Too Much Murphy for One Town to Handle

As promised, I'm finally updating on last week when I had a very special visitor in Sevilla. After lugging our three giant suitcases through the Madrid metro to the train station and then all the way to our hotel in Sevilla, we finally settled down and unpacked a little bit before taking the city by storm. I was determined to show my Mom everything Spain has to offer in 6 short days, so I may have been a bit overzealous about making her jump up and start seeing things the second we had finished unpacking.

Our first afternoon we walked around the center of town and I showed my Mom the cathedral before we stopped to get a drink. After being absolutely robbed and spending 13 euro on two beers (that's what you get when you're two American girls at a bar I guess), we went to explore the river. We just walked up and down the river a bit, which is one of my favorite parts of town, before deciding that it was time for dinner. Unfortunately, my Mom wasn't quite on Spain time yet, and she was ready for dinner at about 7. We headed over to one of my favorite restaurants, called Tabernas Coloniales, and sat down to order before being told that dinner didn't even start going until 8. Just happy to sit down, we decided to wait it out and have some wine until 8 o'clock rolled around. It was definitely worth the wait. We ordered several tapas and shared them for dinner, and I insisted that my Mom try the bread with goat cheese and honey tapa that we tried in Granada for the first time. I also made her try salmorejo and croquetas, which are both typical Spanish food; and chicken with almond sauce on it. We left very full and very happy, and called it an early night since she was still tired from flying in.

Ronda

The next day we woke up early to head to Ronda, which is the city on the cliffs that I visited for the first time a few months ago. After seeing my pictures, my Mom decided that she definitely wanted to see Ronda while she was here, and I was more than happy to go again as her tour guide. We took the same hike that Maggie and I had taken, which leads down to the bottom of the cliff and gives a great view of the city. After hiking for a while, we ate lunch at a great little restaurant which was actually situated right on the cliff so we had a perfect view of the giant bridge. The weather was great and it was really nice to see Ronda from her perspective. She got to try tortilla de patata, which is one of my favorite Spanish foods, and after lunch we walked around the streets of Ronda going in random shops and (of course) finding ice cream. We headed back to the bus station after a full day, ready to head home, only to find that the bus driver wouldn't let us on the bus. He said something about us having to get our ticket "validated" (although no one else in line had to) and we frantically ran to the ticket office where a man stamped our tickets and told us to run. We made it back just as the driver was shutting the luggage doors, and thankfully he let us on. After finally getting home we were starved, and since it was normal Spanish dinner time, we had our pick of restaurants. I don't eat out in Sevilla much, because our family makes all of our meals for us, so we had a hard time picking restaurants. We finally settled on one that I had walked by a million times before, and ordered fish plates. My Mom was a little surprised to see that my fish were still looking at me when they arrived, but luckily hers had been beheaded before they got to her.

Ronda

The next day I had to leave for a few hours to take an exam, but afterwards Maggie and I met up with my Mom for lunch. Since it was Wednesday, we headed to one of our favorite spots called Cien Montaditos, where everything is a euro on Wednesdays. Cien Montaditos is known for having little sandwiches, but we all opted to try the salads instead, and got some olives on the side just to be a little more Spanish. The best part of the euro deal are the huge jars of beer you can get for a euro, so of course those were an integral part of our meal as well. After Cien Montaditos we headed across the street to a place called Lizarran where you pick tiny little tapas on toothpicks out of a glass case and then pay at the end based on how many toothpicks you have. It's a really fun place because they have all kinds of different things to try, but they're little so you can have a lot of different ones before you get full. Since we'd already eaten a little bit, we each got a dessert tapa and a beer, and hung out for a little bit before walking through the centro and going into a few shops. Maggie went back home after lunch, and my Mom and I went to tour the castle, which is called Reales Alcazares. I hadn't been back since we first toured it with our program in January, and it was definitely much prettier in the spring time. The flowers were all in bloom, and the peacocks were roaming around the castle grounds. The castle is huge, and since it was built by Arabs, it has an Arabic design which includes several different buildings connected by patios as opposed to the normal Cinderella-esque castle we normally think of. Unfortunately, I didn't really remember too much from our January tour, so I probably wasn't the best tour guide, but it was still pretty to look at. In order to prepare for the very Spanish night we had ahead of us, we took some time at the cafe to hang out and rest before heading off again. Our next stop was a bull fight, which we decided was a must do if you are in Spain. The bull fights had just started up the week before my Mom came, and I'd say we picked a great one to go to. I didn't know too much about bull fights before I went, and I was really surprised at how it all worked.

