marigross

ann, I did not remember those lines either! We did manage both so, no harm done. And once you are inside the space is so massive that the crowds dilute and you can enjoy yourself nevertheless.

indy, we found that 'shortcut' by sheer dumb luck.

kimhe

I can see it before my eyes, "the idiot guy that was sitting next to me and clapping along" at the flamenco performance. And of course you are absolutely right, it's just "like humming loudly at the Opera along with the soprano".

That's the huge risk of seeing otherwise great flamenco together with people who have no clue. Flamenco is so much about communication, both between the artists and between the artists and the audience, and the clap-along could of course ruin everything for everybody. But, I cant't help smile, and you'll never forget those "anti-flamenco" moments either. At least it reminds you how little seperates a great flamenco experience from something quite akward. There's no such thing as ok flamenco, it always balances on a very thin line, and that's part of the excitement, whether it takes off or not.

Next time in Sevilla (or elsewhere in Andalucía or in Badajoz (Extremadura), Madrid or Barcelona), see this site for updated schedule for all kinds of flamenco performances - from small clubs to huge theaters - with mostly a local crowd. http://www.guiaflama.com/

Here are three very different examples of the power of flamenco communication (you don't want any clap-along here;-) ):
- David Peña Dorantes and Joaquin Grilo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOjtXiPl8Rk
- Eva Yerbabuena and José Valencia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clCZYH5VNWw
- Rocío Molina and Fernando de la Morena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQpoEFuEQb0

Bedar

Did you finally get to the Duchess of Alba's palace which is now open ?

marigross

Kimhe, I loved the intimacy of the show, and being so small it was easy to see the communication between the dancers and musicians. Even the raised eyebrows from the guitarist when one of the dancers went seemingly offscript in an extended and very forceful performance. It was great. Worth every penny and then some.

Also, my sister saw my pictures from the show (taken at the end!) before she was heading out to Spain and Seville on a standard tour. She cancelled the Flamenco show she had booked with them, the 3 of them could go to Casa de la Memorial for less than the cost of a single ticket with the tour! And she loved it while the tour mates were 'ahhhhhh-not-so-thrilled' with theirs, complaining about the big push for drinks and food during the show.

Bedar, yes I did!

marigross

<b>Tuesday, May 10th: The Big Church and the Missing Naranjos</b>

The highlight of the morning was a return to the La Encarnación Market where we purchased an almost indecent amount of razor clams and mussels for our dinner that evening.

After dropping our precious cargo in the apartment we headed out, but it was really yucky weather. I even wore a baseball cap to go out; yes, it was THAT bad. But the only thing that nasty weather like that is perfect for is the eating of that Spanish breakfast or late night snack: Churros con Chocolate.

We purchased a ‘ración’ at <b>Kukurucho</b>, a churro joint established in the Virgen de los Reyes street since 1875. Had to wait until the guy rewarmed the oil and set the whole churro-maker contraption.

In case you are not familiar with this food item, churros are long sticks of fried dough. Sort of like funnel cake. When they are perfect, they should be crispy on the outside, fluffy in the inside and without a trace of the taste of the frying oil. The cakey interior is crucial so that they can meet their intended purpose: soaking up the hot chocolate.

Now, this chocolate is not what most people would expect. It is not really meant to be drunk. Though you certainly can, possibly with the aid of a spoon. Spanish 'breakfast' Chocolate is thick to the point of being more of a creamy ganache. On its own it would be too cloying and thick, but it is just perfect for coating and being absorbed into that hot churro… It was heavenly.

(Still actively trying to ignore the tightening of the jeans here!)

Armed with the ticket combo we had purchased the day before at El Salvador and umbrellas, we then proceeded to attempt to go to the Cathedral under the light rain.

There were general flood warnings for almost all of Spain, but specifically targeted for the South and particularly strongly worded for Sevilla. We remained naively optimistic, confident in the puny umbrellas in our hands and rain ponchos in my bag.

When a deluge of biblical proportions unleashed over Sevilla, we had to just run into the nearest available shelter. Thunder, lightning and gale force wind, amidst the torrential rain; this was SO not what we thought we were signing up for with a spring trip. By this point we were just sick of the rain. (Ha! And there was yet so much more to come….)

