Ronda + Arcos de la Frontera

On Friday, I had the opportunity to go with my program on a day trip to the historic towns of Ronda and Arcos de la Frontera. Chelsea and I almost didn’t get to go as we got severely lost on our way to meet the group to go, but only a half hour late, we made it just in time.

Ronda

Ronda had some amazing scenic views, with the Puente Nuevo bridge spanning the canyon of the river Guadalevín. The town itself is very old, with its origins dating back to the Neolithic age. We got the opportunity to see the Plaza de Toros de Ronda, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain. Afterword, we walked around the city and visited a lot of really cute shops.

Wikipedia – Ronda

Arcos de la Frontera

Arcos is another historic city, with evidence of Stone-age cave dwellings and Roman ruins. We toured the historic district of the town, high at the top of the city. The main attraction was the Gothic cathedral that was constructed by Alfonso the Wise and also the Castillo de Arcos, a 15^th century castle.

Wikipedia – Arcos de la Frontera

Actualización

Hey, just wanted to let everyone know that I am having a great time. I've been in Spain for almost four weeks and I've finally settled into a routine with class and homework, so that has made a huge difference. I’m getting along with my roommate, Chelsea, really, really well and we both absolutely love our house mom, Rosario.

I am currently taking Intermediate Spanish II, Ecological Systems, International Marketing, Spanish Civilization and Culture and Spanish Culture and History Through Film. My language class is difficult for me because I kinda suck at Spanish, but little by little I am getting better. Other than that, my other classes are pretty easy so far and fun. There is a lot of reading and not much homework so I have been able to stay up to date with the coursework.

Chelsea and I are currently finalizing all our plans for our trip to Paris in two weekends! We will be there for 6 days and 5 nights. This will be our first big adventure on our own since coming to Spain, so we are really excited about it!

Leccion de Vocabulario

bocadillo -  this is the Spanish word for sandwich! The study abroad kids love our bocadillos. Our Spanish mama’s make them for us for school and any day we won’t be home for lunch. Usually, they are ham. Rosario has noticed though that Chelsea and I aren’t super crazy about the ham, so we have had a lot of turkey instead. Haha. Although she has branched out to chorizo and the Spanish version of salami lately.

postres – Spanish word for “dessert.” I have definitely been enjoying the Spanish postres, possibly a little too much. Although my Spanish madre feeds me very healthy, I always find my way to wonderful desserts.

jarra – Spanish for “jar” or “pitcher.” However, it is also the name of the size of a beer here in Spain. :) I most commonly enjoy jarras of Mahou or Cruzcampo.

My half-drank jarra de cerveza.

Ruins of Ítalica

Friday morning we went to the ruins of Ítalica, Roman ruins that are located very close to Sevilla. Chelsea and I made it to this trip on time, but for some reason I am having terrible luck with my camera and accidentally forgot it. But again, I took some pictures on my iPhone, they didn't turn out as good as the ones at the Alcázar, but it worked.

Ítalica was a Roman city that founded in 206 BC originally as a retirement village for injured and old soldiers of the Roman army. Eventually the city grew in size and even featured a coliseum for gladiator games and a large amphitheater. The Roman Emperor Trajan was born in this city in 53 AD. Although most of the city is still uncovered, some of the area where the houses used to be and the coliseum are available to be toured. However, the coliseum is not fully intact as it lost its 3rd balcony of seating area due to dynamite from a highway being built over the area sometime in the 50s (I think).

The Alcázar of Sevilla

Figured I would tell you guys about my tour of the Alcázar in Sevilla before I forgot about it. The Alcázar Real (Royal Castle) is located right next to the Cathedral in Sevilla. It was originally built as a Moorish castle in about 913 AD, but subsequent Spanish monarchs added onto it, making it into the elaborate building it is today. Although almost the entire castle is open for tours and visitors, the upper levels of the Alcazar are still used today as the official Sevilla residence of the Spanish Royal Family. The Alcazar also includes extensive gardens, which you will see pictures of. Of course, I forgot to charge my camera for this tour so I took all these pictures on my iPhone. AND because Chelsea and I are awesome, we were late for the tour and didn't meet back up with our group until the end, so I don't actually know the stories behind most of the rooms, statues, art, etc. in the castle. But I got some cool pictures, so enjoy!

