Day 22 Cordoba to Sevilla

After an unhurried start to the day we made our way by taxi to the train station. This is a very good modern train station - it looks less than 15 years old. It's well organized and signposted - a pleasure to use. Our train arrived pretty much on time. It took about 45 minutes for the 121 Km journey from Cordoba to Seville on a very comfortable medium fast train (there is a faster one on this line to Madrid). Initially we traversed a wide valley which then opened out onto a plain for the rest of the trip. It was all agricultural land. It's a pity this is so early in the growing season because I would dearly like to see how they go about harvesting from these millions of trees. It must be mechanized.

The station in Seville was also a modern one that was also a pleasure to use. As we were about to exit the station there was a loud commotion near the doors. A troubadour in brightly coloured clothes was sitting on the floor while five security guys were encouraging him to leave. He shouted his refusals very loudly. Eventually they picked him up and conveyed him out the door sliding on his feet, and deposited him 20 metres away. Problem solved; until next time, I expect.

Our hotel is on the outer edge of the older part of the city, adjacent to a belt of less salubrious newer apartment blocks. This is further out than we had wanted because it's about a kilometer in to the de facto city centre - the cathedral. This doesn't seem a lot but trudging this several times a day is quite tiring.

Joan says this is all my fault because of my insistence on a room with a mini-safe, and there are quite rare. They were available everywhere in South America and we found themn most useful. There were none in Morocco so I am relieved to have them again here in Spain, if only sporadically, as lugging the netbook about in my backpack, even though only 1.2 Kg or so, is a chore I'd rather do without. Our room is quite pleasant with good bathroom and as we discovered this evening, a view to the lit-up Giralda - the tower of the cathedral. Unfortunately we are back to two single beds. :(

After arriving at the hotel we hung about waiting for contact from Romney, a colleague from my Waterloo Ontario years late 60's early 70's, who was in town for a conference. We had last seen him in 1981 when we in Canada for our wedding. We caught up at his hotel and went for lunch just around the corner - a very good restaurant with real food (at a price, but in the end worth it). We spent a very enjoyable three hours swapping yarns and family histories before going on our way again.

It was another perfect Andalusian day with clear skies and mid to high 20's, and we just wandered around, trying to get our bearings. It being Sunday, Sevillanos were out and about in force. We were in town twice, once before Romney's arrival, and again after lunch. On the first occasion we witnessed one of those Catholic processions where some artifact(s) are paraded through the streets and into the big cathedral. Lots of people taking photos.

We walked a lot, probably about 14 Km and our feet sure feel it. It's not so much the distance I think as the fact it's over cobblestones, up and down curbs etc. Joan had a lucky escape when she tripped and fell after stepping into the very spot where there was a missing cobblestone.

We're here three more days and will see the cathedral probably two days hence. We'll probably have a leisurely day tomorrow.