07 February 2013

Sevilla, Spain

The answer to this week's wonder where wednesday is SEVILLA, SPAIN! 








Last February I traveled to Spain with two wonderful traveling companions. We were all working in Prague at the time and wanted to get away from the chilly, wintry days to a warmer and friendlier atmosphere. I had a week off (spring break in February, apparently the Czechs were anxious for spring to come just as much as I was). So, as my students were heading out to ski or to bundle up in their country cottages, I left the country for a spin through southern Spain. 

This collection of photographs is from one lovely evening spent out in Sevilla. We had just arrived that afternoon from Malaga, with many adventures and mishaps happening along the way. We met up with our hosts (friends-of friends-of friends) who were also hosting a "couchsurfer" and out we went to explore the town with a semi-native. I'm telling you, even if sometimes it's not a 4-star experience, staying with a local changes your complete experience of a place. We never get lost, we receive first-hand advice and recommendations, instant invitations to things, the current climate of the place--politics, religion, pop culture, etc. It's wonderful!

Our night out in Sevilla consisted of a lovely walk around a delightfully quiet city (remember, it's February and cold to the Spaniards), a stop at a wine bar to try Sevilla's famous orange wine, a late dinner al fresco with an array of tapas, and a FREE Flamenco show (with the purchase of a drink). We sipped on Sangria late into the night mesmerized with the voice of the cantora, the strumming of the guitarist, and the pounding and twirling feet of the dancer. They would sometimes break and keep the flow going with their rhythmic clapping which calls deep into the soul of the audience. It truly was a mystical evening in such a culturally rich city. 

Those eight days in southern Spain....ahhhh.....such wonderful memories!

Currently my travel companions are teaching English in Thailand and studying Law in Connecticut. Our gracious hosts have since moved back stateside. Things change too fast sometimes, but I guess it just comes with the territory of being single, in our 20s, and can't seem to remedy this travel bug. 

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