Sevilla and Albert
Yes, it´s Albert again. I thought this was a Sandra blog.
Anyhow, I am now in Sevilla (Seville to you Yankees), day number two. By the way, "Yankee" is apparently an insult to Americans. As graffiti at the University of Sevilla says, "Go home Yankees!" America is generally not very popular amongst the people here due to our cleanup of all those nukes and Osama troops in Iraq.
The smell of cheese.
I don´t know if it´s because my hotel doesn´t smell like sweltering cheese or not, but I prefer Sevilla to Granada, even though Granada was near the Sierra Madres (ie, natural beauty). Did I mention that my hotel room in Granada smelled like pungent cheese? I think my experience would have been better if I had done my homework and booked higher-priced hostels than medium range hotels (which are still costlier than higher-priced hostels). The hostels seem to be more fun and comfortable looking, though you often end up with a communal bathroom.
University.
Granada was a university town as well, but Sevilla feels much more integrated and the University seems more impressive. Both towns have lots of construction going on. They´re building a subway here now, so some major streets are torn up and you have to walk on dirt. For overall walking pleasure, shopping and beautiful people, I have to give Sevilla my top honors. I think there´s a little here for everyone, and it feels safer than Granada and Barcelona, though I never had any trouble in those towns either. Come to think of it, the only criminal I´ve knowingly come into contact with is here...a guy who offered to sell me weed, I think.
A quick rundown of yesterday.
I woke up in Granada at 8:15 am. My hotel was supposed to call me at 7 am. My train was leaving to Sevilla at 8:18 am. So thanks to my goat cheese hotel, I missed my train and 21 euros (at least $25) went down the drain. So I hustled to the bus station and got the 10 am trip to Sevilla. As I told Sandra, the train ride from Barcelona to Granada was torturous. It was hot and had no air circulation (even though it was a cool night outside). The seats were not comfortable and didn´t recline. And the best part was that a bohemian-ish guy with that particular smell of 14-day old body and head funk was assigned next to me. I was dying. Five hours into the ride and with still 8 hours to go, I swallowed a xanex(?) which a friend had given me. They said it would make me sleep. Not sure if it worked or if sheer exhaustion set in, but I did sleep for about 6 hours, leaving me with only two more hours of funk.
A quick note about the "Stinky European" idea.
Spanish people in general are clean and fresh, aside from the absolutely pervasive smoking. I don´t see it here, but I did witness a lot of super-public spitting in Granada and Barcelona. Maybe it´s from all the smoking. If you long for the days of smoke-filled restaurants and bars, vamonos a Europe!
Back to yesterday.
So I arrived in Sevilla via a bus, which was a clean and pleasant and comfy 3 hour ride! After a stop at an internet cafe to check in with Sandra and getting a Starbucks coffee (typical American move), a young gay Filipino guy named JoJee from Chicago helped me find the rest of the way to my hotel, as he was going the same way. The walk included a trip past the university, and offered a view and walk through and on the major work going on here to make the subway. Jojee told me that my shoes (Reebok cross-training type shoes) pegged me as an American because Spanish people don´t rock fitness shoes. They wear a lot of those fancy "semi-sneaker/bowling/dress shoes" these days. Really cool Pumas or Adidas will suffice.
