The Canyons of Ronda

Today was a holiday in Seville which meant that we didn't have class (yay!) so while most people would use this day to catch up on sleep, we opted for a different approach to our day off.  Being the eager study abroad students that we are, about 20 students from my program and I decided to buy bus tickets and travel to Ronda, which is a mountain town about an hour and a half away from Seville.  The town is perched on top of a canyon, which allows for the most breathtaking views I think I have ever seen.  Apparently, Ernest Hemingway spent many summers in Ronda and wrote about its beauty and I can see why he admired this town so much.
When we got off the bus, everyone went their separate ways; we had six hours to explore Ronda before we had to catch the bus back to Seville.
Ronda's main attractions are the "Puente Viejo" (old bridge) and the "Puente Nuevo" (new bridge).  Both bridges span the canyon and give you amazing views of the city and its surroundings.  So, my four friends and I decided to make our way towards the old bridge, and do some shopping/exploring along the way.  We first came across a city park, so we decided to take a look around.  This park allowed you to see miles into the distance, so after we took tons of photos of this new viewpoint we had found, we continued to make our way towards the old bridge.

 Riley and me at the park

 the view from the park

 another viewpoint from the park

After stopping in various shops along the way, we finally reached our destination.  The bridge was beautiful and looking down into the canyon was absolutely breathtaking.  There was one section that had a locked gate, but beyond that gate was a path that lead all the way down to the bottom of the canyon towards the water.  Riley and Hope were determined to get down there, so Riley tried to pick the lock with a bobby pin, but that didn't work.  Hope and was close to hopping over the wall beside the gate and then jumping onto the path, but we convinced her to leave it be and that is was probably marked off due to some danger hazard.

 The view of the new bridge, from the old bridge. Complex, I know.

All of us on the old bridge

As we continued along the bridge, we came across the entrance to "Casa del Rey Moro," which is the remains of an old Arab palace.  We explored the magnificent gardens, but nothing was more exciting that exploring "la mina" (the mine).  The 289 stairs that make up this mine shaft bring you down to the very bottom of the canyon by the water (so Hope didn't need to jump a fence after all).  It was a little scary making the trek through the dark tavern and down the steep stairwell; it reminded me of The Hidden Staircase (hey, once a Nancy Drew fan, always a Nancy Drew fan).  But, once we reached the bottom, we walked out onto a metal grate over the water and our surroundings were absolutely stunning to see.    
A nice German couple that we met during the trek told us that this passageway was originally used by slaves to transport food that had come by boat to the palace.
  

 me walking down the creepy staircase through the taverns

 oh hey! The first lady and the first daughters also walked down through the cave!

After our cave explorations, we continued on to make our way towards the new bridge, and by new bridge, I mean the bridge that was built a little over 200 years ago...bit of a misnomer if you ask me.  After seeing more views of the Spanish countryside from that bridge, we stopped to get a quick bite to eat and a refreshing drink since we were famished from our earlier activities.  Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the bus station to return to Seville.  All I have to say is, this was definitely one of the greatest days off from school I've ever had.

We ran into some other girls from our program and got a shot of all of us on the new bridge

I will be traveling to Cordoba this weekend with our entire program, so look out for my next blog post!

xoxo,
sworonoff

Arabian Nights...In Granada

Hello All!
This weekend, our entire program traveled to Granada, which is about a three and a half hour bus ride from Seville.  If there is one word I can use to describe this city is would be: BEAUTIFUL.  The mountainous setting combined with the Arabic influence makes this town extremely unique.  We departed Seville around 9AM, and since the bus departed from a hotel that was about a half an hour walk from most of our houses, it was a bit of a rough morning.  For the next three hours on the bus, everyone did their own thing: some were fighting their hangovers, some listened to music, some read Fifty Shades of Grey (on kindles of course), and others read the Granada section of Rick Steves' Spain guidebook, and by others I mean me.
(Sidenote: Later on during this trip, I did find another student, my new bff Jacob, who is a Rick Steves enthusiast too, so I am not entirely alone!)
Once we reached Granada, we checked into our super-nice hotel and then were given four hours of free time before we were to meet back at the hotel to go to the chapel and cathedral of Granada.  Our hotel had a pool, so while some people spent the afternoon soaking up the Spanish sun, some friends and I decided to use this time to explore Granada.  One girl had read about an Arab market in the downtown area, so we all decided to go check that out.  "El Mercado de la Artesania" is located in several narrow alleyways right off the main plaza (don't worry mom and dad, it is not as sketchy as it sounds).  When I walked through those alleyways, I felt as though it was right out of the movie Aladdin.  There were carpets, pillowcases, and various other trinkets with Arabic patterns and roots.  I didn't buy anything, but several of my friends went a little crazy.

