It never seems to fail that whatever plans we make, they will change. Before we fell asleep, we did our homework and researched the best way to make the long trek from Barcelona to Sevilla (Seville). We found that it would be 5 hours by high speed trains (expensive!), 10 hours by regional trains (less expensive), and 14 hours by bus (super inexpensive). We decided that we didn't want to spend tons of money or time to get to Sevilla, so we settled for the middle option of the less expensive, but somewhat time consuming, regional trains. We even planned out how to get to the train station with enough time. Kyla set the alarm, and we were out in no time. Wellll...the next thing I know, Kyla is shaking me awake and then begins to tell me that we missed our alarm, so that meant we missed the train we wanted to take. If you didn't already know, this has become a frequent pattern in our trip! Ah! So, anyways, Kyla, being the dear sweet planner that she is, had already spent sometime finding other options before waking me up to discuss them. I won't bore you with the details of all of our reasoning and sorting out, but we reached the conclusion that we would bite the bullet and pay the hefty high speed train ticket that would get us there in 5 hours. We tried purchasing them online, but that was to no avail. So, we packed up our stuff and headed to the train station. (Quick side note: we really do truly become the ultimate definition of "hot mess" when we are clumping all over the place with all of our bags stuffed to the brim! We really are quite the sight!) So anyways, looking all glamorous with our sweaty selves and oozing bags, we showed up at the ticket counter to purchase the high speed train tickets. And praise the Lord, we got the tickets! We then had to put our bags through a security line, which by the way is the first time I've had any of my bags checked since coming to Europe! But then the waiting game began once again! Until finally, it was time to board our train. Now, you certainly get your money's worth when you pay for these things because they are such a nice break from the regional trains and buses! They even showed two movies during the trip! And these things are FAST!!!! This one got up to 300 km/hour (186 miles/hour)!!!! So, we enjoyed the quick trip with movies, and we arrived in a neighboring town to Sevilla called Cordoba. We then grabbed a quick bite to eat before jumping on the next train to Sevilla! Luckily, that one was only a quick 45 minute trip!
Upon arrival in Sevilla, we visited the tourist office to get maps and information. Once we oriented ourselves a bit, we decided to grab a taxi to drive us to our hostel because the train station isn't exactly close to our hostel. It was painless drive and then before we knew it, we were checking in and getting the low-down on how things here worked! This hostel is definitely one of those hostels that is super active in group outings and parties and day trips. I even tried out some of my Spanish with the guy and he said I was doing great! Woo hoo! Score one for me!! But then he also said a few of the words I were saying were definitely from Mexico, in which case I told him that I had lived there for a while and that is why I can speak Mexican Spanish and not Spain Spanish. (Side note: If you didn't know it already, Spain Spanish is quite different from Mexican Spanish. And to make things even more complicated, different regions of Spain speak Spanish slightly differently! It's super confusing to my Mexican Spanish brain!) Anyways, as he was telling us about all of these parties and pub crawls we could join, he also mentioned that there was a one hour flamenco show that we could get a student discount price for!! So, with nary a word between the two of us, we jumped on that band wagon!! So he made a quick phone call and we had 2 seats to a traditional flamenco show that night!! So, we came up to our room which is a 10 bed mixed dorm, meaning it's culturally diverse! We put our stuff down and settled in and then we headed out the door!
Our first stop took us to the nearby bus station where we got information about taking a bus to Portugal. We then realized what time it was, so we quickly navigated our way through the winding yet beautiful streets of Sevilla and arrived at the Museo del Baile Flamenco (English: The Museum of Flamenco Dance). We showed the girls behind the counter our little reservation slip from our hostel and we were ushered right in! Unfortunately, we arrived a little later than most other people had so the only seats left to choose from were ones on the sides of the small stage. We picked the best from that lot, and sat down and started snapping photos like the good tourists that we are. The room was small and intimate. Maybe 50 or 60 people made up the audience and we all surrounded the small stage. Before the show began, I realized that I have been a terrible tourist in one area: I had not yet had sangria in Spain! So, taken aback by my petty realization, I quickly went over to their makeshift bar and bought a big glass of it! And Oh. My. Goodness. It. Was. Delicious!!! I told Kyla that she HAD to try this and that it wouldn't be like any of the wine I've made her try thus far. Being ever thoughtful, she reminded me that she's still nursing quite the head cold. I didn't care about that one bit, all I wanted was for her to try it! And so she took a sip, and loved it! She then went up and bought herself a big glass too!!
After taking a few sips of the delectable sangria, a man eventually came out on the stage and proceeded to explain how the evening was going to run. He was super great and spoke in several different languages so that all in the audience could feel included. He explained that there was one singer, one guitarist, and two dancers. Andalusia (this province) is the birthplace of traditional flamenco dance. The man told us that tt is 3000 years old! However, the last several centuries have shaped it into what it is today.
It's difficult to accurately describe all that we got to witness as we have nothing like it in the states to compare it too. It was such a joy to watch them dance and sing and play the guitar. All four individuals were immensely talented and have obviously spent years working on perfecting their acts. Kyla and I were just in awe at how effortlessly and fluidly they all melded together. We also couldn't believe how fast the dancers could move and stomp their feet! Seriously, I've never seen anything like it before!! It was so wonderful!!
