¡Karaoke, Caracoles, Rafting, y Mucho Más!

Un abrazo de Sevilla!  

Wow, I've been so busy with new friends and having wonderful experiences, that I haven't taken time to post in a few days. The good news is, this post includes a kaleidoscope of events.  

Last weekend was busy.  Friday night, Cruz and I took a Bachata class!  The dance studio was packed with students eager to "get their bachata on!"  Singing and dancing is very big here. Anyways, the class was one hour, and went by so quickly that I was more than a little disappointed when it ended. I was reminded that dancing is truly a universal language. Que bueno! As dancing has always been my first language and comes as naturally as breathing for me, I was quickly kicking up my heels enjoying every bachata beat. 

From there we went to a karaoke bar. Yes, you read that correctly - karaoke. Now, before I proceed, let the record show - and those of you who know me well, know this is true - I've never sung at a karaoke bar. It is simply

Not.

My.

Thing.

And we're not counting things like “Breakthrough” or “Gatherings,” which are not karaoke.  Anyways, no one in the U.S. could ever (or will ever) get me to do karaoke, but these people I've known for 10 minutes somehow convinced me. And worst of all, I was made to sing (there was nothing voluntary about it), are you ready? … “Hotel California” !!!  Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the song (love it), or “The Eagles" (one of my favorite bands for sure), but c'mon -- Cali girl in Spain singing "Hotel California?" Reeeeally? Does it GET any more cliche? LOL!!  Alas, much to my dismay, it was a big hit with the crowd at the bar, and I seem to have survived the calamity just fine!

After Karaoke, Cruz and I came back to "our neighborhood" (she literally lives around the corner from me, which has been very fun and convenient!), and met a bunch of other peeps at a fun bar just down the street from our apartments. Sevillanos say American music is "the best" and so, you're never more than one song away from Michael Jackson, AC/DC, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, or... ...well, you get the idea. It's a bit of a bummer for this Chica. On any given day the song "now playing" on my iPod is from my playlist called "La Musica Latina," and here I am in Spain dancing to "Back In Black" and "Billy Jean."  LOL!  

While dancing and chatting with some friends, we were cordially invited to a barbacoa (BBQ) on Sunday afternoon, which we happily accepted.  There were LOTS of new folks there, and I truly feel like I have ~30 new friends now. Warm, welcoming, kind, funny, wonderful people, who eat, drink, dance and sing with great passion!!   A barbacoa in Spain includes totally different food from an American BBQ, and everything tastes delicious here!  Incidentally, I sent my gluten allergy on a separate vacation, and have been gloriously indulging in forbidden foods, like beer and bread!  So far so good, and YUM!!!

A few nights later, a few of us got together for "La Ruta de Caracoles," which is kinda like bar-hopping, except with food (caracoles, to be exact). Of course there was beer too. What are caracoles you ask? Good question.  They're Snails. Yep, snails. There's really not a more elegant way to put it.

Yesterday, we went river rafting. It was my first time, and I had so much fun. It was only class III (I think?), so pretty tame, but plenty of sunshine, laughter and fun. And at one point, the raft guides dumped our entire raft into the water “for fun.” They're lucky they were cute! Jejejeje!

Today was a relaxing day - a run along the river, laundry, and planning for the coming week to visit nearby cities, pueblos, beaches, etc.  Más aventuras!  Stay tuned....

Lots more photos on Facebook!

Abrazos y besos!