All,
Yesterday we slept late since our flight back to Barcelona was not until later in the evening. After packing and having a leisurely breakfast, we went to the Cathedral of Seville, which is really a museum and church combined. It was the last Gothic Cathedral built in Spain and also the largest. Prior to the 14th Century it was the site of the Almohade Mosque, which was subsequently torn down, leaving only the Giralda Tower as evidence of the previous Mosque. As with all things in Spain, the Cathedral took over 100 years to build. It is very grand and the interior is very ostentatious. We walked through the ground floor viewing the various altars and the beautiful ceilings. We then walked 34 stories to the top to see the view of the city. Thankfully the walkway is a graded ramp, not steps, although it is pretty steep. The view from the top was lovely. We then walked down and went to the Tourist Office where we got a map and walked through the previous Jewish Quarter.
There are two main streets in the shopping area. The part of the City where we stayed with the very narrow streets is the area that was previously surrounded by a wall, which was taken down when the Catholics conquered the Muslims. It reminds me somewhat of Venice, Italy, but for the cars that drive down the very narrow streets.
After we walked around the previous Jewish Quarter, we walked around some areas of the city that we had not previously viewed and then made our way back to the same tapas restaurant that we had gone to the previous today, which was excellent. It was more noveau tapas, then the traditional fare we had eaten in previous restaurants throughout Spain. The weather was very sunny and the temperature was in the 70's, so it was a gorgeous day.
On our way back to the hotel we meandered through the streets and found a wonderful gourmet store where we bought some olive oil and other foodstuff to take back with us to the U.S. The gentleman who owned the store was very gracious and conducted an olive oil tasting. I found the brand 1881 more to my liking and Marcia bought another brand, which she said tasted better to her.
We then made our way to the hotel to pick up our luggage and they called a taxi for us to go to the airport. When we had nearly reached the airport, the taxi driver asked us which airline we were scheduled to fly on and where we were going. To my surprise, Marcia answered "Barthelona." I could not believe that my dear friend had now picked up the lisp and I turned to her and said, "no, you didn't; no you did not just say that." The both of us burst into laughter and she kept teasing me the rest of the evening.
The flight from Seville to Barcelona took a little over an hour and soon we were back at the Barcelona airport. We took a cab to the hotel that we stayed at last night. It is called the Majestic and it is a five star property. We had a wonderful suite on the 8th floor with a view of the city, which was absolutely beautiful. The bathroom was out of this world and the of course I had to set a bath later in the evening as it was so inviting.
By the time we got settled, it was almost 10:00 p.m. so we asked the hotel for recommendation for a tapas place and he told us to go to Tapas 24. It was very modern and we had a light meal and went back to the hotel to get packed. Of course we kept buying stuff in every city we were in so the packing took some considerable time. Marcia is excellent at rolling and packing so I watched her pack both her stuff and mine and then I went to take my bath. It was absolutely lovely.
Marcia's flight to New York was scheduled to depart this morning two hours earlier than mine so they left to go to the airport before I did. The breakfast buffet at the hotel was one of the best presentations I have ever seen and the fare was tasty as well. I had breakfast and then got ready to take a cab to the airport. Check in was easy and I made my way to the gate to depart on my flight back home to Miami. The flight was long (9 hours) and uneventful and I read 3 books and a couple of magazines.
I love to go to new places but it is always nice to come home as well. As the plane descended from the clouds, it warmed my heart to see the view of the beaches and the familiarity of my home town and let's not forget, tall men. It was wonderful to be able to look up again (lol).
Once we landed and proceeded to immigration, I could not believe the long lines containing hundreds of people. Thankfully, they now have separate lines for citizens, green card holders and then visitors. I cannot believe that we put visitors through such an ordeal to visit this country. During the last two weeks, at no time did I wait more than 5 minutes to get through immigration. I understand the security concerns but it is literally torture to visit the U.S. now.
I thoroughly enjoyed my travels during the last two weeks. I learned how to order a coke with lots of ice and no lemon; "regular coke, mucho hielo, sin limon." I hope you enjoyed the journey with me.
I am home surrounded by the familiar but I am glad for the brief respite and the opportunity to visit new cities and enjoy new experiences. Marcia, many thanks for allowing me to travel and experience these new places with you and I am deeply appreciative for the opportunity and even more important, grateful for our enduring friendship.
"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." Jawaharal Nehru
"I've lived a life that's full
I've traveled each and every highway
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way." Frank Sinatra
Much love,
Liz
