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First day I set out on my own to find the market. I've done my research, looked on google maps to find my way. I'm a pretty good navigator with a good sense of direction. So I'll be fine. Back in an hour. Oh man was I wrong. Sevilla is a maze of streets. Turns out I sent myself into Barria de Santa Cruz, or the old Jewish Quarters. I've since learned that it was not built on a grid like most cities... They purposely built the street small and short and a maze so they could escape any attackers who came in. If the attackers got as turned around as I did they wouldn't have starved to death before finding their way out. I got lost so many times but found so many cool things along the way. Did I mention that iPhone Maps has saved my ass a few times. I literally went in a circle once and twice found myself going to compete wrong direction from where I wanted to go. But I stumbled on the SuperSol market for groceries, and found the Museo de Flamenco which apparently is something to see. Note for future. It wasn't all a wasted trip.
Back home with groceries and we're having tacos for lunch :)
Tuesday we're up and out and taking the tram to Parque de Maria Luisa to see what we can find. From the tram stop we go through Prado de San Sebastián (a park!) where we run into a couple of cool playgrounds for the kids. Perfect. Burn off some steam!
We discover what I think are orange trees that have the most beautifully fragrant flowers. As you walk through the park, the scent wafts past you and it's amazing.
Across the street to the park and at this end its the Plaza de España. Holy s***. I heard it was spectacular but you can't even put it in words. Stunning. Go check the photos. It will literally take your breath away as you come around the corner and catch a glimpse. Many movies have been filmed here, including 2 different episodes of Star Wars. No wonder.
We wander, take a million photos. It's a gorgeous sunny day. Just perfect for exploring, not too hot.
There is a waterway that runs along the semi circular building... And you can rent a rowboat to enjoy a little romance, or some good family laughs. We took turns, took more pics. And back to wandering the plaza. Cross the water bridges to the building and you find 50 small sections of the building front, each dedicated to a Spanish province. 50 provinces? Really? Really!
Horse drawn carriages and guy playing spanish guitar just add to the whole scene. Loved it.
Back on the tram to home. Whew.
Wednesday I've read about the Mercado al Arenal so I drag the whole fam out... But looks like we should have been there early. It's a locals market, not a tourist thing. So by 1pm most of the good daily fresh stuff is gone. Just a few stragglers around. The fish smell is pretty strong! Kids hate it. Found a stand packing up leftover prawns for freezing. They're huge and I'm pretty sure some still moving. A few fish stands with some crazy looking stuff. Found one salmon... Apparently from Norway. Likely farmed. Found a meat stand but decided no. I would have but Greg not.
Out we go without a purchase and on to the main strip along the river. We found an English pub style place. Ok time for a change so here we go.
Burgers all around! And beer of course. Table on the sidewalk. Always noisy and full of people.
Without a plan we walk over to the river edge. There's a boardwalk that runs along... Looks like great place for run, bike, walk. Lots of people cruising along. We head for the bridge which take us over to Triana area. This is where I originally wanted us to stay in Seville but no luck finding a good spot. It looks intriguing but kids want to keep walking along river so my Triana stroll will have to wait.
Along this section of river are cafes and bars (many closed now to open tonight). We see fish in the river, which is a dark greenish colour. A few river cruise type boats along here. And quite a few manly men training in their kayaks, or dragon boat style vessels. Not bad to watch for a few minutes. We walk along the other side of the river to another bridge to cross back over to El Arenal side where we stay. Find a few gems and take note to come back later. This side of the river we run into Torre Del Oro (tower of gold). Dates back to 1211. Has had many uses and functions over the years. We can go up but it's a lot of stairs and we've walked so far today. Save this for another day.
A few more blocks back to home. Whew.
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