My First Incursion into Northern Spain

Last week, an amiga and I embarked on our first visit to Northern Spain, Santander to be exact.  This was a no-brainer trip for me as I'd heard great things about Santander last semester from a close friend who had studied there before, I was curious to compare Northern Spain with my home base in the south, and the Santander flight route is one of the cheapest you'll find direct from Sevilla (about €30/$40 roundtrip).

Although the flight into Santander was one of the bumpiest I've experienced (easily the windiest city I've been to while abroad), it was another painless domestic flight in which the take-off/landing processes were longer than the actual flight time and with Spanish flag carrier airline Iberia experiencing fairly regular strikes until this past week, I had to be all the more grateful for Ryanair.

The first thing I noticed when flying into Santander was how green and mountainous the terrain was, as opposed to the relatively brown flatlands that can be found surrounding Sevilla.  At around 180,000 people, Santander is the 35th largest city in Spain and therefore a lesser-known travel destination.  This fact was evident through the quiet streets and our accommodation, one of few budget hostels located in town in which we had a decently cheap two bed private room with a far different atmosphere to those I've experienced in Berlin, Barcelona, or even Marrakech.  However, I obviously expected Santander to be a different experience to those global metropolises and it played its role to perfection.  Although Santander and the rest of Northern Spain has a reputation for being rainy year-round, we lucked out by having to dodge downpours just one night.  This made our day-to-day trekking much easier and it allowed us to explore some of the coolest natural scenery I've seen in Spain or anywhere.

Bilbao, home to around 350,000 people (Spain's 10th largest), the famous Guggenheim Museum, and the center of the globally intriguing Basque Country, was next on the list and a short, scenic bus ride away.  With Kaixo being Hello, Eskerrik asko meaning Thank You, and Ez dakit euskaraz hits egiten translating as I can't speak Basque, it is very easy to see how the Basque language is not related to any language across the globe (somewhat supporting their consistent pleas for independence).  Coming into the trip, I knew the Basque Country was an extremely proud region and I wasn't sure which action among speaking fluent English, decent Spanish, or butchered Basque would offend them most, a feeling I had experienced with my first taste of Portuguese in Lisbon last term.  Luckily, Spanish is just as common in both areas so while I'm eager to gain some skills in Portuguese, I steered clear of Basque for this time around.

Language aside, I found my first trip to Bilbao and the Basque Country to be incredible.  Formerly known as "Spain's Pittsburgh" due to its rich history in heavy industry, Bilbao has been transformed through numerous projects of urban renewal including a new airport, rapid transit system, distinctive buildings like the Guggenheim, and numerous green spaces like the former steel factory turned park overlooking the city known as Etxeberria (probably my favorite part of Bilbao).  As urban planning is one of my favorite subjects, I find it all the more fascinating that an example of such successful revitalization is occurring in the Iberian Peninsula, an area currently plagued by economic crises.

Overall, my brief four day tour of Santander and Bilbao left me with great impressions of Northern Spain.  While I absolutely love calling Sevilla home, having mountains and beaches next to alluring urban architecture was a refreshing change to life here.  Unlike major cities involved in my past travels, I came to Santander and Bilbao with no set expectations and left appreciating the added understanding they had given me towards my host country, precious knowledge I consider as valuable as learning a language.

It's an amazing experience to see a country's most prized city like a London, Paris, or Rome and all the treasures they have to offer but at times the most rewarding adventures lie beyond the beaten paths.  I've been fortunate to have lived in Spain long enough to be able to explore some of its roads less traveled and hidden gems and I hope to get the opportunity to do so with as many places as possible in the future in order to get an inside look on what constitutes each country and makes it stand out from the rest.  This trip reflected that inside-look philosophy and I look forward to seeing where the next cheap flight takes me and what it teaches me.

With a fast-approaching break in Sevilla, for the world-renowned Semana Santa (Holy Week), due to begin next week, I'm off to take a closer look at neighboring Portugal and experience one of Spain's most renowned festivals. As always, my not-so-pro trip pics can be seen on my Facebook.

!Hasta luego!

From Barcelona to Belgium, A Loaded February

With the shortest month of the year coming to a close, I thought I would look back on another successful period of my enhanced education through travel.

