I couldn't resist posting this website/photo when I saw it on a friends facebook. How funny, a website to help skillfully dress your boyfriend as a nerd. Boys, watch out for NerdBoyfriend.com (hipster alert)!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Otoño
Lately, I have been waking up to Fall. I find myself not wanting to plant my feet on the cold tile and searching for my sweater, first thing. I recognize this feeling, of groggy mornings, trudging to class, and WINTER! This is vaguely reminiscent (but not too close for comfort) to those frigid mornings on Greenbriar ln., that only my roomie Alessandra can relate to.
Fall is my absolute favorite time of year; it makes me joyful and melancholy. I was most bummed about missing fall in the Mountains, because that is where it is most beautiful. While I am so happy that Fall has finally come to Sevilla, I am so sad about missing it back home! Especially, these things...
The awesome pumpkin that I forced Miles to carve with me last year!
The best Halloween costumes ever
I would love to see some pictures from Fall this year in the Southeast! So, send them to me, help ease my homesickness!
Fall is my absolute favorite time of year; it makes me joyful and melancholy. I was most bummed about missing fall in the Mountains, because that is where it is most beautiful. While I am so happy that Fall has finally come to Sevilla, I am so sad about missing it back home! Especially, these things...
The awesome pumpkin that I forced Miles to carve with me last year!
The best Halloween costumes ever
I would love to see some pictures from Fall this year in the Southeast! So, send them to me, help ease my homesickness!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Royal Alcazars of Sevilla
A couple of Saturdays back, I went to the Alcazar with Brittany and Hannah. It is the royal palace in Sevilla and is still a residence for the royal family. It is situated in the city center, behind very high walls. In fact, it is so well hidden I really never noticed it until we went (this in itself is impressive because the residence is huge and complete with large gardens/parks). Maybe I'm just oblivious? We quickly ran out of time, not realizing that the palace closes at 5, we arrived around 4:15. Sooo, pictures are limited and lacking but, I think that you will still be able to see the previous splendor. The Moorish architecture is beautiful!
Too many photos??? They are probably better than boring old words! I think that we should start a collection to buy Ella a new D-SLR camera, so that you, the reader, have better images to look at! How is that for a pitch? So now I really have to attempt to get some work done! Midterms this week, ugh! I was under the impression that no one worked while studying abroad!
Too many photos??? They are probably better than boring old words! I think that we should start a collection to buy Ella a new D-SLR camera, so that you, the reader, have better images to look at! How is that for a pitch? So now I really have to attempt to get some work done! Midterms this week, ugh! I was under the impression that no one worked while studying abroad!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Universidad Pablo de Olavide
In case you're interested, this is a video about the university that I am attending while here in Sevilla. The best part is that the school looks nothing like this, as in it is definitely not this nice! It was previously a labor school, built by the dictator Franco, and was turned into a university in 1997. There are jokes around campus about how it was once a prison and that the tower is actually a sniper tower, ha ha ha! Needless to say, I am now appreciating the beauty and organization of my campus back home. The redeeming factor at UPO is that the professors are all fantastic. So while everything else could be improved, at least we have good teachers!
In the meantime, I have been fed french fries three times this week and consequently have reinstated my running routine. Please feel encouraged to hurl insults my way in the hopes that they will maintain my motivation!
In the meantime, I have been fed french fries three times this week and consequently have reinstated my running routine. Please feel encouraged to hurl insults my way in the hopes that they will maintain my motivation!
Friday, October 15, 2010
More Bullfighting
When I finished my post about bullfighting a couple of weeks ago, I totally forgot to post the videos that I took while there. Apparently, video cameras are not allowed but, mine is deceptive! It is much easier to understand what goes on when you see it!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Madrid, Spain
This past weekend was ‘puente’, which literally translates as bridge. In this case Puente refers to a long weekend, I actually had 5 days off and it was great! Initially, I was hoping to go somewhere farther away so that I could go to a new country. Prague, Vienna, or Switzerland were at the top of my list however, the lack of money and planning prevailed, and I ended up in Madrid for four days.
I wasn’t overly enthused at the prospect of this because the thought of Madrid brought to mind a large, overwhelming city, where I was destined to get lost and struggle to find things to do. Fortunately, I was so incorrect in thinking this! I fell in LOVE with Madrid (so much so that my friend Brittany and I threatened to not go back to Sevilla). The city looks much more ‘European’ than southern Spain and has a completely different feel to it. Not to mention there were hills and I was freezing the whole time! Despite the discomforts, this was a welcome change. Don’t get me wrong, Sevilla is a beautiful city and I would totally recommend it for a vacation, but Madrid seems like a better place to live!
Finding coffee shops in Sevilla is a struggle. Luckily, we were blessed with beautiful coffee in a cute cafe in Madrid.
Most of my time in this charming city was spent in art museums. The first stop was the Prado, conveniently located down the street from our hostel (La Posada de Huertas, I would recommend staying here. It is cheap and convenient). The Prado is home to classical and renaissance art; I saw many pieces by Rubens, Goya, El Greco, and Velazquez (somehow I missed Renoir…). The highlight however, was seeing Las Meninas in person. It was really incredible!
