Seville, Spain

A twenty minute ride through a completely open border (just drive through) is all it takes to get from one culture to another. I took the train from Badajoz into Seville and eventually checked into a little single in a hostal. I then decided to repay some sleep debt and save the sights for another day.

Central Seville is all winding alleyways and passages that have hidden plazas with cafes and outdoor tables every few hundred meters. Food here is good with Iberian ham, gazpacho, paella and a host of other tasty tapas. I am trying to adapt to Spanish culture but am taking my time as I eat now at noon and 6 vs. 3 and 9 like they do here. One step a time.

My problem here is the everyone speaks Spanish. That isn´t really my problem. The problem is that I don´t. My Spanish is limited to what I remember from those year invested watching Sesame Street and ordering from Mexican restaurants. I seem to be doing OK with the basics on the road, but little things like getting a SIM card for my phone leave me nodding and being very confused. Want to reach out and touch someone? Hit my hip at (34) 67.134.1089. I can´t even say thank you right. I say gracias instead of Gratia's. Sesame Street gets the blame for that one.

I slept and chilled the first day here and then slept in the next. That was unfortunate since when I finally got out to see the sights, they were all closed for All Saints Day, a Spanish national holiday. And it wasn´t only the sights, the laundromats were closed too so I took a stroll with a sack full of dirty dirty clothes. More underwear was purchased.

In the rain the last day, I checked out the Alcazar which was an amazing residence built through the centuries and religions. I would definitely winter there. There was a brilliant garden that had a shrubbery maze and an platoon of gardeners maintaining it. Would have strolled it further except I grabbed a snack of spinach and garbanzos, headed to the bus station and set off to do the one thing I didn´t get to do in Portugal... sit a little while and listen to the Atlantic.