Tuesday, September 29th
We left Madrid in the morning to take the bus as a group to Córdoba to visit the Mezquita-Catedral. A little historical background: When the Muslims moved to Southern Spain, Córdoba was the main place for Muslim rule and government in the Iberian Peninsula. La Mezquita was the first Mosque in Spain. Construction of this building took place from the year 711 to the 17th century because there were so many changes to it. As different rulers came into power in the area, they added different layers to the building and and eventually added elements to make it more "Christian." In 1492, the Catholic monarchs Fernando and Isabelle made all the people in Spain convert to Christianity. They used the Catholic religion as a sign of victory and built a tiny Gothic cathedral on top of the Mosque. So this building is so unique because it is a fusion of both the Islamic and Catholic religions, and the corresponding architecture/art. I thought the details in the columns, ceilings, sculptures of angles and saints, etc. were incredible.After we visited the Mosque, we drove for another hour and a half to Sevilla and checked into the hotel, called Fernando III, where we stayed this night and Wednesday night. My roommate for the trip was my new friend Delia. We have a lot of fun together and she is originally from Mexico, so she is fluent in Spanish. When we were getting ready to go out, she was watching a soap opera on TV (which obviously is all in Spanish) and I noticed how much I was able to understand! I have tried watching some Spanish television at home in Las Vegas, but usually have a hard time understanding what's going on. I guess being in Spain for a month had already dramatically improved my comprehension skills!
We went to eat dinner with our friends Julia and Delia at a restaurant near our hotel that ended up being really good! I got menú for only 7 Euros. I got vegetable soup, fish & potatoes, tinto de verano (it's wine with lemonade/sprite, and this was the best tinto de verano I've had), bread (which was the best bread I've had in Spain), and ice cream. As we were ending our meal, th
e song "I Will Survive," made famous by Gloria Gaynor and a very popular karaoke song choice, was playing on the TV in the restaurant as part of a fútbol game. We all started singing it and the staff got a kick out of us. (We were the last customers in there). They put the song on their radio/music player and we sang the whole song at our table. To top it all off, they gave us a round of free shots!
e song "I Will Survive," made famous by Gloria Gaynor and a very popular karaoke song choice, was playing on the TV in the restaurant as part of a fútbol game. We all started singing it and the staff got a kick out of us. (We were the last customers in there). They put the song on their radio/music player and we sang the whole song at our table. To top it all off, they gave us a round of free shots! Later that night we sat outside at a bar for a "night cap." As we were finishing up, it suddenly started pouring rain. The tables were covered with umbrellas, but that wasn't enough and the waiters started bringing everything inside and customers started leaving. Julia and Daniella wanted to wait for the rain to blow over before going back to the hotel. (None of us had umbrellas). Delia and I didn't think it would end anytime soon, so we decided to be bold and make a run for it. Bad choice. We got soaked, and the rain did clear up after about only 10 minutes. Our clothes were drenched, but we were cracking up the whole time, and it was definitely something to remember! 
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