Am I just getting old or is checking in at airports getting worse? My check in and security checks at Stanstead en route to Seville were tortuous! In reality, it probably wasn´t as bad as when I went to NZ last, and of course nothing touches the two hour Air India check-in, but shouldn´t European flights be a bit speedier? Argh! Oh well, made it onto the flight ok, got to Seville in one piece, found the airport bus and (after a bit of aimless, but ultimately directional wandering) found my hotel.
My hotel, YH Giralda, is really close to the centre of town, and is an old abbot´s palace that´s been converted. I´d read a terrible review of it on Trip Advisor, but in reality, it´s fine. Didn´t get to the hotel until about 10pm, so I basically dumped my stuff and went and had some food at a restaurant right by the cathedral. Fantastic views of the Giralda itself, the huge tower of the cathedral.
Spent most of the day today at the Alcazar, the palace at the centre of Seville. It was stunning. There is a huge Moorish palace that´s nearly 1000 years old, with tiled rooms, fountains, reception rooms and secret balconies for spying on visitors. It was just so beautiful. There is also an older section of the palace that was built in the 14th century, and huge gardens, with a 30 foot high jacaranda tree. It was a beautifully warm day, so I took advantage of the many shady spots and cool rooms.
After spending about five hours there, I went and had some lunch and chatted with two Los Angelenos women who are here on vacation. The Santa Cruz area around the Alcazar has lots of little bars and cafes as well as souvenir shops etc.
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