After thinking about coffee, I started to day dream about the wonderful cafe con leche in Spain. Some of my best days were sept sitting in the park or nearby coffee shop wired up on the delicious drink. Maybe even having a delicious treat. El Petisu was the place to go. E. and I would go pretty much every day and get coffee maybe some bread and talk about everything. Sitting in front of the shop soaking up the sun, making plans to meet later and drink a bottle of wine in the park. Life was just simpler, easier and better then. 

Photo: Croissant con chocolate’- it is filled with nutella like chocolate.

I didn’t realize how wonderful it was to have all the time in the world for doing whatever I felt like. I had no responsibility there, no job, no family and school was comparable to high school. Those were the days.

I have fond memories of the River. It was the the place to be on a hot day and the best place to have a beer or two. One of my first few days in Spain was spent on a touristy river tour.  Where I saw the numerous bridges, including the Puente de Triana one of the most famous. The bridge leads you to Triana the birthplace of flamenco and was once the gypsy quarters. The city has a homey feel and is home to some of the best night life. The tour took us down the river and opened my eyes to how big the city actually was. Sometimes doing touristy things pays off. Sorry Anthony Bourdain.

Anyway, hopefully the rain will let up and Sevillanas will return to their usual routine of the no pasa nada lifestyle that I miss each and everyday. Hopefully everything will be cleaned up by Feria (April 20-25). My prayer go out to those who have lost everything.

I’m hoping to use this to retell my semester in Sevilla and rant about every day things.  After watching too many travel shows, reading too many Spanish cookbooks and continuing to learn a Spanish I’ve become a little obsessed. With the help of my planner from two years ago I hope recount my experience in Spain and hopefully stop talking about it all the time!

Two years ago I had been in Spain for 43 days and was “studying” at the college in Sevilla. I was living the life and my liver was worse for wear. Carnival was two weeks before and I had visited the Alcazar in Sevilla the day after.

February 25th 2008 was a Monday and I had just returned from a weekend in Granada. Granada translation is pomegranate. How strange it would be to have a city called pomegranate in the USA. I spent two nights in a hostel in the city and I had no idea then, how lukcy I was.

Granada is located in  southern Spain (Andalusia) and is about a three hour bus ride from Sevilla.  The city is well known throughout Spain for the large university, The University of Granada. Which I visited briefly…ok more like walked by, I wasn’t interested at the time.

After arriving we spent the day walking in the city visiting the local market, and searching for some good places to check out later. I bought pillow case covers that I used briefly in my apt until they just ended up stacked on a chair. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant we ended up eating dinner at but it was owned by an Arab man from Virgina.  Needless to say he gave us a good deal and served us some of the best mint lemonade i’ve ever had. We all got drunk at some point and somehow manuvered the tiny european alley like streets back to our hostel. How i’m not sure but we all made it back. That’s the important part right?

A little worse for wear we all made it to the bus on time and after some cafe con leche we were ready to visit the Alhambra. Alhambra in Arabic means “Red Palace” it was named so for the red clay that surrounds it.   We started by going to the outskirts of town and had saw the Alhambra perched on the mountain.  Unfortunately it was foggy and my pictures didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped but nevertheless I still got pictures. Finally we arrived at the palace and I knew nothing about this huge structure before me. What I later found out was that the Alhambra was originally the home of Muslim rulers of Granada and was later taken over by the Catholics and converted into a Christian palace. The architecture was fascinating. The use of water throughout the palace was impressive for something built in the 14th century. The carved wood, and tiles were amazing and something I never forget. Something I think everyone should see in their lifetime.

After the Alhambra we went to Generalife, which is the summer estate of one the zillion kings I can’t remember. The palace was impressive but the gardens were the drawing point. When I visited not everything was in bloom, but it was definitely paradise on earth.

Another place to go back to when I win the lottery.