I have never before visited Spain, and I was particularly excited about going to Andalusia. Andalusia is in the south of the Iberian peninsula and, according to Wikipedia, "is the most populous and the second largest in area. The name Andalusia traces back to the Arabic language Al-Andalus (الأندلس). As well as Muslim and Roman influences, the region's history and culture have been influenced by the earlier Iberians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Byzantines, all of whom preceded the Muslims" in addition to others following.
I began my day with sleepy eyes, as we had an early morning flight from Paris to Sevilla. As soon as I stepped off the plane, I could feel the strong Spanish sunshine and couldn't help from smiling from ear to ear. Mohamed thought it was so funny that a little bit of extra warmth could make me that happy. After getting our rental car and checking into our hotel, we walked to see the city center. It was beautiful.
For lunch, I had my very first taste of real Spanish tapas. Can you say "yum"?!
I was interested in seeing a flamenco show, and I was not disappointed by the costuming -- loved the ruffles on the dresses. I've taken a flamenco class before, so I felt like I could appreciate the arms in particular (my upper back was very sore from just one class).
On the walk to dinner, I passed by some brightly colored doors.
Dinner was scrumptious -- the crispy shrimp cakes were perfectly cooked, the juicy cod was perfectly accompanied by its creamy sauce, the seared tuna went surprisingly well with fruit, and so on. I think it's safe to say that I'm a fan of tapas.
After dinner on the walk back to the hotel, we saw a festival in the street. I was amazed at the difference in feel between night and day -- admittedly, it was about 100 degrees during the afternoon, so I understand why people would be indoors and probably taking a nap during the worst of the heat. They sure were lively at night, though!
I began my day with sleepy eyes, as we had an early morning flight from Paris to Sevilla. As soon as I stepped off the plane, I could feel the strong Spanish sunshine and couldn't help from smiling from ear to ear. Mohamed thought it was so funny that a little bit of extra warmth could make me that happy. After getting our rental car and checking into our hotel, we walked to see the city center. It was beautiful.
