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Now the true test. Can I get to my new location without google maps directing me? For some reason the gps was not doing the step by step guide(i.e. audibly telling me to turn here then here). It was doing it fine the past few days, but today I had to follow the blue dot. Have I mentioned that I am directionally challenged? So without being told where to go I know that I am already set up for failure. That is exactly what happened. Sigh… I was doing good following the dot until I got to where I thought I was supposed to be. I arrived at a bus station, but it did not have the number that I needed. But, this is where the dot is telling me to be! &#$*#&$!*&$#!!!! I look around for a kind soul to see if they can direct me. I asked this one lady and she was trying to send me back to where I came from 10 minutes ago. So I went to the nearest building. It seems like no one knows their city. He also sent me in the wrong direction. As I was going in the wrong direction I see the bus that I needed. It was on the opposite side of the street that I original stopped. Man! I had looked over there too, but couldn't see the signs. So I missed that bus. Luckily, there was another one within 10 minutes. This time it was a bit easier. Pay 1.40 euro to get off in two stops. Can’t mess that up. But, upon exiting bus the challenge with the dot happened again. This is the time I wish someone else was with me. Usually they are more capable of knowing their north from south smh… With a lot of turning around and guessing the direction I finally ended up at the train station. Sweet! Unfortunately, with missing the original bus it made me miss the first train. I go to the ticket counter and show my phone and point to my location. He wasn’t to happy that I did not know spanish. I get it. I really want to learn. But, until that happens sign language and looking up through google how to say key words will have to surfice. Well everything was going great. Got on the train and off we went. I text my husband how I made it with little incident. Oh the foreshadowing! It is a little hard to explain how it all went wrong. So when I showed the ticket guy where I was going it showed Marid something something at the top. Which now of course I know is the direction the train was going. But, my ultimate location was Cordoba. That is how the ticket should have been booked. Instead it was booked for that Madrid location. The first stop was Cordoba. But, for some reason in my head I thought the next stop would be closer to my hotel. What I didn’t realise is that Madrid something something was the actually city. Two and half hours away! How I switched this in my mind will forever make me anger. Not only did I ride all the way to Madrid, I had to buy another expensive ticket to get me back to Cordoba. I realize in the end it was my fault, but I thought they would be willing to help me out. Nope! The customer service did not want to hear it. They said the ticket was already used and that was that. But, there was no other way. Of course it was used. There was no other stop. I had to ride the train the whole way. I know I am just used to customer service in the states. They would have fixed it. I wasn’t trying to get over on them. They could clearly see I just arrived. It’s not like I went out for the day in Madrid then came back with this story. Nevertheless, it’s all on me in the end. I think if the ticket would have said Cordoba I would not have hesitated. It was a very expensive lesson to learn. Sigh… I left that morning at around 9:30 am. I did not get out of the train station until 6pm. Pure madness. And of course it was raining. Way to set the mood. Since I am real last minute with booking accommodations I choose to stay at a hostel. It was the cheapest deal that was close to all the attractions. I also hoped that it wouldn’t be that busy for January. To my heart's desire I had the room to myself. Yes! As I was checking in the guy at the desk informed me that Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos was open until 8:30pm. It just so happened that today was the free night. I am always down for free! Plus, I thought with the rain no one would be there. Great for pictures ;-) It was approaching 7 pm. So I threw my stuff in the room, took out my umbrella(I always travel with a small umbrella-you never know), and made my way.
Even though it was raining it was a very lovely walk. There was hardly any people out and about. It made the city very enchanting. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. I don’t usually get to stroll around streets at night for fear of you know being kidnapped/murdered/raped/robbed. But, I felt completely safe. I was able to take my time and really set up my shots. There was probably a total of 10 people milling around. I would say I wish it wasn’t raining, but it added so much drama. I loved it.
Since it was so peaceful out I decided to walk all around the town. Taking in all the major highlights. So although I had a huge blemish on the whole day, the rain was actually the best part of my day. Through the rain I was given an amazing opportunity. Another blessing popped up as well. When I finally made my way back to the hostel I ended up chatting with a fellow traveler that was in the lobby. We ended up talking for over an hour. It was a great way to end the night. In the end my day wasn’t completely ruined. My hope for tomorrow was that the city would keep enchanting me. Fingers crossed.
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My body was in weird place and not wanting to sleep. Nonetheless, I had to get up and try and get these shots. But, why Seville? Why does your sun rise so late. Ugh...usually I can get out by 6:30 am and have all the city to myself. I can take shot after shot with no cares. Not today. I left my apartment at 8 am and it was still pitch dark. I walked to my location and just sat and waited for the sun to creep on up. But, by this time all the locals are out and about. Everyone is up! Which definitely makes shooting harder. Trying to hurry and get the shot before someone jumped in or could steal my camera was super nerve racking. But, mission was accomplished. Oh yea!
Now to head back over to Plaza de España to obtain those shots I’d scoped out yesterday.
