A NIGHT in Seville and the morning after

I am in the Triana District of Sevilla in an eight-floor-penthouse apartment of the Resitur Hotel - an Airbnb near the Guadalquivir River.  It is a beautiful, mostly-residential, area near the Plaza de Cuba, the metro and any number of tapas bars and walkable avenues.  Rina, my friend from home in Casa Grande, knew exactly where we should stay during our few days here and it holds the essence of Spanish living.

Before the plane, train and then Salvador brought her to me, I had already met another friend (from the Hawaiian Spaniard's Facebook site), named María Mercedes Humanes in the Plaza de Cuba tapas bar.  She struggled with English and I with Spanish, but we enjoyed a lovely conversation over coffee and tapas.  Her great uncle Alfonso went to America many years ago and she found and communicates with her distant cousins in Oregon and California.  It is always such fun to discuss immigrant ancestors both in Spain and in America as we are drawn together with the curiosity to know our family roots.

I saw Rina and Salvador from my window and counted the minutes before I opened the door and saw her walking down the hallway toward me.  It was a sweet reunion.  I had wine and chips and olives waiting and we three sat on the upper terrace to chat leisurely before we gathered ourselves up to walk across the Guadalquivir River.  Walking across the bridge and seeing the Torre de Oro and Seville from that angle filled me with awe.

Golden lights spilled over me in every direction, splashing a glint along the river and filling me with quietness.  Salvador was on a mission to give me a tour of the parks, alcazar, tiny streets and intricate shops that led us through the Juderia (Jewish) area and a tapas bar.  Rina nearly danced with excitement breathing in the Spanish city she loves so much and being with Salvador again.  We three enjoyed every minute, especially me...it was my first NIGHT adventure since I wasn't alone.  During the evening, we stopped once for a glass of wine and Rina was able to eat her first Iberico ham.  It is sliced so thin and tastes so good, we ate all of it alongside Manchebo cheese and more conversation.

One would think I would tire of enjoying the ambiance of Spain, but I do not.  People watching, walking (8,900 steps last night) down cobblestone streets that are sometimes so narrow, I wondered if it was only for people...when a car surprised us and we jumped back toward the wall to avoid the side mirrors as it whispered past us with a whoosh.  The churches and steeples were lit up beautifully.  Rina told me Spain respects its old buildings by adding lights in such a way to make the very best of their beauty.  I loved being part of the night scene.  Children playing with balls or dogs alongside couples walking hand in hand or chatting at street-side tables as if they had all the time in the world.  Waiters do not rush you away like so often happens in America.

That is, of course, unless you are sitting at the table at midnight and you realize all the tables and chairs around you have already been folded up and put away...That was how we ended our evening at Cafe Manolo in the Alfalfa District after we ate gambas (prawns), boquerones (anchovies) and oh shoot!  I can't remember what Salvador ate...but we enjoyed every second.  The city was getting quieter but by no means done for the night.  But we were... Rina had been up about twenty-four hours from traveling here and I hadn't slept much the night before.  So, after taking a taxi back to the apartment, it was down time.

What a fabulous day and night here in Seville after driving earlier from Calahonda.  I won't bore you with the travel event.  Suffice it to say, El Carro now has some new names and I am still not talking to the GPS.  It was serendipitous though...The plan was for me to park in Gelves near Lynette's house, carry my bag two blocks to catch a bus that would take me to the Metro station...to get me to Seville and the apartment.  When I got out of El Carro, Lynette pulled up behind me and YES!  She drove me to the Metro.  No bus ride.

THIS MORNING (Thursday) we took a taxi to the 150-year old Mercado de Triana (fish market).  It is built over the ruins of the Castle of St. George.  It borders the barrio of Triana.  Approximately 100 vendors sell their products under this roof.  There was a distinctive salty smell and then there were huge hams suspended from ceilings nearby, boxes and buckets of fresh fruits and vegetables too.  I'd never seen so much fresh fish, shrimp, sambas, tuna, large, small, gray, white.  It was eye-catching...long skinny fish with large teeth stared back at me and shellfish made tiny movements assuring me they were fresh.  The azulejo tiles spelled out the  stall's names and the beautifully colored, glazed tiles have always been a favorite of mine.

Laughter and chatter surrounded us as Salvador led me and Rina to a table, we ordered cafe con leche and Rina had her Iberico ham on toasted bread and I had a croissant.  The orange juice tasted as if the man behind the bar had just squeezed those oranges a moment before as the scent wafted upwards and the taste curled my tongue.  Salvador had big, fat curly churros.  YUM.  I marveled at the leisure moments, no rush to get through breakfast.  It was very appealing.

And then we walked and walked some more.  Ceramics!  Shops and shops of them.  When I saw the Ceramico Ruiz shop, we had to stop for a photo.  Of course, Salvador photo-bombed it but I hadn't realized just how much until Rina shared the photo with me... And I found a glazed piece of tile with the Torre de Oro on it and framing tiles to complement it.  I may have to carry it home on my lap but I know exactly where it will go on my courtyard patio in Arizona.

Salvador put us into a taxi, said goodbye and sent us toward our next adventure.  I was finally going to meet Karen McCann, a woman who I've become friends with on the WLM Facebook site (thanks to Rina).  Karen wrote the delightful book Dancing in the Fountain among several other books.  When we met for lunch at Barbadillo's, the girls suggested I try something new...carrillada (pigs cheeks) and salamarejo (cold soup with pieces of ham floating on top with a quarter of a boiled egg.)  So I did.  And both were delicious.

TODAY ISN'T OVER YET -- Rina and I are meeting her posse of friends tonight and Karen is bringing me a flamenco-type dress to wear to the feria this weekend!  So, of course, during our walkabout this afternoon I had to buy a red flower for my hair.  Usually, Karen and Rina told me a rose is worn in the hair with a comb in fluffed hair.  Since my hair is very short for the time being...I found "this year's newest hair embellishment" and told Rina I may have to wear it home on the plane since it won't fit into my luggage.  And we window shopped the flamenco dresses.

The night is young and I may not get to bed until late again, so I've combined both days (so far) into this one post.

Sharing Sevilla with my sweet friend, Rina, is charming, exciting and touches my corazón (heart).  Two half-Spanish ladies with a love for Spain... we toast the beauty of this fabulous city that makes us smile.  And we walk along the avenues as if we are beautiful señoras. And then we smile some more.