Bienvenidos - Welcome

We hope this guide will help you prepare for your trip, as well as take advantage of the limited time you'll have in the great city of Sevilla, Spain. A month seems like a long time when you think about it, but when you get there, it flys by. So make sure you take advantage of every day you have there. Have fun & we hope this guide is helpful for exploring Sevilla :)

Jackie & Colette out for tapas with friends

Useful Spanish Phrases

You will quickly learn that a lot of the Spanish you learned in class is not used in everyday conversation in Spain. Here are some useful phrases we learned that can help you communicate with Spaniards:

Vale - Okay, yes, that's fine. Also can be used as a question- is that okay? do you understand? This phrase is used multiple times per sentence in Spain.

No pasa nada - It's fine, don't worry about it.

Salud - Bless you, also cheers.

Donde estan los servicios/aseos? - Where are the bathrooms?

Me voy - I'm leaving

Te echo de menos - I miss you a lot

La patata - Slang for the heart

Estoy harto de - I'm sick of...

Una cerveza por favor - May I please have a beer? (no need to include puedo tener, me gustaria, quisiera, etc. )

Vaso de agua por favor - If you just ask for agua they will bring you a bottle you have to pay for, if you just want a glass you have to ask for un vaso.

Tengo ganas de - I am excited for, or I feel like doing something.

Eating in Sevilla

The Spanish culture surrounding meals is completely different than that of the United States. Time with family & friends is much more important, and as a result, meals are generally much longer, normally including a sobre mesa - an after dinner conversation at the table. Lunch is the largest meal of the day & is eaten around 2:30, followed by a siesta. Dinner is smaller, but can vary in size depending on your family's preferences or even the day of the week and is eaten between 9 and 11 pm. Many people go out for tapas in the late afternoon or for dinner. Tapas are small portions of appetizer-like foods that you can order with drinks at nearly every Spanish bar.

Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of your experience:

Eat lunch at home because it's the largest meal of the day, it's delicious, and it's a great way to get to know your host family.

Usually eat dinner at home because it's included, but you should go out for tapas before or for dinner at least once while in Spain.

Cien Montaditos - a great place for lunch if you don't have time to make it home after class and before activities on La Avenida Constitucion where you order 3 - 5 mini bocadillos (nice sandwiches).

Bocadillo place across the street from CLIC - delicious & addictive bocadillos for 3.50 euros, which are great for the break between classes.

Toro Toro - small tapas restaurant with outdoor seating located right near La Giralda.

Any terrace bar - A number of hotels have bars on the roof, which is a great place to sit out in the sun when the weather's nice, which it always is.

Rayas' Heladeria - BEST ICECREAM EVER - Ice cream in Spain is 100 times better than any ice cream in the States; you have to experience it on a cucuruchu (cone).

Also when you eat out in Spain:

- People don't leave big tips at restaurants. You can leave a few euros for good service but it is not the same as in the U.S.

-When you are ready to pay, ask for La Cuenta. Don't just sit and wait for the check because they won't bring it.

Nightlife in Sevilla

Nightlife is a huge part of the Spanish culture, especially for twenty-somethings, and you will learn that quickly upon arrival in Sevilla. There's always something going on, and even if you're not big on going to clubs, there are PLENTY of bars & places to hang out. Below are some suggestions on where to go & what to do; our favorite places in Sevilla. You should definitely explore the city for yourself too, though because there are endless possibilities!

Botellon - before you go out to bars most people drink bottles of beer and tinto de verano by the rio or Torre del Oro.

Fundicion - A bar in Triana that has beer pong tournaments on Tuesday nights and free sangria for girls before 1 am.

Catedral - A fun club to go to on Wednesdays, isn't usually crowded until after 3 am.

Buddha bar - Another fun club that has multiple floors and a rooftop terrace. It is best on

Thursdays and also isn't crowded until after 3

am.

Churros con chocolate - It's fun to get churros on your way home from the bar or club, there's a great place right by La Puente Isabel III.

Calle Betis - A street along the river in Triana that has a lot of fun bars, you can sit outside at a lot of them.

Big Ben - A bar on Calle Betis with 1 euro shots, beers, and tintos de verano.

Long Island - A bar in Triana with a different shot for every state in the U.S.

Daytime Activities

La Giralda & Catedral - the largest cathedral in Spain which contains Christopher Columbus' tomb. Climb to the top of the tower for a fantastic view of the entire city.

El Palacio Alcazar - the royal family's Sevillan palace which contains a lot of Arabic influenced architecture and is still in use today.

Los jardines - Beautiful place to relax and walk around with a lot of shade.

Plaza de Toros - Traditional Spanish experience of seeing a bullfight for a reasonable price.

El Barrio Triana - Across the bridge, a smaller part of Sevilla, which was originally occupied by gypsies, but now contains a lot of bars & tapas restaurants.

Rent paddle boats on the Rio Guadalquivir

Calle Tetuan - Great street for shopping; just make sure to get there after siesta and before dinner because most stores are open in the afternoon from 5 to 9.

Siesta! - Take advantage of this time to nap or relax during the hottest part of the day when most restaurants & stores are closed anyway.

Packing for Sevilla

What you'll need:

Sneakers - lot's of walking

Sweaters - it can be cold at night

European outlet converter

Clothes to wear out - night life is big there and people dress nicer

Gifts for your host family - bottle of wine, American toys, jewlery, etc.

Cross-body style purse - pick pocketing is common in Spain

Smaller suitcase or weekend bag for weekend trips

Extra space in your suitcase!

What you won't need:

Toiletries - it is cheaper and easier to buy them once you're there

Sweatpants and sweatshirts - no one wears them outside of their house

Rain jacket

Long sleeved shirts

Euros - it's easy to switch your money once you arrive (bring your passport to the bank when converting dollars to euros)

School supplies - you can buy a notebook at the school