A little about Spain...



Map of Spain, showing the regions. Sevilla is in the South (the green part).
http://www.wall-maps.com/Classroom/Foreign-Language-Maps/spain-spanish-over.htm

Spain. España. A country I believe to be an overlooked beauty of Europe. Spain shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountains of France. Within Spain there are 17 regions each with their own unique culture, government, specialties in cuisine and dialect. Within each region there are several provinces. In addition Spain owns 2 cities on the northern coastline of Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. For the next nine months I will be in Seville (or Sevilla in Spanish). Seville is the largest province within the region of Andalucía (the southern region of Spain).




The region of Andalucía is often referred to as the heart and soul of Spain. It is rich with Moorish architecture, whitewashing villages, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, delicious tapas, beautiful coastlines, art, flamenco dancing, bullfighting and festivals. Upon first impression the city of Seville is a bustling town full of Spaniards, tourists, students and foreigners working/studying abroad. Those who come to Seville for a few days will get to know the Plaza de España (second picture below), the Cathedral and Giralda, the Alcazar, the Plaza de Toros (bullfighting ring), the Rio Guadalquivir and the various barrios (neighborhoods) which give Seville its diversity.

Clearly enjoying a tapa of Paella and
a tinto de verano, a drink made with red wine and Fanta Limon!

 

Plaza de Toros: I was pretending to be a bull and
Emily was pretending to be the bullfighter!