Top photo: The Plaza de Espana in Seville is one of many historic sites in the city.
  
A Spanish winter
Southern cities offer visitors a warm welcome
        As we took in the sights of Seville on our first day in Spain, we started looking for a place for lunch.   It was a pleasant February day, with temperatures in the 60s, and we found a nice sidewalk café near the Alcazar Gardens.  We took a spot at a table on the sidewalk, enjoying the attentive service of a man who appeared to be the restaurant owner. 
        The night before, jet-lagged from a day of travel and having to go through screening twice in Madrid just to change planes, I wondered if the trip would ever end.
         I had been skeptical about visiting Spain in the first place.  It certainly wasn’t at the top of my list of places I wanted to see, but in that moment my feelings toward Spain began to change. The food, the more relaxed lifestyle, the temperate winter weather all combined to change my attitude. 
     My son Matt was going to be leaving for Iraq in two months and he wanted to take some leave and go to Spain before he left on that assignment.  He asked me to go with him.  How could I say no?
    And Spain got into my head.  The cool of the people. The beauty of the country. And especially the food and the dining. 
     Seville was the opening chapter in our visit to southern Spain. Granada with its world famous Alhambra castle that overlooks the city was the climax.  And Cadiz, a port city on the Atlantic Ocean, was the anti-climax, although we were lucky enough to be there during Carnaval.
     Here is a city-by-city synopsis:


An artist paints in the quiet of Seville's Alcazar Gardens.

Seville: Winding streets lead visitors on enchanting stroll
    Seville – or Sevilla, if you wish – was a place we had come hoping to see flamenco dancers and perhaps a bullfight. 
    We found a hotel close by the Almeda de Hercules Plaza, a vast expanse of paving stone and restaurants, bars and shops around the central plaza.  The plaza was a great place to enjoy a Cruz Campo beer and watch people …and dogs. 
     On our first night in residence at the Hotel Vime Corregidor, we took a short walk to a small restaurant at the edge of the plaza and had panini sandwiches. It was our jet-lag day and we didn’t feel like staying out late.  
     Our first morning we had spent in the heart of the tourist district, at the Alcazar Palace and Gardens and touring the Giralda Cathedral.  In the summer season, the gardens must be gorgeous, but even on this day you could appreciate the design and the many plantings.  Two painters were busy capturing the tranquil scene in the gardens. 
    The palace itself was for a time home for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, and they hosted Columbus here once on one of his return voyages from the New World.  A raised and covered walkway allows for a better view of the gardens, but even at ground level they are amazing. 
 After our attitude-changing lunch, we visited the cathedral, the third largest church in Europe and La Giralda, its famous bell tower.  Columbus is reputedly buried in a tomb in the Cathedral, although there is considerable disagreement about his actual burial place.  Nevertheless, the cathedral is a work of art worth seeing, with numerous 15th century stained glass windows and other pieces of history.  
    At some point, I lost contact with Matt in the massive cathedral.  It was 8 euros to get in, so I  didn't want to leave too soon.  I decided to climb to the top of the tower, and it was worth the effort for the spectacular view of the city.  You ascend by ramps rather than stairs to reach the top of the tower, which was first the minaret of a mosque during the Moorish era and was converted to Christian tower after the defeat of Spain’s Islamic rulers.
    After my climb, I decided to wait for awhile in the Patio of Orange Trees, a large open area near the exit.  As I was pondering finding my way back through Seville’s maze of streets to our hotel, Matt showed up.  Better to be lost together than lost separately, and we still had time to check out the city’s bull ring before dinner.
    We found out that we were too early for the bull-fighting season by almost two months.  But we were able to get a tour of the bull ring, which is right next to the Guadalquivir River, and the rest of building where (along with the bull ring in Ronda) the modern version of bull-fighting began.  
 In the evening we turned our attention to Flamenco dancing.  There were several venues, and we opted for one with a meal included.  It was entertaining, but being the off-season there were few people there.  If it hadn't been for one tour bus that unloaded shortly after we sat down, the place would have been virtually empty.  Still, the dancers seemed to give their all, but they had probably seen many nights with more enthusiastic crowds.
    On Day Two in Seville, we didn’t get going until almost 10:30.  We had passed on the hotels breakfast, at a cost equal to almost $20 per person, and I began the day searching for coffee. We found a small shop that looked like a possibility, but due to linguistic issues, I wound up with only a very tiny cup of espresso.  A few blocks farther, we came upon a square with a McDonald’s and a Burger King, and I thought I had perhaps stumbled into coffee heaven.  But there was no one there, and when I looked on the doors, it showed they didn’t even open until noon.  Ah, Spain, where even the McDonald’s doesn’t get going until the locals are good and ready.
     But enough cultural complaining from an ugly American.  We pressed on to the Plaza de Espana, a beautiful half-circle structure built for a world exposition that fizzled because of the Great Depression.  Parts are a little shopworn, but the Plaza now houses government offices (which were mostly closed on this Saturday morning). Still, vendors offered colorful fans and other wares in the vast courtyard, and a small military museum there was open – the sign said – until 2 p.m.  We toured it, but there were few other visitors there and by 1:30 the staff began turning off lights, making it clear that it was time to go. 
    A late lunch at a restaurant located on northwest corner of the Parque Maria Luisa was an unpleasant surprise, but a wonderful evening meal of tapas made up for it.  At lunch we sat outside under a large tree and tried to order conservatively from the pricey menu.  When the bill came for 41 euros (more than $50) we were more than surprised.  But it turned out we had ordered (or so the waitress apparently thought) the 20-euro full plate of Andalusian ham.  It was thinly sliced and couldn’t have even been a quarter pound, but we paid, of course, and left a little wiser.
    Since it was our last afternoon before leaving Seville for Granada, we decided to check out the Santa Cruz neighborhood near Alcazar and the cathedral.   The intriguing narrow streets and variety of shops, many aimed at tourists, was worth the visit.  We took the long way back to the hotel, traveling through other neighborhoods that we knew we would probably never see again. 
    After the proverbial stop at the hotel to freshen up, we headed out again for dinner.  We were looking for a restaurant recommended in one of the guidebooks, but had not been able to find it.  But within a block of the Cathedral of Jesus the Great Father, we found the Elslava restaurant.  We were there about 8:20, early for the local crowd, so were seated immediately.  Matt had carricada Iberica (a Spanish roast beef incredibly tender and flavorful) and croquettas casera, a fritter with a light tomato salad on the side.  I had strudel de verduras (vegetable strudel) which was spinach baked in pastry, and pimento relleno de merbulla, which was fried mushrooms stuffed with pimento and bacon, and a light salad like Matt’s.  I wrote in my notes: “Our meal was twice as good as lunch, at roughly one-third the price.”  By 9, the restaurant had filled up, but we were already enjoying our meal.
    And it left us with a good feeling about Seville.

