The memory of my first weekend of my study abroad in Seville is blurry. It comes back to me as a strange mix of “Will I look too American if I wear this?”, fumbling speaking Spanish and accidentally sleeping until two in the afternoon. Yet, through the confusion, an excitement and hope for my semester prevailed, an experience that would ultimately live up to my study abroad dreams. 

Sevilla is easily one of the most beautiful cities I have lived in. The Giralda Tower works as the center of the city, a beautiful blend of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. In typical European fashion, the streets are slim and cobblestoned, so that only the most talented Uber drivers can maneuver them. Orange trees line the sidewalks, thick with fruit, a sight that I was lucky to see in my final month there. The bright pops of color on the street are fantastic, so different from the fall leaves at home yet sparking a similar joy. Cheap glasses of wine and sangria, walks in Maria Luisa Park. As someone who was raised in the south of Minneapolis, Minnesota, being unable to see the horizon irked me. The lack of lakes was mostly made up for by the lovely parks, with beautiful tiled fountains and wire wrought benches to sit. I loved the cafes, the ease in buying a cafe con leche and a pastry. Yet, even when I was feeling my most independent, traveler self, I had my moments of rejecting the Spanish ways. 

A weekly Starbucks trip to appreciate their gingerbread lattes and free Wifi grounded me to my American roots. Sometimes you can’t beat the feeling of buying overpriced coffee from a chain store, that’s the same everywhere you go. Even with my experience with living abroad, there are so many things to love about a good old Starbucks refresher.

As someone who has been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit for my age, each time I leave the U.S. it reminds me of how much I love being home. Travel is one of my favorite ways to spend time, and meeting new people, learning new words, tickles my brain in a way that I can’t describe. It draws out a side of me that feels so genuine, so curious and so excited. I can’t imagine there being a high quite as great as that. I feel in touch with myself, forced to pull on different skills and strengths that I didn’t know I had before. But as much as I love it, once it’s time for me to check into my flight I am ready to move on. 

Any kind of high requires there to be lows to exist. The awe of travel was lost on me by mid November, when I craved normalcy and a routine that involved going to bed at 10pm instead of eating dinner at that time. Cultural differences are hard, and Spanish customs are nearly the opposite to the habits that I keep in my regular life. Late dinners and early wake up times, clubbing until seven in the morning, and the lack of protein and vegetables really got to me. In an effort to become more Spanish, gain more from my experience, I lost touch with the important things that keep me ticking. Drinking more than two cups of water a day. Exercising regularly. Getting enough sleep. By the end of my experience, I was so ready to go home to the states and enjoy a culture that normalizes carrying around thirty two ounce water bottles. 

While travel is one of my favorite pastimes, I’ve learned to enjoy it the most in moderation. I am incredibly grateful for the perspective my experience in Spain gave me, and the appreciation for my ten PM bedtimes. Travel is wonderful because you can have these life changing experiences and bring them back to the place that you love most. I hope for everyone that that place is home.

*From end of October, 2024

Studying abroad, I have found a new and unexpected love: art and cathedrals. Fortunately, Spain offers an abundance of beautiful, ancient cathedrals to choose from and I think I have found my favorite in Málaga, Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación.

On a Wednesday, I took the train from Seville to Malaga and met up with my friends at the apartment and then went out to dinner. They were my sweet companions for the weekend, bearing with my requests for fifteen more minutes in each section of the church.

The construction of the cathedral began in the sixteenth century, built to replace its successor, the El Hammas Mosque. As an image of Castilian power, the cathedral was commissioned to be made by Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon so no one would doubt the might of the monarchy. The original design was created by Diego de Sileo, a popular architect of the era that is famous for his work on the cathedral of Granada. Throughout time, the cathedral grew to incorporate a variety of artistic styles such as Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance with the help of talented architects like Jose Martin de Aldehuela and Pedro de Mena. 

Unfortunately, grandeur comes with a cost and the government of Malaga could not keep up with the cost of the cathedral. Even going so far as to put a tax on the boats that came into the Malaga harbor in an attempt to continue construction. It is unknown where the money ended up going, likely to other expenses within the city, but the cathedral was never finished. This is how the cathedral earned its nickname, La Manquita, meaning “the one-armed lady”. Locals of Malaga are still fighting for the last tower to be completed and for the cathedral to meet its potential, but many still think that it is too late and too expensive to complete the task. It doesn’t help that construction had to stop multiple times due to pieces of the ceiling crumbling internally due to the sheer weight of it. 

The art collection inside of the cathedral is vast, with a highlight being “The Beheading of Saint Paul”. The work of a famous Valencian painter, Enrique Simonet Lombardo, is notable because Saint Paul’s head is bleeding instead of spurting milk as was written in the apocryphal work. This work is meant to serve as a reminder of the sacrifices that Christians have made throughout time, a particularly strong message in such a strong and beautiful cathedral surrounded by other Christian works. Another piece that was particularly striking was the choir, carved out of mahogany by Pedro de Mena in a Baroque style. The forty-four distinctly different characters offer a feast for the eyes, as you can see each dimple and fold in a cloak in the sculpture. De Mena’s work lives on in its life-like qualities, giving Christianity’s figures real life qualities with the care of his chisel. 

Though it is likely obvious, the cathedral and the art it held was my favorite part of the excursion. I love to see how love and passion manifest into art, especially in relation to religion. Religion represents such a strong force through our society, culture and history and much of it is based on trust and belief. Despite not being a religious person myself, I can feel the energy flow through these spaces with such a force that I am often brought to tears. I think it is beautiful and appreciate the products of that effect whenever I can.

The day, like all do, came to an end and my friends and I retired to the apartment to make dinner and enjoy the final hours we had together. After enjoying a two-day trip traipsing through the central tourist city of Malaga, we were ready to sit down with a glass of wine and enjoy just each other’s company for a while. The end to our time together came on Saturday morning when we went our separate ways to the airport and train station, leaving me to stare out the window of my train car and hold the memory of the cathedral in Malaga.