Espana 7- Seville

So, here we are in Seville, the land of kings, conquest , oranges, culture, flamenco, and commerce. The locals think of themselves as “Andalucian” almost before being Spanish. There are two football (soccer) teams, one is Seville and the other is Betas, which is the team of the people who are Andalucian first. The river that runs through is called Quadalquiver by the entire rest of the world except the Andalutheans, which call it Betas. (my new personal waiter at a tapas bar that specializes in eggplant explained that to me during a televised game of one of the national cup games).
Nora also artfully told a very young shy bartender that since he was sick and had a fever, he should go home and be in bed. What she really said in Spanish is… well ask me when we get home as it is hysterical and everyone at the counter was laughing for at least 15 minutes. He was beet red... jah

I toyed briefly with the idea of doing a little hotel review, but decided that would be boring. I will say a few words about our first two hotels, however. Las Meninas in Madrid was a nice, modern little hotel in a great location (thanks to Jennifer’s diligent research) that only lacked two things - a hook to hang your hat on and a clock. I hate waking up at 4:30 a.m. and not knowing what time it is. So we arrive in Seville and our hotel was once the house of “Nino Ricardo”, one of the great innovators of flamenco guitar music. The rooms are charming and happily have a few hooks but, alas, still no clock. Then we go to bed and BONG! what the hell was that? Thirty minutes later we get ten bongs, and these bongs sound like Big Ben was right outside our window. I look at Jennifer and laugh, but she is seriously not happy. It took two Tylenol P.M. and a set of earplugs for her to sleep through the night. So for the last six nights we have had to hear (one) of the neighborhood cathedrals ring the hour and every half-hour as well. Truth be told, I’m going to miss my big “clock”...nll

OK, so how would you like a big gong-ing clock right next to you head reminding you all night how much time it is that you are not sleeping? Do you know how long it takes for 10-12 bongs to go off????…jah

We did the tour of the Alcazar (castle) today. So Pretend you have a big family estate or Duchy that has been though Carthaginians, the Romans and the Visagoths, the Moors, the Iberian re-conquest, the Golden Age, the Casa de Contratacion (which is the equivalent of Spains rise to commerce as all the goods from the new world had to be funneled through Seville), then the Decline and the 20th century.
You take this house or REALLY BIG PALACE and everyone to whom it is handed down or takes it by force, remodels it during every era and TA DA!!!! you get the palace that spans from Carthaginians to now, in all its styles. It is the oldest still in use palace by a monarchy: The Alcazar. It also has these Moorish walls and Baroque ceilings, wierd reniasanuce touches, etc...jah