Thay it with a lithp
Some friends (who shall remain nameless) have been a little confused about the relationship between Spain and Portugal, and also between Spanish and Portuguese. While the two languages are similar they are certainly not the same, a fact which is not helped by the fact that both nations resent having to speak or understand the other's language. Tho in order to fit in Thevilla I dethided the betht plan was to thpeak Portuguese like I was thpeaking Thpanisth, say it like I meant it and say everything with a lisp. I probably should've told Bry and Ryan of this plan - my first, fluent, lisped "Gracias" resulted in both of them slowly dissolving with laughter and stony indifference from the waiter.
Seville was part of Moroccan Spain and while the influence is clearest in the architecture - tiling, arched windows, the decorative detail - its also there in the feel of the place - sunny streets, tiled gardens, the river, the winding old town - and the colours - oranges, yellows, blues. The Cathedral was built around the old mosque with the minaret converted into a belltower. However inside nothing Muslim remains, replaced by a truckload of golf and marble and some noteworthy dead Christians, including one Christopher Columbus.
As one of the people at work summed it up - the thing with Seville, and possible all of Spain, is that while it's a fantastic place by night, and sunny and scenic by day, it's full of Spanish. The Spanish are a proud noble race, who hate the concept of being subservient to anyone else or doing things to anyone else's schedule. So Seville is a quiet, slow-paced tourist town, which doesn't really like tourists nor providing signs or maps so the tourists can be self-sufficient and not annoy the locals. (It took us an hour to find the way out of the city, even then we were heading the wrong way). The Cathedral and Royal Quarters closing promptly at 5pm comes as a shock since noone does anything quickly during the day - nothing in this city seems to function until its had an afternoon nap and a couple of beers to get into the mood.
But when it gets going hell yeah it's a good time!!!! Everyone is friendly and helpful when you're eating tapas and drinking, on each night half a dozen bars in and around the centre hugged us to their bosom and were only too happy to throw plates of whatever Ryan told me to order at us as well as a couple of beers and a few glasses of red. For example:
Tapas is very fashionable world-wide now but the concept is still one of the coolest ideas, bar snacks you pick at while drinking (or finish in 30 seconds if you're not quite used to waiting until 8pm to start eating!), small enough not to fill you up but satifying enough over drinking time to leave dinner optional (OK maybe that was a miscalculation!), simple enough to not require much preparation but also smal enough for the chef to try a few different things and take advantage of whats fresh and good. Plus some of the best prosciutto/presundo/jamon serrano/smoked ham/just look at the picture:
If you want to visit Seville the best source of info is this encyclopedic site - much respect. Only one issue with it - whatever he says Cruzcampo is the WORST beer in the world. In fact I think thats one of the problems for the Spanish. Worse than the beer being terrible the coffee is crap as well. No wonder none of them want to exist the morning after. So on the last morning, with hangover half-ripened, we revved up the Navara and fought the lack of signs, the markets on the streets and the local belief that a bus, a 4WD and half a dozen scooters can all fit in a single lane between parked cars to gun it to the border and a well earned Delta. Spain may be great, but Portugal has great coffee.
