111op

I stayed at Plaza Nueva in Granada. Actually I can't recall where the Cathedral is in Granada. I don't think that I visited.

Your comments about your flight are interesting. I've not noticed that before about flights involving Spain. My two memorable flights involve the Chinese and the Indians.

Last May I flew to London on Air India for the very first time because of the (in)famously cheap fares. The plane, if I remember right, was already moving on the runway, but the attendants were still distributing drinks to the passengers. At that time one guy was also arguing he wanted a different seat.

Then two years ago I was in China. I think that I was flying between Beijing & Shanghai. Again the plane was moving, but people were still moving up and down the aisle and putting away their bags in their overhead bins.

yk

<b>Day 4

Ahhhh!!! The Alhambra!!!</b>

The BW Dauro II hotel offers a buffet breakfast at &euro;8,50. Even though I thought it's a bit pricey, I justified it by the fact that I didn't have dinner the night before.

It has a nice spread and I thought was worth the price.

Now about the Alhambra. I actually made a mistake when I was booking my ticket online. I thought the afternoon session goes from 2pm-8pm, so I opted for the afternoon as I wanted to leave the morning open for sightseeing in Granada itself. After I bought my ticket, I found out it is only open until 6pm (8pm is for the summer). Oh well, what can you do?

As I woke up fairly early, I was out by 9am. I had a very nice walk around town. Though it was cloudy, it stopped raining. My first Moorish sighting is the <b>Corral del Carbon</b> (a former Arab guesthouse) in a small street just off one of the main thoroughfares. I was already awe-struck.

I then headed towards Plaza Neuva and Plaza Santa Ana, stopped by at the tourist office, and continued on Carrera del Darro along the River Darro. There I saw more old buildings etc. Further along Carrera del Darro, there are no more buildings on the right hand side. And up on the hill is the Alhambra. I had imagined it to be more red, afterall, it's translated as &quot;The Red One.&quot;

I walked and walked, until I reached the end of the street and turned uphill to the Albaicin. There, I stumbled across a door with a sign &quot;Archivo Historico de la Ciudad Granada&quot;. The door was open so I entered. Inside I was met with a nice open courtyard. Further back is the building itself with a beautiful facade. There were a few workers inside but none seemded to mind my intrusion. After wandering around a bit, it was time to head back towards the Cathedral.

My first stop was the <b>Capilla Real</b> (Royal Chapel). Inside houses the mausoleums of Ferdinand of Aragon and his wife Queen Isabella of Castile. These 2 are the famous ones who united Spain (by uniting Aragon and Castile), sent off Columbus, and took over Granada from the last Moorish King Boabdil, and also started the Spanish Inquisition. Next to them is the mausoleums of their daughter and her husband {their child was Carlos V, the HRE).

Apart from the mausoleums, there is a crypt below which holds 4 caskets that actually had the ashes. It was a bit creepy.

Other worthwhile bits in the Royal Chapel is the paintings collection. It has several pieces by the Flemish Primitives including Rogier van der Weyden and Hans Memling.
http://www.capillarealgranada.com/en/cont_tablas.html

The Granada <b>Cathedral</b> is right next door. To me, it looks like other big cathedrals I've been to, nothing particularly memorable.

I headed back to my hotel room for a brief rest, then set off for the Alhambra.

Well, the sky was beginning to clear up by then! I decided to walk up the hill instead of taking the bus.

[A side note about the Alhambra. Despite all that I've read, I was still rather confused about the lay-out and how the ticketing system works. I understand that one can get in the grounds for free but still couldn't quite comprehend how/where etc.

Now that I've been there, I can try to explain it better. The Alhambra is a large complex with multiple components. Only 3 components require a ticket to get in: <b>The Nasrid Palace, Generalife, and the Alcazaba</b>. The rest is open to all and free, including the Charles V Palace. So, for my afternoon session ticket, I can roam around the &quot;free&quot; part of the Alhambra anytime, but it's only after 2pm I am allowed to enter the 3 mentioned above. In addition, the Nasrid Palace can only be entered at a specific time frame (which is printed on your ticket). If you miss your time frame, you are out of luck.