The next stop was the modern art museum, Reina Sofia. The building was very trendy and cool, housing many wonderful and questionable pieces of ‘art’. Time was limited here, so I spent most of my time looking at the collection of paintings by Picasso. I must say the Guernica is much more impressive in person. It is hard to understand what makes a famous piece of art so famous until you look at it in person!
The best photo I could get of Guernica (on left). I bet you wouldn't think the one on the right is by Salvador Dali! But it is!
So despite the rain, cold, and achy feet, I can only reflect positively on Madrid. I would recommend El Rastro (the huge outdoor market on Sundays), it is fun and there are lots of good deals. Also, I didn’t get to the palace, Franco’s grave, or the botanical gardens but they are, I hear, sites worth seeing! Plus, the metro system is fabulous—we didn’t get lost once (it rivals the simplicity of D.C.). I also, found the people to be very friendly and their Spanish accent is much easier to understand!
New friend Katie on the left and the lovely Brittany on the right
As usual, photos to come when I can get to functioning internet!
I wasn’t overly enthused at the prospect of this because the thought of Madrid brought to mind a large, overwhelming city, where I was destined to get lost and struggle to find things to do. Fortunately, I was so incorrect in thinking this! I fell in LOVE with Madrid (so much so that my friend Brittany and I threatened to not go back to Sevilla). The city looks much more ‘European’ than southern Spain and has a completely different feel to it. Not to mention there were hills and I was freezing the whole time! Despite the discomforts, this was a welcome change. Don’t get me wrong, Sevilla is a beautiful city and I would totally recommend it for a vacation, but Madrid seems like a better place to live!
Finding coffee shops in Sevilla is a struggle. Luckily, we were blessed with beautiful coffee in a cute cafe in Madrid.
Most of my time in this charming city was spent in art museums. The first stop was the Prado, conveniently located down the street from our hostel (La Posada de Huertas, I would recommend staying here. It is cheap and convenient). The Prado is home to classical and renaissance art; I saw many pieces by Rubens, Goya, El Greco, and Velazquez (somehow I missed Renoir…). The highlight however, was seeing Las Meninas in person. It was really incredible!
The next stop was the modern art museum, Reina Sofia. The building was very trendy and cool, housing many wonderful and questionable pieces of ‘art’. Time was limited here, so I spent most of my time looking at the collection of paintings by Picasso. I must say the Guernica is much more impressive in person. It is hard to understand what makes a famous piece of art so famous until you look at it in person!
The best photo I could get of Guernica (on left). I bet you wouldn't think the one on the right is by Salvador Dali! But it is!
So despite the rain, cold, and achy feet, I can only reflect positively on Madrid. I would recommend El Rastro (the huge outdoor market on Sundays), it is fun and there are lots of good deals. Also, I didn’t get to the palace, Franco’s grave, or the botanical gardens but they are, I hear, sites worth seeing! Plus, the metro system is fabulous—we didn’t get lost once (it rivals the simplicity of D.C.). I also, found the people to be very friendly and their Spanish accent is much easier to understand!
New friend Katie on the left and the lovely Brittany on the right
As usual, photos to come when I can get to functioning internet!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Flamenco
Hello,HOLA
I just returned from my weekend trip to Madrid (it is a more fabulous city than I had imagined).
I had the impression that Spain's capital would be large, daunting, and overwhelming; fortunately, I discovered this was not the case! Madrid is my kind of city, more info and photos to come.
In the meantime...I have been reading up about flamenco
Before coming to Sevilla, I thought of flamenco only as a style of dance; I was completely unaware of the culture, musicians, and singers that are also essential. Flamenco is a gypsy tradition from Anadalucía (the southern province of Spain that I am living in). The guitarists create beautiful, unusual rhythms, the cantaores sing sad, wailing lyrics, and the dancers express so much passion!
Only a few weeks into my stay here, I went to a flamenco show at La Carboneria (an enchanting hole in the wall, that is impossible to find and somehow houses a dive bar in the back). It is in the neighborhood of Santa Cruz, which is among the most beautiful parts of the city.
Here is just an example of the typical style seen here! Flamenco has also had a huge influence on modern Spanish music, especially Jazz and Rock. If you haven't, please listen to the Gipsy Kings!
I had the impression that Spain's capital would be large, daunting, and overwhelming; fortunately, I discovered this was not the case! Madrid is my kind of city, more info and photos to come.
In the meantime...I have been reading up about flamenco
Before coming to Sevilla, I thought of flamenco only as a style of dance; I was completely unaware of the culture, musicians, and singers that are also essential. Flamenco is a gypsy tradition from Anadalucía (the southern province of Spain that I am living in). The guitarists create beautiful, unusual rhythms, the cantaores sing sad, wailing lyrics, and the dancers express so much passion!
Only a few weeks into my stay here, I went to a flamenco show at La Carboneria (an enchanting hole in the wall, that is impossible to find and somehow houses a dive bar in the back). It is in the neighborhood of Santa Cruz, which is among the most beautiful parts of the city.
Here is just an example of the typical style seen here! Flamenco has also had a huge influence on modern Spanish music, especially Jazz and Rock. If you haven't, please listen to the Gipsy Kings!
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