I wasn't planning to post until it got closer to cycling time, but since I am trying to stay awake until at least 8pm to help avoid jet lag, I thought that a quick update would be in order. It was a long, but fortunately uneventful, travel day. I had to leave home at 3:30 am on Wednesday to catch a 6:05 plane to Miami, where I had a four hour layover, then an overnight flight to Madrid, arriving about 9:30 am on Thursday and another two hour layover before flying the final leg to Sevilla. After a high speed taxi ride to the hotel (for which I was probably overcharged about 10 Euros), I was able to check in to the Plaza de Armas hotel which is very pleasant.
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Tile work above entrance to Real Alcazar |
I called home using Skype -- I think the current rate is 2 cents a minute. You can't beat it when doing foreign travel.
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| Innterior of Real Alcazar |
After getting settled in, I started walking toward the historical central district with the Cathedral and the Real Alcazar, The latter is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was originally a Moorish fort. It is immense, with many beautiful gardens and fountains, with the Moorish influence still very evident. There is also a tremendous amount of ceramic tile in use in the construction and on display in the museum rooms.
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| Church on a narrow alley |
Following this visit, I wandered around and stopped for tapas around 5pm. This is the busiest time for all the tapa bars, where people do some heavy snacking to tide them over until dinner that probably won't start until 10pm or later), some calimari, and a few small slices of a dried pork sausage. All were excellent.
Now I am back in the hotel, finish up email and the blog, and ready to call it a night.
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