The matador with the bull

DISCLAIMER: This may get graphic. We settled into our seats at the bull fight, and had no idea what we were about to see in the next two hours. A little background: each fight consists of 3 matadors, and 6 bulls. Each matador has 2 fights, and all 6 bulls are killed throughout the 2 hour period that you are there. We had learned in my culture class that bull fights are an art form in Spain, and that they are not considered a sport. Nevertheless, it felt like a sports arena once people started cheering for the matadors. I think my Mom and I may have been the only people in the bull ring cheering for the bulls, but I just wanted one of them to be spared (which can be done if the crowd thinks the bull really deserves it.) First things first, the bull is let out into the arena and runs around very proudly before encountering a few of the matadors "helpers." They basically serve to make the bull dizzy and run him around a bit, and then after a few minutes they each take a turn spearing him in the back. After the helpers, two blindfolded horses come out and are used to wear the bull out as well. Although he's already covered in blood by this point, the bull is still full of strength, and tries multiple times to lift the horse off the ground. It amazed me how strong these bulls were, because at one point he had the horse (with the man riding the horse) completely on his back and in the air, all the while being stabbed by the man on the horse. The horses wear a protective coat, but I still felt really bad for them because they were blindfolded and had no idea what was attacking them. After the horses leave the arena, the matador finally comes out to fight the bull. We were surprised that the matadors were so feminine seeming, because I had always picture them being very masculine. It almost looked like the matador was doing ballet movements when he got the bull to charge at him. He let the bull charge several times before finally trading in his small sword for a real one, and stabbing the bull. It takes a while for the bull to die, and the three helpers come out again to run the bull around and make him dizzy so he will fall more quickly. Once he finally falls, one of the helpers stabs him several times to ensure that he is dead before the horses come and drag him away. The sand of the area is swept and then in comes the next bull...5 more times.

The first bull was the hardest for me to watch, but you kind of become desensitized to the whole thing after a few bulls. I was happy to learn that the bulls who are raised to fight are treated like kings for the first 4-6 years of their lives before they are put into the ring. It was still hard to watch, because I love animals, but I am definitely glad that we went. Two of the matadors earned a very special honor, because when they went in for the kill, they pierced the bull right through the heart and/or aorta, and the bull died almost instantly. If this happens, the matador is presented with one of the ears of the bull he just killed as a sort of trophy. The matadors were so proud that they received an ear, and the crowd went absolutely nuts for them. It was cool to get to witness this part of a bull fight, because apparently it doesn't happen all too often.

Flamenco show

After the bull fight, we didn't have much time for dinner before we were heading to a flamenco show, so we stopped by the ever trustworthy McDonald's for a quick taste of home. Maggie met us at La Carboneria, which we had been to a few times before, and my Mom got to experience a flamenco show. We ended up getting front row seats, which meant we were almost touching the woman as she danced, and it was cool to watch. After what had been a very long (and very Spanish filled) day, we headed home.

The next day, and our last day in Sevilla, we headed to tour the cathedral and climb the bell tower, which my Mom was really excited for. I am always awestruck by the cathedral, even after being here for so long, and it was nice to see an outside perspective. My mom loved the cathedral and all of the different areas inside. We went to climb up the ramps to the top of the bell tower, and were sad to find that it was really really crowded. We finally made it to the top surrounded by a field trip of what felt like millions of teenagers. The view definitely made it worth it, and I was glad that my Mom was able to witness it in person, since I truly don't think that pictures can do it justice. We stopped by a store near the cathedral to buy olive oil, which was on the top of my Mom's bucket list since she got here. The olive oil here is really great, and there isn't anything comparable in the US. After picking out a few bottles of olive oil, we went to lunch at a nearby place and I (once again) forced my Mom to try some of my favorite Spanish foods: paella and huevos rotos. Both were delicious, and I think that she may have found a few recipes while she was here that she can make back home. We decided to adapt to our Spanish lifestyle and take a much needed siesta before finishing up the sites that I wanted her to see, which included the Plaza de Espana and Maria Luisa Park. I think she loved both of these places as much as I do, and I was really happy to show off my city for her. It was nice to be showing a parent a city for once, since usually it is the other way around. I think that my Mom loved Sevilla just as much as I do, because it offers a little bit of everything; from water to green to old cobblestone roads. We ended up the day by going to dinner at my host family's house, and my Mom finally got to meet the family that I've been living with for the past 4 months. As I had promised her earlier, Carmen did indeed show my Mom her bare butt. Other than that, the kids were on their best behavior, and my Mom even got to meet one of the family friends who is always hanging around. Pilar had made us a huge spread of different types of food, and we sat around the table and ate family style while my Mom got to know the family. After we had eaten, I explained to my Mom that Pilar had made herself and the kids new flamenco dresses for Feria that started the next week. This led to a runway show where the girls modeled their dresses for us. Maria and her Dad even broke into some impromptu flamenco dancing, and we got to see what the "sevillana" dance looks like. We finally had to call it a night since we were heading to Madrid really early the next day, and we headed back to the hotel one last time.

The next morning we woke up bright and early and headed back to Madrid. After lugging one of the suitcases to Pilar's the night before to switch out my summer and winter clothes, the wheel had broken and we were stuck with a giant suitcase that was nearly impossible to roll. We braved the metro anyway, and did a mixture of dragging and pushing the suitcase through until we got to our hotel. Luckily we were greeted by doormen who swiftly took the bag to our room where we could forget about it for a few days. Our hotel was much nicer than the one in Sevilla, but we were surprised to find an apparatus that resembled a vacuum cleaner attached to the bathroom wall. We later found out that this was a hairdryer, although I think it may have literally been the original model for a hair dryer. We headed out to explore Madrid, and ended up heading straight to eat. We found a nice little tapas place, and my Mom got to try yet another Spanish food called patatas bravas (basically potatoes with a type of hot sauce on them). By this point, I think I had literally made her try every type of Spanish food in existence. After shopping for a little while on Madrid's version of 5th Avenue, we headed back and took a siesta. When we woke up, we headed over to the Prado Museum, which is free from 6-8 PM, and toured it with my friend Kasey who is studying in Madrid. The Prado Museum was more fun than I expected, and it was interesting to see paintings in person that I have learned about in Spanish classes all of my life. We went to dinner with Kasey and caught up with her a bit before heading back to our hotel.

Cathedral in Toledo

The next morning we woke up and took a day trip to Toledo, which is about a 30 minute train ride from Madrid. The train ride was infinitely nicer with no luggage, and the train station in Toledo was really beautiful. We had read to skip the touristy buses outside of the train station and instead just head uphill until you find the city. Whoever gave us this advice wasn't kidding about the uphill part, and after what felt like climbing Everest, we finally made it to the top where the city is. We made the cathedral our first stop, and were soon accosted by a man who insisted that we just had to go visit the artisan workshop beneath a local convent. Figuring it might be cool, we set out to find this convent and went inside where we got to watch local artisans making a classic Toledo craft, which consists of plating gold in designs onto different jewelry or other objects. It was pretty cool to watch, but our hunger got the best of us and we headed back to the cathedral area where we grabbed some coffee and tortilla de patata. After eating, we walked around in search for the El Greco Museum, and found our way to the Jewish Quarters of Toledo. The city itself was very beautiful, and we stumbled into a pottery gallery where we were sent downstairs into a labyrinth of pottery. Apparently there is an entire part of Toledo that is located underground, and this is where the people used to live. It was really cool to experience the underground section, and we got a really pretty ceramic pitcher with oranges on it in honor of Sevilla. On our attempt to find the El Greco Museum, we stumbled into a church where mass was going on, and decided it would be less rude to join than to open the door again. So we joined mass, and my Mom got to experience first hand what I experienced on Easter Sunday at the cathedral. Mass in Spain is identical to mass in the US, except for it is obviously in Spanish. It was an interesting experience, and we were definitely happy to have accidentally stumbled into it. We (finally) found the Greco Museum and got to go in while it was free. The museum was modeled after the home of the artist, and it was one of the cooler museums I've been in. After the museum we went to a nearby restaurant and got the "Menu del dia," which ended up being a ton of food. With full stomachs and tired from a jam packed week of sight seeing, we kept up our Spanish tradition of siesta-ing, and found a giant park bench long enough for both of us to spread out. Needless to say, I feel asleep pretty quickly lying in the sun, and my Mom woke me up telling me it was time we head back to catch our train.

We had another bit of trouble going home from this day trip (similar to Ronda a few days before) and had to argue our way out of accidentally buying the wrong type of ticket. Luckily it worked, and we headed back to Madrid.

Inside the pottery store 

Reales Alcazares

Matador

 The next day ended up being a little less tranquil than my Mom had hoped, because the alarm she had set to give her plenty of time to get ready for the airport never went off. We ended up waking up 15 minutes before we had decided we needed to leave, and it put things into a bit of a hurry. Luckily we had packed up our bags the night before, and we were able to navigate the metro quickly and make it to the airport on time. After walking through what was, I'm pretty sure, the ENTIRE Madrid airport, we finally got to her check in desk and got rid of the awful bags. Now super sweaty and tired, we headed to security where we had to say our goodbyes. I jumped on the metro and headed back to the train station, and on the way I met a couple from Texas who had just arrived in Madrid to meet up with their daughter who is also studying abroad in Sevilla...small world. I made it to my train with plenty of time, and had a great nap on the way home. I arrived back to sunny Sevilla and headed to the river to meet up with some friends. Luckily I had this day to relax, because Feria started the next day...and boy would I need my rest.