The Alhambra is rather spread out. The Alcazaba and the Nasrid Palace is at one end of the Alhambra, whereas the Generalife is on the other end. The ticket office is near Generalife, and is also where the bus stops. However, if one walks up the path (which I did), one gets into the Alhambra via the <b>Gate of Justice</b> which is near the Alcazaba. Even though I had bought my ticket online, I still have to walk all the way to the main ticket office to obtain a actual ticket.]

Okay, so back to my walk. There is a small path just off Plaza Nueva (well-signed) that leads up to the Alhambra. It is fairly steep, but nice stroll. It took me about 20 minutes or so to reach the <b>Gate of Justice</b>. The way the path is laid one walks up and then makes a 180 U-turn to face the gate. And WOW, what a sight that was! I highly recommend walking at least one way (either up or down), so visitors who solely use the bus will not come across this gate.

As I got closer to the gate, I can see the shape of a hand carved on the top of the arch. On the inner arch carved a key. Immediately the <b>Tales of the Alhambra</b> by Washington Irving came alive, as this was described by him in the book!

Anyway, after I passed through the gate and arrived inside the complex, I was quite confused as to where to go next (it was only 1pm). I then realized I had to get my ticket, so I walked to the main office. There is a long line waiting; I cannot believe these people come all the way to Granada without buying their Alhambra tickets in advance!

Next to the ticket office is a small building where there are self-service kiosk for internet purchases. You slide your CC and out spits your ticket.

The ticket office has a separate counter for audioguide (&euro;4). One has to surrender some ID in order to rent the audioguide.

[It turns out that there is another audioguide rental spot near Charles V Palace. It will be more convenient for visitors who plan to walk downhill at the end of their visit so that they don't need to backtrack towards the main office to return their audioguide.]

I hadn't had lunch yet. There is a small kiosk in the Square of the Cisterns (just outside the entrance to Alcazaba) that sells sandwiches and drinks. I had a cheese sandwich and a water for &euro;4,40. The sun actually came out and it was very nice sitting outside.

After the quick lunch, I popped inside the Charles V Palace. It was interesting architecture, as the outside of the palace is square, the inside unexpectedly is round!

My timed entrance for the Nasrid Palace was 4:30pm, so I had 2.5 hours to visit the other 2 areas.

I decided to visit Generalife first, while the sun is still out. When I was walking along the main drag, Real de la Alhambra, there is a Moorish bath house on the left (free to enter). On the right are various souvenir shops, including <b>Laguna Taracea</b> which is famous for its marquetry work. A lot of souvenir shops sell similar products, but majority of those are made with plastics. At Laguna Taracea, they sell authentic ones made with wood and bone by hand, as well as the plastic ones. Of course, the prices differ quite a bit. As I was browsing, I asked the owner about the wood vs plastic. He was very nice and showed me two pieces side by side to point out the differences. In the end, I bought a small framed mirror (the authentic kind).

More to come...

yk

Website for Laguna Taracea
http://www.laguna-taracea.com/

DianeD

yk,
I am enjoying your post. We leave for Spain next Wed and will visit the Alhambra on Friday. I have copied your description to take with me- most helpful. I look forward to the rest of your Granada and Seville report. These are the 2 cities in your report we will visit.

5alive

Enjoying your trip report. Your comments on the marquetry remind me of the little music box my friend brought me back from Spain. I'll have to dig that out again; it was very pretty.

AnnMarie_C

yk, thank you for your report.

I look forward to reading about your experiences in Madrid, Toledo and Segovia as we're headed there at the end of March and our interests sound similar to yours.

eileen6

yk,
Really enjoying your trip report &amp; taking notes! We leave for Madrid, Segovia, Seville &amp; Granada at the end of March. The details are very helpful &amp; I'm glad to hear that you found it to be safe. I have similar worries because we're traveling with children.

yk

Thank you for everyone's positive replies. I'm glad someone is reading this trip report!

<b>Day 4 continued...

The Alhambra</b>

I arrived at the <b>Generalife</b> entrance at 1:52pm. The guard wouldn't let me in! She said I have to wait until 2pm. Okay then, I went into the garden of the Alhambra Parador for a peek.