A place that I knew I was going to and had to visit while in Spain was Barcelona.  Before making it to the city, I knew it was home to some unique architecture, a great football club, and the base of the Catalan independence movement.  Once I spent four days there, I quickly realized why it's the most popular city to visit in Spain.  Its well-mixed blend of big city perks, student-friendly prices, diverse geography, stunning seaside location, numerous otherworldly sights and attractions, and countless additional assets make Barcelona the perfect travel destination for anyone and although I was prepared for the differences of the Catalan language and culture, I thought it was easy to communicate in Spanish compared to the fast-paced abbreviated accents of Andalusia and I found the locals unusually helpful, relaxed, and inviting for a city of its multi-million person size...it must be because they live in Barcelona!

Although basing my travel plans out of a larger airport system like that of Madrid or Barcelona would undoubtedly lead to the luxury of cheaper flights and a more diverse array of destinations, Sevilla has held its own when it comes to pleasing my travel bug.  So when a roundtrip flight from Sevilla to Brussels for under $100 popped up last month, I jumped on it and excitedly awaited my first trip to Belgium.

With hostels being less abundant and more expensive in Brussels than other European metropolises ($25-$30/night is usually too fancy a price for this guy) and its discount air hub ("Brussels" South Charleroi Airport) being an hour bus ride into the city with a 13€ one way/22€ roundtrip ticket cost, my eagerness to explore this new destination initially clashed with the fear of losing the rest of my funds to it.  Thankfully, Brussels and Belgium would prove to be far more manageable money-wise once I arrived in full tourist mode.

Returning to 20-something degree weather, I designed my trip uniform for the long days of exploration ahead (from what I had brought in my Ryanair-legit school backpack) which included 5 layers on top (an undershirt, a couple long-sleeved tees, a fleece jacket, and a rain jacket), a scarf, beanie, and gloves.  After getting a decent grasp of Brussels over my first couple days of the trip, I found it similar to Berlin as a quirky (what other city in the world has a tiny statue of a boy peeing listed as a main attraction), developing city with a promising future, while certainly lacking Berlin's history, nightlife, and budget travel appeal.  However, I had known that it was what laid beyond Brussels that would define my first Belgian experience.

An advantage of having four days in Belgium is that it's a small country with a great rail system and no city is too far away.  With this in mind, I took a 30 minute train from Brussels to Ghent, a canal-filled college town and Belgium's fourth largest metro area.  Much of Ghent's medieval architecture remains intact (my hostel was in a 13th century building) and it became my favorite of the 3 cities I visited on this trip.  Its architecture, city layout, and nightlife gave me a feeling of Amsterdam on a smaller scale and I vowed to return one year for my birthday during the famous Ghent Festival of late July.

Saying goodbye to Ghent for the time being, I took another 30 minute west-bound train to Bruges, one of Belgium's most visited towns with a UNESCO-approved historic city center.  The circular historic center holds less than a quarter of the city's current population and is somewhat cut off from it due to the ancient city gates and a surrounding moat-like canal, but it's filled with an abundance of medieval architecture extremely pleasing to the eye.  Bruges seemed similar to Ghent with less students and more tourists and while its nightlife is nearly nonexistent, I was fortunate enough to tour the last family brewery within the old city and have a bar connected to my hostel, which helped me in my quest to sample as many beers as possible during my stay in Belgium.

Belgium's mix of old-world architecture, astounding variety of quality beer (the fries, waffles, and chocolate lived up to the reputation also), and ease of accessibility across the country make for an incredible trip.  As I've said about Berlin, I would absolutely love to return when I can explore in a t-shirt and enjoy a beer outside.  Appropriately, my March will be characterized by touring some new destinations in Southern Europe while savoring the good life here in Southern Spain.

Happy Andalusia Day from Sevilla!

New Year, New Experiences in the European Playground

Another fairly long hiatus in my young blogging career has been occupied by some continued adventures of personally epic proportions...

With the Fall term coming to a close in Sevilla a few days before Christmas, I was fortunate enough to spend the holidays with my amazing relatives in London.  As I've been keen to travel around the UK more and tour the many attractions that can be found outside London, I was thrilled when we spent a few days after Christmas in Cornwall, a region in southwest England home to some beautiful scenery that depicts the richness of English history, a subject that I find fascinating.  I was later able to spend New Years with my cousin in Brighton, a vibrant college town and travel destination on the southern English coast that I found similar to San Francisco in many ways, notably the landscape and lifestyle.

