Sevilla

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Today I woke up at 7:15 to shower.  Of course on the last day our shower stopped working and we couldn’t get the water to come out from the top.  I ran next door and thankfully the girls let me shower.  I finished packing the shower stuff and headed downstairs for breakfast at 9:00.  We brought our luggage down with us.

After breakfast everyone was waiting in the lobby as if we were on the Amazing Race.  It was as if we all wouldn’t make it on the bus.  The bus was scheduled to arrive at 10:00 and at 9:50 everyone ran outside.  We all got on the bus successfully as I thought would happen lol.  I sat next to Laura.  We left at 10:30 and at 10:46 we arrived back at the hotel.  I am not sure why but we think Alejandro forgot something.

We stopped somewhere off the highway for a quick break and made it to Sevilla at 2:00.  We then checked into Hotel Don Paco.  It is a nice hotel and actually has AC!  Our room number is 1400.  A bunch of us changed and went to grab lunch in town.

At 4:00 we all met in the lobby for a tour of the town.  We started on the bus and would get off at different areas to walk around.  We had a tour guide that was very well informed and interesting.

First she said that Sevilla is a very important city that has been important for hundreds of years.

She told us about one city that was very important called Italica.  The Romans founded it.

Next she said that the river that flows through Sevilla is an important river throughout history because it became a main port after Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas.

We then passed a famous tobacco factory that became internationally known.  There is a moat around the factory.

Next we passed a famous neighborhood called Triana.  I wish we had more time in Sevilla because she recommended that we visit.

After we passed a University of sailors.

She also told us about two expositions, one in 1929 and one in 1992.  In 1929 was the Ibero-American Exposition and in 1992 was the Universal Exposition.

As we were driving we also passed many different pavilions.  Each of them was built differently because they each represented a different country.  The architecture of each of them was gorgeous.  For example the Pabellón de Morocco had beautiful colors including yellow on the outside.  Next we saw a bull-fighting ring.  She told us that they start at 6:00 and that half of the seats are in the shade and the other half are in the sun.  The seats in the sun are cheaper because it is so hot here that no one wants to sit there.

After, we got off the bus and walked around Plaza de America.  There were doves everywhere and our tour guide told us that it is a tradition as children to take a picture feeding these doves. 

Next we got back on the bus and went to Plaza de España or Spanish Square.  It was absolutely stunning!  There are 54 provinces in Spain and there are 52 benches representing these providences in the Plaza.  Two of the provinces do not have benches because 100 years ago when they built them they didn’t include them.  These two provinces are close to Africa.  Each of the benches included their location on a map and a colorful image.  The architecture of the surrounding buildings was breathtaking.  I loved it here!  There was also a big fountain in the middle.

52 benches for the 54 providences in Spain

Next we got back on the bus and walked around in Santa Cruz.  The streets were really narrow here.  She told us that the houses were built like this so that they stayed cool and so the streets were always in the shade.  We arrived at Seville Cathedral where Christopher Columbus’ official tomb was in at one point.  This Cathedral is the burial site of Christopher Columbus.  This Cathedral is registered as a World Heritage Site.  The statue on the top is called "El Giraldillo", which means to turn or rotate.  It was installed in 1568 to represent the triumph of the Christian faith.  I thought this was so cool and interesting.

"El Giraldillo"

We also saw another statue in honor of Christopher Columbus that has 1492 engraved on it and a lion at the top.

At this point we were getting tired because Sevilla is much hotter than it was in Torremolinos.  The sun was beating down on us so we were all ready to go.  We got back on the bus and went back to the hotel.  Dinner was in the hotel at 8:30.  It was actually good and I wasn’t hungry after for once.  After we got some snacks next door for the bus ride tomorrow and headed back to the rooms to relax and enjoy the free weefee in the rooms!

I can’t believe that I remembered mostly everything our tour guide taught us today.  That is normally Erik’s job to give us the history lesson :)  You should be proud!  I was taking notes on my cheap Spain phone but T9 was taking forever so I video tapped my voice every time we got somewhere so I could remember.

Sevilla is absolutely beautiful and I wish we could stay longer.  It has so much history and culture.  I am so glad that we got to stop here for the day and explore another gorgeous area.