At 2pm, I went back to the guard and got in. The Generalife is most famous for the gardens. It is quite pretty, with ponds and fountains. Also one gets a great view of the towers and wall of the Alhambra as well as the Albaicin. There aren't many blooming flowers (afterall, this is mid-Feb) but I imagine it'll be very nice when the roses are in bloom as there are lots of rose bushes.

There is small palace at the far end of the garden. I know it's not that spectacular compared to what I'll see in the Nasrid Palace, but it was still quite a WOW for me as this is really the first building I've seen in the Alhambra with the delicate stucco decorations.

After Generalife, I trudged back to the <b>Alcazaba</b>. As this part is a military fortress, it doesn't have any of the decorations like the other buildings. There is a great view on top of the Watch Tower (one can see the Sierra Nevada in a distance).

I was done with both by 4pm, and I still have to wait half an hour to get into the Nasrid Palace. I found a bench to rest, as I was beginning to feel like the <b>donkey</b> described in one of Washington Irving's Tales. [This donkey had to carry water from the Sierra Nevada Mtns down to the Alhambra.] I normally carry light, but after a whole day of walking, my day bag just seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Adding the marquetry mirror that I had bought, plus guidebook, plus audioguide, plus a bottle of water etc; I was just exhausted!

Finally, it's 4:30 and I followed the crowd into the <b>Nasrid Palace</b>. I think no more than 100 people entered during my assigned timeframe, but it still felt rather crowded. I was told by the guard that the maximum number of people per 1/2 hour is 300!

What can I say about the Nasrid Palace? I don't think any kind of description will do any justice. I have seen photos of this place, but one really has to be inside to experience it. The best part? As you venture from room to room, each room is more impressive than the previous one! Even though the lions are gone right now for renovations, the <b>Court of the Lions</b> is still impressive. This experience ranks as one of my all-time highs. I would rank it along with seeing Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.

The tricky part is trying to take pictures when there are 100 other visitors around you. What I find best is to wait until they have all passed through (but before the next timed group is let in).

There are several sections of the Nasrid Palace that are closed during my visit, including the Hall of the Kings. I also didn't see Washington Irving's room or the Queen's boudoir or the Royal Baths (not sure it's normally open?)

FYI, even though there is a timed entrance for the Nasrid Palace, there is no limit on how long one can stay inside.

After I exited the Palace, I visited the <b>Partal Palace</b> and its gardens. Then I walked along the wall where multiple towers are located, including the famous Tower of the Princesses. None of these towers are open for visit though.

Finally, I made my way back to the ticket office near Generalife to return my audioguide. I left at 6pm. I felt that I had adequate time at the Alhambra to see everything.

My next stop is the <b>Mirador de San Nicol&aacute;s</b> over in the Albaicin. It has a great view of the Alhambra and apparently Bill Clinton said it has got the &quot;most beautiful sunset.&quot; Even though it was somewhat cloudy that day, I figured, what do I have to lose by going there?

I got on Bus #32 just outside of the Alhambra ticket office. It loops around (including a stop on c/Navas where my hotel is) and then stops in Plaza Nueva. After a few minutes it then makes a loop around the Albaicin. It doesn't stop right at San Nicolas but the bus driver told me to get off at the right stop. From there, it's a very short walk up a flight of stairs.

I think I arrived at around 6:45pm. Sunset that day was at 7:10pm.

Unfortunately, there were lots of clouds to the West, so really, no sunset for me. But the view of the Alhambra at dusk is still worth the trip.

BTW, I wasn't the only one there for the sunset. It was quite crowded. It was also getting chilly, but there was a musician who played music which helped pass the time.

I stuck around until 7:30pm before I left.

The next thing I did was one of the <b>stupidest</b> thing I've done on this trip.

I wanted to head back down to the River Darro, as I had spotted a restaurant during my walk that morning. I had a map from the tourist office, so it seemed quite easy to just head down the hill towards the river. Instead of following the big road (where the cars and buses go), I decided to take the smaller streets.