The pedestrian street in which we were was completely flooded in a matter of minutes. Shop owners looked at the raising level with escalating concern but the severe downpour did not last long enough for the water to actually get in over their stoops. But even with raincoat/ponchos we got our legs soaked…while taking cover. Did I mention that the temperature was in the mid 50’s (°F)? Not nice to walk around with wet socks and shoes.

The 10-minute walk from our apartment to the Cathedral lasted at least a good part of an hour.

The entrance for the <b>Caterdral de Sevilla</b> visit might be a little confusing. There is a (very obvious) line for people without tickets; which today shorter than in the past days, but still wayyyy too long. That must had NOT been fun, trying to hold out your place in line under the torrential rain!

Then there is a different entrance for groups and people with reservations just next to the Giralda tower. From there, and easily missed because people seem to gather or bunch up in front of the sign and entrance, there are two separate lines to go in. Individual Ticket Holders do not have to wait in the same long-though-fast-moving line as the people entering as part of the group, they can entirely bypass the queue and head straight to the door. After clearing up the confusion, we were inside within a few minutes.

<i>I know, still no Travel Expert Points earned, I should have known this as well! </i>

There are enough internet resources available so I will not go into a full description of all the marvels held within this magical space. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world (if you get technical about what is a Cathedral and what is not) and the third largest in the world.

This church was built with one purpose: showcasing Spanish power after the Reconquista. It was made to impress. And it indubitably does.

Construction started in 1401 and continued…. well, almost forever as they had several of their domes collapse through the years.

The choir is a masterpiece! We sat there drinking it in for a while (ok, DH just kept me company and people watched while I gawked). One more time I am grateful for independent traveling. There must have been at least 15 different tours being herded by in the time we were there. They barely had time to snap a picture!

We also took our time going through the museum pieces and admiring the amazing metalwork and jewelry treasures. The incredibly rich and ornate relic containers are always interesting, yet a little bewildering, to see. The kind of things that make you realize first hand that Luther did have a few very good points, lol.

We had been up to the Giralda on our trip before (and got caught in full bell ringing. It was LOUD!) so we decided there was no need to go up again. I guess we have gotten to the age where you start to really consider in which towers you will ‘invest’ your knees.

The Patio de los Naranjos was basically one big puddle. And there was not even a single Naranjo (orange) left in the trees! I guess the rain and wind had taken care of all of them. Still, the smell of the beaten leaves still filled the air with their delicious perfume.

When we exited, we noticed that the line to the Alcazar was surprisingly short. OK! I thought excitedly. Now is the time to go in! We got in line, and maybe 15 minutes later we got to the ticket office door where it was clearly advised that the gardens where closed for the day due to the bad weather.

WHAT? Wouldn’t that be better located somewhere actually visible from the queue?!?

Now, that was a problem! Because one of the main reasons I wanted to go back to the Alcazar was to leisurely visit the gardens which we had almost entirely bypassed the first time due to time constraints and tired feet.

I guess it was time to just give in and purchase tickets online while hoping for better weather. I dislike giving out my CC to websites if there is a reasonable way to avoid it. There was not.

It was still early but we both had damp, cold feet so we made our way back home, having to duck into a bar or two to avoid yet more episodes of rain. You know, really, what else can you do?

After warm showers, turning on the portable heater, and bundling into cozy clothes we were ready to indulge ourselves in shellfish. I debearded the mussels and took the razor clams out of the fridge, rinsed them in cold water to take out the sand…. And they all started moving! Squirting out of the shells and bobbing up and down. These things were not fresh… they were ALIVE! Not for long though.

I will only say that we might have incurred in the Capital Sin of Gluttony but we are hoping that all the church going we have been doing will be counted in our favor. Those things were delicious!

<b>Next: Visting Cayetana and a dash to Triana</b>

kimhe

Good to hear you had a great flamenco experience in spite of our clapping friend ;-)

marigross

Sorry for the long delay but now we are back home and I can keep boring all/any of you with my long ramblings.

marigross

<b>Wednesday, May 11th: A Long Story, One More Palace and then Across the Bridge</b>

Yet again, the rain pounded against the windows this morning. The weather forecast was bad enough to bring tears into my eyes, nothing but solid rain until Friday (when we were leaving, of course). I looked at my ‘Sevilla Wish List’ and resolutely crossed out anything that was not an Absolute Must Do.