Maybe the biggest benefit of having a base in London, next to exploring one of the globe's great cities and being spoiled by family, is having the world's largest airport system at your disposal and being able to find competitive prices across 6 international airports in order to travel to exciting destinations that are far tougher to reach from many other places, like Florida and Sevilla.  Aware of my advantage as always, I knew I wanted to make a January trip to somewhere new on the cheap and Berlin emerged as my choice.

Just 22 years removed from German reunification, Berlin has arisen from an infamous 20th Century, that notably made it a center of Hitler's Nazi Germany and Cold War affairs, and has lately caught the world's interest as a major travel destination, so I was excited to have 6 days to get to know this buzzing New Berlin while examining the notorious scenes of years past.

While wandering around the city, I found it most fascinating and unique to experience the mixed atmosphere Berlin exudes stemming from Soviet control in the former Eastern half (where my hostel was) with American, British, and French occupation of the former Western half and how fast it's currently developing for the future, with an immense amount of building projects present throughout the city.  I kept thinking that I'd love to come back to Berlin a few years down the road with friends or family to see how it's progressing.

My time in the German capital was characterized by trekking around town Jason Bourne-style for a good 8-10 hours each day, meeting new friends at my hostel (as this was another solo trip), putting my one semester of learning German at UF to use, and trying to stay warm in the 20 degrees and snowing weather.  When flights cost $40 roundtrip and accommodation $5/night it's tough to be mad at the weather or anything else and Berlin really impressed me and became one of my new favorite cities.  I highly recommend all other no-income nomads and European travelers looking for a fun town with lots to see and do for cheap to make the trip to Berlin, perhaps in summer if you'd rather have a beer outside like myself. 

With my Berlin exploits behind me, I returned to my Spanish host family in Sevilla (same family from Fall) almost 2 weeks ago and am now getting adjusted to the new Spring semester, playing tour guide to the new hordes of international students, happily being mistaken for Spanish at times (until one hears my accent), and am entering my 8th month in Europe.

While I undoubtedly miss my friends and family back home and wish they were here to share these experiences with me, I'm thrilled to have settled into my life overseas and even happier that I chose to study abroad for a full year.  Having another semester here gives me more time to explore and learn about Sevilla, travel to other alluring Spanish cities that I knew little about before living here (like Santander, San Sebastian, and Santiago de Compostela), and enhance my personal ambitions of traveling, working, and living abroad in the future.

Besides, theres no time for homesickness when I ONLY have 4 months left here....and when your biggest stresses in life are deciding where to go out and what new place to travel to on your 4 day weekends, you better hold onto and enjoy that lifestyle!

As always, I've uploaded the obnoxious amount of pictures I've taken to Facebook in order to fully illustrate my travels from December and January and to capture small parts of what these amazing places have to offer!

Good luck to everyone in the start of 2013 and Go Gators!!!

A November to remember spent in my new hometown

While my international travel plans have stalled since a trip to Lisbon in late October and this blog has been seemingly dormant for longer than usual, I've been trying to get to know my host city on a whole new level.

After that trip to Lisbon, I was honestly pretty burnt out when it came to traveling, studying, and living abroad.  It had been almost 4 months since I had been in Europe (2 in London, 2 in Spain) and while I wasn't desperately homesick, it was tough adjusting to the fact that I had 7 more months until I'd be back in the USA, home to everything that I loved most.

The end of October and early November had a rough start, as some time went by where I mindlessly went through my daily routine without really caring or wanting to delve much deeper into life in Sevilla; I was exhausted.  I was also annoyed that I wasn't more intrigued by the many things that seemed so interesting when I had first come to Europe (as a boy and this past summer), I was aware that millions would love to be in my same position, and I wondered whether I'd have a future living and working abroad, like I've hoped and planned for most of my life.

A little later into November I came to realize that I had just settled into my surroundings and things that were so foreign a couple months ago were now just a part of my everyday life.  I knew that I needed to make things interesting again, step it up a level, and continue challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone, learn more about myself and my new country, and further enhance my perspectives on Spain, life abroad, and life in general.

Once I experienced this renaissance of thought, I became eager to talk with my host family more, pay closer attention in my Spanish history, politics, and conversation classes, research all aspects of life regarding Sevilla and Spain, and explore as many areas of the city as I could.  My fire was back, and I was now happily focused on living my present life in Spain to the fullest, not worrying about my past in the US or my future wherever it may be.

