The View from the Top.

Friday night, I went to a two-hour bachata dance class. A few friends and I are falling in love with the Spanish dance. There's no easy way to describe the dance in words, so view the video below. (Sidebar: I didn't create the video, but it was structured similarly to the class I attended. A couple in the background gets lost amidst the intricate, arm-twisting turns and I totally understand the couple's plight.)



Most people go stag to the classes, so the women end up in one line facing the guys. Then they pass us around like spinning tops when the teacher says "cambio' or change. I had to check with a few mean guys, a few rhythm-less guys, a few old guys and, of course, a few guys whose heads barely make it to my chin. When my friends and I left, we were thinking that we're definitely going to take some dance classes. Classes here are cheaper than those in the states.

We tried to find a good discoteca at which we could practice are new moves. But we walked through the entire historic district of Sevilla to no avail. The entrance at the discoteca we really liked cost 10 Euros. To that we said, "Uh huh!" and began to march home. On the way, my friend Sean said, "I think I'm taking all this [history and architecture] for granted. I walk by the Cathedral everyday." He was correct. We had just toured La Catedral de Sevilla on Wednesday, and I walked by it as if it were nothing.

La Catedral de Sevilla is the largest Gothic church in the world and it's only 30 minutes away from my apartment. The cathedral, like many buildings in Spain, was built by Arabs and used to be a 12th-century mosque. La Giralda tower, the arches and the Patio de Naranjos, where the Muslims would wash their hands and feet before entering the main part of the cathedral. Three centuries later, when the cathedral was Christianized, Gothic architecture was added to the church. The large, stain glass windows, bell fry atop La Giralda, aisles separated by columns and high ceilings are Gothic elements. The height of the ceiling is nearly 138 feet. That's 20 Shaquille O'Neals standing on top of one another!

Of course, the most popular part of the cathedral is La Giralda. Everyone has to climb it -- all 32 ramps. There are no stairs because it was easier for the Arabs to ride their horses to the top. Believe me, the view from the top is worth the climb.

A view of La Giralda from El Patio de Naranjos (orange trees).

The view of El Patio de Naranjos (orange trees) from La Giralda.