See ya round Lisbon… today we’re headed to Seville in Spain.  Soooo much new (and some the same) history to learn… soooo much tapas to taste… soooo much sangria to sample…. soooo much flamenco to watch.

We are staying right smack bang in the middle of the old Jewish Quarter in one of the most fascinating, beautiful and bizarre hotels we’ve ever stayed in before….

It is a hotel that has been converted from about 27 old Jewish houses and has a tunnel running along the -1 basement level to get guests between the houses…

• 

• 

And… randomly, it has a roof top bar and swimming pool…

Where the barman makes killer mojitos!

• 

• 

Check out this coat of arms that was on a pot on the roof…. do you think somebody has had a crack at drawing their own version?

As we are smack bang in the middle of the oldest area in Seville, it also means that we are very close to the tourist area.  We went straight out into the tiny streets in search of our first Sevillian tapas…  It’s very easy to get lost in these narrow windy streets, but generally it doesn’t matter which way you go as most streets lead to the Cathedral…

• 

• 

We knew where the Cathedral was and we were headed that way, but first – Tapas!  I would have taken a photo of what we had, but all the plates were scoffed before I could get the phone out!  We tried spinach with prawns, beef cheeks in blue cheese and Iberian jamon all washed down with dos cold cervezas.  We also tried out our best Spanish on these poor unsuspecting waiters and I think we did un muy buen trabajo.

Then a wander around the Spain’s biggest cathedral and the 3rd biggest cathedral in the world…. although it is the biggest gothic church in the world – so many claims to fame! (we’ll go inside tomorrow)

Then a meander down some more streets, passing the remaining section of the old wall that surrounded the city…

We weren’t even part of this tour group… we just jumped on the back of the line as there is no overtaking in these narrow passageways.  Heaven forbid you’re in a hurry!