Monday, 26 May
Today was another good day to sleep in a little. Dolora and I strolled around after breakfast. I had not gotten tickets for the cathedral ahead of time and we knew that we would be standing in line. The cathedral opened at eleven and we got in line at ten thirty. It was already getting warm. Fortunately they started selling tickets a little early and we quickly moved into the shade. We received a senior discount on tickets! And they had audio guides available that actually worked.
Audio guides have been a bit of an adventure on this trip. Some sights with audio guides listed as available – no guides. Downloaded guides sometimes require an internet connection to work. Others expect you to bring your own plug in headphones. Details have not been available ahead of time.
The Sevilla Cathedral is impressive because of its sheer size. It is the third largest church in Europe. The shape is more square than a traditional catholic church because it was built over the footprint of a mosque. The columns are over eight feet in diameter. Most notable is that the remains of Christopher Columbus are here. He sailed from Seville when he “discovered” America. The bell tower was the mosque’s minaret. Thirty five ramps and seventeen steps take you to the top where there are views of the city. I was glad we made the climb in the morning since today’s temperature hit ninety five.
We made a quick stop in our room which is across the street from the cathedral before heading to lunch at Casa Morales for more tapas. It was crowded in the front bar but a side door led to another room where Dolora and I were able to find a table to stand at. An attentive waiter helped us with our order and we had another tasty lunch and even saved a little room for … gelato.
Our ticket to the cathedral also included admission to the nearby Church of the Savior, Iglesia del Salvador. I enjoyed this smaller church more than the cathedral. There were no crowds, we saw one small tour group. Unlike the cathedral, the Church of the Savior is built in one style, baroque. The artwork was more colorful and you could get closer. Baroque music was also playing for our enjoyment. It turned out to be a nice addition to our last day.
A short break for siesta before our final supper in Spain. Dolora and I decided that maybe we were tapaed out and would have a nice meal. San Marco Santa Cruz was the choice. It is nearby and the setting is a preserved Arabic bath from the 12th century. The setting is beautiful and the food delicious. Dolora had Escalopines de solomillo ibérico al gorgonzola, Iberian pork scaloppini with gorgonzola sauce. My taste was very good. I ordered Spaghetti neri di sepia con gambón, bacalao, tomate y lima,Black cuttlefish ink spaghetti with king prawns, cod, tomato and lime. Dessert was Tarta de limón y lima, Lemon and lime tart, and Pastel de chocolate y helado de vainilla, Chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. The chocolate dessert took 15 minutes to make. It was a lava cake hot out of the oven. What a wonderful way to end our trip.
Tomorrow will be a packaged breakfast from the hotel and airport food, quite a contrast. But we will get to sleep in our own beds tomorrow night.