Rain, tapas, flamenco and strains of Islam
Trip Start
Apr 08, 2007
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25
144
Trip End
Oct 01, 2007
Sevilla,
Spain
Friday, May 4, 2007
The tourist office staff, upon my asking the exact location of our place, mentioned that we could walk there in about twenty minutes. I had to politely remind him that it was absolutely pouring out, so it wouldn't make for a very enjoyable stroll with our heavy bags. Instead we could take a bus down to next to the old town, from which it'd require another five minutes walk. Better, but still not great. So it was off into the downpour we went, me being able to finally test out the waterproof cover that I bought years ago for my backpack. That worked quite well, incidentally. Problem was, it took nearly an hour for our specific bus to show up and the people across the way waiting for another one had to suffer in the shivering wet for at least as long.
Our "five minute walk" from the bus stop started off fine, as the rain had lightened up considerably. But predictably it started unloading on us again the instant I got out the map just to check exactly where it was. Mayu stayed fairly dry under her umbrella, but all the rain building up on my pack's cover was dripping down into my neck and my legs were basically drenched through. The hotel staff was a little unimpressed to have a couple sopping wet backpackers step into her quaint, dry lobby . . . probably understandably so. It took us a little while to clean up and get into drier clothes before we were willing to get back out in it.
Thankfully, it cleared up and got quite beautiful later in the afternoon yesterday, even if it was a bit sticky and humid. The evening got cloudy again, threatening rain, but this morning was gorgeous. Overall though, the weather in southern Spain has been very variable, which I certainly did not expect from a region known for its stifling summers. Regardless of clouds, rain or sun though, Sevilla is a stunner of a city. Our hostal is smack in the middle of the old Jewish quarter, which is fascinating to wander around and get lost in. The cathedral is frankly not a great variation on Toledo's (and at €7.50 overly pricey to boot), but the Alcazár is spectacular. We also visited the historic bullfighting ring, which gave a great idea on the layout of the event, even if we can't see an actual bullfight. The local tapas culture has been a pleasure to explore too, and we found a corker of a bar just around the corner from where we're staying.
So, it's been a fine time here in Sevilla, despite the ugly beginning. We're going to Córdoba for the day tomorrow then. We originally planned to stay there one night, but came up short on available accommodation. Conveniently though, our hostal here had vacancy for three nights, so it's straightforward and close enough to do as a mere daytrip. Hopefully we can take it all in within a day.