Okay, I´m getting tired of writing. Checked in to hotel. Ate at a decent Japanese restaurant next to hotel. Met a Flamenco dancer there who´s studying Flamenco dance here and told me where to check out a little Flamenco. Walked semi-aimlessly. Got lost. Found a park and plaza I was looking for. Encountered a cool sort of "world fair" of cuisine and drinks. Went into a nice museum of interesting historical settings (ie, a room set up just as it would be in the old days of metal-working). Got lost again. Many people tried to help guide me. One old man gave me a cranky but good lesson on saying "good day" before asking directions (you should say good day or hello first, then go into the question). Finally got my bearings and did the 2 hour walking tour suggested in Lonely Planet to get a feel of the place. Started raining during walk and I had to get an umbrella. Checked out a few places along the way, including a stop at the usual large store in every city, "Ingles Cortes", to look for a charger for my ipod. At end of walk, I asked the good folks at another Starbucks for a restaurant suggestion. They had no clue but a customer did and told me to go to "Bauhaus". For some reason, I was thinking "HoffBrau" and I had to ask in my best Spanish if it was German ("Aleman"), because I wasn´t interested in german food. Oh my God, this is taking forever. Anyhow, got a little lost again due to my misunderstanding of her directions, but found a cool place to watch an intimate (small) Flamenco show, and coincidentally right across from Bauhaus, which was a hip and stylish but laid-back and cool bar/restaurant/dance place. I had only 30 minutes to eat before the Flamenco show. Bartender was a nice young guy from Mexico. Flamenco show was muy caliente, featuring guitar guy, singer that looked like Pete Avanzino (if you know him) and of course a Flamenco dancer lady. She was probably about 45, but performed perfectly and muy fuerte. I sat in the back with another Flamenco student from Sweden, who was so thirsty that she drank some of my "clara" (beer mixed with either a light lemonade or sweet sparkling water). I offered some of it in jest to her at the point I realized she wanted a drink but was never gonna get one for an hour(they stopped serving once the show started), but I never thought she´d actually take me up on it. Show finished and I went back to Bauhaus for a few claras and some sketching. Then walked towards hotel in a light drizzle (its raining at this very moment). Freshened up. Went to a bar right next to the hotel that was crazy-ass lively with live Flamenco music (same guitarist from the earlier Flamenco performance across the river, plus a male and female singer and a percussionist). Got hungry at 1:30 am and bought some pre-made sandwiches from a 7-11-ish (but more upscale) type place. Then showered to get the cigarette funk off me and slept really well and without distraction probably for the first time since I´ve been in Spain.
Good day to you!
Anyhow, I am now in Sevilla (Seville to you Yankees), day number two. By the way, "Yankee" is apparently an insult to Americans. As graffiti at the University of Sevilla says, "Go home Yankees!" America is generally not very popular amongst the people here due to our cleanup of all those nukes and Osama troops in Iraq.
The smell of cheese.
I don´t know if it´s because my hotel doesn´t smell like sweltering cheese or not, but I prefer Sevilla to Granada, even though Granada was near the Sierra Madres (ie, natural beauty). Did I mention that my hotel room in Granada smelled like pungent cheese? I think my experience would have been better if I had done my homework and booked higher-priced hostels than medium range hotels (which are still costlier than higher-priced hostels). The hostels seem to be more fun and comfortable looking, though you often end up with a communal bathroom.
University.
Granada was a university town as well, but Sevilla feels much more integrated and the University seems more impressive. Both towns have lots of construction going on. They´re building a subway here now, so some major streets are torn up and you have to walk on dirt. For overall walking pleasure, shopping and beautiful people, I have to give Sevilla my top honors. I think there´s a little here for everyone, and it feels safer than Granada and Barcelona, though I never had any trouble in those towns either. Come to think of it, the only criminal I´ve knowingly come into contact with is here...a guy who offered to sell me weed, I think.
A quick rundown of yesterday.
I woke up in Granada at 8:15 am. My hotel was supposed to call me at 7 am. My train was leaving to Sevilla at 8:18 am. So thanks to my goat cheese hotel, I missed my train and 21 euros (at least $25) went down the drain. So I hustled to the bus station and got the 10 am trip to Sevilla. As I told Sandra, the train ride from Barcelona to Granada was torturous. It was hot and had no air circulation (even though it was a cool night outside). The seats were not comfortable and didn´t recline. And the best part was that a bohemian-ish guy with that particular smell of 14-day old body and head funk was assigned next to me. I was dying. Five hours into the ride and with still 8 hours to go, I swallowed a xanex(?) which a friend had given me. They said it would make me sleep. Not sure if it worked or if sheer exhaustion set in, but I did sleep for about 6 hours, leaving me with only two more hours of funk.
