Adios, Madrid; Hola, Sevilla! January 14, 2014
The next two days in Madrid were filled with more exploration, more good food, and lots more conversation. We learned about the desire of the Catalonians (the area where Barcelona is located) to become independent, which frustrates the rest of the Spaniards. In fact, it seems that all of the northern regions are more prosperous than the south and somewhat resistant to sending their revenues to support that area.
We learned about high unemployment and the outpouring of young Spaniards to places like England and Ireland. (I'd also heard about this on National Public Radio at home.) We attended a gallery show in the Matadero, featuring amazing new ideas from all of the Latin American countries, as well as Spain. Lots of creativity out there for solving the world's problems.
Angel brought tourist brochures that he had collected, describing the lesser known (to us, anyway) areas of Galicia, Asturias, and the Basque area along the northern coast, west of the Pyrenees. He is a great promoter of Spain, and it's obvious that he's passionate about his country. He also helped Bruce get up to speed on using our new smart phone. (Still having trouble with pix on this blog, though. We've got a couple but not the ones I want or where I want them!).
On Saturday evening, after B & I had been out visiting a home where Cervantes had worked and other Madrid sights, Angel took the lead in cooking his grandmother's recipe for potato tortilla (omelette). These had an added touch of long, green sweet peppers which had been cooked in oil and laid over the top. Yum! The next day, Andrea led us on a grocery store tour where we picked up ingredients for a paella, including a bare baby bunny, which the butcher chopped into pieces for us. Our meal began with large shrimp (langoustines), then the delicious moist & flavorful vegetable-rabbit paella. Dessert was a special fresh strawberry/balsamic vinegar dish that Andrea had learned as a teenager in Venezuela. Oh, my, did we eat well in Madrid! We certainly enjoyed our time there so much.
We learned about high unemployment and the outpouring of young Spaniards to places like England and Ireland. (I'd also heard about this on National Public Radio at home.) We attended a gallery show in the Matadero, featuring amazing new ideas from all of the Latin American countries, as well as Spain. Lots of creativity out there for solving the world's problems.
Angel brought tourist brochures that he had collected, describing the lesser known (to us, anyway) areas of Galicia, Asturias, and the Basque area along the northern coast, west of the Pyrenees. He is a great promoter of Spain, and it's obvious that he's passionate about his country. He also helped Bruce get up to speed on using our new smart phone. (Still having trouble with pix on this blog, though. We've got a couple but not the ones I want or where I want them!).
On Saturday evening, after B & I had been out visiting a home where Cervantes had worked and other Madrid sights, Angel took the lead in cooking his grandmother's recipe for potato tortilla (omelette). These had an added touch of long, green sweet peppers which had been cooked in oil and laid over the top. Yum! The next day, Andrea led us on a grocery store tour where we picked up ingredients for a paella, including a bare baby bunny, which the butcher chopped into pieces for us. Our meal began with large shrimp (langoustines), then the delicious moist & flavorful vegetable-rabbit paella. Dessert was a special fresh strawberry/balsamic vinegar dish that Andrea had learned as a teenager in Venezuela. Oh, my, did we eat well in Madrid! We certainly enjoyed our time there so much.
Tile detail from the Alcazar in Seville
All good things must come to an end. It was time for Andrea and Angel to reclaim their lives and their living space. We departed on Monday morning on the train for Seville. It was a 2.5 hour trip through mostly flat terrain, past olive groves (Spain produces an enormous amount of olive oil) and past sheep and cattle farms.
Pool in the Alcazar in Seville
We walked from the train station to our airbnb (their first guests ever to walk!). We're staying with a nice family in a beautiful second floor apartment near the Alcazar, the ancient (and current) home of Spain's royal family. Our roomy bedroom looks out through tall French doors onto a quiet street. The weather has been rather cloudy for the past day but the temp is about 60 degrees. Palm trees and parrots add an exotic touch. Last night we sampled bulls tail, a Spanish specialty, at a tapas restaurant. Kinda bony. I wouldn't recommend it. The pork stew was much better.
Today we toured the Alcazar, an impressive, large complex of palaces and gardens dating back to the 1200's. They are very Moorish in appearance with lacy filigree arches and lots of tile work, geometric designs, and fountains. That burbling sound of flowing water must be so appealing in Seville's scorching summers! One could easily be transported to an ancient mystical time. As we walked the garden paths, we turned around to see a peacock ambling down a path with his friend, a lame mallard duck, following in his footsteps! They responded to Bruce's whistle while I took a picture (of course), then continued on their way.
We are still way off on our eating/sleeping regime. Just when I thought that we had it, we seem to be missing meals and then getting hungry when we're not supposed to! Bedtime seems to be around midnight, with wake-up around 9 am. Breakfast right away, a big mid-day meal around 2 pm (?), then a nap, and a lighter meal late in the evening. Give us a couple of more weeks. Maybe we'll get into the rhythm.
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