August 5, 2011 - Madrid to Seville, Spain

I sleep forever and wake up later than expected.  The time change really affected me.  After arriving in Madrid yesterday I am already hopping on a train today to head to Seville and won't be back to Madrid until the last two days of the trip.  I still have a few hours until I have to catch my train.

I love staying in a hotel for the products they offer in the bathroom.  You never know exactly what things they will have and I brought so few toiletries in my backpack, only enough to fill my one liter TSA approved bag.  I use the soap, shampoo hybrid they supply in the bathroom.  I'm not really sure if it was shampoo at all, maybe it was just body wash but it did the job.

I check out of the Hotel and head out to find some breakfast.  I stop at a trendy cafe that advertises a croissant and a drink for two Euros, and choke down the croissant, still no appetite.  I sip the coke served in a glass bottle slowly, no refills.  I have a headache and I count back the hours to the last time I've had caffeine, it was on the plane.

Atocha Train Station

I hop on the Metro to Atocha.  There are two Atocha stations, the Atocha Renfe station is the one that exits directly into the train station.  I arrive about two hours prior to the departure of my train because I have to activate my rail pass and I have to stand in line at the ticket office.  It takes me less than 30 minutes to get my pass activated.  I head to the platform to wait, thank goodness for my Kindle.  I spend my time planning what I will be doing in Seville.

Atocha is a multi-level station with an indoor waiting area.  Once a train is boarding, the officials check your tickets prior to being allowed to descend the escalator which takes you to a specific train platform where your train is waiting.   I was surprised that I have to pass through security, complete with baggage x-rays and metal directors to get to the platforms.  I had never seen that level of security in a European train station.

Even with a Eurorail pass, you need a reservation on all trains in Spain.  I scheduled all of my reservations for Spain from home through Rail Europe.  Since I'm in my 30's, I had to purchase a 1st class pass.  I splurged on my first reservation and opted to sit in first class.  You might ask why I wouldn't always sit in first class when I have a first class pass and the answer is money, a reservation for 2nd class is significantly cheaper than a 1st class reservation.  This point is moot in most cases because in most countries, trains don't require a reservation at all with a rail pass.

First class was amazing, reading material, all in Spanish and not particularly useful to me.  Drink service, alcoholic and non, warm towels and a full lunch with dessert.  I sat amongst the businessmen in there suits and skirts feeling a bit grubby.

We arrive at Santa Justa and I head to Tourist Info to grab a map.  I join the mass of people filtering onto the escalators to take us up to the main level of Santa Justa.  At the top of the escalator are a half dozen photographers wildly taking pictures.  Flashes going off and people scurrying off in every direction to get out of the pandemonium of the flashes.  I cut left and right and one of the photographers gets in my face and snaps a picture, I keep moving forward towards TI.  I grab a free map and locate the street where my hotel.  The only difference between a free map and a map that costs you money is the street index.  A free map rarely has a street index so it takes me a few minutes to find the street.

A Typical Seville Courtyard

I head out of the train station and the clamor of the photographers is gone, like they were never there.  I head out of the train station and start the 30 minute walk to Hotel Sevilla.  Seville is hot, hotter than Madrid.  The temperature reads 36 degrees, I make a mental note to learn what that actually means in Celsius the next time I'm in a Wi-Fi zone.  I walk further and further towards downtown and I fall in love with Seville.

Seville is charming.  It's not a small town but the downtown is cobblestones and alleys and orange trees.  I notice how many businesses are closed, with signs on the door reading CERRADO AGOSTO 1-31.  The residents have escaped the heat and gone on vacation.  I wouldn't recommend Seville in August, it's too hot but I definitely recommend Seville as a travel destination.

After checking into Hotel Sevilla, I check out the courtyard.  A Mecca in the center of the hotel.  Courtyards offer a cool respite in the summer heat, somehow they stay cool all summer long.

I walked over to the historic center and check out the Cathedral.  The world's largest Cathedral.  Seville is known for their narrow streets that maximize shade.  Some alleys are so narrow you can touch the buildings on either side of you at the same time by stretching out your arms.  I appreciate the thought that the city planner put into this.

Relaxing along the Guadalquivir

I walked down to the Guadalquivir River past the Bull Fighting Museum to the Bull Fighting Ring.  There are no bullfights in August because it's too hot.  I take a look around in front of the arena, I walk up to the gate and peer through.  I continued down Paseo de Cristobol Colon looking for a place to buy a bottle of water.  I made my way over Puente Isabel II and into the neighborhood of Triana.  I wander around looking at row houses and the locals sitting along the edge of the river for a few hours before heading back to the historic center.

Seville Cathedral

I'm exhausted as I sit down on the side steps of the Cathedral.  Pigeons are congregating pecking at a large pile of breadcrumbs.  The square is full of people.  A young man is running through the square while pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair through the pigeons.  There is a flurry of feathers as the pigeons take flight.  As the sun sets, the cafes on the square begin to fill with people laughing and drinking.  I head over to Barrio Santa Cruz to have dinner at a recommended tapas restaurant, Bodega Paco Gongora.  I order ham prepared two different ways and a few beers.  Highly recommended!

It's late as I walk back.  I'm looking for a bar with live music.  I walk the narrow streets of Barrio Santa Cruz and eventually make it back to the Cathedral (yes I was lost).  As I walk around the Cathedral I pass street musicians playing flamenco music.  The acoustics around the Cathedral are spectacular and I take a seat and listen to the musician pick the strings of his guitar, the sound filling my soul with the strains of flamenco music.  A perfect ending to the day.