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<\/a>Seville<\/h6>\nThere\u2019s a reason that Seville gets swamped with tourists, it packs about as much of Spain as you can manage into a single, walkable city. Carol visited Seville five years ago with Tai and was keen to show me some of the sights. We decided not to gamble with central heating and traded a few Accor hotel points for two nights in a Novotel. Not only was it dog friendly, it was a short walk from the major attractions.<\/p>\n
Arriving in late afternoon, we parked the car, grabbed a leash and headed out with Marlon to see what we could find in the way of tapas. Diving into the old town\u2019s winding alleys and cobbled streets is a bit like entering a maze. A maze with good food and drink on every corner. Carol oriented herself and we soon wound our way to the cathedral square. We wandered along the walls of the Alc\u00e1zar\u2019s gardens and let Marlon bark at the local dogs for a bit.<\/p>\n
We plunked ourselves down outside the Bodeguita Romero tapas bar for a glass of wine and a bite. The warmth of the day hung around long enough to keep us comfortable as we perused an extensive list of wines by the glass. This isn\u2019t a town that takes time off in low season. Everything was open and buzzing and mercifully uncrowded.<\/p>\n
The sun rose brightly, and we headed back to old town to explore the palace and cathedral as close to opening time as breakfast would allow. Being unwelcome in public, Marlon stayed behind to guard our shopping bags.<\/p>\n
Our first stop was the Real Alc\u00e1zar, another of the great Muslim palaces co-opted by Spain\u2019s reconquering Christian royalty. Compared with Granada and Cordoba, the Alc\u00e1zar has more life to it. There are exhibitions of traditional art and many of the rooms were tastefully restored over the years. In spring and summer the extensive gardens come to life and are themselves a treat (Carol tells me).<\/p>\n
We poked our heads into the cathedral and literally bumped into Christopher Columbus\u2019 tomb. Well, in truth it\u2019s more of a palanquin, but I\u2019m not sure he knows or cares. The cathedral ceiling towers above your head and there are more antechambers than you can shake a heretic at. Still, it is one of those buildings that seems much bigger on the outside than on the inside. We grabbed a couple of tasty bites and a ca\u00f1a (small beer) at the bar of the Bodega Santa Cruz before heading back to give Marlon some relief.<\/p>\n
That evening we went to a traditional flamenco show (see Carol\u2019s post<\/a>), after which we found a wonderful little tapas joint, the Vineria San Telmo.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t