After 2 days of near-comatose functioning levels on the beach, sauna and pool...we decided it was time for a day trip. We selected Seville, the birthplace of Flamenco, which is a pretty exciting thing for 3 dance majors.
We were up early in the morning (before the sunrise even....but the sun rises in Spain at like 8am, so that isn't as impressive as it sounds.) Got a map and directions at the gas station and headed out for the 2 1/2 hour drive. In that short time we drove through some beautiful and hugely varied countryside. Beach, mountain ranges, hue dessert plains, olive groves. Got into the town of Seville and were promptly lost, which is a bit more stressful in a car than on foot. After finding a parking garage and tourist office we were off..for a seriously full day of sight seeing.
Plaza Nuova: awesome bull statue. Cathedral: HUGE!, Christopher Columbus' Crypt (say that 5 times fast), climbed to the top of the bell tower. They are really into climbing to the top of things in Europe...I have to say, every time I've made the climb up something it is worth it and totally beautiful, but you could burn yourself out in it, I suppose. Real Alcares: Old, Moorish castle, closed but the outside looked cool, just like the castles you draw when you're a kid. Jardins De Murillo: A beautiful, green oasis in the middle of the city. Plaza de Espana: supposed to be THE thing to see in Seville, I was underwhelmed. The fountain/moats were drained of water and everything was crumbling and falling apart. I could see how it COULD be cool...but it, just, wasn't. Parque de Maria Luisa: just a quick walk through...after awhile you start to burn out on churches, parks and museums...so I could be jaded here, but, it was...just a park. Found the street where Megan's sister lived during her semester abroad. Walked by what we thought was the bullring and were unimpressed...looking at the map later we realized it was the National Theater...oops.
Whew! This is one day! I'm tired just writing about it. Then we found dinner...after a lot of searching. Spain really sucks for vegetarians. I ended up with potato salad and gazpacho, not my top choice, but it was pretty good. During our dinner we saw a bunch of people gathering just down the street so we went down to check it out. They were having a dress rehearsal for some outdoor orchestral concert. It was pretty fun so we hung out for a bit. Then headed off to our waiters recommendation of a Flamenco bar. This was it! This is what we came for....
We almost didn't find the place because there was no sign of any kind on the outside of the building. We came in during a break between shows so we ordered drinks and found a decent spot to see the stage. At the top of the hour three people came on stage and one of the men gave the audience a firm lecture about no filming and being quiet during the show. They played about 4 numbers, some with just singing and guitar and the last 2 with dance. Half way through we got another lecture about being quiet during the show. We even got the "If you guys want to talk, we'll just leave and let you talk." line. I felt like a 3rd grader being scolded...it seriously put a damper on the show for me. (I mean, if you want silence while you perform, got o a concert hall...not a BAR where they serve LIQUOR...what do you expect?)
Overall, (even leaving out the lectures), I was a bit disappointed in the Flamenco. It is supposed to be all about passion...and the female dancer mostly looked bored. I would say that if you are ever in Seville DON"T go to Carboneria to see Flamenco.
It was getting late and we had a bit of a drive in front of us so we headed back to the car. This is where the fun really started. By the time we pulled out of the parking lot it was raining and a few minutes later it was POURING. So we got lost trying to get back to the freeway. Finally we stopped at an Irish Pub (why are those everywhere?) and got directions to what we were pretty sure was the right freeway. Whew...not too much time lost. After 2 hours on the freeway we somehow managed to miss the exit to our resort and get onto a toll road and some other random beach road...and, well we were all over the place. We finally were turned around in what we though was the right direction. As we came through the toll booth we asked the guy for directions...just to be sure. He informed us that the road we had been looking for had a NEW NAME. That bit of information could have saved us a lot of frustrated car time. But, we finally made it back around 5am and crashed.
The next day was going to be a beach day...but it was still cloudy and threatening rain. So we found an Internet point, napped and watched videos. A perfect recovery day.
That's it for now. Next time you'll learn all about our adventures in Gibraltar! Woo-Hoo!
Blessings,
KNL
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