Last Tapas at La Escollera & Going Home

Sunday was our last full day in Estepona. After breakfast and doing a bit of packing, we went for our usual walk along the Paseo Maritimo, which takes 55 minutes one way to the little park where we enjoy the sun while we look out over the ocean. The weather has been about 21C and sunny lately.
On the way back, we’ve been stopping for drinks and tapas almost every day at La Escollera near the port. It’s always crowded but today, being Sunday, it was nuts. However, we soon found a couple of stools and ordered drinks, octopus salad and eventually some calamari. The food is great and it’s always an experience in there. The noise level is deafening but we’ve gotten used to it. It’s so crowded the party spills out onto the street. Everyone just keeps going up to the bar ordering tapas and drinks and not paying until they leave. Somehow the servers seem to keep track.
On Monday, December 3rd we turned over our keys to the partner of the property manager who then drove us to the bus station at the east end of Estepona. We had 1 1/2 hours until the bus left at 12:45 pm so we walked a short distance to the little park with the statues by the sea for a last chance to bask in the sun. By 2 pm we were at the airport in Malaga where we caught a city bus to the Holiday Inn Express, 5 minutes away. We nestled in for the night and had snacks in our room for dinner, since the hotel was located in a wasteland of car rentals and small warehouses.
On Tuesday morning we were up before 6 am to get the included breakfast at 7 am. After checking out shortly after 8, we walked a few minutes to the bus stop and caught a city bus (3 euros each) back to the airport. Check-in, security and customs went smoothly and our flight took off at 11:40 am. After 8 hours and several movies that one would only watch on a plane, we arrived in Montreal at 1:50 pm. Again, customs and baggage retrieval went smoothly. We found the Greyhound ticket booth and bought tickets ($30 each) on the 3:25 pm bus to Ottawa, which finally left at 3:45 pm.
We arrived in Ottawa a little after 6 pm. Our youngest son, Dylan, met us at the station and drove us to our oldest son Zack’s in Gatineau for the night. We were up with our grandchildren shortly after 5 am and on the road home in our car before 8. By 11 am, we were home for the first time in a month, tired but satisfied with another great trip.
Our final thoughts about Andalusia:
We really enjoyed seeing the Moorish architecture and the later buildings after the Christian Reconquest that were built by spending gold from the conquest of the Americas. Gibraltar was worth seeing but only barely. The Costa del Sol was very pleasant but not the sort of place we would ever go for a beach holiday when the Caribbean is so available to us.
What we saw of Spain was very clean and pleasant. The cities are very pedestrian friendly. The buses are clean, efficient and cheap. The food and wine are excellent. From the moment we left home until the moment we got back, the whole trip cost us $5,500 Canadian.
Maybe someday we’ll go back, probably to the Madrid area.

Our Daily Estepona Walk

Yesterday, Thursday November 29th, we went on our usual walk after a late breakfast and tidying up. Our apartment is on the 3rd floor (2nd floor to Europeans) overlooking the pool. Since we’re about 10 minutes straight up the hill from the port of Estepona, we can walk the whole length of the seaside promenade to the east end of town, which takes us about an hour one way.
There’s a park at the far end with about a dozen beautiful sculptures. We usually rest on a bench there for awhile and enjoy the sunshine and the view over the sea before heading back.
As we walk back there are lots of benches if we feel like stopping for a drink of water. Near the end of our walk just east of the port is La Escollera restaurant and bar. Yesterday, we decided to snack on some tapas and have a drink in the bar area before we picked up a few groceries and came up the hill for late afternoon on our balcony. We ordered wine, beer and a full “racion” of deep-fried small squid for 11 euros or a total of 14 euros with the drinks. We didn’t realize how much food that would be. We managed to finish it but just barely. However, while we’re here, why not?

