Scenic Seville

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Geo: 37.3833, -5.9965

After a good night's sleep we left Rabat at 8am. We were surprised to find it had been raining but the dark clouds did not last for long. Today was our last day in Morocco and we were driving first to Tangier and then to catch the ferry back to Spain. The first part of the drive was along the coast where we could see the Atlantic Ocean.

We reached Cape Spartel. Here we walked to the lighthouse and a viewing area to see where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. It had now become a lovely sunny day so the view was very clear. The coast of Spain was clearly visible and we could certainly see the conjunction of the waters. There were many tourist buses here and souvenir sellers on the side of the road. I could not find those elusive gifts for the grandchildren though!

It was not far from here until we reached the outskirts of Tangier. We had not seen much of this large city when we had arrived so it was interesting to see the large houses on the clifftops with a commanding view of the sea. We drove along the waterfront into the main part of the town. Karim pointed out the summer residence of the king as well as the large complex belonging to the Saudi Arabian king. He seems to have residences in every major Moroccan city. The beaches are wide with white sand and as it was Sunday there were many families enjoying a day out.

In the centre of town we were given 50 minutes for lunch. We first went into the nearby Mall hoping for a souvenir shop but it was just a shopping centre like all others. Giving up on the idea of shopping we looked for somewhere nice for Lunch. The Panorama Restaurant had been recommended but was packed so we walked next door to a small Italian place, Dalli'Italiano. Though it was now 12-25 they reluctantly opened up for us. We warned them we only had a half hour and they said OK. We ordered a bottle of Rose and two steaks. With the wine they brought us Bruschetta which was delicious but as the minutes ticked away we were concerned we wouldn't make it. Fletcher paid the bill and with 5 minutes to go our beautiful steaks arrived in a champignon sauce. They were cooked to perfection and so tender but we had to quickly scoff as much as we could and then run to the bus. I could taste the deliciousness of it as we drove off and wished we had had more time to sit and savour what would have been the best meal we have had on the trip so far!.

We collected Lucy from the Ramada Encore and then drove to the ferry terminal. Here we farewelled Karim and walked with our luggage to the terminal. We went through Moroccan customs and boarded the ferry. It was very busy with lots of cars and people going on board. We then waited for nearly 45 minutes and left very late. We checked out the Duty Free shop once we had left port and bought a litre bottle of London No 1 gin for less than 20 Euro. After a swift crossing to make up time we were back at Tarifa and once more in Spain. The lne up for Spanish passport control took a while but then we were through and onto the bus.

The drive to Seville from here was pleasant. It was very clear so we got an excellent view of Gibraltar. We drove along the coast for a while and then turned north. There were many wind turbines along the way and the scenery was spectacular. The road we took was called the road of the Toros and the farms here bred huge bulls many destined for the bull rings of Spain. With a stop along the way it was a long drive and we arrived at the outskirts of Seville about 8pm.Our driver, Valerio, took us along the Avenue of the Americas. This is in a section of the city which was used for the Expo in 1929. There are beautiful pavilions along here dedicated to the various countries which were once Spanish colonies. Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and California were represented just to name a few. These magnificent buildings are beautifully maintained and in use. A stunning entrance. What we also noticed were many carriages pulled by two horses and driven by traditionally dressed men, all impeccably presented. Many women and girls were strolling along the footpath , also in traditional dress. Lucy explained that we had arrived on the first night of Le Feria, an annual festival which is scheduled to run until May 6th. This involves much eating, drinking, singing and dancing and is held in a designated area which is covered by private tents where to get an invite is something special.

When we arrived at the hotel it was 8-45 and as it was Sunday not much was still open. Lucy had arranged with the owner of the small café next to the hotel to be open. We went there to have dinner. This was pretty ordinary. I had calamari which was OK but Fletcher chose a pork dish which proved to be very dry and not tasty. The wine was OK but it was not a place to go back to. After a long day we headed gladly to bed.

