We arrived in Seville after a few hours on a bus. Seville is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. We all decided we would have much preferred to cut short the Faro stay and had an extra night in Seville.
After arriving, we walked the streets to the old quarter and were stunned by the picturesque alleys, with surprises around the corner every way we turned. A wonderful cathedral tower (ex mosque minerett). The town was preparing for the next day which was a feast day for Corpus Christie - in a very Catholic town, it was a major thing with decorations on all shops, balconies, alleys etc.
We enjoyed a beautiful lunch in a tucked away bar - tapa of grilled octopus; zucchini ‘satchels’, grilled beef and fish croquettes - washed down with local white wine!
After a wee nap to refresh after walking around in 40 degrees heat, we headed to a Flamenco performance. It was loud, fast and frenetic - not something that was a relaxing watch. The passion of all involved - the guitar player, the singers and the dancers was evident. The sweat poured off them and you could actually see the dancers hearts pounding after their performance. The air was thick with the smell of sweat - from audience as well as performers. We were front and centre, and as I had to crane my neck to see their faces so their feet were my focus….all I could see was joint issues! The pounding of their ankles, knees and hips would surely ensure a short professional life I feel.
After the dancing, we found a roof top bar to enjoy a refreshing drink and nibbles and to celebrate Juan’s (Our Tour Leader) birthday….as the sun set, the Cathedral lit up in the background - it was a fitting end to an eventful day.
The hotel we were staying in was an old house, with the central light well that allowed windows to look internally. There was also an external courtyard fountain dating back some time. Our room was pokey…we are feeling that as we have requested twin singles we are getting either the kids rooms or the maids rooms but the general building was beautiful.
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| Hotel Foyer |
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| Hotel Light well |
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| Orange trees line the streets |
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| Hotel courtyard fountain |
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| An entry in the Shrine competition |
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| Mushrooms by day |
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| Portable and temporary arch for Mass the next day |
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| Alley near the Jewish area |
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| No photography until after the performance! |
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| Grilled Octopus Tapas |
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Tapas Lunch
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| One of the parks near the palace |
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| Roof top drinks and birthday cake |
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| Cathedral lit up in the distance |
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| Seville Mushrooms by night |
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