Day 2 was my favorite day in sevilla. The hostel had tours that you could sign up for and pick and choose which ones you want to do. And because I am traveling along I was able to sign up for exactly everything I was interested in and wanted to see and do. I choose a pieaa (sp?) class, flamenco dancing show and tour ( recommended by my cousin Katherine), and pub/bar crawl making for a busy day.
To be honest with you I wasn't extremely excited about a dancing show that I just paid 18 euros for to see but everyone recommended it and it is very cultural so I felt a little obligated.. . . . best 18 euros I spent all trip. We all walked over as a group from the hostel and meet up with a sister hostel as well. The tour was nice, the free sangria was nice, and the show was out of this world. Flamenco dancing takes a little bit of everything from a lot of cultures and is usually performed in a very small setting so you can feel the rhythm and energy. And that is just what they had there. I was lucky enough that me and two girls from Israel (roommates from that night) were able to get a front row seat with my knees pressed up against the stage. It was performed by a singer, an amazing guitarist ( best I have ever seen. They are all word class performers and travel to Japan and all around the world), and there was a female dancer and a male dancer that performed both separately and together. All the dances were just amazing. Right away the hair on my arms stud straight up as the rhythm of the guitar, the snapping of fingers, and the dancers shoes slamming the stage filled the small room. Everything motion was precise and crisp. The guitar player and singer look at the dancers feet in order to match their mood and tempo. I'm starting to get goose bumps again from just typing up this blog haha. A few times I had to move my head back to stay out of the way of the female dancers very long dress. To anyone that visits the south of Spain a flamenco show is a must. You could watch videos or YouTube it or listen to it on headphones but it truly is nothing like seeing it live.
The pieaa class was free and we learned about where it came from and why it was called that and how to make it obviously. Side note. . just passed huge rolling fields of weird small bushes all in a perfect row. That i need to ask what they are. Ok back to pieaa :-). It was also just a very fun family dinner with everyone as well. Unfortunately it started getting cold and my v neck just was not cutting it. So I asked Sofia (activities director). How far away our hostel was from the sister hostel. She said 5 minutes walk if you don't get lost which you probably would. Well I was cockey and figured I was good at maps I would be fine. . . . yeah, not the case at all. 5 minute walk turned into 45 minute adventure around the streets of sevilla at dusk. I wouldn't take back a single minute of it. I talked to so many people that were all so helpful. I have never felt so safe in a city anywhere in the usa. I know you must be worried because it sounds scarry and all, but you have to trust me. Extremely safe. I even ran into another parade that was filled with locals. I asked a gentlemen there where I was and what the parade was all about. I couldn't understand anything. After a few hand signals and speaking slowly I realized where I was and that the parade was a religious thing that only happens 2 times a year and they walk from one church to the other. Is it possible that I interpreted it wrong . . . most likely but it sounds good right. :-). I reached the hostel just in time because those few cups of sangria from the paieei party were going through me pretty fast hahaja. I had the receptionist call the other hostel to see if they would still be there if I head back. They said the party will still be going on and I managed to head back flawlessly.
After we filled up on food and birthday cake it was time to get ready for the bar crawl. It was a great chance to meet even more people and I think the 2 free shots at ever bar most likely helped. We ended at a discotecha and by the end only the few and the proud remained. Most people were either tired by 5 am , couldn't take any more, or got sick. It was very late and after 8 shots and people buying lots of drinks for one another it makes sense. I'd say I represented the usa/Penn state well. And that includes foosball. Even managed to beat a guy from Brazil by one point. The frat guy from Ohio university was the one that got sick.. . Figures. Hahah. The only disappointment was that the disco techa couldn't fulfill my isle brothers request for shout. Maybe in Granada :-D The night ended with me playing chess at 6 am in the common room with the night receptionist from Germany. And as you can imagine I missed 8:30 to 10:30 breakfast again. I did manage to check out of my room by 11 to move into an adjacent room.
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