Trayle

Day 4 Sunday October 8th 2006

Our final day in Sevilla.

We had decided the evening before to sort of go our own way in the morning and then meet up to go to the cathedral. That meant sleaping late for Bas and myself trying to catch up with some of our lost sleep. We could leave the luggage in a locked room in the hostal which was really great. After a quick breakfast we went to explore a little of the area between Santa Cruz and La Macarena where there are some really nice squares and buildings (see pictures). With the deep blue sky as a background you just can't go wrong when taking pictures.

We met up with the other two couples and had a drink to wait for the cathedral to open.

On Sunday the cathedral opens at 14.30 but please check this because the entry system and timetable change frequently. Sunday is the only day when entrance to the cathedral is free. The entrance fee on other days is 7 Euro pp. The cathedral of Sevilla is after the Vatican in Rome and St. Pauls in London the largest in Europe. The amount of gold that is splattered around is unbelievable (see picture of the altar which is supposed to be covered in two tons of gold) and you wonder how many lives have been sacrificed to carve and decorate the huge vaulting.The tower is accesible for those who want to climb the somewhat 35 stairs or ramps really, since the knights used to climb these with their horses (so the story goes).  All the way in the top you get rewarded with an amazing view over the whole city

but I think the city is prettier when seen from the ground.

Since we had such a fantastic lunch the day before Bas and I decided to return to tapasbar "Entre Carceles" to have some more of the courgette.

Unfortunately this was the end of our long weekend in Sevilla, a fantastic city. We will surely get back there as soon as possible!!!

Day 3 Saturday October 7th 2006

After another restless night we got up pretty early and moved to hostal Toledo in de Barrio de Santa Cruz.  After dropping of the luggage we went to find a nice place to have breakfast and wait for Brigitte and Geert (yet another one). After they arrived we went for a stroll through Santa Cruz towards the bullring but it wasn't open yet so we took a walk north along the river where they have some cleverly constructed bridges and back through the Barrio Macarena which took about 2 hours. All the walking had made us hungry and since Brigitte and Geert did not have breakfast we went looking for a tapas bar (yes again). We made the mistake of going to one of the main squares and sat down on a terrace to find out that it was ridiculously expensive so we just had a drink and went to find a nice cosy place in a hurry since it was a quarter to 4. In Spain all the bars and restaurants stop serving food/lunch at 4 o'clock. Thank god we found "Entre Carceles" just in time because we had some of the best tapas ever, and believe me, we've had some. Especially the courgette stuffed with cod and topped with melted cheese and forrest fruit salsa still makes my mouth water writing it down.

After this gourmet feast we went back to the bullring since it was supposed to be open. There is a 20 minute tour (4 Euro pp) through the bullring with a guide that speaks Spanish and English. Even if you don't approve of bull fighting you should know something about this tradition that lives in the heart of the majority of the Spanish people. The bull fight stadium of Sevilla is one of the biggest and probably the oldest in Spain. Bullfighting takes place from half April until half October.

After our visit to the bullring we went back to the hotel to freshen up. We made reservations at Mesón del Moro, one of the Italian restaurants of a chain called San Marco situated in al old Moorish bathhouse were we were going to celebrate Patricia's an my birthday.  When we got to the restaurant  they placed us in the new part upstairs which was dissapointing but  after negotiating a bit with the waiter they got us a nice table for 6 people downstairs (see picture all the way in the back but it looks a lot nicer in real life) where the actual baths used to be. They have pizza's and pasta's as well as nice starters, fish and meat dishes. The salmon carpaccio and the solomillo (sirloin) were fantastic as well as all the deserts. After dinner we had some drinks in a bar in the Santa Cruz area and went back to the hostal to finally get a good nights rests.

 

Day 2 Friday October 6th 2006

After a night we don't want to remember we skipped breakfast at the hostal hence missing the muffin the reviewers on the hostal site were so hung up about.  We passed the Puente (=bridge) San Telmo and headed for barrio Santa Cruz. Passing the huge cathedral, after the Vatican in Rome and St. Pauls in London the biggest in Europe, we walked north and had breakfast in a bar at the Mateos Gago. After that we walked through Santa Cruz used to be the the medieval Jewish quarter and is a tangle of winding streets with lots of pitoresque bars, restaurants and shops. In calle Santa Teresa we encountered "Hostal Toledo " with rooms with a double bed and a private bathroom just slightly more expensive (50 Euro a night per room) than the Triana Backpackers.  and decided to move their for the last night since it was too late to change for this day. After that we had a drink on a terrace in the sun (we had sun and 30 degrees Celcius for 3 days)

We decided to visit the Reales Alcázares the former palace/fortress of several moorish and christian kings. It resembles the Alhambra in some ways although a lot smaller and missing the stunning whitecapped mountains of the Sierra Nevada on the background but it is still very beautiful and well worth a visit. Entrance fee is around 7 Euro per person with discounts for students, senior citizens and children but this varies per year. A electronic tourguide will cost an additional 3 or 4 Euro and access to the Cuarto Real Alto, the richly decorated set of rooms still reserved for the Spanish royal family will cost another 3 Euro. We ended the tour with a stroll through the gardens whit its huge palmtrees.

