Wow
Trip Start
Jun 28, 2008
1
30
36
Trip End
Aug 01, 2008
Seville,
Andalusia,
Spain and Canary Islands
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
After dealing with some physically pushy Spaniards that couldnīt seem to decide what compartment they were in on the train, Edie and I got settled into our room with Eli (sp?) and Laiya (sp?) who are both the same age as us and from Switzerland. Andrew came by and all of us, along with a few other Americans we picked up along the way who were from Seattle but living in Munich for the year, we headed to the cafe car for a few drinks. There was a group of young Americans already there and as it turns out, they were all from Nahant, MA and had gone to Swampscott High School! So crazy! We didnīt know anyone in common since they were all 17-19 years old, but it was definitely cool to talk with them and try to play the name game anyway! Edie and Andrew went to grab dinner in the actual dinning room car while I had drinks with the kids from Mass, the two girls from Switzerland and the two guys from Seattle.
After more wine at dinner, Andrew decided he needed a cigarette (I donīt know if I have mentioned this before an apologies to any of his people reading this that he doesnīt want to know...but he has certainly turned into a bona fide smoker on this trip. Total pain for me since I am allergic to it!). Anyway, since there was no smoking on the train, Andrew decided it would be a smart idea to open one of the doors to the outside of the train and smoke out it. A move that attendants on the train didnīt like and also one that got me yelled at since I was traveling with him and therefore "responsible" for him. Total pain. But I guess I should have figured what I was getting myself into.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, and we arrived in Seville sometime around 9:30am. After getting out tickets to Madrid for tomorrow (thank you again to Andrew for his Spanish skills) we hoped in a cab and headed to our hotel, Hotel Alfonso XIII. Got to love staying at a 5 star hotel after a grungy hostel. So nice!! We have a tub, bathrobes, slippers, pool, chandelier in our room, everything! Even free internet! With all this niceness, we took the rest of the morning to shower, relax, and I did a little laundry in the sink since I finally have a place to let some stuff dry. After showers we headed to grab a quick bite and do some site seeing. The two major sites in Sevilla are the Reales Alcazares (palace) and the Catedral y Giralda (3rd largest church in Europe). The palace was amazing and has really interesting architecture with sculpture and tile work that combine different styles and have a lot of Islamic influence. Anyway, a definite must see. The place also has immense gardens which I could have roamed around in for hours. (Donīt worry Dad, I got some photos of the rose garden for you!) The Cathedral was also cool, but more similar to other sites I have seen that the palace, so the palace excited me more.
We are now back at our spectacular hotel to relax and use the pool. Not sure on the plans for the evening, but with this place to come home to, it doesnīt really even matter.
