Sevilla, Day One
Hola Sevilla! After 2.5 hours by the high-speed AVE train, we made it to sunny and pleasant Sevilla. It was time to shed the coats and saunter to Barrio Santa Cruz for our hostal (Dona Lina which was a restaurant that had rooms upstairs), check out the town, and get some food!
Lovely alleyways reminiscent of Venice sans water....
This is one of my absolute favorite pics from this trip. Beb is a masterful photographer subsconsciously!
This for me is the essence of my experience of Sevilla--the lingering scent of Orange blossoms. The trees were everywhere and they perfumed the air so sweetly. Something I won't ever forget.
The colors! All the green ones are orange trees--they are planted everywhere!
Jun and Beb around the Giralda church, Reales Alcazares, and Plaza de Los Reyes. We were blown away by the architecture both old and new---all seeming to blend perfectly. There were some gypsy-like women around the church who were pushing myrtle and rosemary and fortunes on us. Also there were tons of Americans--tourists and students chattering away in English. We held to our credo of only speaking Spanish and was aptly rewarded with experiences. Ah, the memories....
Dining in efflorescence....
We sauntered back to our hostal and happened on a sunny plaza for some alfresco dining at Dona Elivira. Sangria por favor! This was to be our official Spain dinner. We had their daily special of salad, olives, jamon, pollo, paella, and pastel. Oh sooo good to have great food and drink, outdoors while bathing in orange blossoms fragrance. There were five tables occupied--three tables were Americans and two were German. All tables except us spoke in English to our waitstaff. We truly appreciated the graciousness of the waitstaff for conversing with us only in Spanish even with our simple command of the language. It was a far richer experience.After that, we headed back to the Alcazar (Alcatha) to check out this great palace. It is a testament to the Mudejar style--blending of Christian and Moslem influences to create this magical place that is the official residence of the King and Queen of Spain when they are in town.
Looking up a cupola dome, iridescent in gold
A quintessential Mudejar (Mudeha) facade of Christian and Moslem architecture.
Breathtaking square--water is an essential part of the Moslem style--loved it. I want one in my home.
Beb is calling our architect now :)
Mercury's fountain
Queso!Off to check out the palace gardens...
The gardens were extensive and absolutely gorgeous with palms and flowering trees. We literally felt we were in Morocco.
No shortage of oranges anywhere here....
The colors!
The walkway out
We walked out of the Alcazar and wanted to look around. We passed by the Guadalquivir river to see the Torre del Oro which was closed unfortunately for renovations. It seemed that all of Spain was in renovation as we passed construction site after construction site in Madrid and Sevilla.
The bull coliseum--nope we did not partake in the gruesome ritual of publicly killing an animal.
We did however partake in the public killing of a delish churro dipped in chocolate!
There was a protest on the bridge---methinks it had something to do with healthcare.
Rio del Guadalquivir
Time to shop for some groceries. Check out my basket/cart! Let us just say that there is NO shortage of ham and cheese around these parts.
We walked some more that night and happened on this millipede of men carrying a base for a religious relic likely as Semana Santa was fast approaching.
One final look at the Giralda church before turning in for the night. What a day! We love love love Sevilla!
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on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at 7:35 PM.
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