After the Reales Alcázares we were quite hungry and went looking for a nice tapasbar in the neighborhood. We found one, "Mesón de la Infanta ", in Calle dos de Mayo a side street of the Paseo de Cristobal Colón which runs along the east side of the river Guadalquivir. The tapas were very good as well as the wine. The desert were rather expensive and we've had better in Spain.

After lunch we went to the Parque de Maria Luisa which is about a 20 minute walk and had a little nap in the grass. Refreshed we went to the Plaza de España which has a semi circular structure with some Seville tilework expressing the provinces of Spain. After having another drink we went back to the hotel to freshen up. Since the tapas we had the night before were really good we wanted to go back to "La Albahaca" but the place was really crowded to we walked south on Pagés del Corro until we saw a Venezolean restaurant called "Macuro" with quite an original menu. It was nice but rather oily smelling inside probably due to a bad extractor. We had dinner anyway but nobody was really enthusiastic about the food. With a lot of wine it wasn't too bad though. Geert and Patricia were tired so they went back to the hostal and we went on to find a bar. Bar "El Tejar" was supposed to have live flamenco on Friday according to our travel guide but didn't. It was a very busy place with lots of Spaniards between the age of 25 and 45 and no foreigners. Because their was no flamenco we went home after just one drink.

Sevilla

We have been living in Andalucia for over a year now and until last week still had not been to Sevilla. Shame on us. However, we met a Belgian couple and it turned out that the female half of them (Patricia) is also from the 9th of October so we decided to celebrate our birthdays together in Sevilla. It was their first time as well and they have been living here for 3 years so we didn't feel that bad.

Day 1 Thursday October 5th 2006

Since we all had to work the whole day we decided to leave at 17.30. We met up at the golfcourse of Rincon de la Victoria (near Malaga) were we left our car and went along with Geert and Patricia's car. The drive to Sevilla took about 2 hours (which is pretty fast). Arriving in Sevilla we went straight to the "Triana Backpackers " hostal " that was booked by another Belgian couple that would join us on Saturday. As it turned out we got an incredible small room (2,5 x2,75)with two bunkbed with reception view right next to the shared bathroom. We realized immediately that we were way to old for this but since it was after seven allready we stayed anyway. The hostal did have good reviews on the bookingsite but I think 88 ? for one night for two bunkbeds is pretty steep even in Sevilla. The room did have airco but that was situated directly over one of the top beds so that was not really an option. I did ask for a blanket but they didn't have any (do they close the hostal during winter??) so that meant no airco. By opening the window to the reception hall we could have checked in all the guests ourselves (from our beds, that is how close the room was to the reception) and save us some money. Geert and Patricia were smart enough to bring their earplugs but we didn't. Anyway it was rather clean and if you are young I guess it is fine. The reviews on all the hostal sites recommend it.

After we left the hostal as fast as we could we set out to explore the neighborhood Triana which is on the westside of the river Guadalquivir. On the boulevard (Calle Betis) there are lots of cafe's and restaurants which are not among the cheapest ones. We had a drink and some small tapas at one of the bars at Plaza del Altozano near the bridge Isabel II. After that we went to tapasbar "La Albahaca " that was recommended by the receptionist of the hostal and had some really fantastic tapas. At first the waiter did not want to serve us tapas inside but after we nagged a bit it wasn't any problem. Most of the dishes can be ordered in 3 sizes: as a tapa (snack), a media ración (medium), or a ración (full meal size). This goes for most tapasbars/restaurants. Your eyes are always bigger than your stomach so be careful, order about 2 tapas per person and share them (which is the whole idea of eating tapas). Then if you are still hungry order some more. 

Afterwards we went to an original flamenco bar in the same street. Not one of the big shows with the fancy dresses but a mere café were some old guys played guitar and sang.  There was some dancing  but it wasn't really special although the atmosphere was good.