The Alhambra rises above the city of Granada.








Granada: History casts a long shadow over storied city
    The legendary castle and fortress Alhambra towers over the city of Granada, a reminder of a colorful – if imprecise – past.   It has served as a fortress and as a royal palace, where Moorish sultans kept their harems and Spanish Royalty lived in elegant style.  According to one legend, a sultan had 36 princes beheaded in the Hall of Kings when he suspected that one of them was consorting with his favorite concubine.  It’s a bone-chilling act of arrogance that is told in places as gospel but is much questioned by others. 
    Nonetheless, the Alhambra is a place of amazing history and beauty.  
    We left Seville on Sunday morning, taking an 11:30 train for Granada.  It was a picturesque ride, with miles of olive groves and then mountain scenery as we got closer to Granada. We arrived virtually on time, about 3 p.m., and after an exciting cab ride at faster-than-safe speeds through narrow streets crowded with pedestrians we were delivered to the Hotel Casa Morisca at the base of the Alhambra complex. 
    After getting checked in at our home for the next two nights,  we spent the rest of the afternoon walking through a nearby, hilly neighborhood (where we encountered the cat on the wall with broken glass).
      Our agenda for the next morning was to get up at 6:30, enjoy the included breakfast (with coffee!) at the hotel, and leave about 8:30 for the 15-minute climb up the “back way” to Alhambra.  A guidebook had recommended getting advance tickets, so from 4,300 miles away in Milwaukee, I had booked our tickets over the internet.  They were waiting for us when we arrived at the ticket window.  In February, it turned out, you could probably walk up and get in, but it might not be as easy in the busy tourist season. 
    If I were to visit the Alhambra again, which I hope to do, I would hire a guide.  With a guidebook, you can only scratch the surface of the intimate detail of Alhambra’s history.   We spent a delightful day, however, exploring the ramparts and gardens, the ruins of barracks that once housed soldiers who defended Alhambra, the lavish patios and pools that were the dream of someone rich enough and powerful enough to make them happen. 

