Study Abroad

Each day on the way to class, we would walk past the beautiful Plaza de España in the Parque María Luisa and see locals and tourists enjoying the beautiful scenery. A local Flamenco dancer could be seen in the plaza most days and it is converted into a venue for concerts at times. This plaza was built for the Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair in 1929 to showcase the regions of Spain and is a striking example of architecture including the influences of all cultures represented in Andalusia.

When we were not exploring the street that we lived on in the Asunción neighborhood, we went into the center of town where the Cathedral is located. The beautiful structure and its tower, the Giralda, were first built as a Mosque when Arab people occupied Andalusia and parts of the building date to the 12th century. The highlight of the guided tour was seeing the elaborate coffin of Christopher Columbus. This reminded me about the cultural differences as he is still highly venerated in Spain whereas his status is more questionable in the Americas.

Because of its proximity to the southern tip of Spain, Morocco is a popular tourist destination for Spaniards and visitors to Spain. I visited the city of Tangier which is the closest to Spain and accessible by ferry. During our tour we had a traditional meal, viewed an old Synagogue, and saw a local street performance in the plaza. This experience opened my eyes to how much a city's culture can be influenced by tourism and interact with locals. This trip helped me get one step closer to visiting all of the continents and I even got to ride a camel while in Africa.

Jerez is a city in Spain that is famous for its production of sherry wine, whose name is actually based on the name of the city. I visited the Tio Pepe winery which is owned by the famous Gonzalez-Byass company and got to see every step of the sherry-making process and taste three different styles of the wine. I enjoyed learning about the rich history of wine making in the area and have encouraged all of my friends and family members to try Tio Pepe to have a taste of Spain.

The Caminito Del Rey hike was easily my favorite experience that I had while studying in Spain. The hike was breathtaking and being 100 meters above the valley below made it even more special. Our tour guide told us about the history of the trails, which originated as walkways for nearby power plant employees to transfer materials and check the structural security of parts of the canyon.

In an unexpected treat, one of the two soccer teams in Seville won their league championship while we were there. While I am not a huge fan of the sport, the energy in the whole city was electric on this day and participating in the parade was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To complete the experience of being a temporary European, I got a bufanda (scarf) celebrating the championship and attempted to sing along to the victory songs of the city.