I apologize in advance if this post comes off as a little scattered and rushed. It’s a pretty wild and hectic time for me right now in the capital. Earlier this week I finally was reunited with my parents for the first time in over seven months! I’m so excited to finally be able to show them around the city that’s become a new home for me. So needless to say I’ve been quite the busy person in recent days. However, I thought I would quickly fill you in on the events of the weeks leading up to my parent’s arrival.
As the title may have given it away, I recently took a trip south to visit my friends in Sevilla. I know a long weekend in southern Spain sounds like it would be pretty decent, but it really wasn’t good…it was absolutely amazing. I was sold the second I got off the airplane and felt that warm sun hit my skin. Even though it wasn’t my first time in Spain, it felt completely different from my trip to Barcelona in December. While it was still confusing at times, it was definitely nice to hear Spanish again instead of the Catalan that is spoken in Barcelona. Having taken Spanish throughout all my semesters in Madison I always look forward to testing out my abilities. I was a little wary at first due to my lack of practice in London, but eventually I felt more comfortable speaking. The first thing I noticed about Sevilla is how beautiful the city was. All of the streets are filled with historic buildings and plenty of vibrant vegetation. I swear something about palm trees must force a chemical reaction of relaxation inside me. I think getting to take a step back from the big city life every now and again is always helpful for the mind. On the second day I was able to tag along with my friend’s interest group for one of their daytrips. It was all about Christopher Columbus, so we got to visit his old monastery and the recreations of his ships near Huelva. To end the day we headed to the south coast at Mazagón for a little R&R at the beach.
The rest of the weekend was filled with sightseeing all over Sevilla. My favorite place by far had to be the Alcázar. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Sevilla this has to be your top priority. The Alcázar is this amazing royal palace that has incredible architecture and some of the best gardens I’ve ever seen. We went right before it closed one night and literally almost had the place to ourselves. The scenery is absolutely stunning and it easily became one of my favorite places in Europe. I must also mention the fact that there are peacocks running around in the gardens. So yeah, try to get down to Sevilla and visit this place sometime in your life. Another feature I really liked about the city was its bridges. I’m not really sure why I was fascinated, seeing as London has some of the greatest bridges in the world. Nevertheless, I found myself taking an excessive amount of bridge pictures throughout the weekend. Finally, a trip to Spain wouldn’t be complete with participating in a siesta. There’s nothing better after a long morning of classes than to catch a nice catnap in my flat or on Bascom Hill. While it might not be best for the current Spanish economy, I really like the concept of the afternoon siesta. I had to improvise a little since it was on a weekend, but I think I made the most out of my relaxation and power nap. Unfortunately my time in Sevilla was over just as quick as it started, and I was back on the airplane home in no time.
It was a bit tough to adjust back to the cold and wet weather, but few places make me happier to be in than London. The entire month of April is a break period at Westminster, but this doesn’t exactly translate to no coursework. Many of my classes have assessment due at the end of the month, and revision for exams next month is definitely underway. Most of the next week involved finishing up essays and any other coursework due before May. Luckily for me I got to take one afternoon off and go with my friend to the Harry Potter studio tour right outside London. I may have mentioned it before, but I’m a pretty big Harry Potter fan and I’m not afraid to admit it. Being able to tour the studio where most of the movies were filmed was really interesting. I was amazed by how massive some of the sets actually were and how much detail went into every single prop. I’m pretty sure I nearly filled up my entire memory card with the amount of pictures I took that day. I basically got to relive my childhood for a couple of hours that afternoon, and it couldn’t have been any better. Sadly like all good things it had to end and I regretfully waved goodbye to Hogwarts and Diagon Alley. All of this only continues to remind me of my upcoming departure. It’s completely terrifying to think that I have exactly one month left in the greatest city in the world. I know I’ll have to cross that bridge when I reach it, but I’m hoping for a traffic jam on the way. For now though I’m about to enjoy these last couple days with my parents. I’ll try my best to post about those adventures at some point between my exams. Until next time…
Cheerio