 our hotel (apparently it was four stars)

 A photo of one of the shops in the Arabian market

 I was not elaborating, the alleyways really were narrow

After walking around the market for a few hours, we went back to the hotel to meet as a group and walk to the Royal Chapel of Granada, or the "Capilla Real."  This chapel serves as a mausoleum because it houses the remains of famous monarchs Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, as well as those of their daughter Queen Juana I and her husband Felipe I.  As we walked around the chapel, we were told of the history, but nothing prepared us for when we got to the room where the monarchs are buried.  We saw the monuments that covered their tombs, and of course we all assumed that they were buried under the statues, but we didn't realize that there was a small staircase that you could walk down to actually look at what was buried below.  As I walked down those stairs, I had no idea what I was going to see.  For all I knew, I was going to see the skeletal remains.  What I actually saw was their coffins, so while it isn't as bad as their skeletons, it was still rather eery.

 The outside of the Capilla Real

After the Capilla, we walked to the Cathedral.  Ok, while cathedrals are SUPER cool and all... this was not exactly the first one I had seen on this trip, so it became harder to pay attention as we walked around.  It was also late in the day, so all of us were basically running on fumes.  That aside, I was still able to learn a great deal about this cathedral.  Unlike most of the cathedrals in Spain, this one had to await the acquisition of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada from its Muslim rulers.  Therefore, the church was constructed during a time when Spanish Renaissance designs were succeeding those of Gothic architecture that had been prominent throughout Spain in prior centuries.
After we toured the cathedral, we went back to our hotel and had a few hours of free time before dinner.  We decided to stop at the ice cream shop called "Los Italianos" that is apparently "the best in the city," and I must say that is a fairly accurate statement.

After a delicious dinner provided by the hotel, we were given the opportunity to take a night walk up to the top of the city where we would have a spectacular view of Alhambra , a palace and fortress complex that was constructed in the 14th century.  The Moorish palace was created by the last Muslims in Spain, the Nasrid Dynasty. After the reconquista by the Catholic monarchs, some portions were then used by Christian rulers (Charles V built a palace within the Alhambra).  Today, it stands as one of the best examples of the country's Islamic architecture.  We were not disappointed because despite the hike up to the vista point, the view was so amazing that I don't know if I can describe it.  A few of my friends and I decided to get a drink at the outdoor cafe by the vista point.  As we sat in the lounge area the restaurant had and sipped our glasses of wine while looking at the magnificent palace, fireworks were shot off from one of the interior courtyards (talk about being in the right place at the right time!)  That moment was probably my favorite moment of this entire trip.

This doesn't really do it justice, but it will have to do.

The next day, we actually visited the Alhambra; it was even more spectacular from the inside.  This would be our last destination in Granada before we hopped back on the bus to travel back to Seville.

A group of us on top of the guard tower at Alhambra

Max and I strike a pose while climbing some stairs at Alhambra

 This is part of Charles V's palace

Here is an example of the Islamic architecture that is rampant throughout the palace

Tomorrow is a holiday in Seville, which means that we don't have class.  A bunch of us are taking a day trip to Ronda, so I am looking forward to that. 

Until next time, chao!

