Pics: entrance to the Alcazar, tortoise-shell fan, room in the Alcazar, tapas bar with sangriaHad breakfast at nine and the nice concierge took the key I found I had in my pocket from Finca Marta and promised to mail it back to them which was very helpful as finding a padded envelope and a correos (post office) would have been a hassle.
We set off to the cathedral with plans of walking up the 32 ramps to the top of the Giralda (ramps so horses could walk to the top) but it didn’t open until 11 so we headed to the Real Alcázar (royal palace) built by Pedro I in 1350, and although a Catholic, he built a fantastic palace in Moorish style. RR was very pleased to find that, due to our old age, we could get in free, thus saving about $20! We were also able to get audio players and walked around the palace for a couple of hours seeing amazing rooms, halls, gardens with really interesting commentary. Unlike true Islamic architecture which doesn’t allow depictions of people or animals, Pedro I snuck some in here and there. He was called Pedro, the Cruel, although only by the aristocracy, so he probably was a pretty good sort, and, anyway, he and his descendents spent 100 years building a wonderful palace.
We wondered around the Barrio of Santa Cruz, the old Jewish neighborhood of the Middle Ages, now a colorful flower-filled area full of shops and restaurants. We found one of the restaurants that we had looked at last night when it was closed, and found people setting up tables, chairs and umbrellas and were told it would open at 1:15, in about an hour. So we wandered away and stopped in a cool open air bar for glasses of Sangria which we sipped very slowly until our restaurant opened! We got back to El Albahaca and got a table with a lovely view of the Plaza of Santa Cruz. Bob got cold garlic, almond soup with currents in it - very delicious and refreshing. Then he got supremes of chicken as chicken is so hard to get, for some reason. I got wonderful ox tail stew which was really rich and lovely. It was getting quite hot by then and after a bottle of wine we staggered back home for a much-needed siesta.
We dozed, packed, paid our bill. I got the phone number of the taxi service the hotel uses in case no one appears at 5 AM tomorrow, as RR is afraid of.
About eight we walked the short ways to Avenida Alfalfa and found the tiny Bar Alfalfa with a tapas table free and had a delicious light supper of beer, bracaola (dried beef with olive oil and parmasan), eggplant with oil and mint and warm goat cheese with herbs. Just right!
We set off to the cathedral with plans of walking up the 32 ramps to the top of the Giralda (ramps so horses could walk to the top) but it didn’t open until 11 so we headed to the Real Alcázar (royal palace) built by Pedro I in 1350, and although a Catholic, he built a fantastic palace in Moorish style. RR was very pleased to find that, due to our old age, we could get in free, thus saving about $20! We were also able to get audio players and walked around the palace for a couple of hours seeing amazing rooms, halls, gardens with really interesting commentary. Unlike true Islamic architecture which doesn’t allow depictions of people or animals, Pedro I snuck some in here and there. He was called Pedro, the Cruel, although only by the aristocracy, so he probably was a pretty good sort, and, anyway, he and his descendents spent 100 years building a wonderful palace.
We wondered around the Barrio of Santa Cruz, the old Jewish neighborhood of the Middle Ages, now a colorful flower-filled area full of shops and restaurants. We found one of the restaurants that we had looked at last night when it was closed, and found people setting up tables, chairs and umbrellas and were told it would open at 1:15, in about an hour. So we wandered away and stopped in a cool open air bar for glasses of Sangria which we sipped very slowly until our restaurant opened! We got back to El Albahaca and got a table with a lovely view of the Plaza of Santa Cruz. Bob got cold garlic, almond soup with currents in it - very delicious and refreshing. Then he got supremes of chicken as chicken is so hard to get, for some reason. I got wonderful ox tail stew which was really rich and lovely. It was getting quite hot by then and after a bottle of wine we staggered back home for a much-needed siesta.
We dozed, packed, paid our bill. I got the phone number of the taxi service the hotel uses in case no one appears at 5 AM tomorrow, as RR is afraid of.
About eight we walked the short ways to Avenida Alfalfa and found the tiny Bar Alfalfa with a tapas table free and had a delicious light supper of beer, bracaola (dried beef with olive oil and parmasan), eggplant with oil and mint and warm goat cheese with herbs. Just right!
Bob's soup sounds WONDERFUL!
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