Our group said goodbye to Madrid with a celebratory dinner at Botin. Known as the oldest restaurant in the world, Botin was one of Hemingway's favorite restaurants and Goya is rumored to have worked as a dishwasher. After a delicious meal, the waiter led us downstairs to the oldest part of the restaurant, a wine cellar which dates back to the 18th century.
The next morning we took the high-speed AVE train from Atocha Station to Sevilla and we checked into our hotel in the beautiful Barrio Santa Cruz. Right away, we became avid believers in the powers of siesta! Each day, when Seville's temperatures reached their highest (even the Texans in our group were sweating!), we enjoyed the hotel's pool and a quick nap. During our five days in Sevilla, we visited the most important architectural and historical points in the city: the Alcazar, the Cathedral and Plaza de Espana. We used the Alcazar's Moorish gardens and tilework to teach the students about the Arabic influence in Southern Spain. From our Spanish tourguide in the Cathedral, we learned that Seville's Cathedral is one of the largest in the world, and it is also home to Christopher Columbus´s remains.
In the evenings, we visited a local summer fair along Seville's Guadalquivir River, we watched a Flamenco performance that included different singers, dancers, and guitarists, and we saw the Spanish film "Camino" as part of Seville's outdoor summer movie series. We also sampled all sorts of tapas including gazpacho, huevos rellenos, and queso de cabra con frambuesa. Given Andalucia´s rich gastronomy, our language lessons have centered on restaurant and food vocabulary. Students taught one another how to prepare various tapas after interviewing locals and they role-played restaurant scenarios. They also studied articles from Spain's major newspapers and surveyed locals' opinions regarding current events.
To stay cool, we took a river cruise and saw Seville's famous bullring and Calatrava bridge by boat. Even more refreshing was our day at Aquapolis, Seville's waterpark. We had a blast on the waterslides, and highlights of the day included go-kart racing and a 200-person water aerobics class in the wave pool!
Tomorrow we head to Zahara de la Sierra, a small town in the mountains of the Cadiz region of Spain.
The next morning we took the high-speed AVE train from Atocha Station to Sevilla and we checked into our hotel in the beautiful Barrio Santa Cruz. Right away, we became avid believers in the powers of siesta! Each day, when Seville's temperatures reached their highest (even the Texans in our group were sweating!), we enjoyed the hotel's pool and a quick nap. During our five days in Sevilla, we visited the most important architectural and historical points in the city: the Alcazar, the Cathedral and Plaza de Espana. We used the Alcazar's Moorish gardens and tilework to teach the students about the Arabic influence in Southern Spain. From our Spanish tourguide in the Cathedral, we learned that Seville's Cathedral is one of the largest in the world, and it is also home to Christopher Columbus´s remains.
In the evenings, we visited a local summer fair along Seville's Guadalquivir River, we watched a Flamenco performance that included different singers, dancers, and guitarists, and we saw the Spanish film "Camino" as part of Seville's outdoor summer movie series. We also sampled all sorts of tapas including gazpacho, huevos rellenos, and queso de cabra con frambuesa. Given Andalucia´s rich gastronomy, our language lessons have centered on restaurant and food vocabulary. Students taught one another how to prepare various tapas after interviewing locals and they role-played restaurant scenarios. They also studied articles from Spain's major newspapers and surveyed locals' opinions regarding current events.
To stay cool, we took a river cruise and saw Seville's famous bullring and Calatrava bridge by boat. Even more refreshing was our day at Aquapolis, Seville's waterpark. We had a blast on the waterslides, and highlights of the day included go-kart racing and a 200-person water aerobics class in the wave pool!
Tomorrow we head to Zahara de la Sierra, a small town in the mountains of the Cadiz region of Spain.
Saludos and we will be in touch soon!
Kate, Bergen, and Lane
Tunas playing for our table at Botin, Madrid
Attending a Flamenco show
Boat ride on the Rio Guadalquivir
Inside Seville's Cathedral
Plaza de España
Taking a break in the shade in Plaza de España
Tunas playing for our table at Botin, Madrid
Attending a Flamenco show
Boat ride on the Rio Guadalquivir
Inside Seville's Cathedral
Plaza de España
Taking a break in the shade in Plaza de España