Simply Smitten with Seville!!

We slept so well on our first night here in Seville that I thought maybe we had sidestepped jet lag with our 29 hours of travel, but we were both wide awake from 2:00am to 5:00am! Don't ask me why, but we were both unable to sleep. Fingers crossed that we sleep through tonight!!

Our second day in Seville only served to deepen our instant LOVE for this city. It's an absolute gem! I don't know why tourists are not flocking here in droves! Maybe they will in the summer, but I know that if we had not met a woman in Lisbon who raved about her hometown, we would never have considered coming here. It doesn't come up in conversation as a 'must see' destination.

Although it is a city of 701,000 people, it really has a small town feel to it. the people are so kind and helpful and full of personality! Yesterday, we wandered the maze (and I mean MAZE) of cobblestone streets lined with shops and restaurants and tapas bars with outdoor seating! It is so incredibly clean ... and ... somehow it feels light and happy here. I know that might sound hokey ... but many of the other cities that have wonderful little "old towns" with oodles of character also seem to have heavier energy as a result of being through wars.

None of that darker energy seems to be visible here. The architecture is simply stunning and all the buildings are so well kept. We wondered how come all the streets were so clean and then we saw a woman washing (with sudsy water!) the cobblestones in front of her shop. You won't find garbage anywhere either. It is so pristine! It is a feast for the eyes. We are simply smitten!

We hopped aboard the "Hop on Hop Off" bus today to get a larger perspective on the city! The sun shone on us so nicely as we took in the sights. There was no where in particular we felt compelled to 'hop off' and see, so we just made the loop and got off where we go on. There were people sitting along the edge of the river sipping beer and wine and eating some white colored things that we later learned were peanuts. We opted to join them! 😉

The "Bull Ring" was nearby so we opted to take a tour. It has a small museum and we learned so much about this seemingly barbaric cultural practice. The ring here seats 12,000 people and one of the employees stated that it is sold out EVERY time. She explained that bull fighting is considered an art ... "it is a dance" she said. Spain is one of the few countries in which this 'art' has not been outlawed. We learned that each event has three matadors and six bulls. The matadors get points and the last matador and bull are the winners!!

However, we also learned that the bulls never really 'win'. They are all killed and the meat is sold to restaurants. One would think that the meat would be tough with all the adrenalin and cortisol flowing through the bulls, but she said they make soup out of it!

After that, the old boy was excited to see a bull fight. The next one in Seville is not until May 6th and we will not be here. He found one in Madrid during the time we will be there! I am undecided about whether or not I will join him. I guess it would be a 'cultural experience' to witness one ... but ... I am not sure I have the constitution for it. I guess I will have to decide soon ... but ... the old boy is SO excited. I hope he can get tickets for Madrid.

After our time in the 'ring' ... we knew we best head out for tapas so we could eat some tapas before they close. It's so different here than at home where 'happy hour' typically starts at 4pm. Not the case here. We got caught by surprise yesterday when we tried to stop for 'happy hour' only to realize they all close down for about 4 hours between 4pm and 8pm.

It's actually kind of nice for us tourists to head back to the room before a later supper. We are now doing some laundry, booking our Flamenco show for Monday. I am taking a moment to catch up with you and we are about to have some wine, olives and a special soft but slightly crispy bread that is also a cultural specialty! Apparently Ines Rosales invented this anise flavored bread by using olive oil ... which allowed it to keep for much longer. It was such a hit that she eventually started a factory and only hired women ... widows and mothers. The bread is SO good! Makes a perfect compliment to a nice rioja! And, we are eating Andaluscian ham ... well ... the old boy is. I can't get the image of the pigs hooves out of my mind when I look at it. He insists it is DELICIOUS!

I have no idea what the evening will bring but our Airbnb owner sent us oodles of suggestions for all kinds of things to do and see. The old boy is scouting out some of the options she suggested for rooftop dining during the sunset!

It can't be a late night though because we booked a day trip to Ronda and the White Villages for tomorrow! We are heading out for a pick up at 7:50AM! Yikes. We'll have to set the alarm!! And ... because we are leaving so early and nothing is open at that hour, I'll be cooking breakfast for the first time in our room. I've got some eggs and cheese and gorgeous croissants (the BREAD in Europe is so good)!! Oh, and a nice mango! We've got a Nespresso machine so that will be good for our coffee!

Oh ... and guess what ... no travel 'mountain' yet today! Fingers crossed it stays that way. Talk to you all tomorrow if we get back early enough!

Hugs, k&jRead more