And the travelling begins...

This has been a great week! I had classes Monday- Thursday, which are turning out to be a bit more work than I expected but I just have to keep reminding myself I'm here for school not just for fun. On Thursday, Erica and I decided to get out of the house and go explore more of Sevilla. We ended up in the shopping district which was amazing :) Of course we had a lot of fun going through all the stores and seeing all the European styles. There is a store here called Corte Ingles. It is like Belks on steroids. There were 7 floors all devoted to a different thing. The store was kind of overwhelming, but it's a store so of course I liked it! We then got tapas and a glass of wine for dinner at a restaurant with the most amazing surroundings. We sat outside, with a heat lamp overhead of us, looking at the Cathedral. We got dessert there which was absolutely delicious. On Friday, we went on a school organized trip to Italica. Italica was founded in 206 B.C and was originally a fortress for the Italian soldiers. They then built a coliseum and houses and turned into a little Italian town in Spain. The ruins and landscaping were breathtaking, I can't wait to take my mom and Michael there. On Saturday a few of us made a trip to Cordoba, a city about 2 hours away from Sevilla. They built a very famous Mosque-Cathedral. The building started in around 600 A.D. and was originally being built for the Christians. Then there was an Islamic conquest and the church became divided. Today, it serves as a Cathedral. The different types of architectural influences by both religions is amazing. The worshiping center where the services are held is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I have posted pictures in my Study Abroad Spring 2011 album on Facebook. The city of Cordoba was beautiful and we did a lot of walking around and seeing all the sites. We got chocolate churros, which are very popular here in Spain.  They were absolutely delicious and probably more calories than I want to know haha. I have officially booked a trip to England and Ireland with one of my friends for the end of April. I will be in England during the Royal Wedding and can hardly wait. I'm way too obsessed with Kate and William. I have also planned a trip to Morocco and Gibraltar with Erica for next weekend. I will get to see monkeys in Gibraltar and ride a camel in Morocco!! The trip to Morocco is organized by a group called "We Love Spain" so they have planned everything out and you pay one price that includes everything. So it's nice not to have to plan out everything. I'm having the time of my life here. Oo and 4 weeks exactly from today until Michael gets here and is able to experience wonderful Spain with me!!!