Trips
Jérez de la Frontera & Bolonia (Week 1):
Our 1st day trip of the semester was to Jérez de la Frontera and Bolonia, which are towns within Cadiz. On this trip, we had a wine tasting and a beach day. This was the perfect way to finish the first week of classes.
We left Seville around 9:30 am and arrived at the bodega around 11 am. We took a tour of the wine cellars, where we learned the process of how they made their Sherries. After the tour, we headed to “breakfast”, which was our wine tasting. We sampled three different sherries, three were dry and the other three were dark sweet dessert wines. My personal favorites were the third and fourth glasses, one semi-dry and not-so-sweet sherry.
After our wine tasting, we took the bus back to Bolonia. Here we went to a museum which overlooks a beautiful beach and a couple of Roman ruins. If you are staring at the beach, you can see Africa in the distance! Once we finished exploring the remnants of old Roman temples, baths, and the theater, we headed down to the beach.
We left Seville around 9:30 am and arrived at the bodega around 11 am. We took a tour of the wine cellars, where we learned the process of how they made their Sherries. After the tour, we headed to “breakfast”, which was our wine tasting. We sampled three different sherries, three were dry and the other three were dark sweet dessert wines. My personal favorites were the third and fourth glasses, one semi-dry and not-so-sweet sherry.
After our wine tasting, we took the bus back to Bolonia. Here we went to a museum which overlooks a beautiful beach and a couple of Roman ruins. If you are staring at the beach, you can see Africa in the distance! Once we finished exploring the remnants of old Roman temples, baths, and the theater, we headed down to the beach.
Itálica (Week 3):
Our 1st city visit was to a town not far from Seville, which was an ancient Roman town, Itálica. For those who’ve watched Game of Thrones, the theatre may look familiar as it was a set for one of the scenes. This place was beautiful as you can see how much of the old city is preserved and is still being excavated. This was nice to see in-person because in one of my classes, the art of Spain, we learned about the Romans and what they contributed architectural wise to the country.
Ronda (Week 5):
For our 2nd day trip, we headed to Malaga to visit the small province of Ronda. Known for being the birthplace of bullfighting as well as the new bridge, Ronda was truly a beautiful sight to see. We left Seville around 8:45 am, had a quick pit stop for breakfast, and arrived around 10:30 am. We met our tour guide Jesus who gave us a walking tour where we saw El Puente Nuevo, the old quarters, and the bullring. Jesus was amazing, and fun fact, he gave a tour of Ronda to Michelle Obama and her daughter Sasha! After the tour, we had three hours of free time. Some students hiked down the gorge where you can see a waterfall, while others went up and saw the beautiful views. Heads up, Ronda is extremely steep, so make sure you have good walking shoes. It can also get slippery since the roads are made up of cobblestone.
Madrid (Week 6):
For my 1st trip outside of the preplanned ICS trips, I went to Madrid to visit family. It was great to see my family as I haven’t seen them since the first time I met them, which was when I was seven. To my luck, of course, it decided to rain the weekend I went to Madrid, but it made me feel better as all of Spain was raining at the same time. I took the bullet train after my flamenco class and I arrived in Madrid about 2 and a half hours later. If you want to take the bullet train, it is quite easy as the station is small and self-explanatory. Once I got out of the train I was hit with such cold weather, at that time, it was probably the coldest I have ever been, which was probably the low 50s. I loved being in Madrid during the fall/ early winter as I was able to see the leaves changing colors for the first time. It was also nice that it was overcast as walking in the sun would have been dreadful. Although I was only there from the 28th-31st I still did a lot. Keep in mind that if you want to see the glass museum, they are closed if it is raining and if it is really hot.
Granada (Week 8):
Granada is possibly one of my favorite trips that ICS organized. For Granada, we stayed for 2 days and 1 night. As we leave on a Saturday, students have the option of staying an extra day which is what my friends and I did! On the first day, we headed over to the Alhambra which had gorgeous views. As the place is huge, you will spend about 2 hours there. Once that is done, you will check into your hotel and you have free time for the rest of the day. As it was one of our friends' birthdays the next day, all of us spent the day celebrating. Nearby our hotel was the famous street market which has a lot of shops and restaurants to try out. This area is the perfect place for souvenirs! The next day we had a walking tour of the city then free time after. Although Granada is supposedly famous for free tapas when you buy drinks, we did not have any luck finding a tapas place. Once everyone left for Seville, my friends and I swiftly ran to our bus stop to catch our bus to Güejar Sierra, which is about a 30-minute bus ride away from the city. If you want to be near the ski mountain, I would recommend getting an Airbnb in Güejar! Sadly by the time we went, there was no snow, but it was still a great getaway either way.
Cordoba (Week 10):
Our trip to Cordoba was a bit bittersweet as this was the last trip of the semester organized by ICS. As this was towards the end of November, it was quite chilly. During this trip, we visited the infamous Great Mosque of Cordoba. This was something that I have heard so much about, especially during my Art History class, it was great to actually see it. My cathedral inside of the Mosque was one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen. Once we were done exploring the mosque, we did a little walking tour of the city. To my surprise, Cordoba is much smaller than what I expected. Like all our trips with ICS, we did have free time, which was spent eating and exploring the town with my friends.
Bordeaux (Week 12):
For “dead week”, instead of stressing over finals the next week, I headed over to Bordeaux, France with four of my friends. This was possible as we had a week off due to the holidays in Spain. We were in Bordeaux for about five days and each day was very different. Sadly, all of the days we were there, it was raining or overcast. On our first full day, or day 2, we knocked out all of the touristy sites. For lunch, we also ate snails! On day 3 we went to a wine museum and did a wine tasting. Day 4 was nature-filled as we explored trails, parks, and abandoned houses near our Airbnb. Our last day was spent chilling at the house as our flight back was in the afternoon. We also explored a path that was next door, it took us up the mountain to the grocery store which we raided every day. For lunch, we usually ate out as we were in the city. For dinner, we made our food and took advantage of the 2 Euro wines in the grocery store.
Aracena (Week 12):
This trip was extremely last minute as we planned this during our Bordeaux trip. Our last Sunday together, what better way to spend it by exploring a nearby town. Aracena is known as the city of Jamon. It is also famous for its amazing natural caves. Sadly, we are not allowed to take pictures, so you have to see them for yourself! Aracena is a short drive away and you can get bus tickets pretty easily.