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Hola! We are half way through day 2 of Seville, Spain.
Yesterday we conquered the next big adventure of our jourmey: figuring out how to activate our rail passes and use the train system. It turned out to be incredibly easy. We walked for about fifteen minutes from our hostel in Madrid, walked in, got a ticket, and were in Seville checking into our next hostel 3 hours later. Navigating the train station in Madrid in Spanish was simpler than any train station I´ve been in in America (particularly D.C...) From there we walked around. got lunch, and began our hunt to find a good place to watch the US worls cup game. This proved more challenging. An hour later, sweaty and frustrated, we still had no idea where we would be able to see the game. It was about 10 minutes before the game was supposed to start when I heard a woman say: Where are we going to watch the football?
Her husband responded: The Irish pub right up here. It´s awesome.
Bingo.
Naturally, we followed them and when we entered we were greeted with a sea of painted faces and flags draped over shoulders. We managed to find a seat at a table with American students that were studying abroad. The game was exciting/very frustrating. Anna was feeling the jetlag and the heat, so in stoppage time I considered giving up and just leaving in disappointment, but at that moment Landon Donovan scored a miracle goal and the place went nuts. It was amazing. And I fulfilled my goal of chanting U-S-A! like a total jackass.
On a seperate note, our hostel was a sauna last night. It was so hot I thought I was going to die. I don´t think I slept at all. At about 3:45, I walked upstairs to the terrace on the roof and sat up there with the nice breeze for awhile. It was beautiful, the stars were out and the view was unbelievable. But I still would have liked to get some sleep...
Anna here...Today we saw the main sights of Seville. The Alcazar, the royal palace in Seville,was absolutely beautiful. The size alone is amazing and overwhelming...not to mention the intense Arabic intricasies all over the building. Right next door was the cathedral, which was also pretty awesome. Having never seen anything so historic I was completely in awe. Although, neither of us can figure out why horses needed to get to the top of the bell tower. Were the Spaniards lazy? Were they sacrificing horses?...beats me.
Leave it to Lauren and I to find probably the only Mexican bar/restaurant in Sevilla. With about 8 TVs set up we would have been able to watch Wimbledon, had it not been on rain delay. Now we will partake in siesta, as to fully embrace the Spanish culture. yayy nap-time...
adios!
Anna and Lauren
- comments
Madre A & L: The bell tower was converted from the original minaret--the cathedral was originally a mosque. One encyclopedia says that the muezzin rode the horse to the top to call prayer. (Christians call to worship with a bell, muslims with a voice.) Maybe he was saving his breath riding the horse rather than making the climb himself.
Karen Hi Lauren and Anna, I am your Mom's friend from high school that lives in Lititz, PA with three sons, a husband and a cat named Mr. Sneakers. I don't know if you remember me at all but I knew you since you were born and now I am delighted to watch you travel through Europe. Have a wonderful journey !!!