Reuben and Katie: Southern Spain

Getting out of Barcelona proved harder than expected, and we ended up staying one night (two days) longer than intended, and taking the night train to Seville. This was an experience - one tiny cabin for two (cigarette smoke filtering through the air-conditioning all night) with skinny bunk beds and the rhythm of the train through the night to put you to sleep / keep you awake (depending on if you are Reuben or Katie). It did get us to Seville however, meant our gear was safe, and allowed us to spend the day at the beach in Barcelona instead of on a train for 8 hours. We managed to book in to a reasonably fancy hotel for a cheap rate, which was very soothing to the senses - we have realised how much we rely on creature comforts to keep our spirits up!

Unfortunately we hit rainy weather in Seville, and didn´t see much sunshine at all. This felt slightly ironic, since everything seemed to suggest that this is normally a very sunny city! We battled through though (at the expense of our highlighter green umbrella from a hocker in Rome) and managed to see quite a bit of Seville: the Cathedral (apparently the largest in Europe), the famous Seville bull-ring, the Torre del Oro, the University, and Plaza España. Some strong impressions of Seville are: orange trees, whitewashed buildings, colourful tiles, and lots of tapas bars with huge quantities of cured legs of ham hanging behind the bar.

The train ride from Seville to Granada consisted of three hours of olive trees, literally. We visited Granada chiefly to see the Alhambra, but were also pleasantly surprised by an impromptu visit inside the Granada Cathedral - one of the most aesthetically pleasing we have seen in our travels. The Alhambra also proved to be as impressive as claimed. A complex of elaborate Moorish palaces, fortresses and private villas, you gain a strong impression of the power and prestige the Moors once held in this area. Surfaces (walls, columns, ceilings) are covered in exquisite carvings and tiles, and water features and gardens are thoughtfully created to impress upon your senses: the play of light and reflection on the water, the gurgle of water cascading down channels, the smell of roses, and the cool shade of trees and colonades.

We intend to spend tomorrow afternoon in Córdoba, where the Mezquita is reported to be worth visiting (might update this blog with details/photos later). We will then catch the train to Madrid and then another night train (yippee!!!) to Lisbon, Portugal. We are excited that Cherry (Katie´s sister) is joining us for the weekend, and then not long till we start our journey homeward (which we are also excited about!).