Once I started walking, I realized the map shows a much simplified version of the Albaicin. Within the Albaicin are lots of very narrow alleys that wind around with frequent turns. Before long, I had no idea where I was; except the fact that I was going downhill. There were no signs and very little street light. I couldn't tell whether the alley I was on goes to the river or if it's a dead end. There are also very few lights or noises from the surrounding houses. (Where is everyone anyway?) If there were any theives or muggers hiding along the way, I'd be dead meat!

Fortunately, after a few minutes, I spotted a couple ahead of me. I quickened my pace to catch up with them as I assumed they're locals and know where they're going. Finally, I made it back to the river on the main road Carrera del Darro.

By now, it's 8pm. I made my way back to the restaurant and found it's open. Of course, there're no diners inside. While I was checking out the menu outside, an American family (parents with 2 teenage sons) came up to look at the menu as well. Then I heard the father said, &quot;We're not going in there! There's no one inside the restaurant; that says a lot about the place!&quot; I guess he didn't read the guidebooks about Spaniards eating dinner at 10pm?

Even though I felt a bit embarrassed eating at 8pm in an empty restaurant, I was too tired and too hungry (I only had a cheese sandwich for lunch) to be bothered, so I went in. The restaurant has modern decor with a color scheme of black, white, and red. Its got huge windows because it has a stunning view of the Alhambra!

I was seated by the window and really enjoyed the view. The food was very well done also! I ordered a consomm&eacute; with chives and goat cheese, followed by veal sirloin with foie gras pate and sauteed wild mushrooms.

After I ordered, that same American family came in for dinner! Well, I guess since there is now one customer (me), it's okay to eat here now? (Later on, the 2 teenage sons made quite a scene in the restaurant.)

The waiter came and put down a dish of battered shrimp. Huh? I was actually confused for a few minutes. I couldn't quite remember what I had ordered for appetizer (the consomme, duh!) but I was quite sure I didn't order shrimp (see my blurb about my shrimp allergy in the Barcelona section). Finally, I was able to get the waiter's attention and told him about the error. &quot;Oh no no no. This is on the house. It's free.&quot;

I can't believe this is my second encounter with shrimp in just 3 days! I guess shrimp is very popular in Spanish cuisine. I ate it; it was delicious and I didn't break out in hives.

The rest of my meal was really wonderful. I had thought this place being at such a strategic location, it may not have very good food yet people will still come for just the view. So I was pleasantly surprised.

For dessert, I had a cheese tart with honey and strawberries. Total bill was &euro;40. I highly recommend this place:
<b>Restaurante Ruta del Azafran</b>
Paseo de los Tristes, 1 (it's just at the very top end of Carrera del Darro.
http://www.restaurante-rutadelazafran.com/en/home

yk

<b>Granada Hotel Review

Best Western Dauro II</b>
http://www.hoteles-dauro.com/ingles/...ern-dauro.html

There is actually a Hotel Dauro and then a BW Hotel Dauro II (they're affiliated with each other), so be sure you know which one you're reserving!

My room rate was &euro;48 + tax for a single (no breakfast).

My room was spacious enough. Not as big as the one in Barcelona, but not cramped either. I thought it's nice and the bathroom is quite large. For some reason, one of the bathroom tiles has &quot;Pierre Cardin&quot; signature on it (reported on tripadvisor as well). My room faces the back alleyway, so it's extremely quiet. It is on c/Navas with lots of tapas restaurants. Walking to Plaza Nueva takes about 10 minutes, a little less to the Cathedral.

The front desk folks are courteous and helpful. They let me borrow an electrical adapter so that I can recharge my camera battery.

There is a computer terminal in the lobby for internet access but one has to pay to use it.

The breakfast buffet (&euro;8,50) is good. Lots of choices including cold cereals, yogurts, fruits, various juices, cold cuts, hard-boiled eggs, breads, cheese. It also has hot food such as scrambled eggs and bacon. This buffet has the most food selection among the other hotels, and I think it justifies the price.

The hotel is a 5-min walk from Puerta Real where the bus stops are located (to get to/from airport and the long-distance bus station).