It has been a few weeks since I had this renewal of passion (and almost 5 months since I've been in Europe) and as I'm saving funds to travel more during Christmas break and next semester, it has given me the chance to step back and learn a great deal more about Sevilla, Andalucia, and Spain, places which I had been taking for granted and was unaware how much there was to see and learn.

Sure experiences like going up the Eiffel Tower or riding a camel into the Sahara are amazingly awesome (and I hope to have many more like them), but now I'm happy to find it just as exciting to explore a new part of the city, learn from my host family, go study in a park or old plaza, or find a new favorite bar somewhere in town....little things that I was previously too ignorant to see the value and joy in beforehand.

This November has been most memorable in that it has slowed life down for me by teaching me how to live each day in the moment, to the fullest, and with no regrets, practices which I knew as common sense but found it difficult to implement, and I hope to continue living by these methods from now in Spain into the far future!

Below are some pictures that summarize my latest explorations.  This next weekend I'm off to Cordoba and Granada and then within a month I'll be back in London for Christmas break!

Hope everyone's enjoying the start of the holiday season, Happy November, and GO GATORS!!!

A foggy November morning looking across the Guadalquivir River

The high point of a day trip to Italica, the oldest Roman town in the Iberian Peninsula located just outside Sevilla, at the Amphitheater which was the 3rd largest in the Roman Empire seating 25,000 and is still an impressive sight

Enjoying a uniquely American night out at the Texas Saloon, which has a fairly solid location

Another day trip to beautiful Carmona, which lies about 20 miles northeast of Sevilla

Ancient castle-top view of the ridge and rolling Andalucian plains in Carmona

Hmmm i recognize the face but not quite sure about the name...

Waterfall Gazebo! one of the many hidden features in Parque Maria Luisa

My señora spoiling me with these challenging to eat (with all the tiny bones and shells) yet delicious giant sardines and gambas (prawns) that were a small part of this lunch 

'Murrrica??!!

View from my study spot one evening

Relaxing in Plaza de Espana 

Witnessing my first legit flamenco show last night in Macarena, another charming neighborhood in northern Sevilla.  I honestly really enjoyed it and am excited to see many more!

Morocco: Gaining new perspectives from a personal frontier

This past weekend was easily one of the most enlightening trips I've ever been on; the setting for this memorable encounter? Morocco...

While having the great fortune of being able to travel around Spain so much already this semester, I've been really wanting to dive into a new world so a couple weeks ago I bought a cheap flight ticket to Marrakech, Morocco.  With my fellow international students touring other worthy European cities or going to Morocco another time (with one of the many large-grouped, package deals they offer here), I knew I would be traveling alone and was certainly comfortable with that; Being a fairly independent traveler, I find it easiest when I'm the only one to please and theres no plans, no judgment, no whining...just spontaneous exploration.

This enlightenment began the moment I stepped outside Marrakech Airport, where I found myself nudging my way through armed guards, Muslim traders, and one-eyed beggars just to find the road into the city.  Using an online recommendation and not against saving 30 dirhams (about 3 euros/4 dollars), I traveled from the airport to the city center on foot.  The journey was about an hour and a half and took me through the gorgeous Menara Gardens and down streets where I first witnessed the extreme diversity of Moroccan road travel: a mix of Western cars, horse carriages, constantly honking motorcycles, family-packing scooters, and crop-carrying donkeys to name a few.  

For a guy with some OCD characteristics, I thought finding my hostel without a map, the absence of street signs, lack of any French or Arabic language skills (the two most useful in these parts), and the target of "TOURIST!" on my back in a legitimately foreign North African city was a pretty fun, (dare I say) relaxing experience.  Ok so I had some directions jotted down beforehand, but they consisted of finding a missing cafe (that my hostel manager Abdullah later told me was being rebuilt after a bombing last year that killed 17 people...yes not the greatest first impression), a small bazaar selling wooden trinkets, and an old toothless Berber man handing out hard drugs (ok well not quite) so I did feel quite relieved after I found my way to Djemaa el Fna (the large main square and sight of that bombing), through dozens of decorated souks, down numerous narrow alleyways, and into my cozy hostel.  

