Tiempo Libre

This weekend I have had a lot of time to explore the city with my fellow classmates and newest friends.  So what’s the first thing we do?  Get coffee.  The coffee here is so much stronger than back home, I can’t even describe it.  At first, I couldn’t understand why the Europeans used such small coffee shops for things like Cappuccinos and Espressos.  Why would anyone want only three or four sips of coffee?  After trying my first European Cappuccino, I now get it.  The coffee is so strong that having more than a few sips would be too much.  Thus, the small cups are used.  My favorite part about European coffee is the presentation.  Here, there aren’t any boring Styrofoam cups.  Instead, each coffee is like a work of art with unique swirls and chocolate shavings.  And believe me when the coffee tastes as good as it looks.

Right now in Sevilla there are “Rebajas” (sales) in every store until February.  I couldn’t believe that the sales last that long!  In the states, sales usually last for a weekend at most and here they will last for a month, at least!  Some sales will even last until the beginning of March!  A group of girls and I decided we will need to seize the opportunity to buy some European clothing at cheap prices.  Yesterday, we ventured to the center of the city where there were the most stores and spent the afternoon mainly browsing.  When we left a store that seemed to me like the Spanish version of Forever 21, we heard drumming in the distance and decided to follow it to see what was going on.  The drums were from a parade that had started in the streets!  The parade was for the Carnival of another community of Spain.  The dancers had come to Seville to celebrate.

The costumes were incredible.  The details must have taken hours to perfect and were very creative.  The choreography was also very well put together.  It’s amazing how much work goes into something as simple as a parade.  The dancers were not all the same age; there was an interesting mix of all ages performing together.  I thought this was really something because in the States, musical group members are usually of the same age.  It really seems like there is a strong sense of community in Sevilla that makes it more like a town than like a city.