After cooking up some brekkie we left Roh to get himself organised with his preparation and wandering prior to his flight back to Copenhagen tomorrow. Raym and I headed off towards the river to meet our (Free!) walking tour at Torre del Oro that I booked last night. Had time for a quick coffee before meeting our guide Roxy under her Red umbrella. Lucky us, being Monday entrance to the tower was free and we had time to climb to the top and experience awesome views in all directions of this city I have decided is one of my favourites.
What a fabulous guide and tour! Feel I have learnt so much about the fascinating history of Spain and the importance of Seville as an international entity over the centuries. Roxy had so many anecdotes to help describe the diverse architecture and how and why it has changed. Originally inhabited by the Moors, the Islamic influence is still quite dominant. The Cathedral was actually a Mosque - add a Christian top, some angels and consecrate with some holy water from a Bishop and instant cathedral!
Other interesting sights were the Reales Alcazares (castle) - one of the few that have survived wars and earthquakes (queues were too long in the hot sun to attempt visiting when we returned later);
The university which was originally built by the King of Spain and began as a tobacco factory with truly fascinating stories - actually the basis of the story of the Opera “Carmen “; then our last stop - the overwhelming Plaza de Espana. This was built for the 1929 Expo under the pretence that it would become a college but world events inhibited this and it is now used as public offices for education, military etc. Regardless the architecture was certainly beautiful.
We continued to explore the Plaza de Espana after the tour, trying to take it all in and watching some flamenco dancers and band. We headed back towards the university and grabbed a pizza for lunch with a tad more flamenco guitar serenading in the background. We walked on to the castle but deterred by the crowds and heat keep walking around the outskirts, along several narrow alleys and a garden - turning out to be a complete circle! It was definitely gelato time - so on Roxy’s advice we tried the Turon flavour - a traditional flavour of Seville derived from leftover Christmas ingredients of nuts and nougat - delicious!
Made our way back to the apartment to
regroup and refresh - and more soccer!
Then we were off to nearby Estrelle bar for Sangria and tapas....then we found Levies tapas bar to continue on... and more soccer of course! Loving the roasted peppers and the Patatas Brava! Plus some paella and swordfish. Yum!
By 9pm I was dragging the boys around a few more back streets to La Carboneria - a bar with a free flamenco show. Wasn’t sure how it would be but was great! For the cost of a jug of Sangria we thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment from the guitarist, singer (elderly guy), female flamenco dancer (with castanets!) and her occasional
elderly partner. Brilliant experience in an authentically atmospheric location!
Great way to spend our last night with
Rohan for the culmination of our Spain and Portugal family adventure!