So far Spain has been pretty incredible. I have only been in the country one week and I have already been to Madrid, Toledo, and Sevilla, where I am studying this semester.
First let’s talk about Madrid. I was only there for two days, but I saw all the most important things in the city. This includes the amazing Prado museum which is similar to the Louvre in Paris. The Prado has incredible paintings by Diego Velasquez, Francisco Goya, and of course El Greco. I do not have the biggest interest in art, but the paintings in this museum gave me a much better appreciation to how complex and important art can be to a culture and its people.
From Madrid we went to the ancient city of Toledo. This city is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been if not the most beautiful. The city has a mixture of architecture due to the different people who have inhabited the city. This includes the Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and the Christians. The city is surrounded on three sides by the Tagus river which created the rocky bluffs that exist today. The skyline is dominated by the amazing Cathedral. It was breathtaking. I could have spent hours inside it looking at the incredible detail the painters, sculptors, and carpenters put into everything they touched over the 250 years it took to complete it. The stunning views and the Cathedral make Toledo the most beautiful city I have ever seen.
After a day in Toledo, we made our way to Sevilla to be introduced to our host families and to settle into the city where we will be living for the next three months. My host mom, Magarita, is a 60 year old woman who lives by herself and has had study abroad students for 15 years. She is an excellent cook and is extremely nice, however she only knows four english words. At first, this worried me because I am by no means fluent when it comes to spanish. This initial worry has faded away after being in Magarita’s home the past few days. I find myself communicating very effectively to the point where I am even able to make small “chistes” or jokes in Spanish. This is extremely exciting because I feel I am picking up the language fairly quickly after only a few days. So far everything has been amazing, and I know it will continue to be one of the most fascinating experiences of my life. I’ll have some pictures in my next post of my adventures. Adios until next time.
-Adam