Gibraltar

The weather this week has been beautiful - about 19 to 20C and sunny every day since Monday. Sunday, on the other hand, was so rainy and windy that we didn’t even leave our apartment. We’re glad that week of mostly rain is over.
On Monday we walked along the seaside promenade all the way through Estepona from west to east. It’s a really nice walk in the warm sun. There are a few people on the beach and even one or two swimmers but by far the majority are staying on the promenade. Some are in shorts but most are in T-shirts and long pants with a sweater or jacket handy. It’s always a little cool in the shade.
On Tuesday, we had planned to take a bus to Gibraltar but, just before we left, we made the final decision that Anita wasn’t feeling well enough to enjoy the trip. After she rested for awhile, we did the same walk along the seaside again, just to be out in the sun. Our apartment is good but the balcony only gets sun for a couple of hours in the late afternoon. We’ve been enjoying happy hour out there every day.
On our way past the marina, we stopped at La Escollera seafood restaurant. It’s always busy but within 5 minutes we got a table and ordered a plate of calamari, a plate of fried sole, white wine and a beer. It may be the best calamari we’ve ever had. The prices aren’t that much different from Canada, except here there’s a .70 euro service charge per person but no tipping. With a 27 euro bill, service worked out to about 5%. Reasonable.
Yesterday, Wednesday November 28th, we got up early again and were out the door by 8:10 am. We walked down to the bus stop by the Plaza de Toros where we waited until the M240 bus arrived about 8:40. For 4.58 euros each, we bussed all the way to La Linea, just across the border from Gibraltar. The bus stopped numerous times so it took us 1 1/4 hours until 9:55 to get there.
La Linea bus station is a 5 minute walk from the border. As we walked through, the British customs officer didn’t seem to pay any attention to people flashing an EU passport but he did check ours. After that we were in Gibraltar, owned by Britain but hotly contested by Spain. In 1969, Spain closed the land border and it stayed that way for years. The only access was by sea or air. Spain still wants Gibraltar and have made noise about it this week during the Brexit negotiations with the EU.
Right next to the border is the Gibraltar airstrip that we had to walk across. The road is closed several times each day for planes to land. It’s an unusual situation. Later, when we were at the top of the Rock, we saw a plane landing where we had been walking earlier.
Once we ran the gauntlet of the taxi tour vendors and guides, who seem to be anxious for business now that it’s off season, we walked a little further into town to find a bus stop where we could get a bus to Europa Point at the far south end of Gibraltar. There isn’t much information to help solo tourists. The buses are numbered but it’s hard to tell which bus goes which way or where it stops. Finally, after asking several bus drivers, we found the right bus stop and the right bus that took us to Europa Point, which has a lighthouse, a big gun battery and a nice viewing plaza. There’s also a memorial dedicated to Polish armed services members who had escaped Poland and then fought with the rest of the Allies in WWII. (Anita is looking at the sign in the first picture.)
We got back on another bus and went to the cable car station. We had planned to take the cable car up to the top of the Rock and walk back, seeing the Siege Tunnels and some of the other military infrastructure on the way down. The runway and about 1/2 the town are built on rock excavated from the 30 miles of military tunnels that are inside the mountain.
However, it was my turn to be at less than full health. I’d had a headache and dizziness all morning so we decided that we should just take the cable car both up and back down. I was a little disappointed but we still got to see the best part anyway, which is the Rock itself. Up at the lookout terrace, we got a few pictures and enjoyed the view. There were monkeys all over the place. They can be aggressive, looking for food, and one woman suffered a slight bite while we were there. However, it’s no wonder. Tourists go right up to them and pat them and cuddle them for pictures, like they’re house pets not wild animals. There are very high fines for feeding them but that still doesn’t deter some people from getting too close.
The lookout terrace was not crowded at all and, in fact, we had a cable car all to ourselves on the way back down. At the bottom, we had no desire to see the town. The streets are busy and everything is very confined. From the lookout terrace, we could see that there were condos built on reclaimed land around a marina. We have no idea why anyone would choose to live in Gibraltar if not for work. However, it seems that some Brits do retire here. Strange.
About 1:30 pm we got a bus back to the border. As we passed through customs, no-one even looked at us. We had about an hour before the next M 240 bus back to Estepona so we split a Whopper and fries at a nearby Burger King.
Back at the bus station, there was no ticket window open for the Avanza bus line so we assumed we bought the ticket from the driver. We were first in line and about 2 minutes before the bus was to leave, the driver told us this was not the case. I ran back inside and bought tickets for the Avanza bus from the Comes bus company window. Who knew?
Anyway, they held the bus for us and for 3 other people who had made the same mistake. Then we drove a few blocks to the first bus stop and the driver sold a ticket to the person who got on. Strange system.
Almost all the way back to Estepona we saw nice coastline that is unbelievably overbuilt with condos. The Costa del Sol is very pleasant, scenery and weather wise, but it’s a bit of a shock to see how many Northern Europeans want to holiday or live along the same 100 km of coast.
Gibraltar was one of our must-see sights for this trip and it was interesting because of all the military history that we’ve all heard about. However, a few hours there is all it takes. Now we we have a few more days in the sun.

