Day 2
Up
at the crack of dawn (6:45), we set out on the 2 and half drive to Sevilla. With
Pat as the driver and Jeff as the navigator, we took the adventure to the big
city. We learned that there are only
traffic lights in the big cities, everywhere else there are MANY roundabouts
(traffic circles) which keep traffic moving but can be very confusing. Also, to go in a certain direction, you often
have to start out in the opposite direction, travel to the next roundabout, and
then go in the direction that you want to go.
Also, entry to the main highways is an adventure in itself. There are no merge lanes – you must start
from a dead stop and get into traffic that is moving at 80 – 120 Km per hour (50
– 70 MPH). Try that with a manual
transmission! Pat did a fantastic job!
After driving partly along the coast, we then turned
inland and up through the mountains. We
passed many herds of cattle, large modern windmills, and miles and miles of
absolutely beautiful acres of sunflowers. Never have I seen so many sunflowers
in my life! Sorry that I do not have any
pictures to show you! There was nowhere to pull off the road to take them.
We were supposed meet our guide for a walking tour at
10:30. We only arrived in the city and found a parking garage at 10:25 and then
tried to quickly find our meeting place, the Plaza Nuevo. We were supposed to look for the guide at the
statue in the middle of the park in a city where no one spoke English and we
had never been before. Using a map and
asking directions to the park (the man pointed in a direction and said “cinco
minutos”), we quickly walked and miraculously found a park with a statue in the
middle. A tour guide was already
explaining to a couple from Denmark about a nearby building. Jeff asked if he was with the Sevilla Walking
tours and he said yes, so we joined him on his tour. Which worked out OK , EXCEPT...we later
learned that we were, in fact, in the wrong park, at the wrong statue, with the
wrong guide!
The next day, Jenny (who had
booked the tour) got an email from the other guide asking us why we didn’t show
up. Oh well...
We walked throughout most of the city center for the rest
of the day, wandering through the various streets and neighborhoods that made
up the historic part of the city. We
learned that Christopher Columbus is buried there (maybe) in one of the hugest
cathedrals in Spain, that the city thrived as a result of all the goods and
riches brought back to Spain from the Americas and West Indies, and that much
of the architecture was a combination of Roman, Arabic, and Jewish influences
prior to the Crusades, after which most of the buildings and renovations moved
toward what is now a more traditional Spanish style.
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| Triana - one of the 5 districts in the city of Sevilla. Can be reached only by bridges from the main city. It is the birthplace of Flamenco Dancing. |
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| The Exposition Center, built to house the Latin-American exposition in 1929. |
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| The Plaza de Espana was built in 1929. |
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| The lavish architecture of the Plaza was meant to accentuate the riches that Sevilla derived from the trade with the Americas begun by Christopher Columbus and continued until that time. The timing was widely criticized in light of the Depression. |
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| Even the railings were decorated with intricate porcelain tile work. |
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| Examples of typical American tourists. El Real Alcazar, facing the cathedral, was developed from a previous Moorish palace and became the palace of Ferdinand III in the 12th century. Here are just a few examples of the elaborate architecture and expansive gardens. |
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| More tourists. |
Sevilla's bullring- Plaza del Torros de la Real Maestranza de Cabelleria de Sevilla-is the oldest in Spain. It is here that the corrida, or bullfight, moved from horseback to foot and many of the theatrical traditions of the matador evolved. We walked all over town looking for it, and finally found it at the end of the day.
More sights of Sevilla  |
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| Even the pigeons were looking for shade! |
After
8 hours of walking, we found a crowded English Pub (O’Neills) where a loud
crowd was watching the USA-Germany soccer game.
We were happy to spend some time SITTING and having refreshments while
we watched the game, despite the outcome.
Surprisingly, most of the crowd in our room was rooting for the USA.
After
the game, we walked to an outdoor Tapas restaurant (Horacio's) and had a great dinner(one of our best and CHEAPEST meals),
followed by a stop for helado (ice cream) prior to starting the 2 ½ hour trip
home.
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| Horacio's |
On the drive home, as we realized
that we would be getting home well after midnight, we voted unanimously to make
the next day a “rest day” instead of getting up early to go to Gibraltar as we
had originally planned. This was
confirmed as a great decision as we fell into bed at 2 AM. The old folks may not survive this vacation!
Buenas noches , amigos.
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