Seville

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

First Impressions - Day 1

Another day and another city.  I now find myself in Seville, the last new city I will be visiting in Spain (which is hard to believe).  I arrived in Seville early in the morning after a quick train ride.  I have to say, these high speed trains are AWESOME!  We need them in the United States which reminds me that Amtrak in the Northeast might be implementing some high speed trains soon.  It sounds like the trains will not be as fast as in Europe but at least it is a step in the right direction (and would be where I could use them).

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

After arriving, I mostly walked around parts of the city and sat along the Guadalquivir River tributary that runs through the city.  This river has been following me along my entire journey here in Spain which has been quite fun.  I sat along the river for a long time watching the rowers, kayakers, and boats that were passing along the river.  I was really surprised by how many people were out on the river rowing, it reminds me of the Rutgers rowing team that is always rowing past my window at home.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

After sitting by the water for awhile I got back to wandering the city.  I spent the day excitedly awaiting the flamenco show I had tonight.  This was one of the highlights I was looking forward to this trip.  The venue for the flamenco show was an all royal blue theater with white and gold accent colors.  My seat was in the front row - perks of booking far in advance.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

The show was a completely new experience for me.  The show consisted of one singer, one musician, one female dancer, and one male dancer.  Their talent was obvious and I was mesmerized by their performances.  They started the show doing a group number with all performers performing and then each performer had their own "solo" time to show off their skills (the musician on the guitar was part of all the pieces of the performance).

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

What struck me most from the performance were the facial expressions of the performers.  They were all intensely focused on their craft and emitting emotion from their strong facial expressions.  Watching their performance showed how talented these individuals are and it was fun seeing them interact playfully with one another.  At the end of the show, they did an encore together cheering each other along as they performed one last piece.  After the performance I went back to the hostel for bed because I am old and have not been sleeping well (I miscalculated how a person in their 30's would handle hostel beds, not being in your 20's anymore blows).

Photo by Dr. Haus

Seville Cathedral - Day 2

Welp, another night of poor sleep - but it is okay, I am enjoying myself enough to make up for my old lady bones and back.  I decided to check out the Seville Cathedral today as I haven't been to a proper Spanish Cathedral yet and knew I needed to see one before I leave for Portugal later this week.

Photo by Dr. Haus

The first words that left my mouth when I walked into the cathedral were "m!erda" (in English read this as "holy sh!t").  I have never seen something this vast, beautiful, and structural.  The height of the ceilings, the detail work in the stones, and the overall architecture of the cathedral is breathtaking.  We definitely do not have anything quite like this in America.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

I took my time exploring the different parts of the cathedral.  Christopher Columbus's remains are in this cathedral as well as many pieces of artwork.  I was mostly enthralled by the detail work in the ceilings, walls, and support beams of the cathedral.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

The last part of the cathedral that I visited was the bell tower.  The walk up this bell tower was interesting because it was mostly a square shaped ramp system that brought you up to the tower.  I believe it is 34 ramps and then maybe 15 steps to get to the top.  I will say, the ramp system for getting to the top of the bell tower was a nice change from all the stairs I have been climbing in other structures and across Spanish streets in general.  Below are some of the cathedral pictures:

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

After the cathedral I mostly explored the city seeing the University of Seville, Plaza de España, and wandering a few parks.  The funniest moment happened when I was in the Plaza de España and put my hand down onto a hand railing without looking down first.  My hand went RIGHT into bird crap - classic.  Thankfully I just laughed about it, continued with my wandering, and got a naranja Fanta to finish my evening.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Tomorrow I leave for Málaga by bus for a quick trip before I head off to Lisbon for the final leg of my trip.  It is hard to believe I am at the last few days of my European adventures and I am trying to not think about it too much to make sure I keep my focus on the present adventures.  I am looking forward to heading back to the region where the trip all started - see you all in Málaga!

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus