Ok so my blog is a hot mess right now. If I had to compare it to a celebrity it would be Courtney Cox. She used to be cute and tight but she has really let herself go. Although now that I think about it that probably isn't the right comparison because she's actually had a ton of plastic surgery done and that's really the opposite of letting oneself go, its actually just trying too hard. Plus she still has a kind of funny tv show. Cougar town? So I guess my blog would be more like Jenny Craig. She just kind of yoyos and the quality of this blog is probably going to vary.
Now that we have that straightened out we can get back to business. I am currently onboard the MV Explorer for the eighth day in a row, I am officially twenty, and I get off the boat tomorrow in Ghana. What? Ghana? Last we heard you were in Portugal! Yes, yes I have been majorly slacking and I apologize. The traveling was fast paced after Portugal and then when I got back on the ship school picked up and I have had no time. I had three mid term exams today and yes, I too am surprised I didn't kill myself. Just joshing, I actually think I kicked ass on all of them. Ok so now, Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba, Cadiz, Casablanca, Marrakech, Atlas Mountains and Essaouira.
I have been thinking of the best way to do this and catch up quickly but also effectively and I am going to go with shorter posts about each place in detail. I also can't post pictures right now but I will once I get to dry land, hopefully. Oh I also wanted to say email me, I do enjoy hearing from you all, and hope everything is good back home!
Madrid
Arrived safely by plane and headed to the hotel where my parents and the Pages were staying, surprised my dad in the lobby. I got to shower and then we headed out in search of shoes. Mom bought some nice Manolos and none for me, so that was cool. We came back and grabbed the Pages for lunch and immediately had pan con tomate. Side note: if you go to Spain you HAVE TO EAT PAN CON TOMATE. It's toasted bread with olive oil, salt, and tomato guts and its best for breakfasts, lunch, and dinner. So, we tour Madrid; the day before the old folks (not old, old, just older than myself) had gone around on the big double decker bus, embarrassing, and dragged me on. It was actually nice though and acts as a taxi all day. We got to see the city and hop on and off. One stop we made was at Mercado de San Miguel, my street at home, and we had sangria and had great fun there. They had so much good food!! We tried to make it to some museum but didn't make it/ there was a line so we had tea and then headed back to the hotel for showers and rest before dinner. Everything in Spain is like four hours later than usual so dinner was at 10. We went to a famous steak house where the futbol players go and I satisfied my inner fat person. Next morning we are on the train to Sevilla! Madrid overall gets a 10/10 for visiting.
Sevilla
Sevilla is south of Madrid and is definitely worth a visit. It is much smaller, cuter and harder to navigate than Madrid. After checking in at a great hotel we begin our search for tapas. Tapas are big in Spain, best for sharing, and even better for hoarding. We find our tapas, enjoy the local beer and walk walk walk. We find an ugly looking structure but once you climb it you get the best views of Sevilla! It is stunning, Ill have pictures for you later. Coffee and then back to the hotel we go. I think after that we went out again to explore. Exploring in Spain is nice, especially Seville. If you feel like stopping there are so many places open for drinks, food, or coffee and dessert. We passed by the main shopping area (to be returned to later) and made our way to La Carboneria, a place my mom found for Flamenco performances. We get a little lost. I don't know why when people travel they are so keen on never ever asking for directions. I am guilty of it too but noticed it while travelling so much. If you ask a local I guarantee you will find the place 50 times quicker than if you bicker back and forth over a map. I know this, yet I still rarely ask for directions. Figures. Anyways, La Carboneria was fabulous; flamenco is no joke. We get even more lost on the way home. Sevilla is tricky because it looks big on the map but really its tiny so you overshoot everything and walk in circles..
We make it back eventually.
Cordoba
Day trip to Cordoba! We mainly wanted to see La Mezquita, a mosque with a cathedral built inside. You may know it because of the famous white and red arches. It was stunning and I am so glad we went! It is a very cool feeling to see something in person that you have only seen in textbooks. The little shops around the mosque/cathedral are fun, and the ice cream is great too. Dad decided for us that we were heading to a plaza for tapas and beers, we followed. We ate more delicious tapas, and I forgot to mention croquetas as a food you must try while in Spain. We shopped on the way back to the train station and all in all had a lovely time in Cordoba. I give it an 8/10.
Sevilla again
We came back to Sevilla to spend the night. We also went straight to a bar from the train station. We went to the second oldest bar in Spain! It's called El Rinconcio. I butchered the spelling of that but it means the little corner in Spanish. More beer, more tapas. AMAZING tapas. My inner fat person is ready to stay in Spain forever. I tried to ditch him there but he followed me to Cadiz.. Sevilla gets an 11/10 because it is just that awesome.
Cadiz
The boat is in Cadiz so that is where we head so the old folks can ditch me. Just kidding, they love me so. We get to Cadiz and head to the fish market! I need to see one and take some notes for my Marine Biology class, and I bugged them until they agreed to go with me. It was actually such a cool experience. It is one of the biggest fish markets in Spain or something and boy does it smell delicious. There are squid, shark, octopi, swordfish, salmon, tuna, snails, all sorts of things. Very cool. Cadiz has a nice part and a not so nice part; you can always get to the ocean in five minutes walking time no matter where you are but there isn't so much to do. We walked the boardwalk, ate lunch and headed to the cathedral. We were able to climb all the way to the top for the most breathtaking views of city and the ocean. I had to get back to the ship soon, so they dropped me off and headed for Malaga. They would catch a plane there and meet me in Casablanca. Cadiz gets 8/10 because it is beautiful but a little boring once you run out of things to do. Great for a day trip though.
I will do Morocco soon!
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