<b>Overall Impression of Granada</b>
I only spent 1 full day here, so I don't want to sound like an expert. The Alhambra is a must-see for anyone. I think even it alone justifies my trip to Spain. However, don't forget the other little gems in Granada itself. I had a great time wandering around town that morning.

I think visiting the Albaicin during the day time would be great - just don't do such a foolish thing like I did!

Despite the bad experience with looking for dinner on a cold, rainy Sunday night, everything was great the next day; so it wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

misty_in_stl

Thanks for a detailed report, yk. My husband and I are going to Madrid, Segovia, and Barcelona in mid-April. Reading your report is providing some great tips and things to think about.

yk

<b>Day 5

From Granada to Seville</b>

After breakfast at the hotel and checking out, I walked back to Puerta Real to take Bus #3 (or #33) to get to the Granada Bus Station for my bus to Seville. My bus leaves at 10am.

The local bus ride took almost 30 minutes, probably because it was rush hour. After 25 minutes or so, I started to get worried, so I asked an older gentleman if the bus goes to the bus station. He didn't speak much if any English, but turns out the very next stop is the bus station (he got off as well). The Main Bus Station is located on the other side of the road and not too obvious, so I could have missed it if I didn't ask anyone and not pay any attention!

I had already purchased my bus ticket to Seville in advance online at
http://www2.alsa.es/
It's a very user-friendly website; easier to navigate than renfe's website.

I had the print-out of my bus ticket in hand, but I wasn't sure if I had to exchange it for an actual ticket, so I lined up at one of the ticket windows. The agent didn't speak any English and waved me away.

There is a small info desk at the station, so I asked that lady. She told me I can just get on the bus with the print-out.

For the bus, one's luggage is self-service: meaning that you have to place the luggage into the compartment under the bus yourself. The driver didn't give me trouble with the print-out, though he did ask for an ID. All tickets have assigned seats but many pax didn't pay attention. I reserved a seat in the front row (for the view) but someone was in it. I sat in the 2nd row but then the person realized his mistake and gave me back my seat.

The trip was supposed to be 2hr 45 minutes but ended up taking 3 hours. The journey isn't particularly scenic at all. I slept thru most of it. It actually rained very very hard during part of the trip, but thank goodness no rain in Seville when we arrived.

Just before the bus got to the Seville bus station, I suddenly noticed a smell of oranges. The driver had lowered his window and the smell of oranges came right in! What a wonderful smell. I have never seen so many orange trees with so many oranges on every single one of them!

The bus arrived at the Prado de San Sebasti&aacute;n Bus Station. I had a Google map print out with me. Even though my Seville hotel said it's a 10-min walk, with luggage it took me almost 15 minutes. I stayed at the 2* <b>Hotel Alcantara</b> located in Barrio Santa Cruz.

After settling in, I went out for lunch. Initially I thought about <b>Modesto</b> but checking its menu the prices are rather high. I walked back towards the Cathedral, and finally decided on a cafe/bar which offers a menu del dia for &euro;10.

My first course was mixed salad (lettuce, corn, and tuna fish). Second course was Spanish omelete, served with 2 dollops of mayonnaise on the side. Food was okay.

<b>Bar Campanario</b>
Mateos Gago, 8

After lunch, I walked to the tourist office on Av de la Constitucion to pick up a map. I then decided to visit the <b>Museum of Fine Arts</b> because it's got an exhibition of the El Greco paintings from Toledo's El Greco Museum (currently closed for renovations).

The tourist office said it's a short walk (not really), so I walked there. There were quite a lot of visitors for the El Greco. On view are the 13 canvases showing the 12 apostles and Jesus. There are a few others. The museum itself also has a couple of El Greco paintings, plus quite a number of Murillo and Zurbaran but I'm just not a fan of Spanish paintings in general.

The El Greco exhibit is on view until end of March, 2008.
http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/cultu.../MBASE/?lng=en

After the museum, the weather is now beautiful. The rainstorm earlier has cleared and now there's not a cloud in the sky! I looked at my map and decided to visit the <b>Plaza de Toros</b> (Bullfight Ring). I wasn't able to find a bus that goes that direction, so I walked there.

