Ten of us walked into this bar, and there was only one man working. He was incredibly nice to us and gave us excellent service! All of the food was made to order by him. Menú del día is my BFF. I had croquetas, una tortilla española, un zumo de naranja (orange juice), y natilla (custard) all for a cool 7euro.
After lunch we wandered around the city -something easy to do in Spanish cities, because it's so safe. We happened upon this beautiful church on our walk.
After our walk we returned to our hostel to purchase tickets for the Espectáculo de Flamenco (flamenco show). Below are links to several videos that I have uploaded to Youtube. Enjoy!
The show was absolutely amazing. You can truly feel the passion with each step the dancer takes. The chicos were guapo, claro que si (of course)! The music was great, and it was well worth it! The show lasted 90 minutes, but it still didn't feel long enough. I literally did not want it to end. One day I would love to return to Sevilla (the supposed birthplace of the flamenco) and take lessons.
After the flamenco we were rather famished. During our búsqueda (search, quest) for food we found a hole-in-the-wall tapas bar. It was here that I realized what I suppose is a major cultural universal. The people in the southern regions of their respective countries speak markedly different (my PC way of saying waaaaaaay worse) from their northern counterparts. I likened this trip to a person traveling from Pennsylvania to Atlanta,Georgia, for example. The Andalucians drop off entire syllables from their words. I'm almost 100% positive that there is indeed an "S" in the word "dos"...correct me if I'm wrong. I loved the accent though. It reminded me of being back home in the South, because the people speak with such an air of friendliness and down-to-earth-li-ness. They want you to get the vibe that you should love their city as much as they love it.
The bartender made that very clear. We struggled quite a bit to understand him, but luckily there was a couple in the bar with us, and the woman spoke English. She happily translated for us, and she even recommended the best tapas to eat. I ordered what was supposed to be a spicy tapa. Let me just say: our ideas of spice are completely different. I wanted to ask if he had forgotten to add the spice, but me falta las palabras ( I lacked the words to say it). I decided to try the Sevillano cerveza on the tap. The waiter gave me a smile and said good choice. He then lectured me on how the beer here was much much better than the beer in Madrid, that everything was much much much cheaper here than in Madrid, and that this place was much much much much better than Madrid.
I didn't share the exact same sentiments (although cerveza Sevilla >> cerveza Madrid and everything is MUCH cheaper), because I have become attached to Madrid -I feel like Madrid is MY city now. However, I loved Sevilla, and I could see myself living there. It's like a baby Madrid with more of the traditional Spanish vibe.
Just imagine walking past buildings like this every single day. Beautiful life.
After tapas we retired to the hostel for the night. The next morning we checked out of the hostel and headed straight for Real Alcazar.
This place looks incredibly unassuming and somewhat drab from the outside; however, the inside tells a completely different story. The gardens of Alcazar are so beautiful and peaceful. It is once again a wonderful place to wander around. Thus far, it is my favorite place to wander. If I lived in Sevilla I would go there every day to do homework, relax, nap, wander.The Alcázar of Seville (Spanish "Reales Alcázares de Sevilla" or "Royal Alcazars of Seville") is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally a Moorish fort.The Almohades were the first to build a palace, which was called Al-Muwarak, on the site of the modern day Alcázar. The palace is one of the best remaining examples of mudéjar architecture. Subsequent monarchs have added their own additions to the Alcázar. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. -Wikipedia
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| This is the entrance to the palace. |
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| One of the main foyers. |
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| Moorish architecture. |
After we spent quite a few hours roaming the grounds of this massive palace we had lunch and made our way back to the bus station. We had lunch at a nice little café with none other than the menú del día! The bus ride home was nice. Because we left while it was still day out, I was able to see the lovely countryside of southern Spain.
My favorite site on the way back was something ya'll will never guess. Here's a hint: it's yellow and green!
It was a massive John Deere store. My friends didn't quite understand my reason for excitement. For those of you who don't know: I LOVE John Deere. John Deere España made my day!
We made it back to Madrid at about 01:00 with just enough time to catch the Metro home. Sevilla was a great trip. I hope to go to Granada soon!
Hasta luego!
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