sometimes sunny sevilla

our next stop was sevilla. the train ride was so quick that i didn't even have time to finish the pastry i had bought for breakfast. (oh, pro tip: if you're traveling with four people look for the four train seats facing each other. they're usually much cheaper than the rest and on a short journey like this, totally worth it.) by about 10 we were in sevilla and it was off for another walk to our hotel. again we walked through some commercial areas, then past some busy streets peppered with old churches and under las setas ('the mushrooms'), a modern structure which is said to be the largest wooden structure in the world. eventually we made it to our hotel, tucked into a side street in the old quarter.

our first stop was the nearby toro del oro, a military watchtower. there was a little maritime museum inside (lots of paintings of boats) that was okay. the view from the top wasn't bad, but the skies were fairly cloudy. after a little stroll by the river we headed in search of lunch, hungry after our long walk that morning. we made our way to the main square and found a little place with more tapas. we ordered a few sandwiches while jan and lewis tried to find enough dishes to suit both their preferences. lewis eats certain meats but not pork and a few other things, and jan eats no meat and won't go anywhere that serves foie gras, things like that. so after a little negotiating with the waiter we determined that the hamburger was made out of 'cow, not pork'. we thought we'd better check and just as he walked away we discovered it was in fact veal. lewis hastily summoned him back and chose something a little safer.

light filtering in from the courtyard

it was overcast and actually a little cooler but we thought it might rain the next day so we figured we should make it to the alcazar first, just in case. it was familiar, although more of it was gothic and less islamic than i remember. still, the mudéjar rooms were no less stunning than i recalled.

mesmerizing

gorgeous stucco patterns climbing up 30 foot ceilings and gorgeous carved wooden doors. easy to see why those parts stuck out in my memory.we spent quite a while exploring, all through the rooms surrounding the central courtyard and then out into the massive gardens, exploring the hedge maze and stopping to admire the wandering peacocks. we went down below to the cistern, with vaulted arches glowing gold, perfectly reflected in the water below. and throughout we saw no fewer than four brides and grooms having photos taken. by the time we reached the end of the gardens we were exhausted and in desperate need of a cafe bombon. or really anything caffeinated.

after the requisite stop in the gift shop (we got some lovely tile-patterned glasses for dessert wine) we ventured out to try and find a little coffee shop. this proved harder than expected as every place we passed seemed to have food and alcohol, and some with coffee only at the bar. eventually we found a place that had sugary coffee drinks which was good enough for us. the three of us got our new favorite and lewis tried some nescafe concoction that he said made the cafe bombon seem healthy. as we sat we watched as a group of bachelorettes passed by with the woman of the hour dressed as barbie complete with a box. people seemed to get a kick out of the gimmick but it seemed like practically it would be very annoying. by then we weren't far from the hotel so we thought we'd stop by for a little siesta.

churros con chocolate

we napped a little, relaxed, and chatted over beers from the vending machine int he lobby. that's also when we discovered there was a light switch that controlled the music coming from the speakers in the ceiling. that was a first. it was drizzling but we made our way out in search of churros. we found a little place on the corner of a crowded square on a busy shopping street that looked like it was where the locals went. a little place, standing room only where they had churros and espresso and our tab was written up on the metal bar. the churros were on the skinny side for my liking but the chocolate was nice and thick.

from there it was on to look for a little bar for an aperitf. in other words, a beer before dinner. but doesn't it just sound better that way? we found one with a marx brothers theme and that was good enough for us. we got a few drinks and had rather depressing, although interesting, discussion about the migrant crisis in europe and race relations in america. really uplifting stuff. we had some bocadillas and patatas roquefort with cheese sauce that was so good we practically licked it off the plate. jan ordered something with 'huevas' in the name which seemed safe enough. eggs couldn't be bad, right? well it turned out the eggs were fish eggs, made into some kind of paté. she discovered what they were after only detecting the fishy taste. not our best day for ordering.

from there we kept walking on, in search of bars with sangria (which is apparently only for tourists.. locals drink a similar but weirder red wine with lemonade) or hookah (which we were later told is illegal in the city now). we settled on a little wine bar with heavily religious decor and a man on his way home who we watched blow his 50€ in the electronic slot machine. more interesting but faintly depressing discussions about climate change before we headed out to find another place.

meats on meats. and veggies.

based on lewis' research we headed toward the 'new' part of town figuring they might have more bars and perhaps some of the hookah variety. instead we found what seemed to be some kind of renaissance faire, a large square full of tents and vendors selling everything from jewelry to cured meats. we explored it all and then settled on some bread and sheep's cheese to bring back to our hotel. we did make a pit stop for a pitcher of sangra from the guy with giant vats of vegetables and sausages strung in the air. he didn't love us taking up a table to order sangria, we gathered. once we left there and found some wine (jan had a little adventure with her frenchified spanish - "beaucoup queso. quel vino?") we made our way to the roof of our hotel and feasted on our bread and cheese. when it got too late to be out talking outside someone's room we retired to our room and played cards over more lobby beers. it was a pretty perfect evening, hookah or no.

