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May 30
Today was a very long day. We didnt have school today and most businesses(except for bars and restaurants) were closed for the day. We got our first full 8 hours of sleep last night which we would find out we needed. The procession for the holiday was at 830am so we decided to skip that and just go later. The streets were unbelievably packed and the trolly we usually take to class wasnt running as far as it normally does so we had to walk. We took the back streets to avoid the traffic and came upon the mass of people in the plazas all looking at the massive gold and silver pedistals. I cant think of the actual word they call them but some of them weigh up to and over 1000lbs. There were many street performers and bands that were very good.
After checking out the celebration, we went to the bull ring! It was intense! We entered where the matadors entered and one of them looked like me so I tagged myself as him on the picture I took of him. He actually got rammed by the bull but he was able to recover and finish the bull off. For the final blow, they stick a sword in his back through the heart. They kill 6 bulls in a bull fight and after 4, we had had enough. That night we met some friends in Plaza Nueva but they were late so we sang to pass the time.
June 1st
The whole crew met at Plaza Nueva to get on the busses that would take us to Cordoba and Granada! Cordoba was about an hour away and it was awesome! We spent most of our time in the church/mosque which was built in the 7th century. We had lunch here and then got back on the bus to head to Granada. On the bus we had a singing contest and my roommates and I won it! We didnt win anything, but it was fun to sing in front of everyone. After that everyone on the bus fell asleep and I woke up a little later to find that I was sweating and it was hot. The a/c on our bus broke! We eventually made it to Granada where we were able to shower and change before going to see a Flamenco show. The Flamenco was okay but to be honest I was a bit bored by it. After Flamenco, we walked up to a lookout point over the city. People gather here to watch the sunset and it is a world famous view. It overlooks the city and the Alhambra, which is the royal palace of the last sultan in Spain. After many pictures we took advantage of Granadas tapas deal! It is one of the last Spanish cities to offer free tapas when you buy a drink! We went to two tapas bars before getting kebabs which were delicious. Then we went to a hookah bar and I had some Pakistani tea and we smoked hookah. We were exhausted by this point but it was a girls birthday in our group so many of us went out and they were too crazy plus we were exhausted so my roommates and I went home around 2:30am. The rest of them stayed out until 5:30am.
June 2nd
We had breakfast in the hotel and then went to the Arab section of shops to see what kind of things we might come across in Morocco! Then we hopped on the bus and headed to the top of the city to tour the Alhambra! It was beautiful and really big! There were huge gardens outside and views overlooking the city. The palace is from the 14th century and it was the last stronghold of Arab people in Spain. Luckily the conquering army did not destroy the royal palace so we can see it today. After the tour of the Alhambra, we got on the bus and headed back to Sevilla. The bus still didnt have a/c. I was in a bad mood when we got back and I was extemely sweaty. It was miserable, but that shower at my apartment was glorious.
June 3
I slept for 10 hours but was still tired throughout the day. We took our time getting ready and Ryan left around 1230 since he has class earlier than we do Joe and I went to school to get advice about our trip to portugal and to find some suede shoe cleaner. Joe spilled anchove oil all over his brand new suede shoes! We had class and after class we went to play soccer! It was so much fun and I scored two goals! Now back home to study for my quiz tomorrow and sleep.
June 4
We woke up early (930) to go tour the Cathedral of Sevilla! It was amazing! It is the second largest gothic cathedral in Europe! It was originally built by the moors, but the Catholic Church demolished some of it to build it in Gothic style. They kept the tower and added on to it because it is beautiful and massive! Christopher Columbus and one of his sons is buried here! It was a strange feeling looking at his coffin. It is held up in the air by statues of knights which symbolize the 4 major cities in Andalucia (Southern Spain) in the past. We climbed the tower which is 42 stories high and could see the entire city since only one building in Sevilla is taller than the tower. After the tour I went back home and took a nap and then went to class. After class Ryan and I walked by Plaza Espana! It was amazing and is arguably the most beautiful place in Sevilla and all of Spain. Parts of Star Wars and The Dictator were filmed there.
June 5
Classes were laid back today because everyone is already in the Moroccan mindset. We packed for Morocco and took Joe by Plaza Espana. After that, we finished packing, did some laundry, and called a taxi for our 330am pickup to catch the bus for Morocco. Zzzzzz
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