My favorite thing that I saw there was the Cathedral. It was gorgeous! And huge! Caitlin and I went back to it later and climbed to the top. From the top you could see the rooftops of all of Cadiz. Seeing all of the rooftops felt like a scene from Aladdin.
We also went to the beach. It was crowded with people: families, friends, young kids. Many people were playing games (soccer, etc.). It was a really fun place to be. Several women (of all ages) were topless and it was completely acceptable.
That night, a bunch of us went to the bars. It was really fun for me because even though I am not fluent, I was the only one in our group that spoke any Spanish, so I got to be the translator and talk to all the people we met.
The US was playing Spain in soccer that night, so it was a lot of fun to be able to watch that. And we won! 2 to 0. They are so different than what we see in the US. In Spain, there are considered family places, so we saw babies, young children, and families there. Food is also served (tapas: kind of like what we would consider an appetizer). We had a lot of fun, but Caitlin and I left a little earlier than everyone else (the Spainards stay out until 5 am!) because our overnight Sevilla, Cordoba, and Granada tour started early the next morning.
In the morning, we left for Sevilla. We saw the Cathedral, the palace, the old Jewish quarter, and Plaza Espana. Interestingly, the palace is not one big building. It is several houses that former kings have built connected together. During each king's reign, he would live in the house he built and use the other houses for guests, etc.
Then we left for Cordoba. We had the night free, so we walked around the town, got ice cream, and sat out by a fountain.
The next morning we went on a guided tour. (It was also Caitlin's birthday!) We saw the city and the Mezquita, an old Muslim mosque that was converted went the Christians came to power in Spain by builing a chapel inside. It is so big that when you first walk in you can't even see the chapel!
Next, we went to Granada. Granada has been my favorite stop on the trip so far. It has the historical aspects, but also a downtown and a big university. I think I want to go back there to study abroad. We met some English speaking students studying at the Univeristy of Granada and they showed us around the town. We went to a small bar with really nice bartenders. So much fun! Then we went to a club called Cambordia. We had such a blast that before we knew it, it was 4 am! The club was still packed with no signs of slowing down, so we stayed until 5 and then finally went home. In the morning, we saw the Alhambra: a gignatic, glamorous palace. It took all day to see the whole thing.
The next day, we were back on the boat (we had three days until we got to Italy). I had two papers due and a midterm. We are so sleep deprived! Between all of this traveling and studying, I think I'm going to sleep for 24 straight hours when I get home. I've woken up to an alarm clock everyday since I left. (But who can complain, right?)
Ciao Roma! On July 1 docked in Civitavecchia. I couldn't really sleep that night, so in the morning I woke up early as we were pulling in, just in time to see "Welcome to Civitavecchia" written in huge letters (yes, in English) on a wall. Perfect start to the morning.
After a little buying, selling, and haggling the past couple day, Caitlin and I both ended up with the "Highlights of Rome" tour for the first day, so we left by bus on our tour right away. (GREAT decision to but these tickets; you'll understand why by the end of my story.) We rode the tour bus for about an hour and got the Vatican Museum. All of the rooms were intensely decorated. There were paintings all up the walls and on the ceilings. There was one room with this amazing artwork on the ceiling that looked like it was sculpted, but it was really just painted with such amazing precision that the shadows looked real.
We went to the Sistine Chapel (Capella Sistena...I think). They told us not to take pictures, but as soon as we entered the room, packed with people, half of which had their cameras out shamelessly. So of course I took pictures too. :)
Next stop: St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basillica. Again. Amazing. We saw the Madonna. Incredible in real life! It is so unreal to see something so famous in real like!
Next stop: The Colosseum! While walking there we gout caught in an incredible, warm, intense down pour. We ran and danced around in it. So different than a Seattle rain. The wind was strong, making it even more wild. We could have easily let it get us down (some people did) but I had an absolute blast. Top Ten All-Time memory for sure. Then we ran to the Colosseum. Inside was breathtaking. Then when we went up to the top, it was almost time to go. My friend Karli and I took off running around the top...yes, running...just so we could say we went all the way around the perimeter...running!
After, a small group of us broke off from the tour to head to our hotel: Hotel Texas. It was a small, older, inexpensive place, but it was clean, the management was nice and it was full of SASers! (I didn't see any other guests who weren't SAS!)
We went out and attempted to go out to the Pub Crawl with everyone (probably 100 SASers throughout the course of the night) but I had to pay for the entire hotel in cash earlier that night (the girls will pay me back) so I didn't have enough money. I all worked out fine though, probably better. Carrie, Caitlin, and I sat on the Spanish Steps and people watched. It was full of families and friends. Then we ate Gelato and saw the Trevi Fountain. Gorgeous at night! I think it is my favorite sight I've seen so far. After, we ran into some SASers in front of a bar, hung out a little bit, and took a cab home.
I forgot! Before we went out for the night, we went out to dinner with a bunch of girls at a cute restaurant by the Spanish Steps. We ate pizza, pasta, and laughed a lot. We did so much in one day! It felt like we had been there a week.
Woke up the nest morning a little sore from my springy bed, but happy to be in Rome. Caitlin, Carrie, and I spent the day together—roaming Rome. We saw the Trevi Fountain (again), saw the Pantheon, ate a long lunch, and shopped a little. Perfect day! We went to the bank at one point, too. Only one person can go through the door at a time and you stand in the little glass cylinder whose doors rotate to let you in. Crazy.
Then we met up with this girl Maggie and took the train back to Civitavecchia. When we got back we went in the pool! First time this trip!
Now I'm in an Internet cafe trying to catch up on email, but I'll be on my way to the beach soon!
The Sunrise While Pulling Into Port In Cádiz
My New Friends In Cádiz
The Santa Maria Cathedral
In Sevilla
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