Day 11 - Seville

Gelati: 1, Wine: 2 glasses, Tapas: 1

Spent the morning in the Real Alzacar - the Royal Palace.   Unlike most of the other tourists there I spent as much time pottering around the gardens as the palace itself.  The palace was in two parts.  The first was built by Pedro the Cruel in the Moorish style and was lovely.  The second part was built by later and was in the Gothic style and was just ugly.  The gardens were Italian style and were also lovely but not as fully in flower as I'd hoped.  However, all the orange trees are in bloom so everywhere around the city there is the scent of orange blossoms as it seems obligatory for every square to have at least one orange tree.

I lunched at a ridiculously expensive place in the square opposite the cathedral.  There was an explicit extra cost for sitting at a table outside with view but the view was worth it.  The people watching was generally entertaining but then a local bikie gang rode up on their Harley's and posed for shots in front of the cathedral which was an unexpected extra.  Also, partway through the meal a rather plump woman came up.  She was dressed in bright pink leggings and a slightly grubby, bright pink sweatshirt.  She started to clap her hands and sing in Flamenco style and she was fantastic!  She had a rich and powerful voice.  Our buskers in Australia aren't a patch on her for talent.

The meal was less entertaining.  First course was yet more jamon on a bed of (tasty) fresh tomatoes and salmorejo (the Andulsian equivalent of gazpacho).   This would have been better if I'd been given a spoon for the soupy bit instead of being expected to eat it with a knife and fork.  The alternative entree was 'selfish paella' - the typo is theirs.  Main was oxtail roasted with garlic, onions, carrots and capsicum which was very tasty but had way too much oil in it.  Dessert was a self-saucing chocolate pudding with clementine ice-cream.  This was just fine as is.

After all this I had a small siesta and then pottered around some more.  Dinner was at a tapas bar and was just a glass of wine and a plate of fried calamari.  Dessert was at another gelati place and was orange sorbet and lemon sorbet with what translated literally as 'good herbs'.  They tasted like lavender and mint and it was as peculiar as it sounds.

Tomorrow I am booked in at the Arab Baths for a bath, aromatherapy and a foot massage.  I think my feet deserve it.