Growing up I was exposed to Spanish culture by my travel-loving non-traditional Grandmother. When I was 2yrs old and my mom underwent a difficult and semi-scandalous divorce, my grandmother’s response was to take us both to Spain so that we could all ‘get a grip on our new life’. I have no idea how many times she visited the country, but we always had Spanish-bought big jars of Nutella and knitted knee high stockings from El Corte Inglés.

My grandpa worked for PanAm so she was able to fly for almost free; though he never ever boarded a plane as a passenger. This was his choice, he happily stayed home and took care of the kids and household. Also because he was much better at this than she was… but now I really digress.

Why do I bring this up? (Please, bear with me a little here!) Because part of her Spanish obsessions was the ‘reading’ of the weekly glossy magazine ‘¡Hola!’. Well, you can ‘read’ it if you want but all it really is about is the pictures of international celebrities and royal families. I might even willingly admit to having purchased a copy or two during my adult life.

Now, and approaching the actual point to this rambling, one of the Spanish Semi-Royal Celebrities that was regularly featured in the magazine was the always interesting and many times controversial socialite, Doña María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba de Tormes, (among her many other titles). I was fascinated by her! So imagine my joy when I read early this year that her beloved Sevillian residence, the Palacio de las Dueñas, had been opened to the public! (See, I did have a travel point to make with all this!)

There was conflicting information in the internet at the time I looked it up. Was it really open to the public? Only guided/private visits? Even fellow Fodorites were unsure. But we were in Sevilla and this was certainly a high ranking item on my must do list. We would have to find out the old fashioned way, we had to go there. Happily we were quite close to the Palace so it would not be that bad if we couldn’t see it; aside from crushing my hopes.

No choice but to take a deep breath, accept the facts at hand, bundle up, put on the baseball cap, and brave the rain. We had things to see.

Well, It was open to the public! They only started fully receiving visitors in March 2016 but sometime before that they accepted guests as part of a soft opening, hence all the conflicting reports. They are now in full swing and it is a very popular destination for tourist and Spaniards alike. Even in the downpour the place was not empty.

Entrance was €8 for me and reduced at €6 for DH (over 65 yr olds). Free on Mondays.

BTW, almost all places (churches being the notable exception) offer senior discounts. These range from 50% to 25% off. You are usually asked to show ID/Proof of Age when purchasing. The reduced fees are clearly shown in the price list but will never be offered outright, even if you look 95 years old and a day away from the grave. You really need to speak up and ask for them as the entrance fees do add up after a while.

Even for the online purchase of reduced tickets we had to show ID at the entrance. One of the few things the Spanish seem to be rather strict about.

But back to our posthumous visit to Cayetana….

Even from the entrance gate you know that you are in for a treat. The front wall of the <b> Palacio de las Dueñas</b> is covered from roof to garden with old bougainvilleas; in full bloom at the time they were a riot of purples and pink. Even in the rain -which made the sandy paths in the garden very slippery!- this was one of my favorite things of the entire trip.

The palace was built in the late 15th century in Renaissance style with Gothic and Moorish influences, and is considered one of the most iconic historic homes in Sevilla.

I just think that it is the epitome of Sevillian living, well… of the 10% that is; might as well make that 0.1% for all it matters. It has it all! The garden, the tiled courtyards with Mudéjar acrches, the artwork, the formal rooms… everything you can think of when you imagine Sevilla.

The suggested route starts in the large garden. It was wet, miserable and absolutely lovely. Flowers in every color of the rainbow. The open roses were mostly spent as they had been pelted mercilessly by the rain, but enough buds were coming to keep the colors full. The garden is full of nooks and crannies where a young royal could hide away from the world for a couple of hours.