L, sworonoff

Vamos a la Playa, A mi me gusta bailar

This weekend five of my friends and I decided to travel to Cadiz, a coastal Spanish town, to soak up a little Spanish sun.  We hopped on a train early Saturday morning and arrived in Cadiz around 10:30.  The hostel that we were staying at provided us with directions from the train station, but they consisted of no numbers or street names.  For example, we were told to go to the church outside the train station and follow the red line.  The hostel said that once the line ends, they were the second door on the left; they also added "we didn't put it there but it sure is convenient."   Well, apparently there is also a red line that goes all over Cadiz because we followed that one.  After walking around in circles for 15 minutes, we ended up right back where we started.  We realized that the hostel was not far from the train station at all, and that there is no end to the red line, but rather a break in the red line, which is where the hostel sat at the second door on the left.  Once we entered the hostel, we were prepared to use our Spanish skills, but the hostel employee said, "sup yall?" in response to our various "holas;" he was from Chicago.  His name was Michael and he was quite entertaining.
We couldn't officially check into our hostel until 1:00, so we dropped our stuff off and set out to walk around Cadiz for the remainder of the morning.  We went to a couple of forts that sat out on the water and took a few pictures.  Riley and Hope really liked climbing on rocks, and they were lucky it was low tide.
Once we checked into our hostel, we hung out on the rooftop terrace for the rest of the afternoon and napped/tanned.  
Around 7, Michael gave us a tour around the city that provided us with both history and lots of humor as well.  We saw the beach where Halle Berry had her infamous bikini scene in the James Bond flick "Die Another Day."  But, we found out a little secret about Halle Berry.  So, Cadiz is a lot like San Francisco, you think it is a warm climate, but the wind that comes off the water makes it a rather chilly city.  We had this experience in the middle of May, and Halle Berry shot that movie in February.  So, she apparently put her feet in the water and said that there was no way she was getting in because it was too cold; apparently it was her body double that actually filmed that scene.  Our friend Max (and the only boy on the trip) then said that basically his entire teenage years were ruined now.  So, I'm sorry to any guys reading this who have that same reaction.
We also saw the ruins of the second largest Roman theater which were discovered when a guy was "rolling some joints," as Michael put it, and fell asleep, thus burning down the modern building that sat atop these ruins.  During the clean-up process, fire fighters discovered what seemed to be ancient artifacts, so the called up some archeologists and voila! A Roman theater was discovered.
This was also my first time staying in a hostel, which I found to be a great experience because you meet people from all over Europe.  A met a young woman from Russia, a boy from Germany, two men from Italy, and a young woman from Sweden.  The hostel's rooftop terrace was where we would congregate and chat about what each of us was doing in Cadiz.
This was such a fantastic city and I was so happy that I got to visit it during my time here in Spain.

Sorry I've been off-grid for a little while.  The past two days have not been super exciting so I'll keep this post relatively short.  My first day of classes was yesterday and I can tell that I'm really going to enjoy them.  There are only other UNC students in my classes so we are all on the same level in terms of our speaking skills.  I am taking a class about Spanish Art and a class about Spanish Grammar and Composition.  I am particularly excited about the art class because I have never studied anything like it before.  Both classes are taught completely in Spanish, but the professors make it very easy to follow along.  Tonight, we had to listen to a presentation about the different festivals that occur in Seville throughout the year; this was also neat to learn about. 
I also get to go on a tour of the Cathedral in Seville (which is the third largest in the world after The Vatican and St. Paul's in London) on Thursday.  Colombus' tomb is part of that tour so I am super excited to see that. 
My friends and I have planned our first weekend trip to Cadiz, Spain this coming weekend and not that all of the planning and logistics are complete, it is so nice to finally be able to relax and get excited about the trip!

I'll try to keep the blog updated as frequently as possible!

xoxo,
sworonoff

Bullfighters: the men who make tight pants look good

Today I saw my first bullfight (and maybe my last, since it was a lot to take in).  Riley adn I basically lounged around all day on the "day of rest" but when evening rolled around, we went to see if we could get tickets to a bullfight that we knew was occuring in Seville that day.  Since we are in Spain, we both wanted to see a bullfight very badly and decided to take the chance and see if we could get tickets.  Fortunately, it was not hard at all.  When we were about to enter into the section where our seats were located, the security guard stopped us and told us that he needed ot remove the plastic tops from our water bottles.  This was very strange to us since in the US you cannot even bring outside food or drink into an event.  We asked our host dad once we got back why he only asked for the top and Pablo told us that it is because they are afraid people will throw the water bottle at the bullfighter and they don't want the plastic top to hit them.  It's a strange concept but apparently very common.  The bullfight itself was so interesting because I never really knew what garnered applause and what didn't, so I just sort of followed the crowd.  When we got into the arena, we found out that not only us, but basically every other person in our group had the same idea because we saw everyone there.  It was also a cool experience for us because this event was tourist central, so not only were there tons of other Americans, but there were Brits, Germans, Swedes, and many more Northern Europeans present at this event.  We got the cheap seats in the balcony, but they were still super close to the ring.  If that location is the Spanish version of the nosebleeds, I'm not complaining.  For as close as we were it may has well have been what we refer to as lower level seating.

