Seville...you make me feel like I'm on the sun

I know you have all been losing sleep wondering where we've been, still here. Just had bad internet connections for the past week. Two posts up...this one and Barcelona. Thanks for keeping up with us! Makes up think you like us or something.

We traded hills for heat!! This city is H-O-T! And of course I was down to the end of the clothes before laundry day and the only thing I had left was not only hot, it kind of made me look like I played for the other team. If you know what I mean. I don't plan on making any fashion statements while I am here, but even this outfit I hope not repeat.


Seville, Spain. Proud home of flamenco dancing, bull fights, and the birth place of tapas. It started out as a pretty friendly city, we were surprised since it's a large city and that's not usually what they are known for. But everytime Ragan and I pulled out a map in the "non tourist" areas, one lovely Spanish gentlemen would point to the map and then to themselves in the best way they could communicate "let me help you!" It was really sweet and made us feel so comfortable. We hop of the bus, proud to have made it this far without screwing up only to find we just THOUGHT Lisbon was confusing with their streets and alleys. Forgettaboutit!! Those were a piece of cake compared to Sevilles "Old Town!" Let's put it this way, take a bunch of old building, squish them together so that there is only about 4 feet between them, have them all look the exact same, don't put streets signs on them & if they have them the name will change in about 15 feet, and make sure they crisscross. And now you have "Old Town" Seville. We noticed overall there is a serious lack of street signage all over this city. Ragan's nose was buried in a book trying to find the hotel on a map that didn't show all the streets and I gave up.  I just started asking people where we should go, I couldn't take the heat anymore!




Seville was the first capital of Spain so we went to tour the Alcazar, the first Palacio Real that was built in the 14th century. This is also where the discussions of Columbus' voyage to the New World were and also became the central hub for travel once it was discovered. The architecture was intersting but a little repetitive.

Courtyard at Alcazar

The greatest and largest thing to tour is the Seville Cathedral. It was built in the 14th century and finished in the 15th. It was built over a mosque that they tour down to build what the reconquitadores wanted to demonstrate their religion by constructing a church so great that "those who come after us will take us for madmen." And madmen they looked like! This is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and one of the largest churches. The center nave stands at 138 feet & 124,000 square feet! It also houses 44 chapels. The alter has 3 TONS of gold leaf! This is also home to Christopher Columbus' tomb. There are some debates as to whether these really are the authentic remains of Columbus. He was moved several times before this was made is permanent home. Words can not describe the magnitutude of this structure and all of the detail inside. It's really hard to take in. But I will give you a few pics.


Front Entrance at Seville Cathedral



Part of the Center Nave at Seville Cathedral



There are three ways to look at the Cathedral: eye level, head slightly tileted back, and head back looking like a crane swallowing a fish. It's 138' at it's highest point! And all the detail work at the height doesn't stop.



Christopher Columbus' tomb



For the record, this haircut isn't cute in any country.

Ragan was sweet enough to share his cold with me. It's fun to be a country where you don't speak the language and can't exaclty communicate that I have a cold and that I'm pregnant. We were too scared for me to take anything since we didn't know what it was, so I got through a cold with Halls. Whooo. Which by the way, is the ONLY cough drop in this country. You only have a choice of flavors. I am hoping the communal part of this trip for all things unpleasant is now over. Bed bugs and a cold were enough for a couple to share in two weeks. 

We are off to Barcelona!