BUCKLE UP.

Well, hello there! Please join me in a delightful game commonly referred to as “Catch Up.” No, not the tomato sauce that you commonly squeeze onto french fries, hamburgers and hot dogs (others seem to also enjoy the flavor on rather strange foods like scrambled eggs or black-eyed peas and even the occasional serving of green beans), but instead a sort of relay – a relay that will take several days for me to complete. This game involves concentration, imagination, and endurance. Think you can handle it?

Ultimately, I am the one being tested here. It is my job to transport you from the place you are currently occupying (whether it be a comfy chair in Alderman café or your kitchen table) to incredible places like Cadiz and Sevilla in Spain and Casablanca, Marrakech, and Zagora in Morocco – all through the little buttons I am pressing on my keyboard. I have been training for weeks now, and hope that I can live up to the challenge.

You must first know that I have an overwhelming amount of information, stories and photos to share with you. If I was stupid enough to attempt to write it all in one single blog entry, I think that each one of you would need to somehow obtain Ritalin (no matter what shady method you have in mind) in order to stay alive reading it all. So that no one has to do that, I am going to take it one or two days at a time.

Approximately 11 days ago, the MV Explorer pulled into Cadiz, Spain. We had been sailing across the great Atlantic Ocean for a full week.




(Above photos from the “Mix-Up Dance” here on board)

Ship life felt like summer camp. Everyday we were going to class, but at night we were hanging around the snack bar upstairs, people were playing card games in the Garden Café, the piano bar was chalk full of socializing. Every one was settling down, still shaking hands and meeting new people. Still skeptical about the people we were planning trips with. Still wondering what the heck we were doing on this boat in the middle of the ocean!

So, when the sun streamed into my room on that Saturday morning, I was almost confused by the sight before me. There was a gleaming orange light reflecting off the Spanish architecture in the distance. The world we had just pulled up to was waking up with me, and my excitement could not be contained. Excited, yes indeed, but there was also this overwhelming feeling that what I was seeing outside was unreal, a little fairy-tale land, a Truman Show set, and all 520 students on board were on hidden camera. Being on the ocean for so long made the sight of land and civilization seem so magical.

With this rush of emotion, I pretty much jumped out of my cozy little twin bed, threw on my favorite nubby UVa sweatshirt, snatched up my camera and scurried up to the 7th deck to capture some shots of our Spanish surroundings.



After pretending to be a pro at this photography thing (which I am FAR FROM), I loaded up a plate of fruit, yogurt, and scrambled eggs (no ketchup) to fuel up for the first day back on land after our Atlantic passage. The day was to include a “Churches of Cadiz” tour with Professor Vaughan, who teaches my US South class, and later that night an evening of Flamenco Dancing. Swallowing my last bite of breakfast, I took a deep breath of the fresh air before trampling back down to the 4th deck to shower and get ready for the day.

I was concerned about my attire since, after all, the tour was titled “Churches of Cadiz,” and I vividly remember the epic high school adventure to Italy with Mrs. Booty, and having to sport a skirt to step foot inside some of the Cathedrals. I opted for a dress that was comfortable, light weight, and the closest I thought I could ever possible come to looking European (darn this easily identifiable American face!).

Well, lets just say the Spaniards are a big group of fantastic, easygoing people who really don’t see the need for the silly tourist stepping inside the building to wear anything in particular. I was stuck in the dress. At least I still felt cute. Until the 20 mph winds in Cadiz that day decided to plays games with me. I think the goal of the game was to see how many times Leigh Anne’s dress could fly up in the most inappropriate moments. Lovely.

Back to me in my cabin preparing for the day. So, I’m dressed. Got my Euros, cameras, hand-sanitizer and SAS student ID card in stow. It’s about 9:30 and I need to head down to the dock to meet the bus. I cannot believe after those six days scrounging around this cruise ship that we had finally made it. I was in SPAIN for crying out loud! Europe! Beauty! Mystery! Romance! I swipe my card as I leave the gangway, and cautiously walk down the steep metal stairs (in my flowing dress). We have made it to port numero uno!



Originally, I definitely did not plan to go on this tour, but because my professor was leading it, I thought that I could count it toward my class assignment. (We have to participate in three FDPs or Field Practicum – educational trips – for each of our classes). I was looking forward to it, though, because my roommate, Lane, was attending too. Side note – Lane and I as roommates has caused our room to be dubbed the “Southern Belle” room being that she is from Mississippi and I from Sweet Home Alabama. It has been so easy living with her!

I join up with the group loading the bus for the tour. Everyone has cleaned up nicely – and by the looks on their faces, thrilled about having finally arrived in Europe. I find an empty seat on the bus, delighted that I know so many people going on this trip. There is Caroline from South Carolina who has a voice that sounds exactly like Miley Cyrus, Gio and Steven – two great friends from San Diego, Peter who I met the first few nights of the trip, and several others. Before even pulling out of the port we took some snapshots together – capturing the beginning of a great adventure in Spain.




An overview of the tour: a lot of standing, a lot of churches, and a lot of Catholic art. The tour began driving around the city of Cadiz. It is quite charming. There were some great views of the coast, so we stopped the bus to take some photos.




I’ll give you a bit more information about the tour… I don’t believe the above description was sufficient. The first church that we visited was beautiful. The large doors were swung open wide because there was to be a church held there that afternoon. Our tour guide told us that so many women in Cadiz want to be wed in the big cathedrals so they will book a date 3 years in advance when they are dating someone pretty seriously. When that special day rolls around, in most cases the girl is no longer dating the poor first guy, and is set to marry someone else! The church we were standing in was not extravagantly decorated for the occasion, yet being inside I could sense the excitement for the upcoming ceremony.

Dragging out feet on the cobblestone streets, we visited the final church. I was fascinated by the way each church buildings was a part of the planned city – not set apart as its own immense structure. We would take a sudden turn through some doors on a narrow street, and I would find myself inside a magnificent place of worship. By the end of the tour, though, we were all exhausted and ready for some food! On the ship lunch starts at 11:30, so when the tour was finished at 1:30 our stomachs were growling.

We weaved in and out between the scurry of people walking up and down the narrow streets. Finally, the streets opened up to a square complete with a flower market in the middle. The colors, sounds, and smells of Spanish tapas overcame each and every one of us.



There was a quaint restaurant right off the square, where we sat outside to enjoy our first meal. We ordered some sangria and paella – two things that were absolutely necessary. Steven ordered a fish plate – and when it came to the table it was basically whole fish deep fried – eyeballs included! Ah! Well, Caroline and I were splitting a paella which took longer to prepare, so we both tried the head of a deep fried sardine. Wow.


That afternoon we leisurely strolled through the streets of Cadiz. It was bizarre, though, to discover the reality of the SIESTA. Everything stops. Stores close, markets shut down, the streets clear out. So, we just took in the scenery.


After our afternoon of wandering we went back to the ship to clean up for Flamenco Night. Details to come soon.