 Our view from the "nose bleeds"

The way that bullfights work is that there are three bullfighters and they each get two different bulls, so there are six rounds altogether.  The rounds go by the strength and agility of the bulls, so the bullfighter who participates in the third and sixth round garners the most applause since he had the greatest challenge.  There are different types of uniforms that the fighters wear as well.  If a fighter has gold on their uniform, that means that they actually fight the bull and dodge it with the cape, but if they have silver on their uniform, they are only responsible for stabbing the bull to make it mad and therefore attack the bullfighter in gold.  There are also novice bullfighters without silver and gold in the arena whose main purpose is to draw the bull's attention away from they bullfighter while he regroups or whatnot.  The bullfighters are dressed to kill in their "suits of light" and are the heartthrobs of Spain; apparently many teenage girls have posters of bullfighters on their walls.  This doesn't shock me because Riley and I both commented on how good looking all of the fighters were.  It was also pretty when the sun would shine on the arena and their uniforms would literally light up.

Here are the "toreros" in their uniforms.The three in front are the ones in gold, the fighters.

This as the bullfighter who took on the third and sixth bulls.  He was also our favorite ;)

 

There are also men who come out on horses (both of which are covered from head to toe in padding and shields).  The bulls rams into the horse while the rider stabs it to provoke it.  The whole experience was a lot to take in; PETA better not get anywhere near a fight like this.  After the fight, the bulls are taken to a city where they are cooked and are apparently delicious and served as a very expensive dish.  While it is a bit of a culture shock to us, we were told that the bulls would be killed anyways, and to die this way is an honor rather than just merely being slaughtered.
The fight fulfilled all expectations that I had and I'm really excited that I go to see one while I'm here in Spain,  and apparently some of the best bullfighting is done in Seville.

The horse in the back is the one I was talking about with all of the padding

"I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"

That was a quote from my friend/roommate Riley who is on he trip with me.  So, everyone had a hard time sleeping last night (I guess the time change is still messing with us) and we had to be up super early to catch the bus to go to Italica, which is ancient Roman ruins outside of Seville.  So, everyone was a little bit out of it this morning when we got on the bus, and while we were looking forward to the trip, it was going to be a VERY long day (I didn't get to drink any coffee, and for those of you who know me well know that I should not be messed with before I have my coffee in the morning).  So, while the day was off to a rough start, I knew that it would be an exciting day.

Italica was created by a Roman general to serve as a place where injured Roman soldiers would be held during the Battle of IIipa.  The gladiator arena is the most well-preserved part of the city and the is third most well-preserved arena after the Colosseum and another arena in Northern Africa. 

 The mosaic tiles once served as the floors of different houses

The center of the arena where the lions and gladiators fought

 Me and my friend Erin at the arena

 The different levels of seating.  The top level was for women, the middle was for middle class men, and the lowest level was for elites.

After we were given the tour of Italica, we boarded the bus again and headed to the beach (in what seemed like hours of traffic).  We eventually made it, and the beach where we were was a very touristy place, complete with restaurants, shops, etc.  It was super fun because I am in desperate need of a tan.  But, I was the sunscreen expert and made it through the day with no sunburn!

