Spain, Portugal and Morocco – 15 Days – Cosmos Tour – A Journal of the Tour – Part One
Madrid to Lisbon then onto Seville
“……Paintings I’d studied in high school and uni were there. Goya, Velazquez, Van Eyck, Rubens, and the list went on. Beautiful……”
9:30 pm 16th. October – I departed at 12:20 pm catching a taxi out front of the hotel. It couldn’t have been easier. He was a nice guy, inclined to chat but I didn’t understand a word as he only spoke Spanish. It cost me 11,90€. I did have transfers but that didn’t eventuate. I’m in a room on my own at the new hotel, it’s bigger than the last one but still smallish, but in the centre of town. Bonus. I went down to reception and picked up a map of Madrid and the receptionist showed me the location of the nearest laundry, some six blocks away. I went back to my room and repacked my small carry on with my dirty clothes then left at three o’clock for the laundry trying to read a Spanish map with Spanish street names. The biggest difficulty was starting with the right orientation. Twenty minutes later I found the laundry, off a side street in the Chinese area. I found two normal looking Spanish guys in there washing their clothes and decided it seemed safe enough. I couldn’t get the machine to work however as everything was written in Spanish except for the wash amount cost and drier amount cost. It was fairly modern. I figured I simply hadn’t put in enough money and the guys were kind enough to help me. One washing machine full was 15€ and to dry it was another 6€. Pricey. Returning to the hotel was easier as I knew exactly where to go and I retraced my steps without consulting the map.
I’m in the middle of the shopping district. The normal shops that is, clothes, kids clothes, McDonald’s etc., eye wear, shoe shops, pharmacies, restaurants, take aways, food shops etc. not high priced designer wear. And all within an easy stroll of the hotel. I used the time in the laundry to catch up on my journal and sent Tour one and Tour two through to Christian who asked to be on the list. It might give him an insight into the travelers perspective. Who knows? He and Giorgio certainly did a great job in trying to be flexible if a reasonable group request was made. Eg. Wine tasting. Maybe I will help these tours become even better!
The group’s meeting at 6:45 pm was in the restaurant area and Julian introduced himself and went over the usual stuff, fill out the medical and passport info forms, don’t drink the water, where to exchange money, magicians, languages and phrases, don’t carry valuables, what to do if you get lost or lose your passport, etc. etc. etc. The group is large, I think a full bus. I walked in and there were five Malaysian women sitting at a table with one spare seat. All the other tables looked like the travelers were couples or people traveling together, husband and wife, sisters and friends, mates, traveling companions. There were spare seats elsewhere but I smiled at one lass and asked if I could sit and they all happily gestured for me to do so. So new friendships are underway. The Malaysian ladies all work together or live near each other, Helen, Jenny, Mandy, Fun and Goh. The six of us are going to meet at 11:00 am tomorrow to walk the the Royal Palace. but we need to be back by 3:00 pm so they can go on the city tour, the tour I did yesterday. Then we are walking the other direction after meeting at 5:45 pm to go to the Prado Museum which is free entry between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. Both places are not too far away. We’ll have dinner afterwards. The six of us went to Toledo either yesterday or today as well so we’re not going on the optional bus excursion in the morning either.
On the way to the lift I meet two women Maria and Chris, American’s from Michigan.
And so it starts again. Tour Number Three has begun.
5:30 pm 17th. October – Slept in this morning and got up at 8:30 am. Went down to breakfast by 9:00 am as it was late for the hotel. Fresh fruit, including pineapple, watermelon, peaches, honey dew melon, some salad including cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce and hot dishes, bacon, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, sausage. Breads and cereals. Teas and coffees.
Three of the five girls I met last evening were there this morning, the other two were already out shopping, and we talked for a bit. They seem very nice. The ladies humoured me and spoke in English but they are all multi lingual, speaking Indonesian, Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
I met up with the five girls at a quarter to eleven and a short twenty minute walk following the map I’d been given found us at the Palace. As I had found the laundry without getting lost I was sort of nominated tour guide and they all deferred to my two short days of experience in Madrid and followed the leader.
It was 10€ entry fee and we all headed inside once we arrived at the palace only to be told we needed to put bags in a cloakroom. I chose not to and was immediately restricted as to where I could go.
We headed back the way we had come after finishing our palace visit and found an outdoor restaurant where we could have lunch. 
Nearby illegal African traders had sheets down on the ground with handbags, wallets and DVD’s on them for sale and just after we sat down all of them quickly scooped up the sheets using a string arrangement and took off on foot with their goods slung over their backs. The police showed up a minute or so later. Twenty minutes later, the police were gone and they all ventured back to their spots on the concrete and set up their makeshift shops again.
The girls went with the group on the city highlights tour this afternoon whilst I bowed out and started my day’s journal.
Soon the girls and I are to head out to the Prado Art Museum.
