Seville, Andalusia, Spain
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Due to check out today, we had the impulsive urge to go to Seville and pushed the pedal to the metal all the way to Spain. Literally... the trinket doesn’t go that fast, so we struggled to achieve the 120km speed limit for the entire 2 hour drive to Seville. Along the way, we passed dozens of orange groves that ringed the hillsides, much like the vineyards in Napa. It was beautiful and fragrant. We began to notice that every time we would pass one of the groves, our windshield would be bombed by “gaggles” of very large flies. We spent a fair amount of time during our drive trying to wash off the windshield so we could see through it. Ultimately, we made it to Seville in good time and were checked in and wondering around the city before we knew it. Seville is amazing, and definitely on my “deserves a second visit” list. With narrow streets tangled between beautiful buildings, it felt reminiscent, at times, of Venice. We visited the Catedral de Santa Marķa de la Sede, the largest cathedral in the world and also the burial site of a certain explorer - Christopher Columbus. It’s a beautiful Gothic masterpiece, and apparently upstaged the Hagia Sophia (in Istanbul) as the largest cathedral after its completion in the 16th century. After enjoying a quick slice of New York style pizza by the steps of the cathedral (the irony is not lost on me), we headed to Plaza de Espana, a stunning and expansive building that was constructed in the 1920’s to house exhibitions in Seville. Local children crowded around the fountain in the middle, admiring the rainbow reflecting off the mist. Young couples and families wearing their Sunday best took out little row boats and meandered around the moat that encompassed the plaza. Men played soccer (one almost took out Julia while lost in his dogged determination). We strolled through the Jardines del Alcazar, gardens wherein lots of adorable pups played, and walked down the Avenida de la Constitucion. We had a rest, a coffee and stole wi-fi at Plaza de Jerez, while nearby demonstrators gathered and marched waving bright red flags. Having worked up an appetite, we made our way to an area called Barrio de Santa Cruz for tapas and wine. Seville is known for it’s tapas and they were d-lish! We watched a sneaky homeless guy swipe the waitresses tip off the table next to us, going nearly unnoticed, except by the patrons who had just left it there. What can you do? They chuckled and resigned themselves to the fact that the waitress would be cursing them in a few minutes when she would return and assume they left her nothing. With full bellies, we went back to the hostel and ordered mojitos at the hostel bar. After chatting with a few of our hostel mates, we headed out around 12:30am to start our night in true Spanish style. Even though it was a Sunday night, there was still a solid crowd in the area known as Alfalfa. We made lots of friends, witnessed unfortunate body shots, avoided persistent Spanish men, and did shots with the bartenders. Highlight of the night was a very enthusiastic rendition of “Ain’t no Sunshine when she’s gone” by a guy who fancied himself to be a Spanish rapper. We made it home around 6am... well done Spain.
xoxo
(p.s. check back soon for pictures)