Only the ground floor of the palace is open as the family still keeps private apartments there, but it is enough to keep an interested person busy for quite a while. I loved it. (I know, it’s hard to tell!) The way museum-quality furniture pieces, paintings, sculptures and decorative objects are mingled with personal mementos of the family is just lovely.

The patio is THE prime example of Sevillian courtyards (well, of the no-budget, the sky is the limit ones). It manages to be impeccably elegant, perfectly proportioned and yet inviting and intimate at the same time.

I’ll stop raving about this palace now with just one more thing to add: go see it! Worth every penny of admission price.

As we exited the palace we debated about where to go next. The rain had ceased for a while and we contemplated our options. There was still so much on my to-see list! I chose to go over the Guadalquivir river and visit the <b>Triana neighborhood</b>, something we had not done in our first trip.

In an almost unprecedented event, DH suggested that we take a cab! He thinks that resorting to public transportation is sort of a personal failing, he usually follows the ‘why ride when you have two good legs to walk’ philosophy. But, since the rain was holding off we had no time to waste just walking from place to place. Alright! No resistance offered from my side.

The cabbie dropped us of after the Isabel II bridge (popularly known as Puente de Triana) and pointed us to a few must see landmarks in the area. We were nearing lunchtime and most of the churches that we tried to see were closed. Bummer.

Once again the rain made the decision for us of where to stop for a bite. In a neighborhood known for eateries we were surprised to find ourselves in another location of the <b>Patio de San Eloy</b>. We had had a large breakfast so we just ordered some calamari (very good) and a ‘tortita de camarones’ (shrimp fritter; tasty but sadly on the greasy side). It was great people watching as many locals dashed in to take shelter from the downpour and eat a few bites.

After a spin around the neighborhood, and finding everything still closed for lunch we headed back to the <b>Mercado de Triana</b>. I wished we had done this earlier as it looked absolutely awesome but by the time we arrived all the shops and restaurants were in the process of closing down. There was even a cooking class having their final celebratory sangrias; the slightly tipsy participants gave it an enthusiastic two-thumbs up when I peeked in.

My impression was that though there were plenty of stalls showcasing beautiful produce, meats, and fish, the main thing for this market is not the selling of foodstuff for the home cook, but focuses instead on the restaurant/tapa offerings. There were lots of places with ample and rather upscale tasting menus. Naturally with prices to go along with the target audience.…. Waaaay up there, especially when compared to what can be had around in the area. Still, the market was quite nice and I would have greatly enjoyed having had a few glasses and people watching had we gotten there earlier.

The rain gave us a little break and we were able to walk first along the riverside and then back into the little streets of Triana with all the ceramics and tile shops. Our wanderings led us to the entrance of <b>Las Golondrinas</b>, a tapas bar that I had had on my sadly neglected to-go list. The place is very cool looking and has great tilework, worth the detour even if only to snap a few pictures.

We managed to sneak in just as they were closing after lunch and had a small ‘solomillo’ tapa. Good, but nothing to walk a long way exclusively for. I would have wanted to try other things on the menu but we were not hungry at all, the kitchen was closing, and we would be having dinner back in the apartment.

After that we just gave up and taxied home where, after long hot showers, we cozily settled to finish up some bottles of wine, prayed for not-totally-awful weather as I purchased online tickets to the Alcazar, and cook up the gorgeous shank we had purchased. Yeah…. It was good.

<b>Next: Gardens and More Gardens</b>

kimhe

Keep the great report coming, and here is a little Triana tapas-thing for the memory book, and come hungry next time to Las Golondrinas ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mFE9k0E-2Y

marigross

Thaanks Kimhe, and yes, there WILL be a next time!

marigross

<b>Thursday, May 12th: Wading and Wandering at the End of our Week</b>

It had rained during the night. A lot. And with wind. Strong wind. But as we got ready for our 10:30am timed entrance to the Alcazar and the Royal Apartments it seemed that the worse of the storm was over and only a light drizzle was falling. Given the circumstances, fine, we would take it (as if we had any choice!).

During our 2001 trip we had visited the <b>Real Alcázar de Sevilla</b> but we had given it only a fraction of the time it deserves; matter of fact, we had not explored the gardens at all. The cause for this was twofold: First, we only had 2 full days in Seville with an aggressive agenda, and second but even more important, I had not yet had a very much needed foot surgery for Morton’s Neuroma; I had been in excruciating pain from walking too much at the time.

