Today was a full day in Sevilla!
We got up fairly early for breakfast in the hotel (which was really good!) and headed to Los Reales Alcázares. This area used to be a royal castle in the 10th century and when different rulers came into power, they built more palaces and incoporated different elements. Overall, I loved Los Reales Alcázares! The beautiful atmosphere outside in the gardens was one of my favorite sights I had seen so far. Within the buildings, there were so many different rooms/areas to see, and the symbolism and history behind them was very interesting. We learned a lot about the different significances in Arab art vs. Christian art. One thing that I thought was really cool was that the Arabs often made the outside of a building a lot less interesting than the inside, which symbolized the external appearance vs. the soul of a person.
El Cuarto del Almirante was where Christopher Columbus convinced Queen Isabelle to sponsor his voyage! Behind the altarpiece in this room, there is a painting called "Virgen de los Mareantes" has the voyagers and the ships (the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria!) at the feet of the Virgin Mary.
After this we went to the Catedral de Sevilla. Before our whole group went in, we were waiting outside in the central area by this huge fountain and saw a lot of gypsies! I never really had heard much about them, but some other students told me that they were gypsies. These ladies were singing and trying to give/sell pieces of rosemary to tourists. Later I found out that they pulled a scam on Delia! One of them started 'reading her palms' and asked her for money. Delia was only going to give her one Euro (which is a coin), but the lady said she only takes bills and will give her change. Delia gave her a 10Euro bill and the gypsy said she didn't have change. She turned her story around and said that it cost 10 Euro- 5 for each hand. It seems stupid, but Delia had never really heard about gypsies so she didn't know to ignore/be cautious around them. If I hadn't heard the other students talking about them I wouldn't have either.
After this we went to the Catedral de Sevilla. Before our whole group went in, we were waiting outside in the central area by this huge fountain and saw a lot of gypsies! I never really had heard much about them, but some other students told me that they were gypsies. These ladies were singing and trying to give/sell pieces of rosemary to tourists. Later I found out that they pulled a scam on Delia! One of them started 'reading her palms' and asked her for money. Delia was only going to give her one Euro (which is a coin), but the lady said she only takes bills and will give her change. Delia gave her a 10Euro bill and the gypsy said she didn't have change. She turned her story around and said that it cost 10 Euro- 5 for each hand. It seems stupid, but Delia had never really heard about gypsies so she didn't know to ignore/be cautious around them. If I hadn't heard the other students talking about them I wouldn't have either.
The Catedral-Gothic Cathedral of Sevilla- was so magnificent! It was completed in the 1500s, built on top of a Mosque as a symbol of Catholicism. The architects used the Gothic
Cathedral in Toledo as an example, so it was very similar to it, but bigger! The Cathedral in Sevilla is rich with gold, silver, paintings, sculptures, grandiose interior architecture, and other 'treasures.' We climbed to the top of the bell tower called the Giralda-which was 34 ramps- to see an incredible view of the city. I thought this Cathedral was amazing, but for some reason I was more blown away by the Cathedral in Toledo (that I blogged about in the very beginning of my time in Spain). Maybe because it was the first extravagant European cathedral I had seen?Nevertheless, the Cathedral of Sevilla has some impressive statistics: the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world! Again, my pictures can't do it justice, but wikipedia has some good ones as well as info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Cathedral.
After this we had a very nice group lunch in el Restaurante El Cordobés that was included in the program. There were a lot of courses and a bottle of wine for each table of four. :) I sat with and had some good conversation with Olivia, Brooke, and Jen. Then we had free time (aka a two-hour siesta), until the next group activity, which was a Flamenco show!! 
It was a very small, intimate venue that I would say only held about 80 people. There was a guitarist, a singer, and two dancers. They all keep the beat by clapping in specific rhythms. The dance moves are very passionate and technical. I felt that I had a lot of time to think while I was watching the Flamenco show because it was the first time I had experienced a type of silence with no talking in a long time. I was thinking about how lucky and blessed I am to be in Spain this semester and have these experiences.
It was a very small, intimate venue that I would say only held about 80 people. There was a guitarist, a singer, and two dancers. They all keep the beat by clapping in specific rhythms. The dance moves are very passionate and technical. I felt that I had a lot of time to think while I was watching the Flamenco show because it was the first time I had experienced a type of silence with no talking in a long time. I was thinking about how lucky and blessed I am to be in Spain this semester and have these experiences. Later in the evening, I ate with Delia, Julia, and Daniella in an Italian restaurant near our hotel. We got pizza and it was sooo good! We also got some amazing ice cream later. To end the night, we walked to the river and went to a bar.
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