ungkler: In the Heart and Soul of Spain

Seville
Autumn 2011

Built for the Ibero-American exposition of 1929 - the Plaza de España in Seville
(Nov-2011)

Journal Entry... I was ready to head down south to cover two of the last itinerary cities in Spain. Seville is home to matadors and cantaors, and flamenco dancers... from where Ferdinand Magellan had set sail on an epic journey to Mexico's Spice Islands, but ended up in the Philippine archipelago instead.

9-nov: Arrived Seville...

What's in a street name?

Check-in: #HotelCasa1800 off Calle Mateos Gago. What's in a street name? Lol, from those who can relate*wink;) Best location in Seville is at ground zero, where the old city landmarks are a stone's throw away. Irene Gomez [pronounced "i-reh-neh go-meh" when in the south of Spain] at Front Desk was effortlessly nice and cheerful. Hotel accommodation came with complimentary breakfast, including afternoon snacks. Hotel had a roof deck overlooking the Catedral, but hubby and I had to keep our voices down at the roofdeck so to not disturb the hotel guests who had splurged on the penthouse room that came with a jacuzzi... Right by the planter boxes (concealing the room and jacuzzi area), I would hear whispering voices one night hubby and I went up to the roof deck to view the lighted cathedral.

Two Peas in Seville

In the Sala de los Almirantes at Real Alcazares de Seville (Royal Palace), was where Magellan had planned his circumnavigation of the (new) world. It was on that route where Magellan ended up instead on Philippine shores in Mactan island, and where, unfortunately, Magellan met his fate in the hands of a native chieftain, Lapu Lapu. Did you know? There's a running joke back home about Lapu Lapu and Magellan, that karma hit Lapu Lapu when he, in turn, met his fate in the hands of a mere cook (as Lapu Lapu was later named after the grouper fish.)

Royal palace and gardens in Seville

Plaza del Triunfo
in Seville

Right outside the hotel was Bodega Santa Cruz, where one can enjoy the Spanish-style tapas and sangria. I was amused at the bar owner's way of writing the customer's order/bill on the table, where the customer is sitting, in chalk. Bar is not only popular with the locals, it had an S.R.O policy ("standing room only") which had clearly attracted the tourists as well.

Catedral de Seville

Our hotel room had one window facing Bodega Sta. Cruz, so I could attest to the fact that not a night went by that I did not see a full house in the bar. Bar goers spilled out to Calle Mateos Gago, holding a wine glass or a beer bottle animatedly speaking in Spanish. It would be for that reason why the hotel room had thick wooden shutters, to block off Seville's nightlife for a good night's sleep... by the early sleeper.

A night of tapas and sangria at Bodega Santa Cruz in the old city of Seville

Afternoon siesta
in Alcazar

I did notice that in the south of Spain, the afternoon sun had a soft tangerine glow that made one sleepy. Sleeping spell did catch on the hubby... who took his afternoon nap, one time in an Ibero-American exposition steel bench at Plaza de España, and another time in the mosaic sitting area at the Real Alcazar gardens, waking up, like clockwork, to head back to the hotel complimentary snacks. Also, in the south of Spain, there was a different way of speaking Spanish, words had are a breathy "H" sound to it, which oftentimes take a lot of getting used to to understand the Spanish word being uttered.

Streets of Seville

By coincidence on our last day in Seville, a group of troubadours came to hang around in Calle Mateos Gago. Troubadours were in vibrant garb. What added to the funfair was that the troubadours came in different groups-- as one group passed the other, said group challenged the other, who all ended up doing a repertoire outdoing the other to the delight of their viewers, myself included. The lively street performance had my head swaying to the beat, while the hubby recorded it on video.
Rightfully so, I'd dub Seville as "the heart and soul of Spain". A Seville experience leaves an indelible mark to the heart. Viewing the sunset from a bridge, to cap the last day, was when I would catch the Tio Pepe sign that was missing from the building at Puerta del Sol in Madrid... just lucky me.