8:30 a.m. We were late risers this morning after our flamenco show and very late (although normal in Spain) dinner last night, that brought us home at around 12:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m. We headed down to breakfast at our hotel, Las Casas De El Arenal, and holy breakfast spread! They had just about anything your heart (or stomach) could possibly desire. And even though we had had a really late dinner, we were somehow ready to eat again.
10:15 a.m. Post breakfast, we returned to our room to get sorted for the day. Unfortunately the hubby started feeling a little under the weather, so we decided that it was best for him to lay down and rest for a little bit.
11:15 a.m. I stuck around until he fell asleep, and then I snuck out to go tour the Catedral de Sevilla.
Wow, just wow. I mean, I knew that I was going to be in for a treat as I had been prepped by my sweet husband’s research…so I knew that this was a super-cathedral (think largest Gothic cathedral and 3rd largest cathedral in the world), but wow. It was so big, and really really amazing.
1:30 p.m. After touring the Catedral, I returned home to check on the hubby and see if he would be up for a little lunch. Unfortunately he was still trying to sleep off whatever bug got to him, so he stayed behind to rest some more.
2:00 p.m. I wanted to stay close to our hotel so that I could check in on my man, so I decided on lunch at a little grocery store that serves up montaditos (tiny sandwiches) in the back of the store, right around the corner from our hotel. Definitely the kind of place that is right up our alley.
My hopes of it being delicious proved successful. It felt very local, and I am guessing that it is probably family run. They have one tiny broiler (about the size of a toaster oven) that is used to broil all of the sandwiches by one very particular Spanish man. He definitely has a system with exactly how to perfectly warm and toast each different kind of sandwich. But if you go, be prepared to get cosy. There is just one long bar that everyone crowds around to enjoy their montaditos and ice cold Cruzcampo.
Since I literally know not a lick of Spanish aside from “hola, sí, habla inglése, gracias or jamón”, my ordering consisted mostly of pointing at what other people had ordered and hoping for the best.
And what I got? Jamón, chorizo picante, and a tangy cheese that seemed to be dressed in mold (I’m kind of hoping that was the point). Regardless of the mold, everything was delicious and exactly what I was looking for – simple in every way. No extra sauces, no fancy garnishes, just the delicious flavors of what Spain has to offer. There is a reason why they serve up one thing here. Lunch perfected.
3:00 p.m. I headed home to check on the hubby. He was still sleeping when I got home, but woke up upon my arrival, and was feeling better to boot! We decided that maybe it would be a good idea for him to get a little fresh air, so we decided to walk the Barrio Santa Cruz neighborhood of Sevilla.
4:15 p.m. Even though we had a map, and the Barrio Santa Cruz neighborhood streets highlighted by our concierge, we somehow seemed to be getting lost (even regardless of stopping and asking for directions multiple times). And I wasn’t much of a help either. It seems that whenever some one speaks to me in Spanish, I just respond “sí” to everything. So half the time that we asked for directions, we would walk away and my husband would say, “you know what they were talking about, right?” Nope, not a clue.
5:00 p.m. We finally found one of the main streets of the neighborhood. Maybe it was because we had been looking for it for about an hour and a half, or maybe it was the slightly rainy weather, but neither one of was terribly impressed. I mean, it was a cute neighborhood and all, but it was really not much different than a lot of the other areas of Sevilla that we had already walked.
5:30 p.m. We decided to start walking towards home so that we could both kick up our feet before dinner.
5:35 p.m. After routing our course towards our hotel, we pretty much turned the corner and realized that the neighborhood that we had looked for, for so long, was mere minutes from the Catedral and our hotel. (Insert major sighs.)
5:45 p.m. We arrived back at our hotel, and on our way back to our room, I picked up a glass of Cava to enjoy while I did a little work and the hubby took a rest.
9:15 p.m. The hubs ended up feeling pretty worn out, so we decided to call it a quiet night in. In my book, that’s the perfect night. The only thing that I need is my love by my side <3
Will your travels take you to Santiago de Compostela? This is the final resting place of my namesake – St. James. (Beheaded, by the way!)
No shortage of great looking food in Spain, I see. Enjoying your wonderful reports.