I spent my first day in Sevilla exploring and shopping. It's nice to have this vacation before orientation and classes start. There are a lot of sales going on now because Sunday was Three Kings Day. The problem is that "sales" here means spending what you normally would on clothes in the U.S. I didn't have trouble finding things to buy though, considering I didn't come equipped with the winter uniform, which, not surprisingly, consists of anything black, brown or gray plus boots.

Hotel Becquer, where I'm staying, is right downtown, and it was just a short walk to the Guadalquivir River and the beautiful Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza, one of the oldest bullrings in Spain. I also wandered around Santa Cruz, an ancient, compact neighborhood that is bordered by the royal palaces and gardens (Real Alcázar), built by the Moors in the 14th century, and the Seville Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Europe and probably the most popular tourist attraction in the city. The Moorish architecture in Santa Cruz is astounding. There are also palm trees and orange trees all over the city. Here are a few pictures from the million I took today:

The Ayuntamiento, or town hall (above) and the plaza it stands on (below).

The street my hotel is on, whose lights are strangely reminiscent of Chinatown at night.

Two views of the Seville Cathedral and its bell tower, la Giralda.

Entrance to Real Alcázar. Queen Isabel I commissioned voyages to America from here. This photo doesn't do it any justice, but you can tell how old it is. The inside is supposedly spectacular.

Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza, which sits across from the river. According to my guide book, the bullring is "arguably the finest in the whole of Spain," so I'm really excited to go to a corrida.

Two views of the Guadalquivir River.