222. Seville

Where: Seville, Spain
When: August 31 - September 2, 2012
With: Dave

While we were sad to leave our lovely beach in Salema and the wonderful country of Portugal, Dave insisted we add one more fling onto the end of our two week adventure. So we hopped a bus east, crossed the border into Spain and spent the last weekend of our trip in a gluttonous stupor in the city of Seville.

Lying in the heart of Andalusia, Spain, Seville is a cultural and culinary mecca. Around every corner of this old city are tapas bars and flamenco shows. The weather we found at the height of the August heat leant itself to afternoon siestas and cold sangria. Our agenda was pretty simple - eat, drink, repeat. 

I don't think we ate one actual meal our entire time there. We survived by crawling from tapas bar to tapas bar, constantly grazing on a variety of cured meats, cheeses, and whatever else looked good on the menu, all washed down by copious amounts of sangria. The gluttony was sickening, but so wonderful all in one. I think we both had dry mouth for 3 days after this trip from the amount of salted, cured meats and cheese we ate.

Around every corner and down every alleyway, restaurants spilled out onto the sidewalks and tables were everywhere. In the day's hot sun, overhead sprinklers provided a welcome refreshment by spraying a cooling mist out over restaurant patrons. At night, the city was alive with people. There was no shortage of new places to try. 

We had two favorites. The first was right by our hotel. It felt like everything a tapas bar should be. Older men, all well into their 60s, wore crisp white shirts and aprons, carving slabs of meat right off the legs that hung over their heads. Most patrons stood at the bar while enjoying a quick bite of jamon and a glass of the family's wine. Your tab was written in chalk right on the bar. 

Our second favorite was called El Rincocillo. This had a very similar atmosphere as the first place, but has been open since 1670. The salty old dogs who ran this place had little patience for our poor Spanish accents, but their food was amazing. 

When we took the occassional break from eating, we saw some of the sites that Seville had to offer. The main attraction in the city is its Cathedral. It was once a Moorish palace and mosque, but now the old minaret has been turned into the church's clock tower. 

The inside of this Cathedral is huge, but not as ornate as most other European cathedrals. It felt like being in a giant cavern - more impressive for sheer size than for décor.

The cathedral's main claim to fame is that it has the tomb of Christopher Columbus...at least, they think they do. His bones had somehow ended up in Central America after his death, and while Portugal requested his body, they aren't really sure who they've got. They built him a giant tomb anyway. 

The courtyard in the center of the church was once the palace's lemon grove. The trees still stand, as well as their unique irrigation system laid in the bricks around them. They would have provided some much needed shade in the middle of hot summer days.

There were some rooms and chapels attached to the side of the church that housed some artifacts of the Roman Catholic church. The rooms were sometimes designed more ornately than the treasures they held, with plenty of geometric patterns to play tricks on your eyes.

Overall, Dave was not a fan. He didn't like that most of the chapels had big, black bars protecting them. Dave is angry...

The final task to complete our visit to the Cathedral was to climb its minaret/clock tower. We started our trip in Porto with a tower climb, and now we were ending it in Seville in the same way. This one felt easier though - instead of stairs, it was one continuous ramp around and up the tower. The views of the city when we got to the top were beautiful.  

The next stop in Seville was the Alcazar de Seville. Originally a Moorish fort, it became a royal palace and today, it is the oldest palace still in use in all of Europe. The grounds are a maze of buildings in all different styles, hidden gardens, Moorish domes and crazy gardens. 

Continuing through the city, our next stop was at the Plaza de España. For how grand and ornate this was, its main purpose is just to house government offices. 

I liked the water that surrounded the plaza, with the tile pillars around the edges.

Next to the plaza is the Parque de Maria Lusia. It provided some much needed shade from the sun. 

Under this gnarly, rooted tree, I told Dave to hide. He didn't get what I meant.

 Our final activity is just as famous as tapas and sangria to this city: flamenco dancing. We searched hopelessly for almost 30 minutes and nearly gave up before finding this hole-in-wall place promising nightly flamenco shows. Two levels filled with rows of benches and tourists line up in front of this tiny stage where some of Seville's most talented dancers take the floor. 

We were treated to a Spanish guitar, a man pouring his heart out in song, and one very, very intense foot stomping, skirt swirling flamenco dancer.

Seville was amazing. The food was incredible, the sangria didn't stop, and the sites were gorgeous. Absolutely loved this city that provided a perfect end to our trip.