Day 5: Santiponce

So Tuesday was the 20th, our second day at school. Classes are going well. Pretty basic and mainly all review but review is what I need. I've already learned all the verb tenses so now I just need to practice, talk a lot, and expand my vocabulary.

After class I came home for lunch and a siesta before our activity. She made me Spanish meatballs and french fries along with an egg, onion and pepper salad. So yummy!

Meatballs and Fries :)

After I ate I napped till around 330 when I had to leave to head to the school. We were meeting at 4 for our excursion and had to take a bus. Our activity was to go to Santiponce and see the Roman Ruins of the city Itálica.  It was a Roman city constructed here in Seville for Roman soldiers diring the Punic Wars. One of the Roman emperors was actually born here. The ruins were about a twenty minute bus ride from Sevilla.

We split into two groups and had our same tour guides from our walk around Santa Cruz. I took lots of photos. Over time the city buildings have been destroyed by time, weather, and the shifts in the Guadalquivir.

This was the entrance to the city.
There used to be two guard towers here. 

The city had two main roads, one N to S and one E to W.

These are the remaining foundations of shops along the
main road leading to and from the entrance. 

Standing on what used to be part of the columns
along the storefront on the main road.

It's crazy to think these used to be houses.
Those standings columns are around a bath pool that
used to be in the center of one of the houses.

I got a little artsy with these next two photos. One is up close on one of the old brick columns that supported a building. The other is a close up on a tree that is there with the ruins in the background.

Love how intricate the detail is. 

These are still standing original columns.

The view across the city from the left side where we were.

This was a communal bath house.

After we viewed the city we walked over to the amphitheater that was there. It was constructed for the gladiator fights and held nearly 25,000 spectators.

This was our first view of it when we walked up.

This hall intersected with the entrance pathway. 

Along with this room, and several others.

Me standing in front of what used to
be filled with water. The gladiators were said to have
fought here on boats. 

These next three photos were taken from the middle of one of the amphitheater's sides to show what it looked like from left to right.

Left

Middle

Right

Here is the view of the arena from one of the small
windows that face it.

Off the arena there are several door ways that
open to the halls around the arena.

My "I was totally here" photo. 

And of course some nature-scapes outside of the ruins. 

After we got back from itálica some girls and I went out walking and shopping and then snagged some dinner before heading home.

I love this poster I bought for the house :)

And we stopped for gellato. I got
strawberry cheesecake :)

The street we had dinner on was adorable. 

Along with the restaurant. 

We had yummy tapas for dinner and I only remembered to take pictures of two of them. :/

Prawns with eggs 

And goat cheese with honey

Plus the super important tinto de verano.

All in all, another win. No one in the group has run into a bad restaurant yet! I know Rob will love all the amazing food here; also there is lots of seafood!