Oh my God Seville… pronounced like Saveeya in Spain BTW – what a beautiful city. I mean the real-deal beautiful, where even though probably half of us are tourists, nothing feels very touristy at all and everything you look at is gorgeous. This city is rocking 1,000 years of culture – a curious mix of Arab/Moor, Roman, and Spanish eras that gave it a bewildering hodge-podge of architecture that is meticulously preserved. I just spent I’m not sure how many hours lost in the Real Alcazar, originally an Arabian-Moorish palace that has been built onto, expanded, and remodeled for 10 centuries. When I say lost, I mean wishing-I’d-brought-breadcrumbs lost in an incredible labyrinth of courtyards, reception halls, and gardens. It was all really beautiful, but at a certain point I was hot and tired and hungry, and I seriously doubted I’d ever find my way to an exit – like I started to feel a little panic-in-my-throat kind of scared. I’m sure a few people sleep in this place every night because it’s so vast, security can’t possible find them all.
There is only one thing I’m sick of on this trip (and this is the most curmudgeonly thing you’ll ever hear me say) – it’s stupid girls who are obsessively taking selfies, or worse, with a guy or friend who is obsessively taking posed photos of them. They are EVERYWHERE- obviously all working on Instafame, and it was annoying as hell. One girl who looked kind of like a Paris Hilton knock-off in particular got on my last nerve – I was waiting and waiting for this stunning corridor to clear so I could take a photo of it, and meanwhile she stood dead center taking selfie after selfie after selfie. Fine – you’re picky. I get it. But then she noticed me at the end of the corridor holding my big camera waiting, and so she STAYED THERE looking like she was still kind of posing looking around, and I’m pretty sure she imagined herself being a beautiful figure in my portrait of the space. Get the F out of my shot, girl. Gah. I just about said it out loud, which would of course have been very rude. I’m not there yet. Yet.
My apartment from Airbnb is amazing. It has two little balconies that look out over a cute street and it’s dead center in Seville’s old town with a bedroom wall shared with a spectacular baroque cathedral around the corner. I shot a pic of the cathedral last night that I attached below. It’s pretty cool, and it was cheap. The good news is that it’s close to everything. The bad news is that it’s close to everything. That means people are carousing outside until the wee hours (Jesus I’m old), and then delivery trucks start roaring down the street at about 7 am. I contemplated flashing some drivers from the balcony to cause a crash so I could go back to sleep – I mean hey, it would shut the street down at least. Then I realized it’s Spain and nobody gives a crap about bare boobs anyway.
You guys, the food here is beyond description. It’s delicious and beautiful, which I think makes it even more delicious. Look at the way they decorate ice cream! Everything is really inexpensive, including wine unfortunately (haha), and I’m happy that everyplace has tapas – tiny plates of food – for my tiny stomach.
Tonight I will go in search of the fine art of flamenco, which Spain is very, very serious about. But first, a little siesta, which Spain is also serious about. In fact, in some neighborhoods, stores shut down from 2 to 4 or 5. United States, we could learn a thing or two from this. I’ll start a campaign when I get home.
