Submitted by Joseph Hinton on the 2018 fall semester study abroad program in Granada, Spain…
In all honesty, this week was rough. Our first exam week and other than a few moments of reprieve like our semifinal game on Tuesday in soccer which was a close one, winning 3-2 and booking our place in the finals! It was about 90 percent studying and test taking with all five exams in one week in another language. This definitely was my most challenging week to say the least. However, luckily at the end of the week, we all had the trip to Sevilla to look forward to and help us push through our exams. Finally on Friday at 6 o clock, I was finished, first round of exams done and dusted and I was mentally ready to fully enjoy Sevilla. Just one hour in and I knew, this place was special. Although no city has come close to feeling like home as Granada, Sevilla is a strong second. First visiting the Plaza de Espana, the place where I found out they filmed a planet in my favorite film series Star Wars, and automatically it was better than Cordoba for me. What was cool about the small palace was the little details put into each section representing all the places that make up Spain and the beautiful architecture truly making Sevilla look out of this world. Next we visited the Real Alcazar de Sevilla, a royal Moorish palace, where kings and royals of both Muslim and Christian heritage ruled. The common theme of stretching gardens full of different plant life and luminous fountains filled the square of the palace and gave off the feeling that you were taking a step back in time to the days of kings and caliphs. Finally, after an hour of free time and a delicious milkshake (one of the best I have ever had) we explored the Mezquita de Sevilla and its famous “La Giralda” torre. From the view of the tower we could see all of the city and the Mountains of the Sierra in the distance, while in the Mezquita itself we saw artifacts from both religions and the actual remains of Christopher Columbus. Though cool seeing all these places, it was the in between that made Sevilla such an amazing trip, the streets with music and people, the restaurants filled with tantalizing smells and tastes all culminating into a unique adventure like no other in Spain. Like the famous song says, Sevilla just has its own special color to it.
