Exploring Seville

I have now been here for a little over a week. Seville already feels like home and I understand why Sevillians are so loyal to their city. Every day, I see a little more of the city and I am convinced that I could live here for a full year and not fully explore every part of it. 

View of Guadalquivir River, which I pass every day to get to class.

With our program, we have gone to two main attractions in the area: Italica and the Alcazar. Italica is a site of Roman ruins less than 10 miles outside of Seville. It is impossible to comprehend how old it is. Italica was thriving 1500 years before Columbus sailed to America, yet so much of Italica is so well preserved. The Romans really knew what they were doing. At Italica, you can see the outlines of the houses and can imagine where everything was. The intricate murals on the floors of their houses are in such good condition. It is hard to fathom that they are older than the Christian religion.

There is also the remains of a three story amphitheater, used for gladiator fights. Gladiator fights might seem barbaric, but they are pretty similar to the bull fights still around today. 

Today we went to the Alcazar, the royal palace of Seville, where the royal family still stays when they visit Seville. The Alcazar is impossible to describe in words, and pictures don't really do it justice either. I guess everyone will just have to come visit me and see for yourself! The mix of different influences in its design is what makes it truly remarkable, there is often Arabic architecture and design in the same room as a gothic ceiling, all paired with roman columns. 

As a history major, the difference between what history means here and history means in the US is astounding. Back home, people marvel over 17th century house, but here, you can see things over 1000 years older than that. 1000 YEARS PEOPLE. That is so many! That's the number of miles Vanessa Carlton would walk to just see you tonight!  Ugh time is crazy. My head hurts. 

The sign says that this was a city wall during the Islamic period of the 11-12th century and that during the christian period, it contained pipes that brought water to the city and the Alcazar.

Aside from trying to comprehend time and space, I have spent several afternoons/nights wandering through the narrow streets. This place is dripping with European charm. Cafes, cobblestones, accordion players, the whole nine yards. Sometimes I think I am blending in with the locals, but then someone will talk to me in English and I realize I am not fooling anybody. My friends and I are trying pretty hard not to be typical Americans (who are THE WORST), and always attempt to talk to people in Spanish. Some waiters automatically answer us in English, but we usually manage to convince them to speak to us in Spanish. Last night, some friends and I went to an intercambio, where there are Spaniards trying to practice English and Americans trying to practice Spanish. Their English was way better than our Spanish, but they commented how well we spoke in Spanish. This makes me wonder just what kinds of Americans they have been dealing with in the past. 

One of the tiny hidden plazas en Santa Cruz