It took about 6 ½ hours to get to Sevilla. Along the way we saw various hunting parties along the side of the road in some of the fields we passed by! We couldn't see what they were hunting though.
We stopped part way through for a bathroom/food break. Ben and I came back out to get on the bus but it was gone! At first we thought, “There is no way it would’ve left without us!” but then we saw it over at the gas station so all was good. Once we arrived in Sevilla, we only had a 10 minute walk from the bus station to the hotel we were staying at. It was called Pensión el arenal. When we found the address we were a little confused because it was a bar, not a hotel. I walked in and asked where the hotel was and he said it was there. Ben later told me he found the hotel under the ‘bed and breakfast’ section. The rooms were above the bar. It turned out to be quite convenient because the tortillas españolas were quite cheap and they were absolutely delicious!! A tortilla española is not anything like a tortilla in the States. It is more like a cross between an egg casserole and an omelet but so much better!
As we were checking in, the man who was helping us didn’t talk much and used very limited English with us. After he finished giving us the keys, I asked him what time breakfast started, in Spanish of course. His face lit up and he asked why he had been talking in English all this time when I spoke Spanish?! He proceeded to answer my question and then pulled out a map and began to mark all the good stuff to see and good places to eat. It just goes to show that when you make an effort in another culture to learn the language, they will be that much happier and willing to help you.
Anyhow, after we got settled into our room, which was quite small and cozy (we had a balcony so that made up for it), we walked along the river for a bit. We saw the Plaza de Toros and the Torre del Oro. We also walked past the cathedral and the castle. Our destination was Plaza de España and as we walked in that direction, we walked through a park that was having a Festival de las naciones. It kind of reminded me of Pig Out in the Park in Spokane, WA. There were tons of different stalls with different kinds of food from all over the place. There was also a list of events going on that had something from different cultures or countries each night. It was pretty fun! We found the American stall and of course they were serving hot dogs and hamburgers.
We finally made it to Plaza de España. It is by far the most beautiful plaza we have ever seen! First of all, it is huge! There is a building that is built in a half circle around the plaza with two big towers on either end. The river runs through the plaza and there are bridges that
We thought the bus had left us!
It took us awhile to figure out that this was the bathroom!
Our hotel room. It was so tiny!
Hanging out on the balcony.
Our room is the one on the right.
We watched these guys for a good 15 minutes before the owners finally came!
Plaza de toros.
The festival in the park.
There was a really pretty walkway along the river.
It was so bright out! We forgot our sunglasses in the hotel so Ben used the map to shade his face.
Torre del oro.
There are orange trees everywhere!
I thought the roots on this tree looked really cool.
Many apartment buildings' apartments are built around a centro patio. This comes from Muslim influence. Some places take great pride in their patios and they leave the main door open into the patio so that people can look in.
We saw the new Audi R8!
This dog is wearing sneakers on all of his paws!
Plaza de Espana:
We found Madrid's scene. It is a battle scene. I believe the significance comes from May 2, 1808. French troops occupied a large part of Spain in 1808. On May 2, 1808 the people of Madrid rebelled against the occupation but the French brutally repressed them. This event began the Spanish War of Independence which they gained in April 1814.
Kristin! Ok if the bus would have left without you, that would have made for a great travel story :) glad it didn't though ;)
ReplyDeleteLove the dog with the shoes!
I had the pleasure of going to Plaza de Espana as well, did you see the area that said Granada? I remember sitting there with my roommate and getting a picture of us with Granada :)
Did you know they filmed part of a Star Wars movie in that plaza? Such a neat place!