After having some deliciously sweet Moroccan tea with Abdullah that Friday night, I instinctively booked a cheap two day-one night excursion to the Sahara Desert leaving early Saturday and returning Sunday evening.  The hostel offered other packaged trips to the mountains, beach, and various towns around the country but I knew a Saharan adventure was calling my name, it being a major global brand when it comes to natural geography.

After meeting my fellow excursionists on Saturday morning (made up of 4 Italians, 3 French, 1 Arab, and our Moroccan driver), we drove for hours through some of the most amazing landscapes I've seen, studded with mountains, canyons, hillside towns, lush oases, and the usual Moroccan roadside salesmen until we reached a small desert town a few hours southeast of Marrakech.  From here, we rode for nearly two hours via camel into the Sahara until arriving at our campsite.  While it was a bit bumpy (as expected) and possibly a little more uncomfortable for me and my fellow gents as the minutes passed, riding a camel into the desert was a genuinely unique, movie-like experience and wasn't quite complete without our Arabic-speaking caravan leaders getting a tad lost along the way...However, they would renew themselves by finding our camp, cooking us a simple yet satisfying Moroccan three course meal, and hosting a little concert by the campfire as night swept across the desert landscape.

On this Sahara excursion, I also recall gazing up at the starry, non-light polluted desert sky for hours and really noticing the Milky Way and several shooting stars for the first time.  While a couple of the French travelers spoke a little English, it was also interesting being the only American and native English speaker in the group.  I was called "America" by the two Arabic-speaking Caravan leaders and the only other intelligible word they could muster my way was "Obama" so naturally I just kept smiling and nodding (like the first days in my Spanish homestay) and we got along great.  While I wouldn't have objected to an English or even Spanish speaker, I found communicating without a common language a very illuminating aspect of this trip.  Also, seeing several towns without water, electricity, cars (things we think of as necessities) and young children having one soccer ball as their primary entertainment (and seeing foreigners as their biggest thrill) was so eye-opening and showed me how fortunate and lucky my life has been.

After departing the soothing Sahara and returning to the craziness of Marrakech Sunday evening, I continued to explore the city more (until flying back to Sevilla Monday afternoon), observing the hordes of salesmen making their living (you can seriously buy anything here...just be prepared to negotiate), dodging traffic (it took me five-ten minutes to cross the average street due to the lack of traffic lights and insanely crazy drivers), stumbling upon numerous hidden souks and eateries, and escaping the rush/watching the world go by from some mosque gardens.

Looking back on my first four days in the African continent, I discovered it was the first place I had been truly aware of how different life was to Spain and certainly the US.  I was viewing scenes I had only seen through movies, shows, and documentaries but neither in person nor on my past travels...and that was EXACTLY the way I wanted it!  I never felt fearful, just conscientious of my new surroundings, my status as being a foreigner in their country, and open to learning as much as I could about this foreign land in my short stay.

It felt amazing to survive and conquer at least a chunk of North Africa on my own, as I had never expected to be getting the opportunity to do something quite so adventurous for some time.  I really hadn't experienced major culture shock until my visit here, and I'm so grateful to the country (and Ryanair!) for letting me experience something so different.  Different is sometimes good and sometimes bad but to me it's always a blessing when you can put the world in perspective and sincerely appreciate where you come from...I look forward to getting that feeling again, hopefully sooner than I expect.

Check out my Morocco picture album on Facebook which should be up this week!

Happy October and GO GATORS!!

Settling in to a home away from home

What a difference a few weeks can make!  I have had a wild past month from finishing work in London, exploring Amsterdam and Paris both for the second time over a 10 day trip, getting back and sadly saying bye to family in London and flying into Madrid to start my life in Spain.

As living (and in this case studying) abroad for a year has been something I've wanted to do forever and will hopefully continue to do, I've already gotten upset with myself multiple times over how I haven't become fluent in Spanish yet, traveled around Spain or Europe enough, or fully appreciated/explored my lovely surroundings that many people would give anything to be in.  Then I take a breath and realize I've only been in Spain for nearly two weeks and Sevilla just over a week and it hits me how much I've done and seen, how many great people I've met (who I already feel like I've known for years), and how much time I fortunately have to live in this setting.

