A very busy April

The month of April has come and gone without a post from me, mostly because I have been incredibly busy. First was my parents' visit to Spain when they finally met Jose's parents. The meet and greet was a success even with the language barrier. We did some sightseeing together, ate tapas and I enjoyed showing them where I have been living since August. I think they had a good time and I was sad to see them go.

Inside the Alcazar with the parents
Afterward, in order to relax Jose and I spent a weekend in Portugal in order to recuperate. Finally, it was Semana Santa here in Sevilla. Holy week involves different churches around the city carrying out their religious icons in processions that snake their way through the streets. The iconic statues stand on platforms which are carried on the backs of penitent people whose coordinated movements create the illusion that they basically just float by. Throw in the haunting music that relies heavily on the trumpet as well as incense and candles and you get a very unique celebration. Jose and I were able to see the processions that were planned for Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday).

Holy Week procession
The next day we headed for Italy with our friend Megan. Our first stop was Rome for 3 days. We did all the normal sightseeing: the Pantheon, the Colisseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, etc. Unfortunately, just like in Sevilla, Rome was incredibly crowded with people during Holy Week. We were able to see our friend Elisabetta the first night and then we had to divide our time carefully to make sure we could see everything and avoid the long lines.


Trevi fountain
Our last day there, we decided to devote to St. Peter's and Vatican City. We arrived early in the morning in an effort to avoid the lines and much to our surprise we were forced to go through security before entering the square outside of the cathedral. We had gotten there just in time to find seats for a Papal audience. Though we did not have the standard invitation, the Swiss Guard allowed us to pass and after finding a seat and waiting an hour, we were able to see the Pope as he prayed in 7 different languages. It ended up being the highlight of my trip.

Pope Mobile
After Rome, we headed to Florence to see Kate. We spent two days there visiting the David and the Uffizi gallery as well as the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. I still prefer Rome to Florence but it was great to see Kate and her awesome apartment. Our last day we spent in Bologna before spending the night in the airport and coming home. All in all, a great trip and a nice way to round out a very busy month which has just ended with the Feria in Mairena. More posts in May.

Overlooking Florence with friends

Ponte Vecchio

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