Sevilla

We’ve arrived in Sevilla – home of bullfighting, sherry, and Andalusian living.  After our whirlwind tour of Italy, it’s great to settle into one place for an extended period of time (three weeks in this case).  The apartment that we rented online is fantastic.  It’s bigger than we thought, situated in the heart of the historic district, and it has laundry, TV, and WiFi – the essential tools of our intrepid existence.

Our neighborhood!!!

There’s a big park a couple of blocks away, designed by the same landscape architect who did the Bois de Boulogne in Paris.  We’ve visited the beautiful cathedral with its Moorish details and orange grove courtyard.  And we’ve instituted an official family siesta, like the locals, since dinner doesn’t exist until 9pm at the earliest.  Cal is antsy and tired of sightseeing.  Declan has taken up running; he's doing 1-2 miles every other day with Blake.  Of course, all of this must be done before noon in order to avoid the SCALDING heat!

Cal at the park

Yesterday, we stopped by a little hole-in-the-wall tasting room just around the corner from our apartment where you can sample the local sherry and wines.  There are just two stools, a little AC unit, and a very friendly Cuban guy behind the counter.  Juan is in town for just a month or two.  He used to be a musician and a translator for the Cuban embassy in Paris, so our conversation was in French.  He took this job to meet women.  But he’s been disappointed.  He says that, in Cuba, his compliments go somewhere and they like his gray hair.  The women here, he complains, do not respond to his chit-chat, so he has nobody to shack up with.  He’s heading back to Cuba at the end of the month to re-group and plan his next trip.  Good stuff.  We’ll be back frequently for the yummy (sweet) sherry and entertaining conversation.

Connan at Juan's tasting room