April 22, 2022 to April 23, 2022
Seville
As forecast, we woke to a rainy day and so lingered until check-out at 11am. Soon Google maps had us on Seville's fabulous network of bike lanes and into the heart of the city. We had booked an AirBnB in the the old 'centro' and it truly poured as we navigated the narrow cobblestone streets. Some mis-communication as to the exact location had us wandering in the rain for an extra half hour, so we were utterly soaked by the time we were at the right address. Seeing we were cycle-touring, our host was excited to chat about cycling in Seville, but we just wanted to get into some dry clothes and were constrained by our 2pm entry ticket at the Cathedral. It's the 3rd biggest church in the world and chock full of splendid artifacts including the largest alter and Columbus' tomb, all of which would have been more impressive had we not been cold, wet and hungry. Ah, how hard it is to ignore those basic needs and concentrate on splendour.
Back at the apartment, we figured out how to crank up the heat and turn on the stove, so after a delicious home-cooked supper, felt better and planned the next day.
Saturday, under mixed skies we headed for the #2 attraction of Seville, The Real Alcazar Palace, a sprawling complex mixture of architectural styles and gardens that reflect the tastes of hundreds of years of various kings and queens. It was all so beautiful but hard to imagine that people actually lived there once.
Seville's downtown is crammed with shops, historical monuments and restaurant-cafes lively with the usual Saturday shoppers and tourists. It was extra busy as tonight is the final game of the Copa del Rey, or King's Cup of the Spanish soccer league and the streets -and bars- were full of rowdy fans dressed in either green for Seville or orange for Valencia. Supporters of all ages, but mostly young men, have been parading up and down the streets, drinking, chanting and setting off fireworks. At lunch we spoke with the group beside us and they explained that, like most people on the streets, they did not have tickets to the game, but were excited to have come to Seville to join the throngs and experience the thrill of the day. The game started at 10pm, so the streets are suddenly quiet.
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 15 km (9 miles)
Total: 688 km (427 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 6 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
1 year ago
1 year ago