Satisfied and happy

First off let me start by saying that taking the ‘we’ll head in that direction’ wandering approach is great. It’s gotten us more than a little lost at points but the streets are so pretty – although narrow, and there is no way you could even PAY me to drive in Sevilla. Even the bicycles seem too fast, although it is only 10E for a hop-on-hop-off pass with the city’s bike infrastructure. Yay green! I’ll gladly walk, though, and we certainly did that today. We actually went through the back of the Plaza de España almost by accident; the entrances looked pretty but in use, so I was wary. But once we got to the front we saw that it was amazing. Lots of tile, lots of bridges and cool architecture. And we thought Alcazar was impressive – this was smaller, but quite equal in decoration I think! We also hung around the big fountain long enough that I spied a friendly-looking tourist with a big camera – some indication that they might take a good picture. So now we have a picture of both of us at once, hurrah. I will be posting them….eventually.

When we were touring one of the wings we saw a sign for free museum admission, so we ducked in. It turned out to be something Dad and Steve would really like – lots of old chemistry, huge guns and old artillery. Broadswords and machine guns longer than I am tall, almost. Very very cool, and definitely a great bargain for free!

We made up for it by renting a double bike (in which two are hooked together) in the adjacent park. Initially it was for the hilarity factor – it was definitely goofy – but it also allowed us to tour the park much more quickly. Also run over pigeons (if they knew they weren’t going to be run over they’d just stay under the vehicle) and spot the good ice cream stands. Ended up getting a Magnum Temptation Chocolate ice cream bar, which comes with its own little box and pillow. Very cute, and VERY tasty. Peter says they have them in the states but I only remember them from Mexico; if they are indeed at home, this may be bad for our wastelines. =D

After the gardens we headed over to the Catedral de Sevilla, which apparently is the third largest cathedral in the world. It was indeed huge, and houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus and a few depictions of pomegranates (important things I guess). We also climbed the Tower of Giralda, which was 34 levels of steep until we hit the top, which was full of bells. Only one actually rang at 3 o’clock, though, and it didn’t use its clanger (was hit on the side instead). A bit anticlimactic but the view was great. By getting this ticket we also got free admission to the church in the Plaza de Salvador, which we toured for a bit. So much gold and silver in these places. Eventually we tired out and headed back for a shower and nap.

After some more laundry and laboring to wake Peter up again, we set off to find some more of Stephanie’s recommendations (the cousin of a grad student I met in UC-Boulder, who lives in Sevilla as a violinist but was visiting her fam in Chicago this week). She’d recommended a rooftop bar so we thought we’d find it, but we apparently ended up on the rooftop bar next door instead. It was still pretty awesome, with a little hot tub, a few beds scattered about, etc (although I felt really out of place, as it was clearly a locals place), and they served mojitos with sugar in the bottom – a GREAT idea! Kenny, take note. Anyway we watched the sun set and then left for another restaurant recommendation, the Paladar, where we had our first truly satisfying Sevillian meal – with actual vegetables! Super delicious chicken, cous cous, asparagous, cheese, salsa de lomo (!!), everything. A happy ending to a productive day.

Tomorrow we’ll have a bit more time before our train to Madrid so we’ll tie up a few loose sightseeing ends, and then it’s on to the next place!