What I Do

The door to one of the many churches I walk past everyday. That door is about 16 feet tall
[The pictures are not representative of what I write about they are just thrown in to show you what I'm seeing]

I wanted to wait a week or two to talk about what my daily life in Sevilla is like. It took a week for me to get into a routine during the day and then a little longer to grasp what my nights look like. There is nothing really special here, except for the fact that it’s Spain of course.

I wake up between 8:00 and 8:30 every morning. This is early for most Sevillanos but late for me so I consider it a good compromise. Some days I will go for a run and some days I will study in my room for a couple hours. Usually breakfast is basic with some kind of cereal or toast. Around 10:00 I will head out to walk into the city center where my school is and where my favorite restaurants and plazas are located. The walk takes me anywhere from 15-25 minutes. I have gotten bored with the same route lately so I am taking longer roads to shake things up.

Once I get to the city center I head to Alfalfa and walk around its cobblestone plazas and tight one lane roads. There are four or five different cafés I have to choose from. I will sit down at a table outside, order a coffee with milk and a tostada with ham, and take out my books to study. I have yet to encounter a morning where the weather isn’t perfect for this. Usually its around 75 degrees at 11:00.

The crowd before the Sevilla v. Real Madrid game

I have noticed something interesting about the cafés and restaurants here. Tipping is not necessary in Sevilla. I liked the fact that I did not have to at first, but I quickly found out why we tip in America. The waitresses just aren’t very nice here. I guess it’s because they don’t have to be.

After my coffee I walk around for an hour or so and look in the shops and people watch. Usually one of the pastry shops will suck me in with some kind of pastry covered with chocolate and if I’m lucky I will be surprised by chocolate inside the pastry as well. That’s a good surprise. Then right before class at 2:30 I will get a small sandwich.

You are probably looking back and thinking that I sure do eat a lot. Yes, I do. I am going to come home fat and broke because of it. I just cannot get enough of the pastries, tapas, and tinto veranos (red wine with some citrus flavored soda).

Last night we walked up on some ceremony coming out of The Cathedral. Not sure what it was for

We have a 30 minute break in the middle of the four hours and I will take that time to walk around and get a bottled water. I can buy a 1.5 liter bottled water for half the price of a ½ liter of Coke. Depending on what they’re tempting me with at the counter I might get a snack as well.

After class I have two hours before dinner so I take my time walking back to the house. Like I said, just another day...in Spain