Everything was going great until my last shot here. I had take off my gloves and coat(it was in the 40s in the morning) to get these pictures. On the last one I put my stuff behind the column. When I got up I drop my gloves and did not notice. I went to another part of the plaza to look at the last pictures I took to make sure they came out good. I would have done it there, but I was becoming a tourist attraction. People were so fascinated that I was taking my own pictures with a tripod. They had to stop and stare. They had to take it all in. Well I had to bounce. It was getting old. But, as I put all my stuff away I realized that my gloves were nowhere to be found. So I hurry back to where I was and nothing! I wasn’t even gone for 5 mins! I knew it was the gypsies that were selling stuff that stole them. Grr...I am gonna say that they needed it more than I did. Insert side eye. I was so annoyed. Plus my hands were freezing! Oh well...on to the next I guess. I was on my way to check out the city of Triana that was right across the river. Then I spotted this serene little garden area.
Alright! It was now time to cross the river. Triana is considered the old quarter of Seville where the gypsy's used to reside.
By this time I was starving and I set out to find some breakfast. I ended up at a cute little cafe. Blogger fail-I took a picture of the coffee cup as a reminder of the name of the cafe. It turns out that was the name of the actual coffee. Facepalm. Smh...I am sure you can go to the numerous cafes and be just fine. The cafe I was at had a pink interior and offered crepes. Think of this as a scavenger hunt lol. The ham and cheese croissant was pretty tasty. I then headed to the Mercado de Triana. My Airbnb host told me it was a big market and definitely worth checking out.
Well it wasn’t exactly huge. I did however get a big fruit cup for one euro. It was a very fresh refreshing snack. Didn’t taste like pesticides lol. It was pretty cool seeing all the stalls filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken, and various other meats. It is worth popping in and taking in the sights.
Rise and...What the...What is that clanging?!! Why are they yelling!??! Is that hammering? Yup! Yup! Nonstop hammering fun at 6:30am. The walls in my airbnb are like paper and the hammering is pretty much on the other side of my bedroom wall. WHY!!!! Where they start construction this early in the freaking morning!? Oh well that’s right...good ole Seville. I was up well past 24 hours, but 4 hours of sleep will have to do. Ugh...might as well get this show on the road. Wait! It’s still dark outside. Ugh… The sun doesn’t rise until 8:35 am in Seville. That is super late. I think this is first time I’ve experienced such a late sunrise. Wait...I lied. Iceland had a very late sunrise. Anywho...I basically struggled with getting out of bed for another hour. What’s the point of getting up if it was still dark out. Plus I was still freaking tired. But, constant hammering has a motivating quality to get out of bed. So I got out of bed and recorded a video of this lovely moment. If you would like to view it just let me know. Alright now to the good stuff. First on the agenda is to visit the Alcázar of Seville before all the tourist get there. The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace which is the oldest still in use in Europe. The grounds are huge and there is so much to see. I got there at opening time and of course there is a good amount of people there already. I tried to go the opposite direction of the crowd so I could utilize my solo traveler skills(i.e. tripod).
It was all going so well until a security guard did not want me to be great. Apparently you cannot use a tripod. But, WHY!!!!? I am not hurting anybody! Ugh...I was in the middle of taking a great picture! Well I was content to go onto the next room and sulk, but the next room was completely empty. It had the same tile that I was trying to photograph. So naturally I bust out the tripod with lighting speed. I take 4 pictures super quick and run to put the tripod up. As I thought the security guard was on his way. I passed him right outside the door of the room. Phew! Here is the end result. I do wish I could have hid the phone. But, I was to busy trying to hurry and not get caught lol
I am pretty sure I spent 4 hours at the palace. There is so much ground to cover. Plus, when you are trying to get the shot with you alone it can take a lot of patience. It was well worth the time spent.  Next up is the Seville Cathedral. When I arrived the church was going to close in 30 minutes. Which I thought would be enough time to take in the views of a church. I went up to the counter and handed my debit card to the attendant she looked at it like it was fake. Examining and flipping it over. Uh...ok. She looked at me like what was she supposed to do with it. I motioned the charge it sign language( because I know no spanish...sigh). She inserts my card and puts in the amount. The she asks for my id. I actually left it at my bnb. She was not having it! In fact she was all out rude. No Id! No! No! You cannot go! She shrugs her shoulders and begins to repeat herself. Now look ma’am! I am trying to enter a freaking church! I didn’t steal someone’s card and then try and enter a church! What kind of mess?!?! That would be all kinds of bad Karma. I didn’t say any of this but boy did I want to. I just took my card with much frustration and left. Now what!? I ended up just wandering around the square that was right by the church. It’s great for people watching and street musicians. I then headed over to Plaza de España to scope out shoot locations for tomorrow morning.
 This is a beautiful place to hang out. I stayed awhile and watched flamenco dancers. Alas, it was time to head back. I was hungry and my feet were killing me. More pictures of this beauty on the next post. Hope you enjoyed today’s adventure :-)
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AuthorTraveling makes my heart happy. My mission is to use words and pictures to inspire you to get out there and take in the beauty of our world. Archives
December 2019
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