Although getting to Spain seems an eternity ago, I still vividly remember my first couple days living with my Spanish host family.  From the moment I got picked up from a bus stop in the center of Sevilla by my señora, we euro-kissed (two on the cheek...same as London) and she cheerily started bombarding me with words in her thick Sevillan accent.  I couldn't tell if my years of learning Spanish had immediately failed with my "mom" for the next year or if I was just tired, but either way I found myself just smiling and nodding (throwing in the occasional 'si' or 'bueno') for the next couple days....Luckily I had Steve, my fellow American/house-mate for the next year, bail me out then as his Spanish is more advanced but 'twas not my ideal start to the life I'd been planning for years.

Following the arrival, I've certainly come a long way and have become way more comfortable around Marilo (the name she told us to call her) and two of her aged mid-twenty sons that live here also, Carlos and Salvador.  Its definitely challenging to come up with new ways to answer a daily "Que pasa?" multiple times or to describe a meal without saying "bueno" or "delicioso" every time but the family and I have recognized that my Spanish is better than their English (only Salvador knows a few english words), once you get out of your comfort zone and talk to locals nothing can stop you from learning more, and I've got a solid enough language base to build upon each day I spend in this beautiful country.

One of the draws to studying in Sevilla for me, besides the homestay, was the three meals per day I'd receive from my future señora, as food is a major part of any culture and my life.  I think Marilo's had enough experience cooking, raising five boys and one girl and hosting international students the last few years, as I haven't had a bad meal yet...I actually just had dinner and told her 'No he tenido una mala comida en su casa' and whether that made sense to her or not, she smiled and thanked me while I walked off proudly, happy to have held my own in a legit spanish conversation for more than 30 seconds.

A usual day food-wise will consist of her laying out a nice breakfast spread for Steve and I while I watch my morning news or some kiddie toons (cus I can understand them woohoo!), then I'll come back from classes and eat a solid lunch (I'll hold back descriptions for the both of us) in the mid-afternoon usually with the sports channel on, and cap it off with a nice dinner around 9:30 with some Spanish Family Guy (very entertaining), Simpsons, etc...

By the time I return to my room, my brain is buzzing with all the new stuff I learned on the day and it definitely feels weird logging into my email or facebook (in this case blogging) and seeing what the English-speaking world is up to while I'm still thinking in Spanish....and even weirder not waking up early saturdays for a fun-filled day of college football and not remembering most of saturday when 'coming to' on sunday...Sure when here in Sevilla you can get an 88 cent bottle of solid Spanish wine at the local supermarket, one of the better investments of my alcohol-buying career btw, it's easy to think about binging American style but once you get used to roaming the old, charming, narrow streets or strolling along the gorgeous riverbanks with good people and good conversation, it just feels right to take it slow and make every bit last...and thats certainly just as nice to me.

The one sarcastically bad thing about Spain is that it's held me back from uploading photos from the past month to the internet but once I overcome this laziness, there will be hundreds of pics from London, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, and Cadiz, as obviously the world is waiting.  While I can't wait to continue adding to those pics from my many upcoming weekend excursions (Next Stop: Tarifa on Thursday), I'm just happy and thankful to be settled into my new life in Sevilla and although it may not be the most smooth year ahead, I am excited to keep learning about my capabilities and tackling the Spanish world day by day.

On the road again

Here's a brief update on what my future schedule will be like, as I know you've been dying to hear from me...

Yesterday was my last day of work in London and I'm celebrating by taking a leg-numbing 11 hour coach ride to Amsterdam tonight (you better believe it's much cheaper than flying) where I'll spend 4 days then its another solid 7 hour journey to Paris where I'll be for 5 days.

I leave Paris and arrive back in London on the morning of September 3rd and fly to Madrid on the morning of September 5th.  Once in Madrid, I'll meet all the other students on my study abroad program and get acclimated until we depart for Toledo on the 7th and head off to meet our host families in Sevilla on the 8th, where my little EuroTour will stop for now, and then start the Fall Term on the 10th.

It feels really strange to be traveling right now when normally I'd be starting school back in Florida but if that means I get to look at where the nearest coffeeshop (uhh i mean educational museum) in the 'Dam is or try to pretend I'm a legit Parisian (possibly believable until I speak) rather than scan the inside of an eyes-bleeding textbook, then count me in!

I'm hoping and expecting to have some great, memorable experiences in these fascinating cities over these next few weeks and I can't wait to share all the pictures and stories with you all once I'm settled in Sevilla...who knows maybe the next post will be in Spanish??...ehhh probs not

Good luck to everyone in the start of a new school year!