España Auténtica

Today, I think I got a real taste of authentic Spain. So, for the past couple days my house mother, Rosario, has been telling Chelsea and I that she planned to go to the country with her friends on Sunday. We were bummed out because we love spending time with Rosario, but we thought oh fine, we'll make do without her. Then today, Rosario kept repeating that she was leaving at 12:15. Then noon came around and Chelsea and I were just sitting in our pajamas, relaxing with our coffee, when Rosario came into the room and became all worried why we weren't ready yet! We then realized that the reason she had been talking about it so much was because she wanted us to go with her!! For some reason, our invitation to the country had gotten lost in translation : / Anyways, so we hurried up and got ready and we were off!

Rosario's friend Petrie drove us about a half hour out of Sevilla into the country. We met up with another car of two old ladies who were showing us the way out to an olive grove. When we were almost there, the car in front of us tried to avoid driving through a puddle but ended up stuck in an irrigation culvert! There was no damage to the car and no one was hurt, but it was definitely a hilarious situation seeing all these old women flit about and not understand a word they were saying. One of the women made a call on her cell phone and a couple older men came and got the car out safe and sound.

The little car in the irrigation culvert. Notice the wheel off the road.

When we finally arrived to the little country "casita" (tiny little shack in the middle of a grove of olive trees), the food was ready for us. TWO TABLES FULL! Granted, there were probably about 10 or 12 people there but there was definitely plenty of food. They had chips, olives, crackers, mystery dip, different types of ham (of course), cheese, Spanish stuffing, and grilled sardines (there was a lot more that I am forgetting). Then, when I thought I couldn't eat any more, they brought out four different homemade desserts. Since Chelsea and I were the young American guests, every time the old ladies saw that our plates were empty or our mouths weren't chewing, they gave us more to eat. I honestly don't think I will need to eat for at least another two days.

The ladies preparing the table for lunch.

The Spanish stuffing. It was amazing!

Some mystery spread/meat thing that Petrie had me try. Not so amazing.

During this meal there was a lot of talking, singing, music and even some dancing by Rosario and Petrie. Although Chelsea and I couldn't understand any of the conversation it was a really great time. Definitely an experience!

One of the olive trees.

Chelsea investigating where our Spanish stuffing came from.

Lección de Vocabulario

Although daily life in Sevilla so far has been great, it's honestly not all that interesting to write about yet. So I’ve decided to let you guys know some of the things I have encountered in Sevilla so far and to give some insight into Spanish culture. 

Tapas: These are kind of the equivalent to an American appetizer but can take the place of a meal. Tapas are served at almost every bar and restaurant and many places only serve tapas. Tapas serve a social function and are commonly ordered while drinking with friends. Just like there are many, many kinds of appetizers there are also many kinds of tapas. Some kinds of tapas that I have encountered so far are:

 potato tortillas 

seafood  paella

croquetas  

Spanish olives

fried calamari   

 thin pork chops with whiskey sauce

Jamón: This is the Spanish word for ham. They friggin love their ham here. They honestly cannot get enough ham. In fact, one of their finest delicacies is a cured ham leg, which you can find hanging in almost every store. To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of ham, I mean I’ll eat it, but eating the ham here has been a bit of a struggle for me. The ham here is just… different.

A typical display of cured ham legs in a supermarket or meat shop.

Siesta: Many of you are probably familiar with this word. In Sevilla and many other parts of Spain, they practice the siesta. It is a time during the afternoon, usually somewhere between 2pm-5pm, when the shops close down for a couple hours. Traditionally it was so people could go home and take a nap during the hottest part of the day. Now it basically exists so people can go home to eat lunch. Since arriving to Sevilla, both Chelsea and I have actively practiced the traditional form of siesta and take long naps during this time of the day, haha.

Vale: This is the Spanish word for “okay.” This word is used only in Spain, not in any of the Latin American countries that speak Spanish. For those of you who don’t know much Spanish, the Spanish V is pronounced much more like a soft B. So valle ends up sounding much more like “bah-lay” which is similar to the Spanish word for dance. So you can see why I was very confused as to what the word actually meant until someone explained it to me.