Having purchased our tickets online the night before, (and saved them to pdf AND taken screen shots of the entire email confirmation as I did not have portable internet) we were able to bypass the incredibly long line. Once again and same as in the Cathedral, the pre-purchased ticket holder line can be easily missed as it seems to be mingled with the guided-tour line. There is a lot of room for improvement for crowd management and any second year Industrial Engineering student could increase efficiency dramatically without major investment.

So you do need to push your way to the front and show evidence of your ticket to be allowed in. DH did have to show his ID to the entrance guard and to the ticket agent to prove his right to entry with a discounted senior ticket.

The entrance to the <b>Royal Apartments</b> was almost as confusing. You are told to be at the entrance at least 15 minutes before the scheduled entry time and vaguely pointed towards the entrance staircase. I could be kind and say that signage could be improved but this would be an understatement.

We did find it and registered at the entrance counter. Then you have to put your bags through scanners and only after that step has been completed, you can store them in the lockers. Utter confusion resulting in the entire locker cabinet having to be emptied and all bags rescanned. SIGNAGE PEOPLE!!!! You cannot bring any kind of bag, you cannot have anything in your hands, and of course, pictures are not allowed.

These apartments are still the official residence of the royal family when they attend official functions in Seville so security is tight. Groups of 20 persons are only allowed per half hour slot, and all morning tours were sold out. If you are interested, pre-purchase the ticket as there seems to be high demand.

You are handed audio guides and then everyone is escorted from room to room by a guard. It was perfectly ok but I was expecting a guided tour, the kind where you can ask questions from a knowledgeable docent. That was not the case. The content of the audio guide is very good but you do get herded through the rooms and I would have enjoyed a more leisurely pace.

Overall, a very worthwhile visit BUT for people that have lots of time available. I would not want to cut short a visit to the main Alcazar in favor of the Royal Apartments, even as interesting as I found them to be. A single caveat: please remember that I’m a registered Spainaholic and History Buff, others might not be as interested as I am.

Recovering our (well…mine) bags was even more complicated because now more people were trying to get into the tile exhibit located next to the lockers, the ones in the next tour were trying to scan their bags, and yet others were mobbing the Apartment entrance counter trying to buy tickets when the whole thing was sold out for the day.

We went through the ‘standard’ Audio Guide route and I must admit that the first time around I had missed a LOT of the stuff to see in the Alcázar, not only the gardens. DH thinks that many of the places had not even been open in 2001 because he did not remember them either. I mean, the <b> Casa de Contratación</b>, the <b>Sala de la Justicia / Patio del Yeso</b> or the <b>Gothic Palace</b> are hard to miss and certainly would have made an impression.

Of course the <b>Patio de las Doncellas</b> is unforgettable and just as lovely as I remember. Only the Alhambra in Granada can compare (and surpass) in Mudéjar beauty. This time we took our time to admire the bounty of details and wait between tour groups to get semi-decent photo ops.

By the time we reached the gardens the rain had stopped enough (Yay!!!!) to leisurely walk through the paths; though they were a mud pit and slippery as ice. We were certainly wading and wobbling through them. I can see why the Gardens were closed on the day of the big deluge! I guess most people opted out anyway and we were able to walk (wade) solo in the most remote areas. The <b>Grotto Gallery</b>, the <b>Fuente de Mercurio</b>, and the <b>Tea House</b> were absolutely lovely!

Another place which we had not seen before, but I do believe was only ‘recently’ opened, were the <b>, Baños de María Padilla</b>, the ancient cisterns of the Alcázar. Oh my, what a wondrous space! One can easily imagine coming in here to cool down during the stifling Sevillian summer, every sound reflected the vaulted ceiling and the bounced on the reflective pool. The powerful presence of water is just soothingly felt in the air. Magical. No return trip would be complete without a visit to this space.

We exited the Alcázar by the Patio de las Banderas and took the back ‘shortcut’ through the Judería into the Barrio de Santa Cruz. Of course, by then we were in sore need of refreshments and we dashed into Las Teresas for our ‘last’ tapas in Seville while we decided what to do next.