On Monday morning, May 1st it was a public holiday in Spain so as we left the hotel at 8am it was very quiet. We drove first to the Plaza Espana. This is a magnificent building, built for the 1929 Expo and is an impressive space. In the centre is a large courtyard and surrounding it on three sides this fantastic building. On the walls are mosaics and plaques depicting the various regions of Spain. We only had a short visit but it left a lasting impression. The bus then dropped us at the riverfront, next to the Golden Tower. This was built in the 16th Century when the spoils of the Spanish conquest of America were pouring in to this city. Galleons would sail up this large river from the Atlantic Coast, bringing vast wealth to the city. From there we walked up to the Plaza Contrataction which led into the old part of the city. Through some narrow streets we arrived at the gates of the Alcazar, the palace of the Moorish kings.Here we met Carlos, our local guide who would show us over this amazing building. There were already long queues but as we were a group who already had tickets we only had to wait a little while before we were allowed in. There are two outer walls to this fortress but inside the decorations are similar to the Alhambra, with the moulded panels and mosaic walls. We went through the second courtyard into the main building. The first room we saw was where Ferdinand Magellan sought an audience to gain the backing of the king for his trip around the world.This had portraits of the royal family from various eras along the walls and in an adjoining room was a huge painting depicting Magellan's audience with the king. From there we visited many other rooms. There were the king and queen;s private quarters and the magnificent throne room, certainly built to impress and elaborately decorated. The ceilings throughout were made of wood and had various designs on them. Some were Arabic but many had royal insignia as decoration. The most impressive aspect of this complex were the stunning gardens with fountains, a wide variety of plants and wide vistas disappearing into the distance. We had a coffee and toilet break there and then resumed our tour.
We exited the Alcazar by a back way through the old stables. This took us into the Jewish quarter or Santa Cruz. This area has many small streets where now there are shops but we saw remnants of the old days including the water street with an aqueduct running along its length. The Jews were eventually evicted from here with the coming of the Christian kings. They were known as Sephardic Jews which literally means, Jews from Spain.Other highlights of this area included the balcony of Rosina from the Barber of Seville and we also saw the tobacco factory where Carmen from Bizet's opera supposedly worked.

Carlos then took us to the magnificent cathedral of Santa Maria. This was built on the site of the old mosque after n earthquake had destroyed it. It took only 75 years to build which is remarkable given its size and complexity. Inside the Gothic arches soar to the heavens and there are 48 side chapels. The decoration is elaborate and at the time of its completion it was the largest cathedral in Europe.The most impressive part was the Sacristry. This is a very large room off the main nave and contains, among other treasures, a painting by Goya of the two martyrs, St Justa and St Rufina who are depicted in one window as the custodians of the bell tower. Carlos had been an excellent guide with a wicked sense of humour and some very corny jokes!

We then had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves. At last we could stop at the various souvenir shops in the narrow streets and we did some buying but that's for us to know! For lunch we found a cool shop which was a delicatessen with hams hanging up and other goods for sale but it also had tables for Tapas, We had three plates, one of Iberian ham, a cheese platter and some delicious smoked salmon with avocado puree on an orange round biscuit. Sensational. The beers were very cold too! We then made our way towards the river. Along the way we saw where the bus left to take people to the Feria. A long queue was waiting and the carriages were lined up ready for hire.We found the river and walked along the promenade to where the cruise boats left. We did a leisurely hour cruise along the river seeing the site of the 1992 Expo and other buildings and bridges. Coincidentally, Jenny and Rod had bought tickets for the same trip so afterwards we found a taxi rank and went back to the hotel.

At 6-30 we reconvened in the foyer and walked a couple of blocks to Le Palace de Andaluz. This was the Flamenco show. We were given the front seats in the Dress Circle and a drink was included with the show. This was magnificent. the dancers were elegant, the women deftly kicking their long skirts out of their way and the men with flying feet. They did a potted version of Carmen in the middle but the rest was pure Flamenco The main man performed a remarkable solo at the end. I didn't know feet could move that fast.
At 8-30 we walked back to the Italian restaurant just around the corner and had a fabulous meal. I had delicious duck pate followed by gnocchi with salmon and spinach while Fletcher started with Bruschetta and then a seafood spaghetti.A good red accompanied the meal and we had Jenny and Rod for company, A good finish to a magnificent day.

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