Last night, we caught our taxi at the Plaza de Cuba because it was the night we would listen to our torch-singer friend, Rosa, sing at the Hotel Colón at 10:00 p.m. And we'd already walked 13,699 steps and the hotel was definitely a taxi ride away. Rina knows her city like a local, so we found a tapas bar down the street and I had my first introduction into the "tapas and wine" scene. Rina ordered pulpo pimiento, cebolla ensalada (octopus salad with peppers and onion) and I ordered potatas alleñada (cold potato salad with Albacore tuna and green olives). And Ribera del Duero red wine. An old Spanish gentleman tapped Rina on the arm to ask her how she liked it as he was trying to decide which of the four tapas offered he should have for dinner...He thought she was a local!! I loved the little plates and the ambience of the bar. People were standing around chatting, laughing and holding these little plates balanced on tables and sipping wine or beer. Very casual and now I know how to do this!
We found Hotel Colón and marveled at the beautiful foyer and gorgeous chandelier...and when we saw the small red "flower" chairs, we were so charmed, we had to have a photo to a memento.
The lounge was alive with chatter and most of the tables were already full. To our surprise, we found a table right in front. Now the memory is strong and I hesitate to capture the feelings that still surface when I realized the thing we'd been able to ignore during the day as the rain poured upon us...Now nearly slapped us in the face. Bull fighting! On the wall in front of us, were nine large television screens linked together to make one large 12 x 15 image. A video feed showed all of the bull fights in the Plaza de Toros that day --- especially for the Féria events.
And then there was adorable Rosa, perched on a stool at the bottom right corner of the screen, where she sang a few American jazz songs and then looped into the rest of the evening, sad Spanish songs. She sings with her body as well as her voice and had us mesmerized the entire evening...if we could just try very hard to avert our eyes from that wall of images. But, of course we could not.
Bull fighting is in their culture. Rina and I both agreed that we respected that culture and their love for the "art" of bull fighting. But seeing that poor bull stabbed, worn to a frazzle and losing its footing in the ochre-colored sand before the matador made his artistic dance and final sword kill will be forever etched in my memory. Also, after watching four different matadors kill four bulls, I suddenly realized that it was very sad for the matador. My favorite matador of the night was Enrique Ponce. When I saw his body in the yellow, "suit of lights" sag at the final moment, the camera moved to his face and the man's eyes cried in tandem with my heart.
But, Rosa, the Spanish señorita sang her heart out with the fire of a Latin gypsy, enflaming the crowd with shoulder sways, tapping feet and sultry voice. It was a fabulous show and when midnight arrived, she joined me, Rina and Lynette for champagne. And then she drove us back to our hotel. Wow. What an evening.
TODAY (Saturday) the sun began to peek out of the clouds. It was the day we left the penthouse apartment to move to Lynette's home in Gelves. And we had too many bags for a metro ride. When Rina suggested a taxi, I agreed before he got out the last word. And El Carro waited for us there...
The day was drying up and we still had a plan: Palacio de las Dueñas is the ancestral home of the Duke of Alba built in the late 15th century. The poet, Antonio Machado, was born there and afterward, the Duchess of Alba, a woman beloved by the Spanish people lived, loved and died there in late 2014. She had twenty two names! Karen McC, our friend here in Sevilla, had written a blog post a couple years ago that intrigued me and I wanted to go. Yesterday, the rain kept us away but today? Amazing and so emotional to walk through the gardens, her home and breathe in the flowers and the love she offered to the Spanish people.
Lunch near the Setas (mushroom design) at La Sureña. The olives were the best I've eaten so far and I finally had Tortilla Español (potato and egg pie) and Rina shared her Pulpo de Gallega - octupus sitting on top of a potato slice and then covered in paprika. It was delicious and I have never been an octopus fan. This, however, may change my mind.
FÉRIA!!! On the way back to Gelves, a young girl and her mother were dressed in their finery, ready to find the tents and celebrate. Tomorrow it will be our turn. I am excited to dress up like a princess and walk through the images that Rina has described to me. We have the flowers for our hair, earrings for our ear lobes and finery hanging in the closet. I know it will be a night to remember always and Rina has opened it up for me, for which I will be always grateful.
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