Bull fights don't start until April, but they offer guided tours. I decided to skip the tour but just wandered around the outside. Lots of workers were repainting the place to get ready for the new season.

The weather remained great so I decided to visit the <b>Plaza de Espana</b> for photos. It's a long way from where I was and I was already very tired from all the walking I've done. [I find Seville's attractions more spread out than any other place I visited on this trip.]

So I walked to Plaza Nueva and took the surface electric tram to Prado de San Sebastian. This tram just started operating last October.

Thanks to my cousin, she gave me the rest of her unused b&oacute;nobus from her previous trip (with 3 rides left). I figured if I don't use it up, it'll get wasted anyway.

I got off at Prado de San Sebastian and from there it's not too far of a walk to Plaza de Espana. I'm awed by the amount of ceremics there. It was beautiful when bathed in the afternoon sunlight.

After lots and lots of photos, I took the tram back and got off at Puerta de Jerez. From there, I did a walk around <b>Barrio Santa Cruz</b>.

Walking around (and getting lost in) Barrio Santa Cruz is something that every guidebook recommends. Even with a map, it's impossible not to get lost, esp on one's first visit. It was fun though. I tried very hard to locate a restaurant in Plaza de Los Venerables but failed. Next thing I know, I stumbled upon it by accident! I found the restaurant, Hosteria del Laurel (both hotel and restaurant), and made a dinner reservation for 9pm that night.

I found my way back to my hotel and rested my tired legs.

The <b>Casa de la Memoria</b>, a flamenco venue, is located next to my hotel. It's not as fancy as Los Gallos or El Arenal, but it has good reviews here as well as from my cousin, so I bought a ticket (&euro;14) for a show on the following night.

I was able to find my way through the maze back to Hosteria del Laurel for dinner. It's listed in my Frommers guide book. I had high expectations but the food was just pretty good, not fabulous. I started with a soup (Sopa de picadillo) which is a clear broth with ham and hard-boiled eggs. Next I had cola de toro (oxtail stew). It was tender and flavorful but <i>very</i> heavy. It is also served with British style chips but they're all soggy from the sauce. I was too full to have dessert. Dinner was &euro;30. All the other diners were tourists.

<b>Hosteria del Laurel</b>
Plaza de Los Venerables, 5
http://www.hosteriadellaurel.com/

yk

<b>Day 6
Seville - Oranges Falling from the Sky!!!</b>

I slept in today. After the last few days of traveling, I really needed the rest. I finally headed downstairs for breakfast around 10:30am. The buffet is only &euro;5 and certainly smaller selection than the Granada hotel.

On the agenda today is the Cathedral and the Alcazar. I've read that both places are packed with tourists in the mornings, so that's why I wasn't rushing out this morning.

I left the hotel at 11am. I decided to wander around Barrio Santa Cruz again, this time in daylight. I found the Murillo Garden and Callejon del Agua. At house No.2 on Callejon del Agua, there is a plaque with Washington Irving on it. There are many tour groups walking through the Barrio during the morning.

I then arrived at <b>Plaza de Do&ntilde;a Elvira</b> and struck by a strong orange fragrance. Suddenly, a bunch of oranges fell off one of the many orange trees in the Plaza.

It turns out the city workers are there clearing out the remaining oranges on the trees. There's a team of about 8 workers. 2 of them have a long stick with a hook at the end. They hook the stick around a tree branch, then violently shake it to make the oranges fall. It was literally raining oranges in that square. A few other workers swept the oranges into a pile, while another few shoveled them into plastic crates. In case you don't know, these are bitter orange trees and the oranges are used to make marmalade or perfumes.

I was simply entrnaced by this sight and by the smell. I lingered in that square for almost an hour. During this time, I had a brief chat with one of the souvenir shop owners on the square. He said the city does this once a year at this time, because the new orange flowers are about to bloom in the next few weeks. He continued on to desribe the fragrance of the orange blossom and that it can me smelled 5km outside of the city! I can only imagine what that's like, and I hope I can return to Seville in the future during the blossom.

