Our first full day in Sevilla - July 4

We needed a plan for our day. That and a phone charger. Emily's had been left at Lost and Found. After breaking our fast with yogurt and fruit, we struck out in search of espresso, a walking tour, and the cathedral. We found them together in the center of town and had enough time for a drink and toast before the tour began. Do you know that you can get olive oil for your toast instead of butter in Spain? It comes in a little packet like creamer! 

Our guide took our group past the cathedral and described how Giralda tower was saved from destruction during the reconquista, how the statue's head at Puerta Jerez was broken off after Spain won a football semifinal, how a Bourbon princess willed her palace to be turned into an orphanage and sailing school after her death (Sevilla was a major port for American trade), how Plaza de España was built as a giant hug for the Americas but is also the palace at Naboo and the Dictator's palace, and the real life of the women who worked at the cigar factory which is now the university. The most famous of those women? A gypsy named Carmen from the opera of the same name.

Later in the afternoon we hunted down a phone charger (we wouldn't have survived without Jone as our translator!!) and then visited the cathedral and Giralda tower. The cathedral was built on a mosque for which Giralda was the mineret. The back door of the cathedral is through a courtyard filled with orange trees and a beautiful Moorish arch. The tower is also unique, with ramps instead of stairs. That way the imam could ride a donkey up, rather than walking 5x/day!
The inside of the cathedral itself is dominated by a huge organ and heavy walls and pillars. It is an older gothic style than the airy York Minster, but definitely impressive as it draws your eyes upward. The 18th century chapter house and side rooms are filled with treasure, much of it brought back from the Americas.

Christopher Columbus

In the late evening, after crashing at "home" for a few minutes, we wandered back to the river side and played cards while feasting on more delicious tapas dishes and sangria. I never thought I'd hear Emily say she liked cod, but we scraped the bowl clean! Besides good food and good company, we enjoyed watching the sun set over the city and river. Beautiful!