Day 12: SEVILLA!!!!!

(Written in the morning of Day n+3, @ Tirupati, completed & posted in the evening)

After a fantastically chilled out Sunday, we were ready to hit the road again, to Seville. The only thing I knew about this city at that point was that there was a strong football club by that name and it had players like Freddy Kanoute. Esther had lived in Seville for 2 months, and promised that we would really like the place.

After a breakfast of tostadas con aceite y ajo (bread, garlic rubbed on it, and olive oil and salt) (fantastic in its simplicity!), off we set, at 11ish in the morning. I think we took a bus to Jerez and from there moved on to Seville by train. I remember the train going up to 160 km/h and we didn't really feel it was going that fast. As the vast empty countryside blazed by I had a feeling of being back in India, in MP perhaps. The landscape was the same colour, a bronzed dryness that we see after summer, albeit the farms seemed a lot more organized.

I was carrying all my luggage with me, since I was proceeding to Barcelona from there. There was no space in the luggage corner in the compartment, so we had kept one of my suitcases right next to our seats. The ticket checker on the train, a biggish lady with scary eyes, came up to Esther and asked her to keep the luggage up. What followed was my first witnessing of a Spanish argument. As is with most arguments, Esther was left fuming at the end, and in a bad mood, especially coz one smart-ass passenger decided to join in and support the cause of the Spanish railways! Esther needed a hug to calm her senses and I'm glad I gave her one, or she might have just gone about ruining her day because of two random people. It was a good fun way to start off in the morning and I had a big smile on my face in the end.

We arrived in Seville's grand railway station, Sevilla Santa Justa, and caught two buses (C2 & C4 I think!) to go to our hostel. On the ride, It was immediately clear to me what a beautiful city Seville is. Colorful buildings make up the skyline, a most stunning river ploughs through the city, far more breathtaking than the 'that joke of a river' (as my other cousin Anu puts it) that Thames is in London. Hostel Redes was wedged in a pretty street that didn't have a soul when we made it there. The hostel itself was small and sweet. Our AC room for 3 was 55 euros a night, a very good deal I thought. By the time we reached the hostel, it was 2 I think. A short siesta later, we were off and running for lunch! Similar to Cadiz, Sevilla has many 'squares'. They were fairly empty at that time of the day though. We went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. It was quite simple, but I stuck to my tradition of trying a new dish every meal. Paella was there, of course, and so was Tinto. The new dish was caballa, a type of Tuna, which was lip-smackingly good. And again, I dipped into my sister's leftovers, tortilla brava. After the heavy lunch we were walking around generally in the direction towards the big church (I think it was Santa maria or something, can't remember the name :( ).. The church structure was fairly imposing, but it was quite plain inside, albeit with some stunning stained glass art-work. They were asking for a fee to go and visit, so we gave that a miss. On the way, we also stopped by at the 'Cafe de Indias' for an icecream! I had a sinful vanilla brownie and I just lovved it melting into my mouth on that hot day!

Then we headed to the Placa d'Espania (Again, I think that's the name, I'm too lazy to check it up online now!). This compound is just magnificent, breathtaking, grandeuse, and all those similar sounding adjectives. With a painting and short write-ups about each province of Spain, it made for interesting viewing. The (very well read) Esther was giving a running commentary on every province as we passed by the stones on each one of em. We clicked several touristy pictures, like excitable, diligent tourists :D We meandered, next, to the gardens adjoining the P.d'Espania.. they're vast and beautiful. The horse-chariot rides through the garden's roads looked extremely inviting, and perhaps with the right kind of (read romantic) company, it would have been more than worth a try!! One day, I will return :)

As we continued walking, the evening descended upon us and we found ourselves walking along the river. It has got to be one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. It was LOVE at first sight. The sun simmering in the distance, the street lights reflecting on the river, the breeze whispering in the ears, it was pure magic. We sat around, walked, and admired.
Its one of those places, where you just go quiet, coz its just sooo stunning.


We walked on one of the many bridges across the river, and headed for a restaurant, for dinner. It was past 10pm, and light music filled the air from the various musicians playing on streets near and far.

Restaurants by the river are understandably expensive, so we headed inland for a cheaper, fuller meal. Esther and I literally had tons of seafood - prawns, squid, fish, you name it! Mridula gave up soon, as usual, but we kept goin on, and on, and on. It was my biggest seafood meal EVER! And it was also one of the best!

(Of course, I had Tinto to go with it, 2 glasses this time, proportionate to the amount of food I ate!!)

After the eating binge, we clearly needed a long walk... so we walked all the way back to the hostel, stopping on the way for a Mojito :)... and once we got there, we pretty much just fell asleep before hitting the sack!

It had been an absolutely amazing day. Sevilla was more than just a pleasant surprise, it just blew me away. Period.

The plan for the next day - get up in the morning and fly to BARCELONA!!! Comin up.. in the next posts!!!