Semana Santa

So many things to update on!! I've been so busy for the last few weeks studying for exams like a nut. I mean, if you think Thermodynamics and Circuits would be hard to understand in English, try it in Spanish!! Yikes! I had my last exam Wednesday morning so now I can finally relax, thank goodness.

I still haven't explained my Semana Santa ("Holy Week,") even though it was forever ago; it was amazing and memorable. I went with my aunt and uncle to Sevilla, which is famous for its processions during Holy Week. We also took a day trip to Cordoba and visited Italica on the way out of Sevilla, finally ending the trip in Toledo.

First of all, I think Sevilla has got to be my favorite out of all the Spanish cities I've visited. It was just beautiful, quaint, and just so perfect all around! Since it's further south in Spain, it was warmer there, and there were orange trees everywhere, especially planted along the street. During Holy Week, the orange blossoms were finally blooming, and oh my gosh, I have never smelled a prettier smell. It's hard to describe, but it definitely didn't smell like an orange. It was more like this gorgeous, sweet floral scent, the kind that gets carried on the breeze so you smell it everywhere you go. So the city smelled beautiful, and it looked beautiful too. All the buildings and narrow streets were so authentically awesome; definitely something you don't see in Madrid.

Altogether, I explored the cathedral (3rd largest by volume in the world,) the Alcazar, the Alcazar Gardens, the riverwalk, and all kinds of little streets and places. I even saw a flamenco show. Kruse was there for a few days so we met up and went to the cathedral and belltower together, and wow, those were amazing. I even went to Palm Sunday mass in the cathedral and I understood everything!! The cathedral is home to all kinds of incredible things, like the tombs of Cervantes (author of Don Quijote) and Christopher Columbus, yes THAT Christopher Columbus!!!! It was amazing, but now I go around comparing other incredible churches to it...woops.

The best part, which I've already kind of talked about a little, were the gardens of the Alcazar. I could have spent days there, and I'm not even kidding about that. If you know me, you know I love flowers and gardens, and this was just heaven. Right now I'm holding myself back from putting like 100 pictures here on my blog, because I really want to! On Tuesday, I had the siesta time free to go wherever I wanted, so I explored the entire garden and got to sit on a bench on this beautiful terrace and just think. There is no better feeling than that, let me tell you.

Cordoba was amazing too. Their Mezquita, an old old old cathedral, has been there for at least a thousand years! I got to try Gazpacho there (a cold soup) and it was really good.

One of the coolest parts of the trip was Italica, or the old Roman ruins outside of Sevilla. The Romans founded it in about 206 BC while they were conquering various other Iberian cities, and the modern Spanish city close to it, Santiponce, has been excavating it for the past 230 years. We got to see the amphitheater, incredible mosaic floors, the old public baths, and so many more incredible things. I am absolutely in love with archeology so you can imagine how cool I thought this was!

Overall, it was an awesome break. I'm leaving out so many details because I feel like I write novels for every blog! Keep an eye out for pictures on facebook and another blog this week. See you all later!

Ariel

PS, Today is April 25th, the perfect date! It's not too hot, and it's not too cold, all you need is a light jacket! ;)