Once the hour was done, we blissfully strolled through streets, looking for a place to eat some dinner. Now, because my daddy is such an amazing cook (Go Daddy!!!), I've had paella a couple times in my life. Kyla on the other hand, said that she hadn't had it before. When she told me that, I nearly stopped in my tracks!! I told her that that was it, we had to find a place that served paella! But hey, guess what? We're in Spain, so it was actually quite simple to find a place that served paella! We got a table at this cute little restaurant and ordered paella and a liter of sangria! We then spent a few hours dining on the deliciousness and relishing the fact that we were in Spain, eating paella, and drinking sangria.
Oh, and by the way, the little place we ended up at just happened to be right next to the cathedral of Sevilla! It's not only huge, but gorgeous as well - especially when all light up at night! After feeling fully stuffed and content, we took our time wandering around the cathedral and listening to different guitarists playing on the streets.
After an evening well spent, we returned to our hostel for a night's rest! Day 1 in Sevilla, a very rapid day of trains and dance, was a success!!
Upon arrival in Sevilla, we visited the tourist office to get maps and information. Once we oriented ourselves a bit, we decided to grab a taxi to drive us to our hostel because the train station isn't exactly close to our hostel. It was painless drive and then before we knew it, we were checking in and getting the low-down on how things here worked! This hostel is definitely one of those hostels that is super active in group outings and parties and day trips. I even tried out some of my Spanish with the guy and he said I was doing great! Woo hoo! Score one for me!! But then he also said a few of the words I were saying were definitely from Mexico, in which case I told him that I had lived there for a while and that is why I can speak Mexican Spanish and not Spain Spanish. (Side note: If you didn't know it already, Spain Spanish is quite different from Mexican Spanish. And to make things even more complicated, different regions of Spain speak Spanish slightly differently! It's super confusing to my Mexican Spanish brain!) Anyways, as he was telling us about all of these parties and pub crawls we could join, he also mentioned that there was a one hour flamenco show that we could get a student discount price for!! So, with nary a word between the two of us, we jumped on that band wagon!! So he made a quick phone call and we had 2 seats to a traditional flamenco show that night!! So, we came up to our room which is a 10 bed mixed dorm, meaning it's culturally diverse! We put our stuff down and settled in and then we headed out the door!
Our first stop took us to the nearby bus station where we got information about taking a bus to Portugal. We then realized what time it was, so we quickly navigated our way through the winding yet beautiful streets of Sevilla and arrived at the Museo del Baile Flamenco (English: The Museum of Flamenco Dance). We showed the girls behind the counter our little reservation slip from our hostel and we were ushered right in! Unfortunately, we arrived a little later than most other people had so the only seats left to choose from were ones on the sides of the small stage. We picked the best from that lot, and sat down and started snapping photos like the good tourists that we are. The room was small and intimate. Maybe 50 or 60 people made up the audience and we all surrounded the small stage. Before the show began, I realized that I have been a terrible tourist in one area: I had not yet had sangria in Spain! So, taken aback by my petty realization, I quickly went over to their makeshift bar and bought a big glass of it! And Oh. My. Goodness. It. Was. Delicious!!! I told Kyla that she HAD to try this and that it wouldn't be like any of the wine I've made her try thus far. Being ever thoughtful, she reminded me that she's still nursing quite the head cold. I didn't care about that one bit, all I wanted was for her to try it! And so she took a sip, and loved it! She then went up and bought herself a big glass too!!
First sips of sangria!!
After taking a few sips of the delectable sangria, a man eventually came out on the stage and proceeded to explain how the evening was going to run. He was super great and spoke in several different languages so that all in the audience could feel included. He explained that there was one singer, one guitarist, and two dancers. Andalusia (this province) is the birthplace of traditional flamenco dance. The man told us that tt is 3000 years old! However, the last several centuries have shaped it into what it is today.
It's difficult to accurately describe all that we got to witness as we have nothing like it in the states to compare it too. It was such a joy to watch them dance and sing and play the guitar. All four individuals were immensely talented and have obviously spent years working on perfecting their acts. Kyla and I were just in awe at how effortlessly and fluidly they all melded together. We also couldn't believe how fast the dancers could move and stomp their feet! Seriously, I've never seen anything like it before!! It was so wonderful!!
The stage
And so it begins!!
He was fantastic! And SO fast!
The guitarist
So beautiful to watch!!
The singer!
Once the hour was done, we blissfully strolled through streets, looking for a place to eat some dinner. Now, because my daddy is such an amazing cook (Go Daddy!!!), I've had paella a couple times in my life. Kyla on the other hand, said that she hadn't had it before. When she told me that, I nearly stopped in my tracks!! I told her that that was it, we had to find a place that served paella! But hey, guess what? We're in Spain, so it was actually quite simple to find a place that served paella! We got a table at this cute little restaurant and ordered paella and a liter of sangria! We then spent a few hours dining on the deliciousness and relishing the fact that we were in Spain, eating paella, and drinking sangria.
Kyla loves the sangria!!
yummy!!
Woo hoo!!
Our dishes of paella!!
"It has eyes!" - Kyla
Why yes Kyla dear, it does!
Oh, and by the way, the little place we ended up at just happened to be right next to the cathedral of Sevilla! It's not only huge, but gorgeous as well - especially when all light up at night! After feeling fully stuffed and content, we took our time wandering around the cathedral and listening to different guitarists playing on the streets.
After an evening well spent, we returned to our hostel for a night's rest! Day 1 in Sevilla, a very rapid day of trains and dance, was a success!!
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