So far, I think this may have been my favorite trip, for many reasons. One being I got to spend 4 days with Ellen, meeting her friends and seeing what she does on a day to day basis. I hadn’t seen her in almost a year! It was so great to see someone from my family after 2 ½ months of not. I also liked this trip because I traveled alone and got some time away from my JFRC family (I love them all so much but a break was needed).
Day one started with a tour of Seville with Ellen and her boyfriend Manuel. There was quite a language barrier between us, but with my little known Spanish and his English we made it work. We visited Alcazar, an old palace, and took some great walks (and a nap) through the park.
Spanish food is amazing! I had seafood paella (fresh by the coast) and Tappas. Also, it was nice to have home cooked food and fresh squeezed orange juice everyday thanks to Elle. I also feel like I got to learn about the culture being with Ellen since she has adjusted to the Spanish way of life. We made sure to have our daily siestas and marienda’s (light evening snack…usually ice cream or chocolate…yes!). One day we didn’t have dinner until midnight and the Flamenco show we went to didn’t start until 2 a.m.! Everything is just pushed back a couple hours there.Spending two days on the beach topped the weekend (although I did get sunburned after the first day and spent the whole second day under an umbrella- it was worth it). I feel like spending time with Ellen’s friends helped me to understand Spanish culture whether it was greeting people by kissing them on the cheeks or eating ham and cheese sandwiches (Spain is famous for their dried ham legs).
I also realized how many parts of Spain seem beautiful and interesting…looks like I will be going back someday.
This weekend I'm off to Malta!