 throw what you knowwwwww

Today I met the family I will be living with for the next six weeks.  Salud Ruiz is the name of my "señora" and her husband is Pablo and they have a daughter named Maria who is only a year older than I am.  Pablo is very into European soccer and I was asking him if he is a fan of FC Barcelona or Real Madrid.  He said that while those are the most well-known, there are two teams in Seville.  Those teams are Real Betis (which he is a HUGE fan of) and Sevilla.  He said that tomorrow night, Betis is playing FC Barcelona in Seville.  My roommate and I wanted to get tickets, but he told us that they were super expensive and since we are only college students with limited funding, we opted to watch it on TV.
The Spanish have what is called "Siesta Time" where all businesses close from 2-5 and everyone goes home to have a big meal with their family.  Since we are now a part of the family, we got to be included in the meal.  After we ate and unpacked, we had to go to the University where we will be studying for an orientation.  After that, we walked around Seville some more before heading home.  On our way back, we stopped by an ice cream shop that not only sold ice cream, but had shelf after shelf of high quality liquor behind the counter.  It was a combination we had never seen before.  Did the shop serve as an ice cream shop by day and high class bar by night? The answer may never be known, but they're ice cream was delicious!  We went back to our house for the remainder of the evening to rest up before dinner (which is served around 10 here).  

 The ceiling of a shopping mall

 The stadium where Team Sevilla plays

 FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are the two biggest soccer clubs

 ice cream by day, bar by night?

Hello Readers!
Today I spent my first day in Spain, and since I flew all night and rode trains and cabs for half of the day today I am a little sleep-deprived so forgive me if some of my comments seen a little eccentric.  When I arrived at RDU, my travels did not start off so well.  Most airlines have a 50 lb. limit on checked items, and well, my bag was 56 lbs.  Instead of opting to pay the $150 charge for having an overweight bag (robbery!!) I decided to open my suitcase in the middle of the airport and rearrange a few things.  After the removal of a couple of pairs of shoes,a flat iron, and a hair dryer, my bag was 51 lbs, and the young woman working the counter let it slide; she must have thought that I had super cute shoes.  After that little mishap, the rest of the trip continued without a hitch.  I flew to Philadelphia and met up with other program participants and we all flew to Madrid together.  From there, we had to take the bullet train to Seville.  Since we had been flying all night, all of us girls looked, as I like to call it, like a "hot mess express."  So, as soon as we set foot in that train station, checked bags were flung open and make up bags and toiletry kits were whipped out.  We left our good friend Max, who is a guy and doesn't have the problem of looking like a train wreck after being on a plane for 7 hours, to watch ALL of our bags (we owe him for that one).  After we left Max on guard duty, we rushed into the only bathroom the train terminal seemed to have and dominated.  We tried to utilize as little space as possible, but I'm sure we got the judgment face from several locals.  After that, we boarded the train, which completely reminded me of the Hunger Games; I felt like I was about to be whisked off to the Capital. Analogies aside, we arrived in Seville two and a half hours later.  Instead of taking naps like the rest of our colleagues, a couple of friends and I decided to walk around Seville and see what this gorgeous town was like.  After that, we had a group meeting where our advisors gave us a little introduction about the program we would be participating in.  Tonight, everyone is sitting in the lobby of the hotel (since that is the ONLY place we seem to get wi fi) typing like madmen either booking trips, chatting with friends, or blogging like me.  Since I am about to pass out in this nice comfy chair I'm writing from, I'm going to take that as a sign that I need to turn in for the night.  Chao!

Above: This is the bullet train that we took from Madrid to Seville that reminded me of the Hunger Games;

Introduction

Hello All!

My name is Sarah Woronoff, or "sworonoff" as my friends call me.  I am a rising junior at UNC-Chapel Hill and I will be studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain for about 6 weeks this summer through UNC.  Being a huge How I Met Your Mother fan, I figured the best way to keep a record of my experiences that I have in Spain is to channel my inner Barney Stinson and create a blog about my day-to-day activities.  Now, for any of my peers who will be going on this trip with me, you do not have to worry, there will be no "this is totally going on my blog!" moments from me since I am not looking to make note all the shenanigans we manage to get ourselves into while traveling abroad.  Of course, if something does make for a good story, I cannot guarantee that you won't see at least a mention of it on here.  My primary goal is show my readers what Spain has to offer and just how unique and exciting of a place it is.  I leave in two days and am beyond excited! Hopefully I can show all of you what Spain is all about and manage to keep you somewhat entertained throughout my journey.  So let's suit up and get started.

L, sworonoff