A Walk Along the Sea to the Old Town

This morning, we did a little more research online about the buses and how to get around. After breakfast and tidying up, we walked down the hill to the bullring, where we found the bus stops we needed.
One day next week, we’ll take the M240 bus from Estepona to La Linea where we can walk across the border to Gibraltar. The bus stops right at the bullring down the hill so it’s very convenient. In a little over an hour, after numerous stops, we should be in La Linea.
We discovered that if we had stayed on the L79 bus a bit longer when we were coming here, we could have got off at the bullring and saved about 30 minutes walking in the rain. At the time we didn’t know exactly where we were going and we wanted to go to a restaurant anyway. C’est la vie.
When we leave here, we can catch the L79 in the other direction at the bullring and get to the Estepona bus station on the east side of town. From there we should be able to get a bus directly to Malaga Airport and then a taxi a few minutes to our airport hotel. Travel in Spain isn’t that difficult.
Our next task was to find La Escollera seafood restaurant that is recommended in Lonely Planet. We found it just on the east side of the marina and checked the menu. It seems to be a good choice so we’ll go there sometime next week.
It was a beautiful warm day so we walked along the Paseo Maritimo, the walkway along the beach, as far as the old town centre of Estepona. We found the tourist information office and got a map with all the local sights on it. There aren’t that many that we’re interested in. The old town is quite nice with lots of little pedestrian streets and restaurants. However, we’ve just spent 2 1/2 weeks in other old towns so we don’t really need to see every street here. We did go into the little museum, mainly because it was free and had a washroom. There were quite a few artefacts from Roman times but really nothing we hadn’t seen before. We had also stopped along one street where there’s the excavated foundation of a Roman mausoleum. However, the old town is really just kind of a nice place to be sometimes. There are bakeries everywhere so at one we bought a meat empanada and some chocolate pastries to share.
After walking back along the seaside, we stopped for a few groceries and then came home. Another storm is blowing in from the west this afternoon. Hopefully it won’t last too long into the day tomorrow.

