Friday 11.05.2010


Espana Redux

Our weather has become a blessing rather than a curse. It is a beautiful morning with deep blue skies and temps in the mid sixties. Adriana has told us the breakfast is from 8:30 til 10:00 and we make our way past the pool, orchards, hillsides, etc. at 9:30. Insensitive slugs that we are we could have told her last night that we wouldn’t be there at 8:30 but didn’t. She had a lovely table set for us by a window overlooking the terrace with fruits, cereal, meats, cheeses, jams, yogurt and a couple pint glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice and we dig in.

After disappearing for a few minutes, Adriana comes back toting a pot of coffee and plates of eggs, bacon and a dish that a “local guy” makes of beans, sausages, onions and garlic. Unbelievable. If we thought last night’s steak was a highlight, this matched it.


Tonight we are crossing back into Spain and staying for three days in Seville, about an hour and a half away by motorway. Even if we go the slow way it won’t take much more than three, so we make the very rational decision to take our coffee to the veranda and park ourselves there until noon. We tell Adriana to forget about us and go about her business but she continues to make sure we’re happy. When we load up to leave, Jorge and Adriana both appear for the hugs and kisses all around. We agree that we could stay here for days if not weeks.

We start by driving into the town of Tavira, right on the water, and then continue to follow the coast until we reach the Spanish border. We kick onto the motorway to get across the river and then back off into some small commercial towns heading east. We lose an hour when we cross the border so after a bit of poking around we get back on the big road to carry us into Seville at a reasonable time.


Monique takes us along a couple nice city boulevards as she ticks down our time of arrival at our hotel. With about a kilometer to go we need to get off the boulevard and into a warren of back streets that is the old ancient Jewish quarter of Seville. Pretty soon she is screaming, “turn right, turn left, make a u-turn” and we think smoke is coming from the screen. She does not do well in these tight quarters, but then again neither do we.

We are now in a position where we can only go a certain way through streets that are a couple inches wider than the car and dodging cars that are somehow parked fractions of inches from stone buildings. Mary is out guiding John a few inches at a time with the side mirrors tucked in as tight as possible. Finally we reach a left turn from one alleyway to another with every corner a three story stone building. No “blanking” way. Monique tells us that we are now 200 meters from our hotel so Mary decides to abandon this sinking ship to walk ahead and get advice IF she can find the hotel.

Meanwhile John makes about six passes at the turn and every attempt ends in the car being wedged into the corner. Finally a local fellow comes out of one of the buildings shaking his head and surveying the predicament. He starts the guiding process forward a quarter inch and then back a half. Cut and turn, and now straight an inch. It takes fifteen minutes but the deed is done and John continues down the same streets with inches to spare and a new sense of confidence. Mary is walking back by this time (now that the ship is safe) with hotel and real parking info.

The hotel is actually tucked into one of these alleys so we’re back to a public ramp again tonight but less than half the price of Lisbon. We get checked in and go out in search of a beer. About a block from the hotel we start bumping into Seville’s famous sidewalk scene with cafes, bars and restaurants all spilling out into squares and streets. We pull up a chair and tell our waiter “Dos cervesas por favor. Grande!” Mary is immediately in love with the energy and spirit of the city. John is in love with his beer. We make reservations for 8:00 at Tres de Oros on one of the squares and take a break.

The restaurant has saved a table on the sidewalk and also inside so we pick outside. It is still warm from a day that reached eighty degrees. We share an Andalusian Gazpacho soup and the Paella for two. The paella is loaded with fish and shrimp and the rice is tasty, but we both think we have had better. Maybe next time.

 

After dinner we take a long walk through our neighborhood with little bars and cafes around every corner and people milling around everywhere. It’s only the crack of eleven so these Spaniards are just getting started. Off to bed for us.

Today’s Picture: That is Mary on the corner of the veranda at our great Hacienda in Tavira. This is the way to kill a morning.