Again. The phone rings but this time it is at 5:00 a.m. Yes, you read right, 5:00 a.m. Anyone who knows me knows that 5:00 a.m. is too early for me to even be awake much less get up and try to function. Natalie and Debbie and I stumble around each other as we get dressed and get our things together so we can get our luggage down to the lobby by the 6:45 deadline. Why all this early stuff? We are getting ready to make our way to the Barcelona train station for our first ride on the bullet train.
The hotel has fixed us a picnic breakfast of a sandwich, an apple, a chocolate bar, a fruit drink and a bottle of water. We grab our lunches and make our way to the bus to get our luggage on board and then find a seat. The bus begins our journey to the station. As I ride along there is this reoccurring thought in my mind about a train station bombing that took place in Madrid several months ago. Okay, Lord, I am in your hands.
Violeta gets us through the station and to our platform without any problems. We are an originating trip so we don't have to race to get on our train. FYI: The train travels at approximately 148 mph and is a common mode of travel in Spain as well as most parts of Europe. Our train is clean and modern and comfortable.
The hotel has fixed us a picnic breakfast of a sandwich, an apple, a chocolate bar, a fruit drink and a bottle of water. We grab our lunches and make our way to the bus to get our luggage on board and then find a seat. The bus begins our journey to the station. As I ride along there is this reoccurring thought in my mind about a train station bombing that took place in Madrid several months ago. Okay, Lord, I am in your hands.
Violeta gets us through the station and to our platform without any problems. We are an originating trip so we don't have to race to get on our train. FYI: The train travels at approximately 148 mph and is a common mode of travel in Spain as well as most parts of Europe. Our train is clean and modern and comfortable.
Betty and I getting off the train in Madrid for our layover.
I am fortunate to get face to face seating with a table with Louise, Debbie, and Betty. We pull out our picnic breakfast and I pick at mine. Not much appeals to me besides the apple. We ride for a while and then decide to play cards. Last year on our Italy trip Mrs. Mary Kat taught some of us how to play Hand and Foot. We play that game with the lead going back and forth until Betty begins to run the table. The first leg of our trip is 4 hours with a 2 hour layover in Madrid. We all claim our luggage and walk the platform to the main station and find a restaurant to eat lunch. We then load up again for 2 more hours of riding until we get to Seville. We arrive in Seville around 2:30 p.m. I could get use to traveling on a bullet train quite easily. I would love to jump the train at Inverness and make my way to Jackson in 15 minutes and return at the end of the day. Yeah, right!
Spanish countryside from the train window
A bus meets us at the station and takes us to La Macarena Hotel. Yep, again you read right Macarena, like the dance. We learn that the Spanish have never been able to understand why the song and dance took off in America since is considered to be a nonsense song in Spain. We are instructed to get settled in and meet in the lobby at 5:00 to head to the old area of town.
El Hotel Macarena
View from the patio atop our hotel
The ladies of the trip before our night out: Irene, DK, Dianne, Debbie, Betty, Louise, Paula, Natalie, Susan, and MR
We are on our own tonight until we are to go to a Flamenco performance. Violeta gathers us at the head of Serpentine Street, so named for its winding nature. It is lined with all kinds of shops, from expensive to the kitchy souvenir stores. She gives us information about the area, and we all head in as many directions, knowing we are to meet at this spot at 8:00 p.m.
Street marker
Before our stroll down the street
One of the first stores we pass by is a toy store that is lined with dolls of all types in one of the windows. My eyes are glued to the window with my mouth hanging open. I can hardly say, "Come here" to the others as I stand in amazement at what I see. There are Klu Klux Klan dolls, dressed in green, and purple, and red, and blue, and white robes along with the pointy hats, lining the shelves of the window. Yep, you read right again! Klu Klux Klan dolls. Violeta begins to explain to us what we are seeing. FYI: The various areas of the town have their Catholic churches that have a color that is synonymous with that church. During Semana Santa, the church will march through the streets caring an elaborate statue of Christ that can weigh well over 800 lbs. They are followed by a band playing music with a beat by which to walk. Those who are carrying the Christ statue are dressed in the colorful KKK robes. I explain to Violeta why we are so enthralled with the dolls. She says she has never heard of such.
The Klan dolls
John, MR, Natalie, Debbie Natalie, Louise, Betty, Paula and I check out the rest of the shops, make a few purchases, and begin our hunt for a place to eat. This is the first evening that we haven't had a planned meal so we are on our own. Although we did not adjust our eating schedule to much during the trip, if we had followed the Spanish schedule of eating we would have been nowhere near eating at this point. It is way too early, 6:45. Several restaurants turn us down since it is too early to eat. We finally are directed to a sidewalk restaurant Las Robles, which turns out to be well-known in Seville. We dine al fresco and enjoy a wonderful dinner. I have a steamed vegetable dish of eggplant, tomatoes, squash, onions, and carrots. I understand the veggies are steamed, mixed with olive oil, poured into a terra cotta dish, and broiled until the top is crispy and brown. I also have Iberian cured ham in which the pig was fed on acorns. I complement the ham and vegetables with a selection of olives, and a sparkling Lambrusco rose (my new favorite wine. I really don't have an old favorite since I am not much of a wine drinker, but this one was nice. Thank you John for introducing it to me). The meal is not quite as good as the lobster in Barcelona, but it is close. Now, Paula is another matter. I know she had to have lost weight on this trip. All she ever ate was bread and more bread. She missed out on some great eating. She did have hot chocolate whenever she could.
Enjoying our evening meal
The performance is great. There is a guitarist who entertains first. He is joined by a male dancer who can snap his fingers louder than any finger snapping I have ever heard. He has the most developed muscles in his hands. No castanets for him. After what seems to be an exhausting dance for him, a female dancer appears to dance her number. The male dancer and the guitarist accompany her with music, snaps, and singing. I would have fallen out from exhaustion I if had danced her dance. But she just smiles and bows after her performance. She very well could have been from the south. She had a moist glow all over her skin, no sweating for her. Next, the two dance together, and they are wonderful, also.
Ole
With the evening coming to a close, we grab taxis and head back to the hotel. For our two nights in Seville, Paula and I room together. We had claimed our beds earlier and have worked out our routine. I go down stairs to try to get on the Internet to no avail, so I decide to give up and go to bed. As a lay my head on the pillow I see it is 1:30.
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