Day 11 (01-29-09)

Today: Sevilla. The 11:05 train from Cadiz pulled out of the station on time and got us to Sevilla by 12:50. Regarding the journey, here’s Cliff notes version: Rain, tree, beach, lamb, tractor, windmill farm, more lambs, vineyards, solar panel field, grass, more lambs, jagged rocks, business park, SERIOUSLY what’s with all these freaking lambs? Anyway.

Upon arrival, mis amigos y yo needed to find a place to stay for the night. We found the main street that cuts through the heart of Sevilla and started walking. Then… there it was. It was beautiful. While walking down the street I saw a small sign attached to a storefront that read “Hostal” with an arrow pointing towards a side street. When we got to the side street, I was elated. It wasn’t a side street; it was a sketchy alley, approximately 100 feet long. At the end of this alley were two doors. There was a garage door on the right and a people door on the left. The kicker: Hanging above the door was a tall neon sign that also just read “HOSTAL.” I knew this had to be the place where we’d stay. This is the stereotypical place that people specifically tell you to avoid when you go out in unfamiliar places. Nestled in a narrow alley with its name in neon like a seedy strip joint, this was to be our home for the evening. In all actuality, it was a safe place. The receptionist had to buzz everyone in through the front door and she kept the room key at the desk whenever we left. Someone was on duty 24 hours a day. It was a solid find. So we piled 5 people into 3 beds and got comfy. Sort of. Whatever, it only cost us 17 Euros apiece; Caesar’s Palace, eat your heart out. 

A brief walk around the city led us to the Plaza de España, a huge building that was probably once used for something historical in some previous era of Spanish history, I’m sure. Don’t judge me, it wasn’t a guided tour and I’m clueless. Face value is all I got. Pictures will be uploaded shortly.

After the Plaza, we went to the Gardens right across the street and my day got even better. Why? Cyclobus. Chris, what are you talking about? What’s a cyclobus? Patience is a virtue, I’ll tell you momentarily. A cyclobus is like a surrey that you’d rent on the Boardwalk. But it’s cooler. Because it’s Spanish. We crammed 5 people into this bicycle-powered monstrosity that carried us around the gardens at our leisure. It’s one of those things that your mom would never let you do because it’s so ridiculous and you’d completely stand out as *that* tourist that everyone hates. WELL GUESS WHAT. I’m that tourist. Deal with it. Seriously though, it was the best idea we had all day. 

Afterwards, we were completely drained from the Fred Flintstone mobile, so we went back to the hostel for una siesta. Two hours and two episodes of Spanish-language “Password” later, we found dinner at a restaurant called Baco. It’s a Spanish tavern and it was fantastic. We essentially just bought a bunch of appetizers, or tapas, and split them between us. Queso Manchego = bread and unbelievably good cheese. Croquettas de Jamon = Similar to croquettes that you can get in America, but these were just prepared very well and were of the ham variety. Best part? Do you really need to ask? Dessert. It was called Perfeit de Chocolate… two chunks of chocolate cake/fudge with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. There was also a second dessert with warm roasted pears and vanilla ice cream. I’m not kidding guys- fly to Spain for a week, see some sights if you really feel like it, but just eat a small meal every other hour. It really is the way to go. 

What do you get when you add a full day of walking/cyclobus-ing and several delicious meals? Sleepy Turistas. Bed time.

Day 12 (01-30-09)

And we pick up in medias res as I awake from my slumber in the seedy hostel bed to find that everything in the room is mildly damp. There was no heat or ventilation, and I suppose the cold air in the room condensed or something. Don’t ask me, I’m an English Major. I stopped taking chemistry classes for a reason.

More sightseeing today: The Cathedral of Sevilla and the Alcazar Palace. Both were incredible. Both took a lot of time to explore. Typical European tourist draws: churches and palaces. Go figure. Anyway, not much detail is needed for explanations, as the pictures should speak for themselves. You got it kiddos, that day has finally arrived... tomorrow. After breakfast I’ll be snagging some Wi-Fi in Cadiz and uploading photos to the internet. Exciting, I know. Well, it’s 3:30am and I have to be awake at 9:30 for breakfast. Plus I still have to sort through my pictures to figure out which of the 714 photos I’ve taken since the Bahamas should go online. And no, that’s not just a random figure put out there for dramatic effect (I would do that, so I thought I should clarify). I have actually taken 714 photos in the last 2 weeks. Yeah…

Anyway, today’s post was fairly brief, but I have a tendency to ramble on about nothing, so it’s probably better that way. Pictures tomorrow!

Fact: an old man working at the Alcazar palace today called me a hippie because of my pink bandana. This man seemed to know about 12 words of English. And one of them was hippie.