Sevilla Day 11

Seville is blending together with the towns of Valencia, Barcelona, and Madrid. It’s a big city with tiny streets, lots of restaurants, and a late sunrise. Nearly 8:40am.

We started today around 7am with showers and then headed out for coffee. Our slow mornings with cappuccinos and cafes are a nice way to begin. A few hours later, the kids joined us for breakfast and we planned out a few places we wanted to see today. We also stopped and got two pairs of glasses fixed with new screws for 5 euros and two balls of yarn for Emily’s crocheting adventures for another 5 euros.

Up first was the Cathedral of Seville which is the third largest in the world. We didn’t opt to go inside but we have read that it’s pretty. The exterior is quite grand with lots of gothic architecture. 

Next, was a walk to the Plaza de Espana which is was built in 1929 and pays homage to all of the cities in Spain. This plaza is unlike the others where you walk through and see shops or churches. This is massive and the beauty was splendid. https://www.visitasevilla.es/en/history/plaza-de-espana

You can get a boat and row your way around the canal or you can listen to music in one of the many staircases where musicians were playing and singing live for tips. It was 11am and already a great start to the day. 

We began a walk toward our next stop and happened upon a well developed waterfront with a carnival. This is the type of tourist attraction needed at the waterfront in Sacramento. 

And once we made the walk back, we grabbed snacks and coffees before entering into the Alcázar of Seville which is a royal palace originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings (the upper levels are actually still in use as the royal family residence.

The interior architect and design was beautiful and much different than other buildings with faces and human depictions. The exterior gardens included a maze, dozens of rose gardens, water features, and a million orange trees. 

It was a few hours of time to see it all and I’m certain we didn’t actually see it all. By now we were mid afternoon and looking for food again - such is life on vacation. We found a place right by our hotel and Todd was excited to order seafood paella again. Only a few more opportunities to order it before we head home! 

The end of our meal was again gifted with shots of lemoncello so obviously the kids were excited. The adults partook as well. 

With the kids retiring to the hotel for some R&R, the adults pushed on despite complaints of knees and hips that were making noises. Perhaps liquor at a different establishment could loosen these joints? 

This is a photo of two old friends, dead set on ordering an Irish coffee. Three bars later, they get a manger to make it for them and now someone has thrown out the word “grande” and the ten minute creation begins. The anticipation was killing them and as they watched the drinks being made, they might have started to realize that their eyes were bigger than their livers. 

Four shots of espresso, whisky, and then whipped cream, these massive drinks were handed to the gleeful guys as their wives might have rolled eyeballs. Let’s just say that they were sad to not be able to finish their drinks, but the wives were in no condition to be rolling anyone back to the hotel. And besides, the streets here are quite nasty. 

Naps. The siesta was earned today with already clocking 14,250 steps by 4:30pm. 

After an hour of rest, we cracked out the cards and snacks, found a table in the lobby, and got to work on a card game. We chatted about how we would change the trip, things we would do differently (that might have just been me) and how planning vacations is a lot of planning and preparation. I’m glad that everyone is thankful for a nice trip. And it has been a nice trip. 

Food guys, it was 7:30pm and there were snacks on people’s minds. So you know what Boba is? How Californians love it? Well it’s nowhere to be found here - except right around the corner from this hotel! The kiddos got boba and maybe some bagel sandwiches. I got a huge ice cold water and I’m quite happy (ate my gelato before 6pm but forgot to mention that earlier!). 

And lastly, we browsed in some shops, checked out the Metropol Parasol at night all lit up, and synchronized our watches hahaha, our iPhones, for a departure time tomorrow. We hit the road bright and early!