Happy Independence Day from Seville, Spain (a/k/a Sevilla, Espana).
Like every building in Seville, the Bank of Spain is beautifully adorned.
Checking out this incredible city (probably my favorite city in Europe so far) required first getting here. And it took me a full 24 hours.
The architecture is beautiful
After an overnight flight from Washington to Paris, I had a tight connection to make a flight to Lisbon where, after an even tighter connection, I’d catch a final flight to Seville. Thankfully, I made each flight (with only moments to spare).
However, all of that running made me hungry. Fortunately, I got breakfast on one of the Air France flights. The food was passable and included a nice looking piece of cheese. I unwrapped it and noticed how soft it was.
“Oh!” I thought.
“I really like soft cheese!” I said aloud, garnering a well-deserved judgmental glare from my seatmate.
Jetlag had set in.
I took a bite. It was butter.
Look, I speak a little bit of Spanish. I can’t even say hello in French. How was I supposed to know what Beurrer was? The answer…butter in French.
That’s a stick of butter. After I (nearly) took a bite out of it.
Fortunately, upon arrival in Seville, I was greeted by my Australian buddy Trevor (who also, for the record, speaks no French). Faithful readers will remember him from previous trips like this one, this one, or this one.
Like me, he was ready for a full meal. Unfortunately, this is something that’s difficult to come by in Seville during the afternoon. You see, most everyone disappears during the heat of the afternoon. It’s a siesta and, insofar as I can see, is the only thing the Spanish do with any sense of urgency.
I have yet to get a clear answer to the seemingly simple question of…
“What exactly does everyone do during this time?”
The streets in Seville are really beautiful. Can you imagine putting that together? Based on the average time table, it probably took them decades.
Fortunately, we discovered a place that was open and enjoyed the local favorite: Ham Sandwiches.
It was an early night for both of us.
The heat in Seville is intense. Finding shade is a must. Maybe this is why people hide during the heat of the day?
More to come!