Seville Maay 15-17

2006-06-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

I call a couple of hostals from the bus station but they all want too much for a single room. I walk into town and the first place I come to has the right room at the right price and I take it. Its 8pm and I go exploring. I walk to the cathedral and Islamic Palace, or alcazar that Seville is famous for, then get completely lost in the maze of lanes in the old part of town around them. By the time I find my way out it is 11pm, which in Spain means things are only just getting started. How do these people work all day, go out for dinner at 10 and drinks til 5am then work again the next morning? Ahhhhhh, siestas!!! Now I understand why everything in Spain closes from 1-5pm. Its so that everyone can recover from the night before and build up for the night ahead. I walk back to the hostal and come across a noisy cerveceria, or beer bar, and stop for a drink and tapas, which at first I thought would be lousy value but turn out to be a great idea - snack sized plates from dozens of choices to nibble on while you drink. I soak in the atmosphere of the place, walls lined with colourful tiles, no seats, just a wooden terrace at the back like seats at a football game. After an hour I head to the room and sleep.

On the 16th I visit the alcazar which reminds me of many of the palaces we visited in Turkey. I go to the bus station to find out when buses go to Granada and check the internet for tickets to the alhambra which is the main rreason people go to Granada - go here to see why - http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=alhambra%20granada&sa=N&tab=wi . I find out that the only tickets that week are for the next day, they are normally sold out weeks ahead, which means I have to book a 7am train to get there in time, which I do. That night I fulfil a long time dream - to watch a European soccer game in Europe. I am watching Seville play Real Madrid IN A BAR IN SEVILLE. I can hardly believe it myself. The atmosphere is fantastic - a 7 goal game which Seville win. Great experience. I strike up a conversation with the only other English speaker there who is a Swiss business professor married to an Australian and living in the USA in Spain on a study tour. I tell him I am coming back to Spain in a few months to learn Spanish and teach English and he says he knows someone who can help me and willl put me in touch. A great night out.

I set my alarm for 6am to make sure I get to the train station on time - a 20 minute walk. The next morning I hear the alarm and wake to see it is 6;30. I forgot that I had earplugs in because the hostal was a bit noisy and I didnt hear the alarm. I have "à minutes to get ready and to the train stattion. I get dressed, grab my backpack and walk fast. I get there at 1 minute to 7, spot the train on the departure board saying leaving immediately. I sprint as best I can with a 25kg backpack and 6kg frontpack, get on the train, and before I can even unclip the belt from the packs the train starts to move. I made it with 1 second to spare. I am so exhausted from the walk and run that for the 3 hours to Granada I just sit, drink water and occassionally laugh out loud at my last second boarding of the train.

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Seville May 15-17

Seville Maay 15-17