Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Andalucía

Wow how time is flying! I can not believe that we are already back in Madrid and classes are starting. Almost everyone arrived on the twelfth and since then we have been scrambling around getting ready for school. Last weekend the school traveled down to Andalucía to have our orientation trip where, once again, we were all able to meet new students (or even returning ones that we did not know previously) while on the trip we were also able to meet with the wonderful staff who actually make the trip an unforgettable experience! Getting back to the trip, we departed Madrid on Friday morning and started our journey to Sevilla (the capital of Andalucía), but on our journey down there we made a few pit stops. One in Baños de la Encima, a nice little town on a mountain where we were able to eat lunch while at the same time take in the picturesque view of the mountains, river as well as a well preserved castle surrounded by horses. After that we continued our journey to Sevilla making one more stop in Córdoba, the home of the famous Moorish Mezquita! Surrounded by orange trees and the Guadalquivir River we were really able to see how, at one time, people from different religions were able to share and pray together in once place. The first night we were in Sevilla we went to see a live flamenco show which really made us understand about la cultura de Andalucía. Although Sevilla was the focal point of our trip we were able to make a few day tips as well. One was to a farm in Cortijo where we learned how horses are trained to be in shows as well as a little bit about bull fighting. The second day we took a trip to Jerez de la Frontera and toured the bodega (winery) of Tio Pepe brand. We saw how they grow, make and store their world renowned Sherry and then we were able to relax for a while there and see a flamenco show with horses. Then finally on the last day we had a few hours on our own time to go and explor the city, so my friends and I decided to visit the Moorish Alcazar as well as the Catheral, but when we were walking there we saw some horse and carriages and decided to hop on board. The carriage took us around the entire city and the driver was a tour guide so we were able to see everything that the city had to offer. I honestly can not wait to go back to Sevilla! With the orange trees, nice weather and richness of culture it is definitely a “must see” spot in Spain!

¡Hasta Luego!