Punta Cana, PCB, Cancun…that is so sophomore year! While a week long spring break is every sophomore’s dream, a four-month spring break is every junior’s dream. This four month SB I speak of is my study abroad program.
In Sevilla, there is a beautiful river that stretches across the city and into other Spanish cities. This river is called Rio Guadalquivir. It is located right in the middle of everything in Sevilla! No matter where you live, it is always less than a 15 minute walk to the river. The river is always packed with couples, locals and students who run around playing Frisbee, drink “Tinto” (a combination of wine and sprite) or smoke hookah. The weather is beginning to hit the mid to upper 70s in Sevilla, and therefore the river is packed at all hours!
In terms of doing the touristy thing, a nice bike ride around Plaza de Espana and through Maria Luisa Park is the most amazing time. After having many visitors in this beautiful city, I have mastered the art of the perfect tour. This past week I had a long time friend, Jenna, visit me for a few days and over the weekend, my parents came!
My travels this weekend took me to Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain. My friends and I found a cheap flight and decided to join in on this WISCO reunion! Immediately upon my arrival, I experienced a whole new culture shock. I have adapted too much of the lifestyle in Sevilla, and going to another Spanish city really threw me off.
As soon as I arrived, I hopped into a taxi to meet my friends at an all-you-can-eat Asian Buffet, Wok, and yes, we did clear it out. But what I found interesting was that when I explained to the taxi in Spanish where I was going and how to get there, his immediate response was to speak back to me in English. I was told that the people in Barcelona speak Catalan, but they also all know Spanish. Barcelona has a much more American culture, but I did not expect the common language to be English.
The city of Barcelona in comparison to Sevilla is much more modern. The entire concept of time is more Americanized and the entire culture is much like New York City. My friend showed us around the ginormous city, taking us to Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, Arc de Triomf and, of course, the gigantic night clubs.
So while it was fun to visit a big city, my flamenco-dancing, tapas-eating city of Sevilla is absolutely perfect for me.