End of semester is coming, and you all know what that means?? It’s crunch time!
But, as much as it is crunch time, the traveler in me was not able to sit still, and Samo (my roommate) and I took a trip to Sevilla and Córdoba this past weekend!
Now, something to understand, this past weekend was a four-day weekend here in Spain. The Sunday was a holiday, and so was the Tuesday (dia de la inmaculada), and so seeing as the Monday was in between two holidays, an amazing thing called ‘el puente’ occurred. A ‘puente’ here in Spain refers to a weekend that is extended beyond three days due to holidays, ergo what just happened, and so consequently we had a four-day weekend, perfect for another trip to Spain’s beautiful Andalusian region in the South. If you all remember, I had gone to Granada in October, and Sevilla and Córdoba are the two other key cities to visit in Andalusia.
We had actually invited several people to join us on this trip, but I’m learning several lessons about trip planning while here on Erasmus. Here are some tips for people who would like to do this in the future:
- Expect most people not to want to come.
- Do not take a declined invitation personally. People have several good reasons not to want to come. Some of the reasons I’ve encountered have been: not enough money, too much homework, other trip previously planned, or just, not in the mood of traveling/don’t want to travel, I would rather party. This is ok, as people have different intentions for their trip abroad.
- Do what you want, when you want. If you want to go on a trip, do it. Regardless of how many people join.
- Plan ahead. Flights or bus/train tickets are much cheaper when you book in advance, and so are accommodations in Airbnbs or hostels. If you do decide to invite some friends, give them a firm deadline to decide whether they want to come, because waiting around for people usually results in a higher cost for the trip.
- Have fun!
Up until now, I have been on several trips, and each and every one has been different. My last trip, to Poland/Milan, was partly solo, partly in a large group of people that I had just met, and partly a family-visiting trip. Three different experiences in one trip. Having already experienced a solo trip, I was now ready to embark on my first two-person trip with a friend (seeing as I’d done Portugal with my mom).
So Samo and I left the Saturday morning at 1:00 AM from Madrid, to Sevilla. Night buses are great because you save on the hostel fare for one night, and you don’t waste a day traveling (in this case, 6.5 hours).
And once we arrived in Sevilla, at the ripe hour of 7:30 AM, we had the entire Plaza de España to ourselves!
Yes, in case you were wondering, Plaza de España was one of the filming locations in the Star Wars films. It was on the planet Naboo!
This was not Sevilla’s only wonder, oh no! Sevilla was packed with stuff to see. The good thing about it being just Samo and me was that we were able to do everything on foot, in a pretty fast pace, and get it all done in two days.
Sevilla’s cathedral is the oldest Gothic Cathedral in the world, and it’s massive size made it stunning to look at. And don’t underestimate the view from the top!
What’s more? Sevilla is home to the Alcazar, a Royal Palace originally developed by the Muslim Kings. Though it’s architecture inside greatly resembles that of Granada’s famous Alhambra, the Alcazar is famous for it’s gardens, yes, also the filming set of Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones below:
Also in Sevilla: the largest wooden structure in the world with an amazing view from the top!
Sevilla is known perhaps as the city that is the most quintessentially Spanish. I’m not sure about how to compare Sevilla to Madrid in that sense, but I can guarantee that Sevilla has no shortage of stuff to do. At night, the streets fill up with people making it nearly impossible to move, and so you almost have to circulate using the side streets. Unfortunately, I did not find Sevilla’s Jewish quarter, with the white-washed villas, as impressive as the one in Granada, or even the one in Córdoba, which is the charm that allowed me to fall in love with Granada in the first place, but that aside, the Plaza de España, the cathedral, the Alcazar and the wooden lookout definitely makes this city one of Spain’s prettiest and most unique.
Off to Córdoba! Interesting story, since I’ve arrived here in Spain, getting up in the morning has been, by far, my greatest challenge. We had a train from Sevilla to Córdoba at around 8:35 AM the Monday morning, so naturally Samo and I decided to set an alarm for 7:00, leave the hostel at 7:30 in order to arrive at the train station at around 8:00 (it was kinda far). Samo and I both got up at 7:00, and he went off to eat breakfast. I fell back asleep, and was re-awaken by his loud whispering, telling me we had to leave in THREE minutes! I rushed to get everything done and we left 15 minutes behind schedule, though luckily we made the train on time.
In fact, having been here in Spain for over three months now, I’ve noticed that morning wake-up is by far the hardest part of my day, regardless of what time I wake up at, and regardless of how much sleep I get… Rarely do I get out of bed within thirty minutes of when my alarm rings, weird. This habit would never fly back in Montreal.
So, Córdoba. We planned to spend two days there, but after the first day, when we’d seen everything, we realized that two days was too much, and one day probably would have sufficed. Despite it’s small stature, Córdoba is a charming city that could definitely hold it’s own. It’s most famous attraction being the ‘mezquita’, or the old mosque, now converted to a chapel. This is world-famous, and it’s easy to see why:
We paid 8€ to get into that mosque, a bit pricey, but you know what, when you’re traveling and getting to know new cities and new cultures, sometimes you have to give in to some tourist traps and enjoy the experience.
Córdoba also has a famous bridge with a fort on the other side, providing a beautiful view towards the city.
And, of course, the Jewish Quarter in Córdoba definitely met all expectations!
I love the white-washed villas!
Some other attractions: Roman ruins, a great food market, old churches and Túrron!
Yes, I rather enjoyed Andalucia!
Unfortunately for Samo and me, the supermarkets were closed on the Monday and Tuesday for the long weekend, and so we were forced to buy lots of cold cuts, cheese and bread, perhaps the most unhealthy diet to have. Fruits and vegetables were scarce… I vow now not to lead such an unhealthy diet again, even when traveling and letting loose, it’s important to remember that not every trip is an excuse to let yourself go, though this time it was tough since everything was closed.
In the meantime, some friends and I took a trip to El Escorial, the former king’s castle, located just a few kilometers north of the city. Its size is breathtaking!
Meanwhile in Madrid, Madrid has been gearing itself up for Christmas. It’s weird, this year I won’t really be spending Christmas with my family, and in my flat here in Madrid we don’t necessarily have a Christmas tree up or anything. As you all know, I’ll be going to spend Christmas in the South of Italy with my family there, so I won’t be family-less, but it’s weird, it feels less like Christmas this year than it has in years past. Madrid, however, is very festive at this time of year.
One thing I love about Madrid, it’s the vibe the city has, and this is even more accentuated around Christmas-time on a weekend. The decorations are splendid, as is the Christmas market on Plaza Mayor. I have never experienced a better city vibe in my life! So far, I really don’t think there is a more exciting city to live in in the world, but hey, I’m biased 🙂
The one thing that destroys this vibe though: end of semester and exam period. Surely I’ve ranted about how the overall level of education seems lower here, and make of that what you will, but even Spanish university students don’t escape exam period. The biggest proof of this: I went out to Kapital last night and it was DEAD! No one was there, and there was no one in Sol, the central square either (when I say no one, I mean significantly less people than usual, and the usual is jam-packed). Yes, end-of-semester is hitting me hard as well, I had an exam last Friday, a big project due yesterday and an exam and a big assignment next Wednesday, so for the first time all semester, I’m likely to spend the weekend studying. Joy…
It’s all gonna be ok though, Christmas and Italy await me! – Dan.
Studying Abroad in Madrid!! 