Finally I left the Plaza and headed to the <b>Cathedral</b>. It is the third largest cathedral in Europe. The impressive sights inside is the tomb of Columbus. There was a small group of tourists nearby with an English-speaking guide, so I eavesdropped a bit. According to the guide, the most recent DNA analysis confirmed that the remains in Seville is in fact Columbus. In the Treasury were crown jewels, including the largest pearl in the world.

After the cathedral, I climbed up the <b>Giralda Tower</b> for a great view of the city.

For lunch, I found a bar/restaurant on a side street where they offer tapas as well as a menu del dia for &euro;9. Well, the menu was exactly the same as the day before: mixed salad and then Spanish Omelette. The salad again had lettuce, corn and tuna fish. The omelete though, this one was served with a tomato broth sauce. The menu included a custard for dessert and a drink. During my meal, it started to rain outside...

<b>Caf&eacute; Rayuela</b>
Calle Miguel de Ma&ntilde;ara, 9

I got to the <b>Alcazar</b> at 3:30pm. There was no line to get in and weren't many tourists. It poured rather heavily for about 30 minutes during my visit. I was a little bit disappointed there, especially since the main facade is completely covered up for renovations! And of course, after seeing the Alhambra, it's hard to measure up to it. What I did find interesting though, is that the Seville Alcazar was built for a Christian king using the mud&eacute;jar style. So, in a sense, it's different from the Alhambra. Here, one sees the mud&eacute;jar stucco, but with Christian motifs.

I also visited the subterranean Baths of Lady Mar&iacute;a de Padilla. It had quite an eerie feeling there.

The rain had stopped by the time I visited the gardens. I didn't linger long though because the paths were all wet and muddy. I imagine it being a nice place to just stroll and relax on a sunny day.

The audioguide is good and informative.

I left around 5pm. I decided to check out the shopping area around Plaza Nueva (a RS recommendation, &quot;Paseo shopping tour). Of course, after the heavy rainstorm, the sky is all clear now!

Really, everyone is out on their paseo! I wandered around the streets Tetuan, Sierpes, and Cuna. On Cuna, it has wedding dress shops on one side and flamenco dress shops on the other side. Quite some contrasting display windows! I ended up buying a small bottle of orange blossom fragrance from <b>Agua de Seville</b> (Plaza Nueva, 9) and a small ceramic flower pot from <b>Martian</b> (Calle Sierpes, 74).

As I headed back towards my hotel, the Barrio Santa Cruz is now completely deserted. The souvenir shops have closed but the restaurants weren't open yet. The area had a completely different feel than the busy hustle bustle earlier in the morning with all the tourists.

The flamenco show starts at 9pm. Being right next door, I left my room at 8:40pm. I swear that the guy yesterday told me the doors open 20 minutes before showtime. When I entered, the venue was 80% full!!! I am sure it opened much earlier.

Fortunately, since I'm by myself, it's much easier to find a single seat with good view than 2 seats together. I ended up in the 2nd row center (there are only 3 rows, but those in the back row had to stand during the performance to see well).

That night's show featured 3 performers: 1 guitarist, 1 male singer, and 1 female dancer. I thought the guitarist and the dancer were excellent. Well, beyond excellent. The singer though, I don't know. He sings from the back of his throat (a no-no for singers) and when he wants to sing loud, it sounded like he was screaming. Also, he must have been singing a really sad, heart-wrenching song because his facial expression the whole time was of a wrinkled face like he was about to cry.

I have never seen flamenco dancing before (nor seen any of those Dancing with the Stars show on TV), so I don't know what to expect. But the footwork the dancer demonstrated was simply out of this world. When she was dancing, I could tell every member of the audience was sitting at the edge of the seat. The 1-hour show went by very quickly (expect when the guy was singing). They really did a full 60-minute show.

What's different about <b>Casa de la Memoria</b> than the other is they feature a revolving group of artists. Each performance rotates once a week. The other venues have the same show twice a night and I guess the dancers can become rather mechanical. The other difference is the shows here are 1 hour whereas others are 2 hours.

<b>Casa de la Memoria</b>
c/Xim&eacute;nez de Enciso, 28

I skipped dinner that night.