Ronda to Estepona

On Thursday, November 22nd, we checked out of the Hotel Ronda about 11:15 am and walked for about 20 minutes across the New Bridge and through the new town to the bus station. Luckily, the rain had stopped for awhile. It’s great to travel light with good small packs so we know we can walk fairly effortlessly for long distances if we ever need to do so.
In the Ronda bus station is the first place in Spain that we have had to pay to use the washroom. Half a euro seemed a bit expensive but they know you have no alternative.
Our bus left at 12:15. We thought it should take about 45 minutes because it’s only about 60 km from Ronda to San Pedro on the Mediterranean coast. However, the route is so mountainous and the road so winding that it took about an hour and a half. We climbed high up into the mountains for about 3/4 of the trip and then at the very end dropped down to the coast. It was very misty and rainy. There were steep drop-offs at the side of the road so it’s a good thing Anita didn’t have the window seat.
When we got off at San Pedro, we walked over to a little bus kiosk to inquire about how to get to Estepona. The lady sold us 2 tickets  for 1.73 euros each on the L79 bus which would leave in about 15 minutes. It was a city type bus rather than a highway bus so it stopped frequently. We didn’t know where to get off so we just asked other passengers to tell us when we got to “Estepona centro”.
It was pouring rain when we got off the bus. We saw a Mr. Noodles restaurant nearby so we went in to eat and wait for the rain to die down a bit. We had a 4 pm appointment to meet the property manager at our apartment so we had more than 1 1/2 hours to eat, figure out which way to go and then walk there. We were hungry so 8.10 euros each for a plate of chicken fried noodles seemed like a good option.
It was still raining when we left the restaurant. We knew we had to walk along the main street by the sea until we got to the bullring and the marina. I have a map of Spain on Maps.me on my phone, which works great, so we followed that. After about a 1/2 hour walk under our umbrellas, we found the apartment complex. There was a bit of a mix-up meeting the property manager, since we were outside the wrong building. Eventually, we got a renovation contractor working there to dial her for us on his phone and then I talked. The contractor didn’t speak English but was very helpful and soon understood what we wanted.
The property manager arrived a few minutes later and showed us in. We have a 2 bedroom, 1 and 1/2 bath apartment overlooking the pool and about a 10 minute walk uphill from the marina in the suburbs on the west edge of Estepona for the next 11 nights. It’s costing us about $86 Cdn per night. There’s a grocery store just down the hill and lots of restaurants in the marina area. There are condos everywhere.
We were glad to get in and be warm and dry. We had already eaten and had some fruit, nuts, coffee and tea for breakfast so we didn’t have to go out again.
Yesterday morning, Friday, November 23rd, was still cloudy and cool but at least it wasn’t raining. After breakfast we walked down to the supermarket with our empty day packs and a couple of re-useable grocery bags we found in our apartment. We bought as much as we thought we needed for a few days and brought it home.
After lunch, we walked back down to the marina to check out some of the restaurants. Most of them are a little higher priced than we want to pay. The Costa del Sol is like Florida for British expats and vacationers. One restaurant advertises a full Sunday roast beef dinner for 12.5 euros so we may try that.
Back at our apartment, the weather got warm enough for us to enjoy happy hour on our big balcony. Finally, at 4:45 pm the sky cleared completely and we were able to bask in the hot sun. We hadn’t seen this much sun since the previous Saturday, 6 long days ago.
This morning is clear and bright. We may get a little more rain tonight and tomorrow morning but generally the forecast is for sun with a few clouds and highs of 18 or 19C for the next week. We’ll take it.

A Rainy Day in Ronda

On Wednesday, November 21st, when we got up Anita opened our door to go to the lobby for the advertised coffee, cookies and fruit. She didn’t have to go far. Right outside our room was a little cart with coffee and hot milk in 2 thermoses, hunks of melon, apples, oranges and cookies. The Hotel Ronda has only 5 rooms and is run by 2 sisters. They think of everything. Plus, we’re less than 100 m from the New Bridge, the main site in town. We can have a filling breakfast without leaving our room and without any extra charge. We’re due for more fruit and vegetables after all the delicious but not exactly nutritious tapas we’ve been eating lately.
Once again, the rain stopped for awhile so we walked down to the “Old” or “Arab” bridge and crossed over to the terraces along the gorge that led back up to the New Bridge. We were able to get a few more pictures once the mist lifted a bit. It was still only 10 or 12C but at least there was no wind.
We came back across the New Bridge and went exploring through the old town. Ronda is a typical Andalusian “white town”. All the buildings are white with tiled roofs. The streets are narrow and often very steep. We stopped at a church we came upon near the south side of town and looked over the cliff wall at the farmland beyond. It’s very beautiful here, even in bad weather.
The rain picked up again as we walked back toward the gorge. We came across the “Museo Lara” which we had seen the day before. Since we wanted to be dry anyway, we paid 4 euros each and went in for an hour or so. The museum had an eclectic collection of artefacts from many eras and ended up being quite interesting. There were quite a few artefacts from the Spanish Inquisition.
Afterward, we crossed the bridge back to the new town to find a restaurant. Our umbrellas are proving to be very handy. Next trip I’ll be getting a new one. The shaft on my $10 Walmart umbrella came apart the day before, so I’ve now got it pinned together with a toothpick. It works but it’s not exactly stable.
Just by chance, we came upon the bar/restaurant Las Martirio which had a sign advertising the menu del dia for 8 euros. Anita went in and spoke to the waitress/owner and decided that’s where we should eat. Good decision. We had a typical Andalusian lunch with the usual 1st and 2nd courses, bread, beer or wine and flan with real whipped cream for dessert. Excellent meal. After we ate, we talked to the owner for awhile. Her attitude was that she believed that she would have a more successful business if she treats the tourists the same way she treats the locals and doesn’t try to overcharge. As soon as we got back to our room we wrote a glowing recommendation on TripAdvisor. We wish her well.
The opposite attitude is also present in Ronda. In Sevilla, I could buy a 500 ml Spanish beer for 1.10 euros. At a little shop near the bridge, it cost me 2 euros. Rip-off.
Because of the gorge and the cliffs, Ronda was a defensible position so it has a very long history, occupied by the Romans, the Moors and the Christians. Despite the bad weather, it’s been a fascinating place to visit.