After that we went back to the hostal to "enjoy" our nights sleep.

 

La Reja 

Located in a very old building in the centro of Mijas pueblo is restaurante/barbacoa/pizzería La Reja. It has nice views (they call it panoramic but that would be an overstatement) over the village and lots of authentic details about it and you should watch your steps and head at all times because this house was built in times when people were a lot smaller than nowadays. You can watch the many souvenir and leather shops and tourists taking a ride on one of the numerous donkeys. The friendly waiters all seemed to come from Marocco. The menu was very varied and they specialize in grilled meats and Paella. We didn't think the quality of the food was too good (especially the pasta and the pizza). They are closed on Tuesday.

La Alcazaba 

La Alcazaba is a very nice restaurant in the pituresque although very touristic town of Mijas pueblo. It has stunning panoramic views over the Andalucian coastline. The waiters know their business unlike some (or most) restaurants in the south of Spain. The have an extensive winelist and serve good sized meals. The speciality of the house is fish, seafood, meat and the national dish paella with a Mijas twist. There have really beautiful private accomodation for banquets and celebration in old Moorish style. To be sure that you have a window seat to enjoy the view you should make reservations especially on Sunday afternoon.

 

Driving inland and to the north from the Costa Blanca we crossed the deserted plains of Castilla la Mancha, home ground of the famous Don Quijotte.

After driving through this very dry, almost savanna-like province, the town of Cuenca looks like an oasis. We liked it at first sight.

The old centre of Cuenca is spectacularly built on a plateau between two rivers and is famous for its hanging houses (casas colgadas) that seem to be glued to the cliffs. It is hardly impossible to get there by car so you can either walk there or take the little tourist train.

We decided to spend the night at Campingsite Caravaning which is about 8 km out of town and the drive towards it is beautiful. The camping site itself is situated between big pine trees on some rolling grassy hill side, is very well utilized and has (Dutch) ANWB approval. On our spot at the camping we had a conversation with our neighbors, an English couple which fled from their house in Alcalali, near Denia,  because of unexpected construction work. They  told us some horrible stories about the local Spanish politics and real estate developers in their area. We spent some time near the nice camping pool.

Early in the evening we headed for the beautiful historic centre of Cuenca were we had dinner at the terrace of Bar La Tinaja (calle del Obispo Valero 4) where they serve some fine local specialties (some of which we were not too sure about which part of an animal they came from).

Afterwards we had a stroll through the centre of Cuenca and had a few drinks at café bar Dedaldo, one of the many terraces on the Plaza Mayor where Bas had a conversation with an old Swedish artist who had been living in Spain for ages who was very concerned that we as Dutch could not cycle in Spain because of al the mountains.

We really had to rush back to the camping because the gates close (for motor vehicles) at midnight and we had to get our car in before that. Arriving just in time, we had a few local liquors in the (steaming hot) camping bar. We forgot the names but just ask the waiter because they were good, although quite expensive.

The next morning we decided to follow one of the scenic routes north of Cuenca (guides available at the camping office). This route took us via the CM-2105 via the Ventana del Diablo (Devils window), a marvelous viewing point over one of the ravines of the Jucar river.

Still following the CM-2105 we went to the Ciudad Encantada (Enchanted City). It is a series of rocks eroded into fantastical shapes by nature. Very impressive! If you let your imagination carry you away, it is possible to see a boat on its keel, a dog, a roman bridge and more. The trip around this open air rock museum takes about 40 minutes.

Driving further over the CU-921 we passed Uña, famous for its lake and after that Huélamo, a village that seems glued to a mountain side. Just after Tragacete we took a walk at Vega del Codorno where the river Cuervo has its origin. It is a truly fairy tail landscape where little creeks form a cascade. Since we The walk takes about 45 minutes.

After that we had lunch in the little village of Tragacete at Hostal El Gamo. We had two menu del dia (dish of the day) which included starter, main course desert and wine, all for ? 23,50. It was not the best we ever had but very reasonable surely for that price.

We drove back to our camping site through El Tejadillos a nature reserve park where Bas took some pictures of a shepherd with his herd of cows. The bull of the herd seemed to thoroughly enjoy the bodily fluids of his cows (see picture). We even saw some wild deer and horses.

Back at the camping site we were really exhausted (city folk as we are) and decided to skip dinner en instead enjoyed the millions of stars in the sky.

We have been living in Torre del Mar for 10 months now. Torre del Mar has a nice boulevard, a nice passeo (Passeo Larios) and more Spaniards then foreign tourists but for the rest it is not a must.