A quick note about the "Stinky European" idea.
Spanish people in general are clean and fresh, aside from the absolutely pervasive smoking. I don´t see it here, but I did witness a lot of super-public spitting in Granada and Barcelona. Maybe it´s from all the smoking. If you long for the days of smoke-filled restaurants and bars, vamonos a Europe!
Back to yesterday.
So I arrived in Sevilla via a bus, which was a clean and pleasant and comfy 3 hour ride! After a stop at an internet cafe to check in with Sandra and getting a Starbucks coffee (typical American move), a young gay Filipino guy named JoJee from Chicago helped me find the rest of the way to my hotel, as he was going the same way. The walk included a trip past the university, and offered a view and walk through and on the major work going on here to make the subway. Jojee told me that my shoes (Reebok cross-training type shoes) pegged me as an American because Spanish people don´t rock fitness shoes. They wear a lot of those fancy "semi-sneaker/bowling/dress shoes" these days. Really cool Pumas or Adidas will suffice.
Okay, I´m getting tired of writing. Checked in to hotel. Ate at a decent Japanese restaurant next to hotel. Met a Flamenco dancer there who´s studying Flamenco dance here and told me where to check out a little Flamenco. Walked semi-aimlessly. Got lost. Found a park and plaza I was looking for. Encountered a cool sort of "world fair" of cuisine and drinks. Went into a nice museum of interesting historical settings (ie, a room set up just as it would be in the old days of metal-working). Got lost again. Many people tried to help guide me. One old man gave me a cranky but good lesson on saying "good day" before asking directions (you should say good day or hello first, then go into the question). Finally got my bearings and did the 2 hour walking tour suggested in Lonely Planet to get a feel of the place. Started raining during walk and I had to get an umbrella. Checked out a few places along the way, including a stop at the usual large store in every city, "Ingles Cortes", to look for a charger for my ipod. At end of walk, I asked the good folks at another Starbucks for a restaurant suggestion. They had no clue but a customer did and told me to go to "Bauhaus". For some reason, I was thinking "HoffBrau" and I had to ask in my best Spanish if it was German ("Aleman"), because I wasn´t interested in german food. Oh my God, this is taking forever. Anyhow, got a little lost again due to my misunderstanding of her directions, but found a cool place to watch an intimate (small) Flamenco show, and coincidentally right across from Bauhaus, which was a hip and stylish but laid-back and cool bar/restaurant/dance place. I had only 30 minutes to eat before the Flamenco show. Bartender was a nice young guy from Mexico. Flamenco show was muy caliente, featuring guitar guy, singer that looked like Pete Avanzino (if you know him) and of course a Flamenco dancer lady. She was probably about 45, but performed perfectly and muy fuerte. I sat in the back with another Flamenco student from Sweden, who was so thirsty that she drank some of my "clara" (beer mixed with either a light lemonade or sweet sparkling water). I offered some of it in jest to her at the point I realized she wanted a drink but was never gonna get one for an hour(they stopped serving once the show started), but I never thought she´d actually take me up on it. Show finished and I went back to Bauhaus for a few claras and some sketching. Then walked towards hotel in a light drizzle (its raining at this very moment). Freshened up. Went to a bar right next to the hotel that was crazy-ass lively with live Flamenco music (same guitarist from the earlier Flamenco performance across the river, plus a male and female singer and a percussionist). Got hungry at 1:30 am and bought some pre-made sandwiches from a 7-11-ish (but more upscale) type place. Then showered to get the cigarette funk off me and slept really well and without distraction probably for the first time since I´ve been in Spain.
Good day to you!
posted by Albert at 2:50 AM
1 Comments:
"One old man gave me a cranky but good lesson on saying "good day" before asking directions (you should say good day or hello first, then go into the question)."
Jesus, I'd never get along if that were required etiquette here. But it's nice, I guess. I'm just not! It's too funny that you got a little lesson from a crabby old guy. When are you coming back Albert? Why isn't Sandra writing, that lazy bum? Miss you both. Love, Beth.
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