Sevilla to Ronda

On Tuesday, November 20th, we checked out of our hotel about 8:30 am. We were lucky that the rain stopped for an hour or so while we walked 15 minutes to the Prado de San Sebastián bus station. We were wearing our shells (and fleeces underneath for the cold) and we had our umbrellas handy. We were in plenty of time for our 9:30 bus. The only place to sit was outside under the roof where the buses pull in so it was good to be warmly dressed.
For the first half of the trip to Ronda, south of Sevilla, we saw mostly olive and orange orchards. Then the landscape gradually changed from fairly flat farmland to rolling hills. Finally we were travelling in valleys between steep hills. We must have dropped quite a bit in elevation.
By 11:15 we were in Ronda. The first thing we did was find the right bus company for tickets to the coast on Thursday. We had to wait 20 minutes for the office to open but at least we knew that we wouldn’t have to come back to the bus station for reservations or perhaps get there on Thursday and find that the bus was sold out. Our next stop is Estepona but we could only get tickets to San Pedro. From there, we’ll have to find another bus to Estepona. Luckily, the distances aren’t great.
As we left the bus station, it was about 10C with howling wind and driving rain - the worst weather we’ve hit so far. We got a taxi for 6 euros to the Hotel Ronda, just across the “New Bridge”, where we’d be staying for 2 nights.
Once we’d settled into our room and cranked up the heat, there was a brief stop in the rain so we went out to see the gorge and the New Bridge. The wind was still howling and it was cold but at least we weren’t getting wet. We managed to take a few pictures.
We walked into the “new town” on the north side of the gorge, to find Faustino’s bar/restaurant that was recommended in the guide books. We found it but it was closed. As we wandered around, we saw a restaurant advertising the menu del dia for 11 euros. That sounded good so we went in. The meal was good and as is usually the case, there was a first course, a second course, dessert, wine or beer and bread included.
Once we were filled up, we walked around a bit more but eventually went back to our room where it was warm and dry. We could hear the rain pounding down again through the night.

Last Day in Sevilla

Monday, November 19th, was our last full day in Sevilla. We didn’t really have any plans. It was a cool, cloudy day with a high of about 17C. There was a 10 minute shower in the afternoon but otherwise the day was dry.
After our usual breakfast in our room, we decided to follow the self-guided tour of the Barrio Santa Cruz as described in the Rick Steves guide. We had been along some of the streets before but some were new to us. “Streets” is a generous term. Some were so narrow that it was easy to touch the walls on both sides with outstretched arms.
On our tour, we saw lots of little plazas where people could sit outside. Many had orange trees for shade because orange trees never lose all their leaves at once. Sevilla is all about shade since it is the hottest city in Europe in the summer. That’s the reason for all the courtyards, narrow streets and plazas with orange trees.
Following the guide, we noticed many little sights that are easily missed. In one plaza there’s a statue of Don Juan, the famous lover (or sex addict, depending on your point of view). In another, the famous painter Murillo is buried. His house was on a local side street.
After our tour, we walked up Constitution Avenue to the end of the pedestrian section and back down to a little park near the old Tobacco Factory. At one point, we came upon a man who was followed by a pack of photographers as he stopped along the way to shake hands with well wishers. We surmised that he must be some famous politician.
At different times, we sat in various plazas and parks, just enjoying the ambiance. As we passed the Cathedral, we noticed a side door open so we walked in. It turned out to be a big church that is not open to the crowds touring the Cathedral. It’s only open for Mass several times a day. we just happened to get there about 1/2 hour before Mass was about to start so we had a good opportunity to see it. This church, for the local parish, is probably bigger than most churches in Canada and it’s just one small part of the Cathedral.
After a drink in our room while we packed, we wandered back down to Bodega Santa Cruz for a meal of tapas, for the 6th day in a row. We’re getting better at picking what we want off the chalkboard menu. Other tourists are asking our advice. It must be time to leave town. While we were there we talked with a couple from Florida and another couple from Vietnam who are currently living in London while working for Amazon. It’s only a 2 hour flight for Brits to come to Spain so for some it’s a weekend getaway.
Through the night we could hear the rain again.

