My first full week in Spain is nearly drawing to an end, and it has been absolutely incredible. I've had my first few days of classes as well -- Advanced Spanish Studies, Listening in Spanish, and my personal favorite, Sevillana.
Sevillana, as I've been emphatically told several times, is not flamenco. It is a special type of dance unique to this region and performed in elaborate and beautiful costumes. The whole dance is a courtship, with the girl playing hard-to-get. There's lots of stomping and delicate hand gestures, and every year the whole city of Sevilla comes out in force to dance sevillanas in full costume in the streets on an incredible holiday called Feria.
I personally am just trying not to fall on my face.
Yesterday my school took us on a little field trip to the Alcazar, a thousand-year-old Moorsish fort turned Spanish palace that stands in the middle of the city. It is the oldest continuously occupied fort in Spain -- "Al Qasr" itself means "palace" or "fortress" in Arabic. It is absolutely beautiful. The expansive gardens are filled with fountains and orange trees, and I can see why the current royal family still spends time living on the private upper floors. I had way too much fun running around reading the Arabic lettering on all the tiles. Most of it is Quran verses, but some of it was talking about how awesome the Almohads (the original builders of Alcazar) were. They were not shy with the bragging. One of my classmates dared to call Alcazar boring and I was ready to stop being friends with him. It's one of the most amazing places I've ever visited.
We also went out for sangria, and although I didn't partake due to severe jet lag, I did enjoy the best churros con chocolate I've ever had in my life. And I've had a lot of churros. If you're in Sevilla, I strongly recommend Milagritos on the corner of Calle Alemanes and Calle Plancentines. It's delightful.
Tonight we're exploring the bars. "Bar" in Spain doesn't mean quite the same thing it means in the U.S. A Spanish bar often serves breakfast, coffee, sandwiches, and tapas, and while they stay open until late at night, they are sit-down restaurants with music and good food. What we Americans think of as bars are called "pubs" or "cervecerías" here.
I personally am hoping to get some gelato tonight. It's very popular here -- there's a shop on every corner. I'd like nothing better than to head to La Abuela, a chain with several locations in the El Centro neighborhood, and enjoy another dish of their Kinder Bueno flavor. If you're a food lover, Sevilla is for you!