Smooth sailing in Seville

Day 7-10 part 2

I have to admit the first stop in Madrid left a funny taste in my mouth, and it wasn’t because Carol stuffed a sock in it to quiet my snoring.

We were undoubtedly jet-lagged supremely but still it lacked the mucho gusto that I had anticipated for 7.2 months. It came across as rather bland considering the flamboyancy of the Spanish culture.

We took advantage as much as we could for 4 days looking for quirky situations, street art (no waiting in line) and plenty of tapas, vino tinto, and cervezas.

Seville had a much bigger build up online and it met it handsomely! Many magnificent sites, history everywhere, lots of hole-in-the-wall eateries and tabernas to eavesdrop on locals and travellers alike.

The multi-generational restaurants in Triana, Macarena, and even in trendy Santa Cruz are the highlight for me. And it is the case when you stay in neighborhoods off the tourist-beaten path where you find the local coffee shops, with emphasis on local and locals.

This stop it was Casa de Castilla y León where the woman running it reminded me exactly of our dear friend Judy Chevalier. With her perma-smile and round cheeks and even the voice was reminiscent of our Lower Mainland B.C. friend.

Great coffee along with a jamon and tomato tostado for 2.5€. It was a sizzling deal. And tomorrow when we spend our last morning here I will be sure to give the traditional 2 cheek peck to dear Sarah. Hopefully I won’t get crumbs on her collar.

We took full advantage of the Hop on Hop off bus again. We made a first pass on the route stopping only once in the Triana neighborhood known for it’s food and drink and it’s colorful mercado.

The fruits and vegetables are as big and rich in color as any we’ve seen. Tomatoes twice the size of my hand, radishes almost the size of tennis balls, and the lettuce so rich in color and plump with vitamin-rich goodness that it looked like it would gush onto your cheeks when you bit into it.

The freshness of the food plays a large part in the full flavor meals that you find everywhere. Rarely is anything pre-prepared, or pre-packaged or frozen at the places that we like to stop at. That being said we have made some poor choices either driven by hunger, or being worn out, or by the heat but these are overshadowed by all the wonderful places to eat and rest our weary legs.

For some reason I was thinking about the song Waltz Across Texas by Ernest Tubb, the mid-20th century American troubadour, but I turned the lyrics to San Gria Our Way Across Sevilla (or Seville) because we sampled the summer wine on numerous occasions. It’s a traditional ice cold way to beat the heat made by generation after generation in southern Spain.

Family recipes, usually mixing red wine, soda, fruit, and cinnamon poured over ice. There are many fruits in season almost year round as Seville has one of the mildest winter climates in the EU and everything thrives here so the taste changes with every batch.

There are so many fantastic sites to see that are all covered in the brochures and online forums but the absolute magnificence of Plaza España caught me by surprise. Finished in 1928 the architecture is a mix of Art Deco, Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles. Made of brick and colorful ceramic tile, spectacular columns, braced with towers, and with a large water feature make it a must-see for visitors here.

We had the good fortune to see a flamenco troupe perform. It consisted of a percussionist, guitarist, a tremendously gifted singer, and 3 dancers who all took their turns. The passion and fierceness and the breath-taking moves left me watery-eyed and I couldn’t help but to shout bravo at each dancer’s conclusion. We talked about it many times during the rest of the day.

Anyways we completed our stay with a dinner and wine at Postiguillo in Santa Cruz where we had a wonderful waiter, Fernando, or as I continually called him Francisco, in a richly decorated and perfectly-lit establishment. A very fitting end to our last night in Seville.

Off for a week in Valencia by air tomorrow afternoon carrying with us many great memories. Bravo Sevilla!

Adios.