Mama mia!

So much for the slow-paced Spanish lifestyle -- I haven't had more than 10 free minutes to sit down in front of the computer for the past week, which I suppose is actually a good thing. Last time I wrote, I was headed for drinks with some friends, so I'll take it from there.

A group of 7 or 8 students from my school were going out for a drink or three Friday night, so even though I planned to be on a train to Malaga at 7AM the next morning (it's about 3 hours from Sevilla), I went too. At 4AM, I arrived back at my apartment, fully intending to go to Malaga in three hours. When I woke up Saturday around 8, I panicked a little because I'd clearly missed my train, and the next wasn't until 11. I decided it wasn't worth traveling 3 hours to Malaga and 3 hours back that late in the day, so I quickly decided to go to Cadiz instead.

An old friend of mine from college, Lord Byron, said about the town: " ...Cadiz, sweet Cadiz! It is the most delightful town I ever beheld..." I think I've beheld more delightful, but I did really love it. My professor told me that Cadiz is "muy precioso," and I'd describe it the same way. The town itself is actually quite small, and all the locals seem to know each other. Cadiz sits on the Costa del Sol and has some of the prettiest beaches I've seen in Europe. I also saw the ruins of an old Roman theatre from 50BC -- I literally stumbled on it when I headed towards the water immediately after getting off the train. Pictures from Cadiz are here.

Sunday was a rainy day in Andalusia, so I decided to stay in Sevilla. I trekked across town with my umbrella to some friends' house -- we planned to get lunch before they headed for the last bullfight of the year. All through lunch, my friends tried to convince me to buy a ticket to attend the fight, but I refused. A few days before, I took a tour of the arena because I do understand and appreciate that it's such a longstanding tradition in Spain, but I don't feel any need to watch a matador kill a bull before my eyes. As it turned out, the fight was cancelled due to the weather. You can imagine my excitement -- no animals would have to die in Sevilla that day! Oddly enough, as soon as the fight was cancelled, the sun came out :)

While the others waited in line to get their money back from the bullfight, my friend Kate and I went to a great tapas bar in the city center for a glass of wine. We ended up having drinks with another group from school who were just out for a walk -- when they passed by the bar I called to them, and they came in for what ended up being a few hours. It's amazing how small Sevilla is... I haven't walked around town yet without meeting someone from school in the streets. Even when I went to Cadiz, I saw someone I know. Anyway, after drinks, we had dinner at a restaurant situated almost directly ON the cathedral in Sevilla. Our table faced it and, on a patio at night, with the full moon, it was gorgeous. The paella was pretty good, too.

I didn't get home until about 2AM Monday morning, so I slept a little longer than I usually do. I was so happy to observe Columbus Day, regardless of who discovered America. When I woke up I went into the kitchen to make some coffee and was surprised to find some guy standing there in his boxer shorts and a t-shirt... my new flatmate. Martijn is also from Holland (practically half my school is), and he's a journalist. He doesn't speak much Spanish at all, and he's never been to Sevilla, so I offered to show him the school and the grocery store and some other essentials. Later in the day, Martijn and I walked around town and then sat in the sun for lunch -- while we were waiting for our food, a heavy-set woman walked on to the patio where we were seated and started singing the Spanish national anthem, loudly. She then continued with La Bamba and some other songs, and for the finale, she danced. I was surprised that people gave her money when she walked around to each table after her show... maybe they just wanted her to stop?

Tuesday night I had 8 or 10 friends over to cook dinner -- we walked home together immediately after classes, and hit the grocery store on the way. We also recruited a new guy from Los Angeles to join us... the more, the merrier. We sat on my patio from 6PM-1AM eating and drinking, and enjoying being in Spain. We started the night off speaking in English, but by 1AM my r's were rolling. Also, I've been reading this book called "Talk Dirty: Spanish," which was a gift from two darling friends, and I'll tell you, it makes for some pretty hilarious conversations. I study it nightly, along with my homework.

Classes on Wednesday were tough, mostly because the vino here flows like (and is cheaper than) water. In my final class of the day, my teacher said to me in Spanish, "chiquita, I heard you had quite the party in your flat last night. Miguelito told me about it last hour. I can see it in your face, too." It's just like high school.

Wednesday night I went on a walking tour of Triana, the neighborhood across the bridge in Sevilla. Triana is where the "marineros" used to live since it's right on the river, and it's also famous for ceramics and tiles. The moon was still full, so it made for a very nice night. After the tour, a group of us went for tapas -- I had the best gazpacho I've tasted in Spain. So delicious.

Tonight I'm going to my first flamenco show in Sevilla, and I can't wait! I didn't think anyone was interested in going, but I've managed to recruit 7 others to do something a little more cultural than drink. Wait, maybe it isn't more cultural based on what I've been doing and seeing so far... either way, it should be fun. I'm also looking forward to going to Cordoba and Granada this weekend with my friend from home, Alyson, and also with Kate from school. Good stuff.