Days 12 and 13 – Granada and Seville

All,

My apologies for not writing sooner but we are experiencing an internet deficit but I will explain later.

We booked a walking tour of Granada which occurred yesterday.  Our guide was Carmen and her English skills were very good, however, the lisp dominated once again.  We started our walk at the largest Cathedral in Granada.  There were 3 main architects who contributed to the design and building of the church.  The first was a Gothic specialist but Queen Ysabela (spelled with a "Y" until the 18^th century) died and the next architect was one who favored the Renaissance style.  Suffice it to say that it took 100 years to build the church.  Do you see a theme here in Spain?

We walked around the Albiacin area of the city, which is where the Muslims lived before they were expelled.  Once the Catholics defeated the Muslims, it was agreed that they would all convert within forty years.  However, a very wicked Archbishop came into town and was pissed off that the Muslims were still carrying on with their traditions and ordered that everyone convert within two years.  We found out that to be "Moorish" meant at one time that you did not want to convert to Catholicism, pay the applicable taxes to the church etc.  Every Friday they had inspectors go the Muslim homes to ensure that they were not practicing Islam.  Eventually, all Muslims were expelled from Granada. 

We visited the remains of a Hammam, a bath house where Muslims used to meet to bathe.  Of course women and men bathed separately.  We learned that Christians were not keen on bathing and even today there is a saying in Spain, "you smell worse than a Christian."  Legend has it that Queen Ysabela did not bathe until the Catholic Emperors had conquered all of Spain; that took 10 years.  I don't even want to believe that because the thought is abhorrent. 

We then went to a convent where we observed cloistered nuns praying.  There is at least one nun praying at all times.  We walked into the chapel and there were two nuns who were shrouded in white.  We could not see any part of them except the white clothing.  When I walked out, I said to Marcia, "there but for the Grace of God go I."  She was hysterical.  I have no idea why.  It is after all a very simple life where you pray, eat and sleep.  All other decisions are made for you.  When I get back to the stress of the job, I will think about those nuns and their very uncomplicated lives.

The shopping area in Granada was identical to the Medina in Marrakech.  There were lots of little shops on these narrow pathways, but thankfully, there were no motorcycles.  After walking around the square, we went back to the hotel to have lunch at the Michelin rated restaurant.  The name of it is La Fabula.  Marcia and I ordered the veal and Shahna ordered lamb chops. 

I have eaten in Michelin rated restaurants before yesterday but I have never seen such a production in the service of food as I observed yesterday.  We had three servers and each time they would take up our cutlery or bring us a different course, it was an orchestrated event to perform the task at the same time.  It was like eating with a ballet dance around us.  We ordered the main course but they brought three appetizers, each more delicious than the next.  The balance of textures and taste was amazing; salt, sweet, crunchy.  When the veal finally arrived, just the task of splitting it between two plates took about five minutes between cutting it, plating it and adding the sauce.  It was divine.

We ordered dessert which turned out to be a three course event.  There was pre-dessert, dessert and post-dessert.  Lunch lasted over two hours but it was absolutely excellent and we thought very reasonably priced for the quality of the food and the exceptional service.

By then it was time to take a taxi to the train station to catch our train to Seville.  Needless to say I took a nap on the train, as I am unaccustomed to eating seven courses at lunch.  The ride from Granada to Seville took a little over three hours and the train ride was very comfortable.

Once we got to Seville, we got a taxi to take us to the hotel. The music in the car was very loud and I thought I was in Arlene's car listening to those bad Spanish ballads.  Thankfully, the ride was very short.  The streets (calling them streets is really a stretch) are very, very narrow.  In the old town, they are really alleys since Muslims built the city like a Medina so the "roads" were not built to take cars.  At some points, I thought the taxi driver was going to drive into some walls.  I kept pressing my imaginary brake and was a wreck by the time we got to the hotel.  The hotel is very centrally located, right around the corner from the main Cathedral in the center of town.  I thought entering the chapel in the cloistered convent may have been the last straw for my penance.  Thankfully, I lived to see another day.

