picture of me from a tower at Alcazar Palace
5th: picture of posse before Flamenco night at dinner
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