Thank god for the end of winter. Living in a big, stone house on the side of a mountain with four space heaters is uncomfortable. It was physically impossible to relax my shoulders for about 4 weeks - but yesterday and today I actually perspired while out walking, and it's 9pm and I've only just put on the thick wool socks which were previously only removed for washing. Nor do I need to wander around wrapped in a wool blanket anymore. Okay. I'm done with my relief dance.
I went to Sevilla last week for a few days, which was amazing. I did not know, for example, that Sevilla was the only port through which any and all goods from America went through for a couple of centuries. Or that bullfighting (boo) originated in Sevilla, or that the cathedral there is the 3rd largest in the world. Lastly, I did not know that the Archives of the Indies were there - an archive of over 80 million pages of documents sent between Spain and the New World. Unreal - and they let you go inside! That was a highlight for me. And the Alcazar, for which there are no words, unless you're Kahlil Gibran or some such eloquent poet. An enormous fort/palace dating from the days the Arabs ruled this part of Spain, and renovated and added on to for centuries by many rulers. I'm just going to say it - Arab design is SO MUCH PRETTIER than European design. There is absolutely no comparison between the styles - Arab design uses the negative space of the room, the entrance, the SKY - incorporating every aspect so harmoniously you really start to think you're in heaven. I remember that from when I went to Algeria in 1991 to visit Naman - their RUINS were more graceful than anything I'd ever seen. Turkish ruins, in Algiers, I believe. And tile should be a mandatory building material - makes everything not only gorgeous, but clean.
In Sevilla they also have a handful of vegetarians...which means a couple of vegetarian restaurants...I ate at one in the Plaza Alameda, that was fairly simple but the preparation of simple dishes was very, very good. The next day I ended up at the one that's only open Thurs-Sat. Wow. What a treat - very European, very beautiful, and quite healthy. It was one of those meals where you're glad you're alone so you don't have to hide the lust with which you eat. A pastel de verdura y papa in two sauces (one deep red, the other yellow (saffron?)). No morsel was safe at my table. It was nice that the chef/owner and the waiter seemed to be friends with everyone in there - I love places like that, that thrive even with weird hours because their clientele is so supportive. Dreamy.
I also got to go to the movies! I went to opening night of 'Primos' - a romantic comedy. It was that or Of Gods and Men (too serious for a solo traveler on holiday in Sevilla!). One thing that struck me was that the rating recommended this movie as inappropriate for children under the age of 7. Not one+seven (seventeen), but seven. The movie included a ton of vulgarity (blow job jokes are king, here), drug and alcohol abuse, a brothel. I didn't see any 8 year olds, but I do wonder what they're thinking making the distinction between 7 and 8. One is clearly a small child, and the other...is clearly a small child who can make jokes about bj's. I liked the movie - good moral to it and funny actors. Of course, as usual, only the men are allowed to be funny - women are either the butt of the joke or only appear in scenes with romance. Ah, world, please do get over your fucking self. Now! Why do people think women are some other species? We go through everything everyone else does, incuding war (usually as the victims of crimes society won't discuss because it's too harsh for women to talk about, even though we're the ones on the receiving end of almost all male sickness and vileness. I'm not trying to blow your mind, just reminding you how weird and stupid it is).
Had a great time at the youth hostel there - shared a room with a couple of French college students and there were a ton of long term people there who live in Sevilla at least part of the year. Fun place. I have to say that the youth hostel thing is good for me - I get a little anxious that I'm too old for these kids, and then I end up meeting a bunch of people and having a ball with them. Only at 10pm they go out, and I go to bed!
Sevilla was great, too, as a walking city - it's big (very) but you can walk almost everywhere, as it's flat and the sidewalks are decent. Another thing I love in Spain - the crosswalks are in a much smarter place than they are in the U.S. In the States, we put the crosswalks mainly at the corner, which is dangerous - here, they're maybe 20 feet from the corner, so there's much better visibility for people making a right on red, etc. So simple, so much better for peds and drivers alike. They also have rental bikes everywhere, that you can get a monthly subscription for and grab one whenever you need one, paying by the half hour you use them. And not expensive - probably runs a person about the same as a bus pass. Awesome...and there are separate bike paths and pedestrian paths, so cyclists aren't mowing down peds all the time.
That's some of my trip to Sevilla :)
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