Day 30 - Seville

We woke this morning waiting to hear from the camper van assistance people, re arranging to have the cabin door locked fixed in Seville, because we didn’t feel like we could safely leave the van and do any sightseeing until the lock was fixed.  When they called shortly after 10:00am he asked if they could get it fixed tomorrow as our renter in Paris was closed today and he couldn’t speak with them.  I explained that we did not want to sit around and do nothing for a day so we needed it fixed today.  Anyway, after two phone calls he said he couldn’t do anything so I called the McRent agent in Seville myself and he said I could bring the van to him outside Seville at 12:00pm

Given that this wasn’t too far away, we left our dockside parking for the night, as we had semi trailer after semi trailer manoeuvring around us to park and unload cars.  We were camped in the middle of an operating dock/car yard and it certainly wasn’t safe for the kids to be outside the van, and at any stage we could be blocked in for who knows how long while trucks were unloading.  So off we went and we went by the other camper van parking sites in the area to see if they’d better for tonight.  Finding one cheaper and closer to town, we drove out to Dos Hermanas to get the lock fixed.

After waiting for half an hour someone looked at the van and then they came back and asked for 50€ for the replacement lock, as my rental agreement was not with McRent.  So after calling motorhomerepublic.com in the UK they sent me a PDF showing it was a McRent rental and then the story changed to “not covered warranty”.  You can imagine my delight and protest.  I was not given them a cent.  In the end they swapped out the cabin door lock to a second lock on one of the luggage compartment doors, so at least the interior of the camper van was secure and so was the luggage compartment unless the second lock on the same door also faulted.

With that problem solved, we drove back to central Seville along suburban streets.  In was very US-esk driving along very wide straight six lane streets.  We parked the camper van in a boom gated parking for 10€ per 24 hours, had lunch, then made the short walk over the river to central Seville.

Our first stop right across the river was the Parque de Maria Luisa and the picturesque Plaza de Espana.   We lucked upon the one photographic sight that Kristie did not want to miss, first off.  The gardens were beautiful and very very enticing to lie down under the shade of a tree in the hot sun, but we had already lost time in Seville so sightseeing we went.  The building in the plaza was resplendent with the sun shining on it and the blue river/moat closing in the arc shape of the building.  Around the inner lower wall are mosaics for each fifty provinces of Spain and in the middle of the plaza a lovely fountain.  I know that doesn’t sound like much but it was beautiful, so much so that Madi convinced us to go for a boat ride in the makeshift river.  With oars about as wide as straws, I can tell you that it wasn’t a whole lot of fun trying to steer the row boat backward through a tangle of other row boats also having the same problem.

 

The other activity Madi was keen to do, but we managed to put off, was a horse and cart ride around the park. At this stage we thought it was just a cheesy way for some guys to earn money in the park, but we later realised it was a Seville wide thing.  Maybe even a tradition. We came to actually think they were a cool idea, but the girls were keen on Segway’s too.  We had to draw a line somewhere.

Leaving Parque de Maria Luisa, we walked in the direction of the cathedral and it was just one fountain, street or building after another that caught our eye.  Seville seems to be a perfect blend of old and new.  The streets and buildings beautifully maintained, yet most so very very old.  Our next stop was the Torre del Oro - a watchtower initially constructed in 1220-1221, on the banks of the Guadalquivir River.  It use to close the city wall at the river and was used to protect the city from a river invasion. Today, it is a good spot to get a view of the surrounding area and doubles as a maritime museum.  

With light fading, we then crossed the road to the Plaza de Toros de la Meaestranza - an old bull fighting area. All the guided tours were booked out for today, but we thought we might visit it the following day.  We couldn’t see much from the outside, but there was lots of history in the posters and signs up around the arena.  It was built in 1758 and is the oldest of its kind in Spain. 

We then headed back into (what we’ll call) the centre of town - to the cathedral and surrounding plazas.  The cathedral itself is huge and imposing, but it was closed for the day, so we looked at the surrounding buildings and went in search of some Tapas for dinner.  It didn’t take long, as the streets around the cathedral were full of bars and restaurants, and most with bilingual menus for the tourist trade.

We had dinner at a restaurant that had a wide variety of tapas to choose from, and choose we did. Some - what I will call westernised and some more traditional.  We ended up have 13 courses, including Sierra eating a main course of lamb chops.  Tapas was a success and now the kids want more.  Not sure how many places serve diced potatoes, meatballs and tiny chicken schnitzels as tapas, but at least the kids are keen for more tapas. 

After dinner we walked through the Barrio de Santa Cruz - a neighbourhood of mainly really narrow pedestrian only streets, full of shops, bars, and restaurants.  We walked past some amazing bars with produce hanging from rails about the bar, tapas on the bar itself, and not a single space on the walls or shelves not adored with pictures or objects adding to the character of the place.  It was an experience trying to take it all in, and neither a photo or my words are going to accurately describe the character of these places.  Being inside these bars was an experience, but the streetscape was also flooded with character.  We even walked past a bar with a Flamenco dancing show on.

Heading back past the cathedral, our last stop of the night was Plaza de San Francisco - home of City Hall. The kids still at their comical best playing with the water from fountains, and pretending to be koalas, climbing lamp posts and clinging on. 

It was then a walk Avenue de la Constitucion - the main thoroughfare through the area, and then along the river to our new camper van parking on the other side of the river.  We were all a little relieved to return to the van and find it as we’d left it.