- Spain is for Spring or Fall, not summer. Too hot unless well-north of Madrid.
- People in Spain dress well and look fit. Seems to be a matter of pride. Best to look a bit elegant and well-dressed.
- Spanish people, we feel, are the most friendly, warm, and freely helpful people we have seen in Europe.
- Spanish people go out at night, eat in restaurants, drink wine and beer, stay out late, socialize.
- Spanish food is not great. It's not about eating.
- Spain is a young country. You see far more youth than grey hairs. Old Seville is a romantic town, maybe Disney Spain. and it's not mostly about old stuff and museums - it's more about life.
- Spain is supposed to be one of the sad PIIGS of Europe these days. If it is poor, you would never know it from the city life.
- Andalusia embodies a lot of the stereotypes about Spain - bullfights, Moorish architecture, flamenco, etc. Andalusia, and the Iberian peninsula in general, used to be one of the poorest parts of Europe, really since the flow of New World gold and silver ended in the 1600s. Doesn't seem poor now - at least in the cities.
- Seville is a charming, human-scale tourist trap. Tourism the main business there, plus higher ed. As in most European cities, local people prefer to go into the Old City to hang out.
- Seville is far up the Guadalquivir River, but it was the starting port for the New World expeditions, including Columbus'. As the river silted up, Cadiz became the port for the New World.
Rainy night alley in the old city.
Lots more below the fold, with plenty of small streets and alleys in the medieval maze. We saw lots of other places in Seville, but these posts are a lot of trouble to put together so give my pics a look.
Our hotel window view. Boutique 4-star a block from the cathedral. Nice.
Nice little boutique hotel a block from the Cathedral. Nice room
The place has a roof-top pool, with cathedral view
Seville Cathedral. A mosque was there, transformed into a church, but an earthquake damaged it so they build what is now the largest cathedral in the world. The old minaret, now the Giralda, still stands. We attended High Mass there. Mrs. BD climbed the tower, but I did not. I hate heights.
Cozy cafes and sidewalk tables everywhere.
Small streets. What's an alley and what's a street? Most of them eventually end up in a small square. All squares have friendly cafes with tables outside.
A few Alcazar pics. Marie Antoinette was born there. It is still a Spanish royal residence. Basically Mudejar design.
A few pics of Casa de Pilatos, also Mudejar. Check those stalactite ceilings (muqarnas):
Seville's 1700s bullring
Typical parish church - tons of 'em
Carmen worked in this cigar factory where she was a cigareta. It is now a part of the University of Seville. BTW, Bizet never visited Spain.
