I'm coming to the conclusion that unless you're travelling solely on high speed trains, I've learned that paying the extra for the first class interrail pass isn't really worth it. I'm currently in what is an admittedly spacious coach en route for Cadiz, but it's not first class so I couldn't use the Renfe lounge at the station (I was stupidly early) as my reservation needed to be for a first class train today. WiFi is complicated to obtain (I gave up, so am mobile hotpspotting again), and even when I was in a first class coach you can't charge anything up, and there was no free coffee or food. Even bluetooth and mobile hotspots are dodgy much of the time.
I know, first world problems, but I had a bit of a sweaty time getting on the packed train on Sunday from Cordoba to Seville, with general awkwardness finding seat, space for luggage etc - luckily those around me were patient and it was a short journey! On my last interrailing trip, rail travel in Italy and France in first class made a big difference - I've yet to find out about Portugal (I'll be on a bus from Seville to Tavira on Thursday as there are no trains), but if I travel by rail in Spain again I may be a bit more circumspect. Reservations seem to be pretty much compulsory anyway on trains between major cities, so first class makes little difference.
Anyway - had a very pleasant couple of days in beautiful Seville along with gazillions of other tourists! Rob met me at the station and we took a taxi to the reception of my accommodation where I could store my luggage for a couple of hours until my room was ready. It was in a beautiful building, a huge, very old style room with green-painted furniture and a bathroom with rather temperamental antique brass taps and a washbasin that only came up to my thighs - work out the stoop on that!
We went for beer and a wander, then found a place to eat which I would not recommend if I could remember the name of it (there are actually two of them). Beautifully decorated with great service, the food was pretty dire and why on earth once of my favourite tapas, huevas rotas, had to be served with chips rather than delicious little chunks of roasties I have no idea. I was minded of Shirley Valentine "chips and egg", with a few bits of jamon on top.
After settling into my room and freshening up (and managed to leave my apartment despite the unwelcome attentions of a very persistent and very drunk beggar who wanted to come into the central courtyard as well as adding to his paper cup) we went off in what had become fairly searing afternoon heat to Plaza de Espana in the middle of a beautiful park to pick up our walking tour. Jose's English was not the best, but he was an enthusiastic and engaging guide (called us "family", not "chicas", which I rather liked) and passionate about the history of the city.
We visited a number of significant sites including the main Plaza de Espana building, created for the Expo of 1929 and which is a beautiful, semi-circular terracotta brick building that celebrates the whole of Spain. We saw a couple of the remaining pavilions (most have been demolished), which are also pretty special, and Jose told us the story of the cigarellas, the women who worked in the beautiful tobacco factory (now the university) and successfully fought for their equal rights. We also saw the Golden Tower (where gold imported from the Americas was stored), the luxurious, celebrity favourite Hotel Alfonso XIII, and were introduced to the bullring, which has a rather lovely exterior despite the gruesome sport played out within. Yes, the bull almost always dies and about 12000 people go to gawp at the spectacle, so it's big business.
Rob had booked dinner at The Disputante, a fairly trendy restaurant a bit of a schlep away from the old town. With an unusual menu (I couldn't resist coconut soup again) and a good wine list, it was reasonably priced for the standard of food and service. Feeling very full though, we got a taxi back and sampled orange wine back at the bar in front of Rob's accommodation.
Rob very kindly walked me home (I think I would have got lost otherwise - I reckon Google Maps has a blind spot in that area as it sent me in circles three times in total) and we had a second encounter with a drunk, this time an obnoxious English guy who was well oiled and wanting more drink from whoever would serve him. He asked us to help him, but I pointed out that being rude to bartenders would not endear them to him, especially as he was wearing a T-shirt reminding him "Don't be a dick" - which he was. He also kept saying that he was really fucking rich and told everyone he passed that he was richer than them - whether he was or not, I suspect his evening would not have ended happily as he finally staggered off into the night and the maze of narrow streets, hard enough to navigate sober...
Again, I slept like a log and was almost late meeting Rob for our morning out. After breakfast, we went to take a closer look at Plaza de Espana and watched some mesmersing flamenco. We couldn't get in to the Alcazar - it was sold out for the day, and we didn't fancy braving the throng in the cathedral, so after skirting the substantial Labour Day march of the local communist groups, we went in to the pretty and unassuming Hospital Los Venerables, founded in the 17th century as a home for poorly priests and now a museum with a spectacular trompe l'oeil church within and a number of significant paintings by Velazquez and his contemporaries.
We went to Bar Europa for a very good lunch - thanks for the tip Helen Jones! and Rob then ordered an Uber to take him to the airport. I walked around, strolled riverside and had a mosey over the Puenta de Isabel II to Triana and back. Seville is so very elegant...
After the obligatory ice cream retired to my room to rest up, shower, blog and pack for the onward trip next day. I returned to Bar Europa for dinner but to my dismay they had run out of Zomate - green tomatoes with a basil avacado cream, so as usual when under pressure I panicked and chose a slightly strange tapas combo which I can barely remember apart from the chicken and pistachio pastry which was very good.
Despite the fact that my room was right on a busy narrow street and there was lots of noise, I managed to shut it out and slept really well. Rob was having a horrible delayed flight home so I did feel a bit guilty that it took him the entire rest of day to get back after we said our goodbyes!
On to Cadiz for a bit of sea air and maybe even some sand between my toes....
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