We found the sweet spot; Seville

Driving out of Malaga was fairly simple and the highways to Seville airport where we were to turn in the car were great. The Europcar GPS coordinates for the rental car return, not so much. They took us to a service road on the edge of the runway. Eventually we figured it out and were able to turn in the car less any scraps from the narrow village roads , or dents from rampaging olive trees. Free from the stress that comes with the car rental, we were ready to enjoy all that Seville could offer.

Our hotel location gave us easy access to some of the main attractions and city scenes.

Many of the streets are lined with orange trees that regularly drop fruit as you walk by.

Bell tower of the cathedral dating back to the 13th century.

During our tour I walked up the 34 ramps that were designed to allow you to access the bells by riding a donkey to take a few pics of the city.

But the best was just taking in the vibe and beauty of the city. In many ways it reminds us of New Orleans.

Nature…..

Look closely and you will see the parrot. Seville is home to over 2000 of them.

With temperatures in the high 90’s, we were all looking for ways to cool off.

And food…..

At this dinner we were approached by the waiter to see if we would be interested in buying the owners seats to the next day’s Bullfight. We decided to go for it and the next day we joined 20,000 others in a once in a lifetime spectacle.

I will spare you the details. I say a once in a lifetime spectacle because although I am glad we experienced it, I doubt we would ever go to another one.

Two other events have made our time in Seville special. First was a market tour and olive oil tasting with Alexis at her home. It was so much more than a tasting. Alexis is a certified taster who can identify defects by taste and also judges olive oils in competitions. So we had a two hour lesson in addition to tasting a variety of quality olive oils.

Alexis with Becky as we buy meats and cheeses for the tasting.

No market visit is complete without trying a local beer.

The other event was later that night; Flamenco. The show was entitled Passion, and it was. The guitarist , the dancers, and especially the singer put on a show that lived up to the name. In addition to the great show, we met a new friend who has travelled quite extensively and joined us for dinner.