La Casa de la Guitarra Flamenco Show

On Sunday, November 18th, we awoke to the sound of heavy rain on the glass roof of the courtyard outside our room. According to the weather report, the rain was likely to last all day. Having seen that report a few days previously, we had done most of our touring already so we were happy to spend a  lot of the day in our room. Every day here we’ve been getting coffee from the lobby and eating a breakfast of nuts, oranges, buns and pastries in bed. It’s much cheaper and much better than going out for breakfast every day.
We caught up on some organizing and just generally relaxed all day. During one lull in the downpour in mid-afternoon I picked my way over the wet, slippery cobblestones down to the little store just around the corner for a couple of beers. Around 4:30 pm, the rain had again stopped for awhile so we went down to the Bodega Santa Cruz for tapas. For 10.50 euros (about $16 Cdn) we got a beer and ate small plates of calamari frito  (fried breaded calamari), tuna de tomates (big chunks of tuna in tomato sauce), potaje de garbanzo (chickpea soup with bread) and espinaca con cinquo quesos (spinach with 5 cheeses).
We had wanted more of the deep-fried aubergine with honey but by early evening you get whatever they have left. There is a chalkboard with about 30 or 40 tapas and the same number of small sandwiches listed on it. As they run out, they just wipe the item off the board.
While we ate, we discovered that on one side of us (and it’s very close) there was a couple from Austria and on the other side a couple from Wales. We enjoyed chatting with them and trading travel stories and tips. The Welsh man had gone to Turkey the week before for a hair transplant. “Mid-life crisis”, he said. It looked sore. Just like Canadians hate being mistaken for Americans, Austrians don’t like to be lumped in with the Germans and the Welsh are very definitely not English. However, it seems like everyone in Britain is wondering what will happen with Brexit. And, once again, everyone we meet from anywhere in the world has a dim view of the current American government.
After going to the bakery for breakfast items for the next day, it was almost time for the flamenco show we had booked. We had read on Trip Advisor that La Casa de la Guitarra, just around the corner from our hotel, had the 2nd best rated flamenco show in Sevilla. We had reserved tickets the day before. When we got there shortly after 7 pm for the 7:30 show, the price was 18 euros for Anita and 15 for me because I am a pensioniste (over 65). We always carry laminated copies of our passports for proof of identity and age. It has been handy here because there is often a reduced rate for pensionistes. At the Alcazar, I paid only 3 euros instead of 11.50.
The small auditorium of  la Casa de la Guitarra holds about 50 people on tightly packed folding chairs. In order of reservation, there were small bits of paper with names on them on each chair. Because we had reserved the day before, we were in the 2nd row so we had great seats.
At 7:30, the guitarist played a couple of tunes. He was masterful. We’ve never seen anyone play so well. After that, a woman joined him to clap along. The rythms are very complex. Then she sang a couple of songs. Unfortunately, a flamenco song is usually a very passionate, plaintive lament. It wasn’t as bad as the shrieking we endured at the Peking Opera in Beijing but we were glad the show would only last an hour. Soon, a dancer came out. She was great. Flamenco dancers are not shrinking violets. She swirled around, snapping her fingers and dancing in a machine-gun tapping style that was incredible.
When the hour was up, the whole audience erupted in applause. It was a great show.

