Ah, Sevilla...

A scene from our neighborhood...Barrio de Santa Cruz. (Used to be Jewish until they kicked out and killed all of the jews in the late 1400´s and renamed it Holy Cross...)

Still life with zapatos nuevos, olivas, y sangria!

Sevilla street scene...notice the little flamenco dresses for sale.

press the bell, wait for the voice, place your order....

...and voila! so delicious, and cheap!

chocolate con nun cakes :)

Sevilla en la noche...

James Michener apparently said of Sevilla: "Sevilla does not have ambience, Sevilla is ambience."

We are certainly experiencing that to be true...hope the pictures can express a little of the atmosphere. The neighborhood we are staying in is full of tiny lanes, too small for even the smallest car, and even the bigger streets here necessitate a hugging the side of the building moment when taxis rumble past. Our hotel is one of those Rick Steves gems...called hotel Amadeus, and each room named after a different composer. (Ours is Mahler). There are pianos in various places, including a grand piano in the main room. A young man was playing various classical pieces, and the Amelie soundtrack, when we arrived. Also, there is a little machine that makes hot chocolate on demand, as well as this lovely computer with free internet access...check for added pictures to the Med. Sea entry below.

Last night, we headed out to a flamenco show. Not knowing what to expect, I must say that it was pretty great. The women: dark haired, serious, even pained expressions, tight dresses, and spot-on timing. The men: their job is to play guitar, sing loud wailing bits of songs, and clap and stamp the rhythm. We did see one male flamenco dancer who brought down the house and reminded me of what Chandler from Friends said about why he´s terrified of Lord of the Dance: "His legs move as if independent from his body!" In any case, flamenco gets 4 thumbs up from us...we´re hoping to go to some more casual places tomorrow and see some spontaneous flamenco in action.

Today was full of sights and sweets...we took a walking tour (with a lovely guide named Alfonso) of the old city and then met up with him again to tour the cathedral. Each time we were with only two other people, so we felt like we certainly got our money's worth. My favorite non-historical bit was when he talked about being a fan of the local soccer team, and how loyalty to a particular local team (there are two to choose from), is the most important gift parents give to their children. It spoke to my sports fan heart. Also, he gave us tips on where to buy the best little cakes in town...from nuns. You go to their cloister, ring a bell, and wait for them to ask what you'd like from behind the wall. When you place your order, the sweets appear in the lazy-susan, you put your money in it, and everyone's a winner! Gretchen took a movie of the whole transaction....pictures above.

Tonight we went out for some delicious tapas, more sangria, and then hot chocolate and the little nun cakes in our room for dessert. More of the same tomorrow, I suspect. Life here is delicious and deliciously slow....

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