Revelers fill a street near the old town section of Cadiz to celebrate Carnaval 








Cadiz: Carnaval brings an ‘abandoned’ city to life 
      I don't remember why we decided to visit Cadiz, although one travel guide describes it as “one of Andalusia’s hidden gems.”   The city juts out into the Atlantic Ocean and you get there via a narrow strip of land that connects it with the mainland.  It is reputedly the oldest city in Europe and in its heyday was the trading capital of Spain, and it was the city from which Columbus sailed to America on his second and fourth voyages.  
    Today, with its miles of beaches lined by high-rise hotels, you could imagine it in summer as a place packed with tourists from all over Europe, enjoying a day swimming and sunbathing.  But in February, the beach was mostly deserted.
    To our surprise, however, our visit coincided with Carnaval, supposedly one of the three largest celebrations in the world, lesser known and apparently less sexy than New Orlean’s Mardi Gras and Rio de Janeiro’s own Carnival, but nevertheless an event that keeps the city up until all hours for 10 days. (In 2012, Carnaval is Feb. 16-26.)
    Our first day we took a cab from our oceanfront hotel, the Tryp la Caleta, to Castillo Santa Catalina, a fortress built in 1598. It offers interesting seaside views, but there is not a lot to see otherwise. But from there it is a short walk north to Parque Genoves, full of palms and topiaries.     
    We searched for Carnaval for two nights, the first with little success, partly because we started too early. 
    On the second night, we waited until 9 to even begin our search.  We took a cab downtown to what we had been told was the Carnaval area.  There were a few people in costumes or with instruments and there were special lights up on all of the streets.  But it really didn't seem like much at all.  We stopped for a beer at a small cafe and bar and the bartender pointed us in another direction.
     After 10, things began really picking up and by 10:30 we were listening to groups of singers just off the Plaza San Juan de Dios.  The first three or four groups were wonderful -- good voices, good harmony, a lot of emotion and gesturing going into the singing.
     At one point I was standing next to a cheerleader type in a red skirt with red shoes and socks and white tights, a white sweater over a potbelly and breasts - and an ugly face with a goatee and gawdawful fake hair. But he was in the spirit of the event, and as the night wore on we saw more and more people in costumes.
     However, the singing quality seemed to fall off some as we wandered around and listened to less talented (and probably more inebriated) groups.  We stayed until just before midnight.  By now the crowds on the side streets had become wall-to-wall and we had real trouble getting through. 
    If we had stayed later, there doubtless would have been more of a party atmosphere, but we were tired.  We had walked all day, so we caught a taxi back to our hotel.   

A final day and night back in Seville
    The next morning we took train back to Seville for a final day before getting up very early then next morning for the long flight back home.  We got in with plenty of time for a last day of shopping for gifts and souvenirs.  After checking back in at the Hotel Vime Corregidor, we retuned to the area near Alcazar and wandered separetely through some of the shops.  I found a shop where the potter made his own crafts and bought a colorful if imperfect bowl.  As I paid and visited with the shopowner, I found he was a Frenchman who had moved to Seville a number of years earlier.  So much for my pure, authentic Spanish souvenir. 
    That evening we made one more try to find the restaurant we had been looking for near the Cathedral of Jesus the Great Father.  Of course, by now, the evening before we had to leave, we had learned our way around the neighborhood.  We patrolled the square again, without finding the Az Zait restaurant, so about 8 p.m. we decided to have a beer and parked ourselves at a table outside another restaurant to have a beer and talk about it.  We didn't want to stay out too late because our flight the next morning was at 7 a.m.
    As we sat discussing what to do next, looking over the guidebook again, a light across the street suddenly came on -- illuminating the sign for the Az Zait restaurant!   Amazed, we quickly finished our beer and went in.  As usual, by arriving at 8:30 we were well ahead of the local crowd.  We ordered appetizer and (as best I recall) a bottle of wine.  We both had wonderful meals, and more alcohol than you should have the day before an international flight.  As we lingered over dessert, the place was really beginning to fill up, but we had to go.  We had the flight in the morning. 
    But as we left, I wondered why we had to leave so soon.