Plaza de Toros de Sevilla

On Saturday, November 17th, we walked about 10 minutes to “the Cathedral of Bullfighting”, the 12,000 seat bullfighting arena of Sevilla. When we arrived, we had to wait about 15 minutes for the next 45 minute group tour, which is the only way to get in at this time of year. Bullfighting season is from Easter Sunday until sometime in October. Construction on this bullring started in 1758 and took something like 120 years to complete. Since it is privately owned, there were periods when the owners ran out of funds and had to stop for awhile.
Along with the bullring in Ronda, here in this bullring was the start of bullfighting as a sport. Originally, bullfighting was done on horseback as military training in horsemanship. The logic was that the Mediterranean bull was the strongest, fiercest opponent that a mounted soldier could face so training against one would really hone skills. Eventually, bullfighting on foot evolved into the sport that many people in Spain still love, despite the obvious issues with political correctness.
First we were taken to a small art gallery filled with paintings of bullfighting scenes and matadors, who are revered celebrities here. The next room was a museum of artefacts from the many years of bullfighting here, including capes, matadors’ suits, lances, sculptures, photos, old posters and lots of famous bulls’ heads mounted on the walls.
From there we walked in the arched corridors under the stands to the door where the horses and bullfighters entered. There is a small chapel where the bullfighters pray before the fight, although a matador has not been killed in a bullfight in Spain since 1947. The bulls haven’t been so lucky.
Finally we entered the bullring. It was quite a feeling to be in the centre of the ring, looking up at the stands where 12,000 fans, and perhaps the king in the royal box, still cheer on the matadors. For a matador, fighting here is the pinnacle of the sport.
For the rest of the day we wandered up Constitution Avenue, the main pedestrian thoroughfare, and down to the Alfonso XIII hotel, a very elaborate building from 1929. Near it is the Fabrica de Tabacos (tobacco factory) that was once the building with the second largest footprint in Spain and was part of the setting for the opera Carmen. It is now part of the university. There are beautiful buildings throughout the old part of Sevilla thanks to the riches brought back from the New World. Sevilla may very well live up to its reputation as the most beautiful city in the world.
Late in the afternoon we ate tapas at the Bodega Santa Cruz and bought breakfast items at our favourite bakery. An evening stroll is a local pastime in Sevilla.
We had been told that a local bar, La Carboneria, about 10 minutes walk from our hotel, was a good place to see local flamenco music. We arrived there about 7:15 for a drink but the music wouldn’t start until after 9 pm. Unfortunately, we couldn’t last that long.

Alcazar

On Friday November 16th, after breakfast in our room we walked 15 minutes to the Prado de San Sebastián bus station. After a couple of tries we got the right bus company for tickets to Ronda. Although we’ll have to check our credit card statement to make sure we weren’t double charged, we managed to buy 2 tickets on the 9:30 am bus next Tuesday for 12.60 euros each. We always check our credit card statements online every week or so anyway just as a precaution.
Later we went to the Alcazar, the huge Moorish fort and palaces. There was a lineup so we sat in the sun for awhile to see if it would diminish. It didn’t so eventually we lined up. Still it only took us 35 minutes in line to get in.
The first few sights beyond the entrance were unimpressive. After the Moors were defeated by the Christian forces, the Alcazar became the Sevilla home of Spanish royalty, as it still is today. More palaces and additions were built.
Since Sevilla used to be the port from which New World expeditions were launched, Isabel and Ferdinand used the Alcazar as the main office from which their New World enterprises were managed. It was in these “Admiral’s Apartments” that Queen Isabel debriefed Columbus after his New World discoveries. A famous painting from the 1530’s, the “Virgin of the Navigators” hangs on the wall here. It shows the Virgin Mary with her cape sheltering not only Spanish navigators but the indigenous people of the New World. Nice sentiment but the reality was much different.
As we wandered through the maze of rooms, we just weren’t getting much out of it until we got to King Pedro the Cruel’s palace, the Gothic wing and the Gardens. Then we realized why the Alcazar is such a must see site. There are huge rooms, extensive ceramic tile mosaics and beautiful tapestries. The gardens are also big and elaborate.
In the end, we spent about 2 1/2 hours in the Alcazar and thoroughly enjoyed it. Well worth seeing. The last few days it has been cool in the mornings but it’s sunny and T-shirt weather in the afternoons. We’ll take it.
Finally, after a drink in our room, we went down the alley and across the street to the Bodega Santa Cruz again. The tapas there is hard to beat.