peaceful plaza

the next day we figured we had a lot to do. we accidentally slept in and just missed the hotel breakfast. instead we got ready and grabbed a pastry from a little shop around the corner. the weather was much nicer - blue skies and no rain in sight, it seemed. so we headed to our outdoor stop first. the plaza de españa was crowded with people - probably a nice way to spend a sunny sunday morning. there were little rowboats on the tiny waterway. we walked all over and explored the little mosaic-ed niches before heading into the parque maria luisa, shaded walkways with pretty fountains and lots of little families. we noticed that all the families seemed to be rather well-dressed, sunday and every other day. also pretty much all the children were adorable. we came across two museums - one archaeological, and the other a museum of culture and costumes. i went in the latter while everyone else explored the former. apparently the archaeological museum had some interesting pieces but wasn't nearly as nice as cordoba's. the cultural museum looked a bit old fashioned too but had some interesting exhibits.

sevillana streets

by then it was nearly 2 and we figured we should get some lunch before making our way to the cathedral. (side note: the nice thing about spain is that even when you oversleep you can usually still fit everything in since most places are open so late.) the walk back toward the center of the old quarter was peppered with whitewashed walls and yellow trim and the occasional horse-drawn carriage - all with their characteristic yellow wheels. i'm not sure there's a better color to capture spain. after vetoing one place (foie gras) we made our way to another little new-looking cafe that had salads and sandwiches. probably our least spanish meal but it was nice for jan to have a whole meal she could enjoy that wasn't just potatoes and olives. we tried a glass of wine - just a random white on the menu - and it was delicious. so delicious that we picked up a bottle in a grocery stores later on.

even the ceilings seem gold

by the time we got to the cathedral it was downright hot. no sign of rain at all. we waited in a short line outside and realized that - unlike south carolina - it actually was cooler in the shade here. we got inside and the space was enormous. it's the largest cathedral (not basilica) in the world, we learned. we wanted to be sure to see the tomb of christopher columbus. you really can't miss it - the thing is huge. it's held up by four figures in crowns and regalia. i guess he wasn't an understated kinda guy. the rest of the place was full of the spoils of colonization too. the 'treasure' (not treasury) rooms were filled with all manners of gold and silver. then, in the midst of it all over an unassuming doorway was an artemisia gentileschi painting. you'd almost miss it if you didn't realize it was there. from there we climbed the tower to get a view of the city. it's a pretty genius design - to go up it's just a series of ramps, no steps. it seemed less tiring that way. of course i guess i'll never know. the view of the courtyard (because of course this used to be a mosque also) full of orange trees and the streets of the city were lovely, but the breezes coming in through the giant windows may have been even better. of course everyone was jostling for spots to get their photos.

sabroso

after that much walking, climbing and swearing we figured we had earned some ice cream. we made our way to a famous heladeria that we both a) managed to find and b) was open. amazing! we got some interesting flavors from a rather impatient woman and spent some time relaxing in the quiet street.

we had hit all the big sites we'd wanted to see so we figured we'd check out the over side of the river and venture outside the touristy areas. (okay, confession: we were also maybe trying to find this hookah bar we had read about.) we were shooting for the middle of three bridges but ended up on the northernmost ones. once across we found ourselves in triana. it's the part of town where the ceramics were historically made. it looked pretty workaday - lots of apartments and closed shops.

fraidy dog

needless to say, the shisha/teahouse we were searching for was closed. this one for good. but eventually we found a little bar with a couple of locals hanging around. we figured it was time for a couple beers and then, realizing it was almost 7, figured we'd get some tapas too. we didn't think it was possible but the tapas were even cheaper there. i mean, not by much obviously. but still. we even got a little plate of paella. the best part was the entertainment. lots of locals passing by and stopping to talk, including two obviously chain-smoking women who sounded a lot like men. everyone seemed to have a dog, which was hilarious mostly because of one of the aforementioned women's little dog. he kept barking at these big dogs but as soon as they got a little bit closer he'd hide inside the sandwich sign. we were most amused.

once it started to get dark we set off back toward the river. we were shooting for the middle bridge - again - and somehow made it to the southernmost one. what can i say, we're not the best with maps. but you know what we saw almost immediately after we crossed the river? that's right, the forbidden hookah place. it was a kind of a newer bar and there was only one flavor but we went for it. it was a good end to our time in seville and seemed like an appropriate way to send our friends off. when we left the bar we knew our friends had a very early morning ahead of them but we had to finish off the cheese we had started (by now very sweaty) and sample the orange wine (apparently a sevillian specialty) we'd had bought. so we went back to the hotel and spent the end of the night literally breaking bread (by now slightly stale) over the rooftops of the city.