The name of the hotel is Husa Los Seises.  We think it may have been a convent but we are not sure.  The hotel is a bit dated and although they claim to have four stars, I do not know who awarded them same.  At best, it is three stars, but the location is unbeatable.  It needed a face lift but since we were only going to be here for two nights, we settled in for the evening.

I emailed a gentleman who was recommended to us by a colleague of Marcia to take us on a walking tour of Seville.  His name is David Cox and he is from London and has lived in the city for about 8 years.  How refreshing to hear a British accent and no lisp.  It was like heaven to my ears.  His website is www.reallydiscover.com and his email address is davidcox@reallydiscover.com.  If you ever come to Seville, please do not hesitate to utilize his services.  Coincidentally, his apartment was right next door to the hotel.

Our walking tour consisted of the old city and we toured the Humanities Department of the University of Seville, which used to be tobacco factory.  The Broadway musical "Carmen" is based on the legend of a gypsy who worked at the factory, got into a fight with another worker, was jailed and seduces the jailer to get out of jail.  The jail now houses the administrative offices for the university.  We learned about the importance of Seville during the time when Christopher Columbus was "discovering" countries that already had people living there.  Both yesterday and today we corrected our guides to use the verb "conquer" in the future instead of "discover" as you cannot discover a country if people are already living there.  Be that as it may, we had a lovely tour of the old town and walk down by the river which was a very important part of the history of trading in Seville.

The Cathedral is the last church built in the Gothic style in Europe and is very beautiful.  Tomorrow we plan to take a tour of the inside and we may take a cruise down the river.  After our walking tour ended, we walked most of the little town, going into the various shops and we were directed to a religious store as Marcia had to purchase a Baby Jesus for one of her colleagues.

The internet at the hotel is ridiculous.  Thankfully, both Marcia and I have our phones on international service.  Free internet is provided in the lobby and first floor lounge for 30 minutes at a time.  The cost of Internet service is 14 Euros and only applies to one device.  That is absolutely ridiculous as people nowadays travel with 2 and 3 devices and hotels worldwide need to adjust their WIFI services accordingly.

My dear Sheryll, I am nearing the end of my vacation and regrettably, I have not even glimpsed Mr. Right for you.  First, the men in Spain are very short (you would not be able to wear your wonderful high heeled shoes) and have big heads (like Tom Cruise).  Additionally, I cannot with a clear conscience, commit you to a lifetime with a man who speaks with a lisp.  Our friendship is much too important to me and I would surely have to desert you as he would get on my last nerve once the novelty wore off.  Marcia and I have decided that Scandinavia may be a better option for you as the men are very tall and the languages are absent faux lisps.  I remember all those Harlequin Romance novels we used to read which described those hot, Spanish men with taut thighs. Alas, they are no longer in Spain, so we will move our search elsewhere. 

We had lunch at a great tapas restaurant located in one of the squares in Seville, named Albarama. It was the best tapas we had in all of Spain.  We had a mini pork burger with the most delicious mini fries, mushroom risotto, chicken in puff pastry, grilled prawns with rice and a shrimp potato salad.  Everything was absolutely delicious and I would definitely recommend this place if you ever pass through here.

While enjoying our lunch, who would pass by our table situated on the sidewalk?  Mr. Bad Comb over from Granada!!!  I could not believe my eyes and of course like observing a car wreck, I followed his comb over once he was in my sight until he finally recognized me and came over and shook my hand.  He said "you're the people who were on the tour in Granada" and I wanted to say "you were the guy with the bad comb over" but I was gracious and joked that he had followed us from Granada to Seville.  He wished us a great vacation and went on his merry way.  He is such a nice man.  Someone has to sit him down and tell him the truth at some point.

Seville is a charming, quaint town but I have to admit that I am underwhelmed.  Perhaps tomorrow I will have a different opinion.  If this is not on your bucket list, you can skip it.  If it is, do not allow more than one day. 

Our flight back to Barcelona tomorrow is not until about 6 p.m. so we have a whole other day here.  I cannot believe that my two week vacation is almost over but all good things must come to an end.  Hope you all are well and I will write again tomorrow once I am back in Barcelona.  I cannot send pictures today because of the lousy internet service and I am not able to access the pictures on my iPad.

Carinos y besos,

Liz