Well, it is officially autumn here in southern Spain, though you wouldn't know it just by going outside. Seville is experiencing an extremely warm autumn, which is quite unusual (the locals tell me this everyday). The weather has been very sunny and warm, which average daytime temperatures in the mid-80s. Although the weather is quite favorable during the day, it is very chilly in the early morning (when i walk to the train station) or after the sun goes down. And because Andalucian houses were built to provide relief from the unbearable summer sun, they definetely do not do a good job of keeping one warm at night. Marble floors, high ceilings- it all makes it quite cool in the house. It is always colder inside the house than it is outside.
Anyway the weather reports indicate that we should be having this weather for another 2 weeks....at least. Hey, im not complaining. Ive heard that its getting quite chilly in Iowa now.....too bad for you guys!!!!! But Spain doesnt have a definitive autumn like the midwest does, with the leaves changing colors and falling off the trees, etc. Here most of the trees are orange trees, which maintain their green color year-round and never fall off. And walking around the city, you will definetely see an array of different colored flowers. You can smell freesia a lot as you are walking through the city. I cannot wait to see Seville in spring, when all the flowers are blooming and the entire city smells of orange blossoms!!
I went to Cadiz this past weekend with my friend Marion. Cadiz is a beach city, about 2 hours in train from Seville. We went for a day trip to escape the city for awhile. Wow, what a beautiful city. It has a very exotic feeling to it. The streets are a lot longer than in Seville, and all the houses are painted pastel colors. There is a beautiful cathedral right by the seaside with a gold dome. It reminded of me of Saudi Arabia for some reason. The pastel colored streets reminded me of Havana, Cuba. It was a really great combination.
Marion and I layed on the beach for a few hours. It was a bit windy, but nice nonetheless. I did get in the water a few times, but I admit the water was quite cold. We spent most of our time walking around the city, listening to music on a little boombox and breathing in the salty sea air. It was great!!!
Seville life is going good. I cannot believe that I have only been here for a month and a half or so. I feel quite comfortable here, although lately I have been noticing my Spanish skills going up and down. Some days I feel so confidant with my speaking skills. Other days I feel like I dont understand a word of what people are saying to me. But I recognize it as my mind trying to adjust to a new accent, a new dialect, and a new social context. I try to counteract my confusion by reading the Spanish newspaper everyday, listening to talk radio on my trek to the train station (my cell phone has FM radio), and keeping my dictionary nearby to look up any unfamiliar words. Living here is a daily learning process. Even though I no longer take language classes, I still make an effort to educate myself more in the language everyday. There is always room for improvement!!!
I have my Christmas plans set and ready to go- I will be going to Nijmegen, the Netherlands for Christmas to spend it with my dear Dutch friend Janneke Jegen. She is an awesome girl who i got to know when she studied at Iowa last fall. I will be staying with her and her family for a few weeks. We will explore Nijmegen (the oldest city in the Netherlands), go back to Amsterdam, and word on the street is that we will be going to Berlin, Germany for New Years. Sounds exciting!!. I bought my ticket from Seville to Dusseldorf (a German town that is near the Dutch border) for 10euros. Not bad, huh? But add in the airport tax, baggage tax, and flight insurance (a good idea if you are flying a few days before Christmas) and the price jumps to 32euros. Still, not too bad.
I leave you now with a few pictures of Cadiz for your viewing pleasure.
Un beso,
Aubree
Anyway the weather reports indicate that we should be having this weather for another 2 weeks....at least. Hey, im not complaining. Ive heard that its getting quite chilly in Iowa now.....too bad for you guys!!!!! But Spain doesnt have a definitive autumn like the midwest does, with the leaves changing colors and falling off the trees, etc. Here most of the trees are orange trees, which maintain their green color year-round and never fall off. And walking around the city, you will definetely see an array of different colored flowers. You can smell freesia a lot as you are walking through the city. I cannot wait to see Seville in spring, when all the flowers are blooming and the entire city smells of orange blossoms!!
I went to Cadiz this past weekend with my friend Marion. Cadiz is a beach city, about 2 hours in train from Seville. We went for a day trip to escape the city for awhile. Wow, what a beautiful city. It has a very exotic feeling to it. The streets are a lot longer than in Seville, and all the houses are painted pastel colors. There is a beautiful cathedral right by the seaside with a gold dome. It reminded of me of Saudi Arabia for some reason. The pastel colored streets reminded me of Havana, Cuba. It was a really great combination.
Marion and I layed on the beach for a few hours. It was a bit windy, but nice nonetheless. I did get in the water a few times, but I admit the water was quite cold. We spent most of our time walking around the city, listening to music on a little boombox and breathing in the salty sea air. It was great!!!
Seville life is going good. I cannot believe that I have only been here for a month and a half or so. I feel quite comfortable here, although lately I have been noticing my Spanish skills going up and down. Some days I feel so confidant with my speaking skills. Other days I feel like I dont understand a word of what people are saying to me. But I recognize it as my mind trying to adjust to a new accent, a new dialect, and a new social context. I try to counteract my confusion by reading the Spanish newspaper everyday, listening to talk radio on my trek to the train station (my cell phone has FM radio), and keeping my dictionary nearby to look up any unfamiliar words. Living here is a daily learning process. Even though I no longer take language classes, I still make an effort to educate myself more in the language everyday. There is always room for improvement!!!
I have my Christmas plans set and ready to go- I will be going to Nijmegen, the Netherlands for Christmas to spend it with my dear Dutch friend Janneke Jegen. She is an awesome girl who i got to know when she studied at Iowa last fall. I will be staying with her and her family for a few weeks. We will explore Nijmegen (the oldest city in the Netherlands), go back to Amsterdam, and word on the street is that we will be going to Berlin, Germany for New Years. Sounds exciting!!. I bought my ticket from Seville to Dusseldorf (a German town that is near the Dutch border) for 10euros. Not bad, huh? But add in the airport tax, baggage tax, and flight insurance (a good idea if you are flying a few days before Christmas) and the price jumps to 32euros. Still, not too bad.
I leave you now with a few pictures of Cadiz for your viewing pleasure.
Un beso,
Aubree
