Honeymoon in Spain – Sevilla
May 6
Sevilla, Spain
We took a bullet train from Madrid to Spain (after waiting in the train station for four hours) and got to Sevilla in the late afternoon. Sevilla doesn’t have public transportation like Madrid, so we decided to walk to the hostal … with our 40 pound backpacks. May have been the longest walk of my life. And of course, when we got to the hostal they didn’t have our name in the book … odd because this was the only hotel that we paid beforehand. Keep in mind, this was during the Sevilla Fair, so it would have been difficult to find a room elsewhere (they were turning people away while we were in the lobby) … alas, they found us a room, but we’re pretty sure they just converted the broom closet to a room so we wouldn’t throw a fit. Literally, this room had no windows, except a window to the hallway with white, sheer curtains, so our room was lit up all night. Weirdest nights sleep of my life.
First on our Sevilla agenda was the Sevilla Parasol, just completed in March.
Sevilla Parasol
They were digging to build an office building, but a few feet down, they discovered Roman ruins. Well, they couldn’t build an office building now, so they built a museum around the remains and the Parasol on top of it. The Parasol is just incredible and is made entirely of wood. The views from on top were lovely – we were there right at sunset.
Sunset in Sevilla
We wandered the streets of Sevilla and stumbled upon “Duffin Dagels” an almost exact replica of Dunkin Donuts … hilarious … those crazy Spaniards.
Duffin Dagels, photo credit emilyschud.blogspot.com
May 7
Sevilla
Day two we headed to the Sevilla Cathedral – the world’s third largest church and only completely Gothic cathedral in the world, which also houses the supposed remains of Christopher Columbus. Outside of the church we had our first run in with gypsies. We had been warned (thankfully) that they would approach, waving herbs, and saying “regalo” (gift), but when you take the “gift” they want money. Shocker. They really weren’t a problem because as soon as you said ‘No’ they backed off. Although once I did see one holding a guy by the wrist … Anyway, the cathedral was massive and thinking of how it was built is mind boggling. It was a little dark for my taste, but hey, that’s Gothic architecture for you.
Sevilla Cathedral
Next we went to the Royal Alcazar (fortress). I’ll let the photos show you why this was a favorite of mine. The delicate plaster work is just breathtaking.
Royal Alcazar
Another neat find was the Archive of the Indies – a complete archive of Columbus’ exploration of the New World. Unfortunately the explanatory plaques were in Spanish only, but it was still neat to be surrounded by that much history.
It was a great time to be in Sevilla (as long as you had a room booked) because of the Sevilla Fair. It’s not what we think of a fair … it’s more like families, neighbors, etc., get space on the fairgrounds, set up a tent, and have a party, all while wearing flamenco gear. One of my favorite moments was waiting at a cross walk and zooming past goes a woman in a neon green, polka dotted flamenco dress on a scooter. Love it.
Flamenco Cutie
