We’ve come to the end of our time in Sevilla, as we prepare to head back to Madrid tomorrow afternoon. I think everyone has really enjoyed their time here, and learned a lot about the language and culture of Spain. These past two days have been absolutely jam-packed with all kinds of fun and interesting experiences, and we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg of all of the wonderful things that Spain has to offer.
We began our day yesterday at the Real Maestranza bull-fighting ring of Sevilla.One of our stops was the chapel, where bull-fighters pray a special prayer and cross themselves before entering the ring.We even got to walk out to the center of the ring!Our next tour stop was the Cathedral of Sevilla, along with the Giralda tower, build by Muslims in the 1100s.Inside, we saw this altarpiece that is used for Corpus Christi. It is made of 100% solid silver.The Tomb of Christopher Columbus is also located within the Cathedral.Our group climbed up the 35 floors of ramps to the top of the Giralda Tower.It’s a stunning view of the top of both the Cathedral and the city.We could also see all the way back to the Plaza de Espana and the gardens of the Alcazar Palace.Next up was our visit to the Setas (Mushrooms), the largest all-wooden structure in the world.The Setas are built on top of ancient Roman ruins from the 1st century.We took the elevator to the top, where we got a stunning view of the city once again, looking back at the Giralda and Cathedral.We got to eat a fancy pizza dinner all together. We had lots of toppings that we’d never tried before (like gorgonzola, chili peppers, chorizo, zucchini, and more!).This morning, we went to the tiny town of El Rocio. This is the site of a religious pilgrimage that ended yesterday. During the festival, over 1 million people travel to this site from around the world to honor the image of the Virgin Mary.From El Rocio, we continued on the the beach town of Matalascanas, where we spent the afternoon.Everyone is slightly burnt, but we had a great time!Tonight, 10 of us decided to go to a bull fight.We had a quick mini-lesson on the parts of a bull fight, so that no one was surprised by how violent they are.We saw the procession of bull fighters (matadores), assistants, and horses.We were able to see 3 of the 6 bulls that were fought this evening.None of the bull fighters were especially good, so none of them got to keep any of the “prizes” (ears or tails of the bull).One matador got launched into the air as he tried to deliver the death blow with his sword.We’re really going to miss this amazing city!
RCS in Spain 2019 