¡A comer!: Spanish Food

Perhaps one of the most fun parts of traveling is sampling new food and drink. I mean, who doesn't like to find the best wine and chocolate in every country? Living for a semester in Spain was a completely different food lifestyle from my American routines. Some of the food I was happy to say adios to...

Donde la vida cambió

Today is the Thursday before Good Friday, which for the people of Sevilla, Spain, means la Madrugá. La Madrugá is Spanish for "early morning," and on this night, pasos, processions of various Catholic churches, pass through the city center honoring Christ and the Virgin Mary. Although I am not Catholic, two years ago I had the opportunity to...

Spanish Fútbol

I couldn't very well live in Spain for five months without attending at least one fútbol game, now could I? I have never been particularly into soccer since a) I'm an American, and b) I didn't play YMCA soccer as a kid like many of my classmates. Nevertheless, this was a part of Spanish culture that I...

Sevilla: la Feria de abril

If there is one time of year that defines the heart of Sevilla, Spain, it's la Feria de abril. This April festival, celebrated in various cities but most famously in Sevilla, originated in the 1800s as a livestock trade, with shared food and drink in true Spanish fashion. Since then, it has evolved into a week-long...

Not a Place

  This weekend I got to see an old and very good friend. We were talking about the places where we live and the places we've been to or want to go, and I commented that I wish I were back in Spain instead of in the US at least once a day. Every single day....

When the adventure ends.

I have yet to catch up on tales of adventures of Spain, Austria, and Germany, I realize. Those stories will come. And next month I will have a Czech Republic trip to share with you as well. But today, I want to talk about what happens after the adventure. That thing that we all try...

Torn Between Two Worlds

(Posted a bit late because airport wi-fi didn't work and because I was too exhausted after 24 hours of traveling to post.) I confess that I am a bit behind on travel blogging. Since my last post, I’ve traveled to Barcelona and Granada, experienced Sevilla’s defining Feria de Abril, cheered on both of the city’s...

Random Ramblings from Sevilla

(My other working title was "Stephanie finished her homework due tomorrow and doesn't want to work on her paper anymore.") I still have to catch up and fill y'all in on my Barcelona trip (amazing...one of my favorite cities) and la Feria de Abril, a huge festival in Sevilla. But tonight I thought I'd reflect...

La Semana Santa (Holy Week)

La Semana Santa, Holy Week, is an important holiday throughout Spain, but most of all in Andalucía. Thousands of people flock to Sevilla for the festivities, which is one of the reasons I took most of that week to travel to Portugal. However, I returned late Thursday before Good Friday and was in Sevilla through...

Cultural Fusion: Moorish Influence in Spain

  One of my professors at UPO describes Spain as an encrucijada, a crossroads where cultural influences from the Mediterranean, Africa, and Europe collide. To me, one of the most interesting influences is that of the Islamic Conquest  (711-1492) of what is today Spain. This history actually inspired my senior thesis project, which examines the...