The sun seemed to be (finally) willing to cooperate so we decided to go for one more item on my ‘Must-Do’ list. We grabbed a taxi and first made a stop to purchase our bus tickets back to Faro the next day…you know, as to not to repeat the –ahem- ‘missing’ bus error from before. Tickets in hand for the 7:30am bus, we jumped into another taxi (yeah, we were getting the hang of this transportation mode!) and told him to head to <b>Parque de María Luisa</b>.

This was another ‘new’ place for us. In 2001 I had known that it was included in all the ‘standard’ tours and that even the horse carriage rides went through it, but somehow I had discarded the park and the <b>Plaza de España</b> as a ‘minor attraction’. In my post-Fodors-discovery stage, I had added it to the ‘Reasons Why We Need to Go Back to Sevilla’ list.

In all honesty, yes, it sort of is a minor attraction, but only when compared to World Class sites such as the Alcázar or the Cathedral. It was absolutely beautiful, made even more so by the long awaited presence of the sun! We finally got some blue-sky pictures.

It was a joy to walk in the plaza and look at the marvelous tiles. They certainly grabbed the theme and ran with it, lol. We spent quite some time meandering and looking at the people struggle with the row boats.

We kept going to the <b>Plaza de las Américas</b> but by the time we got there we had had enough of parks and gardens. Also, the gardens in this area were not as meticulously maintained. We were tired and not really wanting to visit the surrounding museums. It was time to call it a day.

We had dinner at <b>Café Victoria Eugenia</b> as it was close to where we were, we had had some good tapas there before, and we still had to finish up packing and cleaning up. We were seated upstairs and had lots of entertainment looking down to the kitchen and the bantering waiters as they hustled and bustled through the restaurant. We shared a surprisingly good ‘arroz negro’ for two.

Our time in Sevilla had come to an end. Maybe it was because the weather had kept us from making the most of our stay, but we would have happily stayed another week, or two.

Or maybe we wanted to stay in Sevilla because we had been forced to take it as it was always meant to be experienced: visiting amazing sites at a leisurely pace, partaking in slow afternoons of wine sipping and tapas nibbling, spending time in the kitchen mesmerized by the superb ingredients readily available, wandering through history seeped streets…. I guess even a month would not have been enough.

Yes, we loved everything about Sevilla. And we think it loved us right back. We WILL be back. Soon.

<b>Friday, May 13th: Back to Faro, a night in Beja and then…. EXTRAMADURA</b>

I have added the story of this full day to my Southern Portugal report as it ended up in the town on Beja, so I will only add here that getting a taxi in the morning was a breeze… getting the mini-van taxi out of the narrow, maze-like tangle of one-way streets in which we had stayed, not so much.

The driver had to back down long stretches in reverse a few times once it became obvious that the car was too wide, that was followed by a 21-point turn around which proved to be futile as we did not fit through THAT street either, at the end he wound up driving against traffic (with less than 2cm on each side) until we hit a major street.

I will also add a plug into the report for the next stage our trip: Encountering Extremadura. I will include the link as soon as I get that going.

Thanks to all that have kept me company during my long winded ramblings.

Adelaidean

Thoroughly enjoyed your ramblings...

Vonse

Great report, thanks!

marigross

Thanks! Even more ramblings will be found here in days to come:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...xtremadura.cfm

tomarkot

Marigross, thanks for the great report! Really like you writing style and the inclusion of so many interesting details. You really made the best of a disappointing weather scene.

Like you, we loved Spain. In addition to the many main attractions, your report reminded us of so many little enjoyments about Seville: wandering the little streets and enjoying the beautiful courtyards in the homes, great sangrias, lunch along the Quadalquivir

tomarkot

Marigross, back again. Don't know how our incomplete message got sent. No doubt, accidentally hit "Submit".

Anyway, back to the delightful Gualdalquivir River lunch, we followed up with a stroll in the surrounding Tirana neighborhood. We loved all the tile work and flowers.

We've never been to Portugal, but have enjoyed TRs posted by others. We'll look forward to yours.