111op

Is Casa de la Memoria the one where the setting is like a canteen?

yk

111op - not sure what you mean by &quot;canteen.&quot; It is a small (covered) courtyard with folding chairs arranged on 3 sides. In the middle of the courtyard is a raised wooden stage.

111op

I'm trying to figure out whether this was the place I went to when I was there. Probably not. I think the one I went to looked a bit like a canteen. There was a bar-type place where people got drinks. I also seem to remember more rows of seats. It was also recommended somewhere -- here probably -- and I think in Time Out. It's also not one of these high-powered flamenco venues.

But definitely I remember the name Casa de la Memoria also and I read about it, but I just don't know if I went there.

lincasanova

you are writng a very nice report.

re: flamenco singing.

the story the songs are telling are always lamentations.. painful, hard stuff, and it does often seem like wailing.

i love the intimate atmosphere at la casa de la memoria.

yk

111op - where you went was not Casa de la Memoria. They do not serve any food or drinks there.

111op

This got me curious. I checked Maribel's guide for Seville and I think I went to Carboneria: Now I am wondering why I didn't go to Casa de la Memoria. There must have been some reason but I don't recall.

yk

<b>Seville Hotel Review

Hotel Alcantara</b>
http://www.hotelalcantara.net/index.asp

This place was my second or third choice for Seville, but the others were full. It is recommended by RS, so RS haters beware.

My rate was &euro;55 (tax included) for a single.

Overall I was a bit disappointed, esp with all the rave reviews on tripadvisor. It has the plainest and smallest room among my hotel stays, and the bed was a twin. There is no in-room safe, though there are a number of safe boxes in the reception which one can use for free (you put your stuff in and lock it, and keep the key with you).

My room is clean and quiet on the top floor. It faces the inner courtyard. Potentially it can be noisy in the summer time if other guests hang out in the courtyard, but no one did during my stay.

When I first checked in, the room had just been cleaned (floor still wet from mopping) and it had a strong cleaner smell. I opened up the window and it was okay. When I returned later, I thought I detected a faint sewage smell which seemed to stem from the bathroom. I looked around and everything looked okay. Anyway, I was too lazy to change the room. What I ended up doing for those 2 days was I kept the bathroom door closed but the bathroom window opened. My bathroom only has a shower, no bathtub.

There was no remote control in my room for the TV, nor did I find an English channel, but again I was too lazy (and kept forgetting) to ask the front desk about the remote.

There is a bookshelf in the lobby with at least 3 copies of RS's Spain guidebook and 3 copies of his Spanish phrase book.

Breakfast spread is okay - you get what you pay for just &euro;5. There is cold cuts, cereal, breads, juices, coffee etc. What it doesn't have is hot food.

The front desk staff though, is really awesome. All are cheery and helpful and very nice. I met the staff from all 3 shifts and everyone I encountered was just great!

I like the location of it in Barrio Santa Cruz. It is my favorite part of Seville, and staying right in it allows me to have the chance to wander through it at various times of the day.

However, it is difficult to get there from the Santa Justa train station except taking a taxi. There is no direct bus, and it's too far to walk (even though the front desk guy told me it takes 20 minutes. NO WAY!).

The street it's on is pedestrian traffic only. So even if you take a taxi, you'll have to walk thru about 50 yards of cobblestone.

The bottom line: I think I will recommend it with some reservations. For the price they're charging, you may be able to find somewhere else a bit more luxurious.


<b>Overall Impression of Seville</b>
I don't particularly like it. It doesn't do it for me. Maybe because it's the weather (it rained 1/2 day), maybe because it's packed with American teenagers? There are these teenagers everywhere! I suppose they're here on school trips? They are loud and annoying. The Alcazar was a bit disappointing, and very few cathedrals really impress me (they all look the same after a while). And with what I said earlier, the various sights seem very spread out.

The only part I enjoyed is Barrio Santa Cruz when it's not full of tourists.

kenderina

Great report, yk !!
What the guidebooks about Spain don't tell is that we eat later because we grab something to eat in the afternoon (at 5-6 pm depending on the hour people have lunch)
If not..we probably be also starving at 8 o'clock LOL