Hello all!
So far, everything is great in Sevilla! Today marks one week living here with my host family. It has been a fast week, but it feels like I’ve been here forever at the same time. Right now, I am halfway through a two week intensive Spanish course. It’s basically a quick refresher class on Spanish grammar and conversation. I’m thankful that I get to review everything before I start classes at the University of Sevilla.
Yesterday, I visited Malaga on an excursion planned by ISA. Malaga is along the Costa del Sol of Spain. It is also the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. While I was there, I visited the Museo de Picasso. It is one of the largest collections of Picasso’s works. Most of the art was donated by Picasso’s family. Many of his most famous works are kept here permanently. The tour guide was great because she helped to explain Picasso’s process and helped us understand the importance of his art. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour – also, it was good practice because she gave most of it in Spanish. After the museum, we walked around Malaga. We saw the ruins of a roman theater. They have discovered a lot ancient ruins beneath Malaga during construction projects – no one really knows what all is buried beneath the city. I love this about Spain and Europe in general. There is just so much history that you can’t do construction or renovate without running into the city’s past.
After walking around the city some, we visited the cathedral in Malaga. The cathedral was beautiful – but seeing cathedrals in Spain is like seeing a bridge in Pittsburgh. They are literally all over the place. And unfortunately, they kind of all blend together. However,this one has an interesting connection with the United States. Apparently, Bernardo de Galvez, a Spaniard (from Malaga), helped the U.S. win the war of independence by defeating the British in the Siege of Pensacola. While he was aiding the Americans strategically, Malaga lent funds to the U.S. to help fight the war. Some of these funds were those meant to build the cathedral. As a result, the cathedral was never finished – it’s missing one of it’s two towers. Locals fondly nicknamed it “manquita,” which means a woman with only one arm. Apparently, there has been talk about finishing the tower, but many locals are against it, they have grown accustomed to their manquita. One reason that I wanted to have this blog is so that I can document these little details of cities I visit. These tidbits are what makes the visits truly memorable.
After the tour, we used our free time to go to the beach. The view was beautiful with mountains in the distance and a clear Mediterranean sea. The waves were rough, which made it all the more fun to swim in the surprisingly warm water. I’ll include some pictures below (but there are more on facebook!)
Muchos Besos!
Sara
My Semester in Sevilla 