Having a coffee & a chat about life in general revealed a friends wish to practice her Spanish I had been making tentative steps myself to learn & so this led to the decision to throw caution to the wind & book a trip.
Both of us had travelled a bit but not together so this would be a totally new adventure. My friend kindly took on the role of organiser which was handy as at the time I was just about to embark on the road trip I’m currently writing about so I was very grateful.
Leaving the hubby’s behind to mind the first at home we planned to fly from Bristol & head for Seville. My friend had previously been there so I was happy to be guided by her.
A great little apartment in the city centre provided a base for exploring the many interesting & historical places on offer. We couldn’t help but indulge in the delicious local food either as this gave ample opportunities for my companion to try out her phrases. I mainly just listened fearing my limited knowledge from a language app might not cut the mustard. One of the challenges I have been given is to learn Spanish so although I have made a start taking lessons is a little way off as there is only so much a person can learn at one time! At the moment my guitar lessons take prescidence though my teachers partner is Spanish so who knows might try combining them!!
Flight & transfer went smoothly & we arrived at the apartment late in the evening so decided to get some sleep & be up and about early the next day.
The weather was spectacularly warm for October & it was great to just be able to saunter down the narrow streets absorbing the sights & sounds.
After investing in a map we found navigating a little easier & between us unearthed some little gems of places to sit & watch the world go by whilst eating or drinking something good.
Seville is stuffed full of history stretching back in time it almost overwhelmed us at times looking at the different architecture & plaques recalling events of the city. The Cathedral in immense & very popular so we sadly didn’t try to queue to go in – its one to put on the ‘to do’ list for another visit.
We took a peek at a collection of unusual guitars, wandered in and around the beautiful public gardens of the Plaza de Espana, stopping to have iced lollies under some vines.
The evening saw us venture to an evening of traditional Flamenco music & dance in an almost secret location. The bland garage door masks the enchanted bar that bursts into life in the evening where you can sip sangria & tap quietly in time to the music. The music is taken very seriously so it was severely frowned upon to make any kind of noisy disruption while the musicians & dancers performed which I thought was very respectful.
With limited time we decided to visit the Setas de Seville on the second evening where we could view the key iconic landmarks floodlit as we walked around the undulating walkway.
The last day as we set off on foot towards the bus station & airport we literally stumbled upon The Case d Pilatos. Arriving as the doors opened we were among the first in to look around at an astonishing colourful array of intricately patterned tiles that lined the walls.
We totally resisted the urge to do the famous dance around the base of the Macarena Gate as I am sure its been done before & sadly we weren’t able to visit the Basilica de la Macarena as it had closed for the afternoon by the time we got there. Still a little further on we found a great restaurant where we had a fantastic meal before setting off to home determined to avoid having to eat in the airport.