11:00 pm – The Prado Museum had a massively long line of queuing visitors when we got there at 6:15 pm. I had led the pack again reading my Spanish map, and had felt slightly useful navigating our journey without mishap. We were quickly inside though as the line was moving well, but security then wanted my bag to be put in the cloakroom. They were not negotiable. Well I missed out this morning on accessing a lot of areas at the Palace and wasn’t going to miss out again so I gave it to them. In retrospect I should have taken my passport and the small low pro bag out and just given an empty bag to them, however everything was there when I picked it up so I need not have worried. The museum wasn’t packed with people inside and it was easy to move around which was a relief. We managed over an hour wandering through the beautiful exhibits together. Paintings I’d studied in high school and uni were there. Goya, Velazquez, Van Eyck, Rubens, and the list went on. Beautiful. And not hidden behind glass or heavily guarded.
We went out for dinner, after eight o’clock into the shopping district and people were out and about en masse as they had been last night. Thousands were shopping and dining late in balmy fall weather. It was busier than Melbourne, but it felt safer than the Australian city at ten o’clock at night, the time of day when everyone is still out and about here.
The girls then took me out to a Japanese/Chinese Restaurant and ordered about eight different dishes of food, soft drinks and water speaking Mandarin, and it worked out to be around 10€ a head so it was a fabulous meal for very little. They ate with forks as well as I’m quite pathetic navigating chop sticks. It was a great evening.
Tomorrow we head to Portugal. Adios Madrid!
10:00 am 18th. October – Left Madrid behind this morning at 8:30am and we are traveling through the 500,000 square kilometre Iberian Peninsula heading for Portugal. It’s a five hundred kilometre trek and we should arrive around 6:00 pm this afternoon. The countryside is gorgeous as we travel up into higher country at 650 metres or 2,000 feet above sea level. It is populated with scattered settlements but there are large areas of rock, trees and grazing ground. There’s not a lot of cultivation farming at this point and we are traveling through the region of Castillo Lion at the present moment.
“….King Phillipe is the current king of Spain…..He rose to power after his father abdicated due to ill health…..Spain is the second biggest country in Europe after France…..the biggest community in Spain from another country is Ecuador…..there are also large numbers from Africa and South American countries…..” Julian begins his recitation.
11:45 am – Stopped in Avila, Spain for a walking tour to see the home of St. Theresa. We walked to the cathedral and convent where she lived and worked as a nun. Avila is a medieval fortress and the walls are beautifully constructed, and are still in pristine condition. It has many round towers used as lookouts and the walls have featured in many Spanish Western movies made in the 1970’s featuring Clint Eastwood. We had an hour and fifteen minutes but Julian talked a lot and free time after he’d finished another lengthy recitation was twenty minutes.
We trekked across to a beautiful lookout before we left the area but truly amazing photos were difficult here in the time we were allocated because of sheer volume of tourists standing in the prime place for either selfies or pics with their friends with the fortress in the background.
1:00 pm – The trip from Avila took us through a major Spanish cropping region. Very few trees, mostly plains, with low gentle rolling hills. Crops everywhere, maize ready for harvest, dried cereals stalks, fallow. Small tractors and ploughs. Small farm houses. Passing the occasional old building, typically Spanish dwelling, church or convent style building. The views from the tops of the low hills showcase the region very well. We are driving in country like the Tooboorac region around Bendigo now with rocks that are similar to those almost in my own back yard in Australia.
3:30 pm – We had two hours in Salamanca and then met back at the bus at 3:10 pm. There were some beautiful buildings and a huge square but I chose to leave the group and just walked the streets taking photos of buildings and architecture, the entertaining buskers and Salamanca’s outdoor restaurants until I found a restaurant where I had lunch. Julian had taken us on a walking tour upon arrival telling us a lot of interesting information but I quickly decided to make my own way around to enjoy some solitude. I stopped at a street restaurant and I ordered Canonigos, baby lettuce, Iberian Ham (prosciutto), tomatoes and goats cheese for lunch which was drizzled in a sweet balsamic vinegar and it was truly delicious. Such a simple meal but the textures and flavours really worked well together.
I then made my way along a couple of streets to the bus meeting point.
Crossed the border into Portugal at 4:30 pm and put my watch back one hour.
“…..Portugal is 90,000 square kilometres in size and has 11 million people…..tourism is very important…..the Portuguese national dish is codfish and there are as many recipes for codfish as there are days in the year…..Portugal is a Republic, there is no monarchy…..the president is Mr De Silva……the power rests in the National Assembly……Portugal has 22 administrative districts and a high concentration of the country’s population is settled on the coast……the mountain range in part of Portugal is part of the Sierras…..the capital is Lisbon where we are headed tomorrow…..”
We are driving in a desolate area right now and it’s quite rocky, consequently there are a lot of beautiful hand built stone walls where there are houses or farms.
5:15 pm – Petrol in Portugal I observe is 1,74€ per litre whilst diesel is 1,45€ at the Autostrada roadhouse where we stop. Coffee and cake to eat but not much else there. It is certainly not the hard tourist sell like in Italy or France where the roadhouses are fabulous mini supermarkets and souvenir shops, some with cafe’s and restaurants. Another hour and a half until we get to our destination. We are traveling through forests of pine trees at the moment. It’s quite rocky, sometimes desolate, but green and very beautiful. Vines and olive trees are dotted here and there. It reminds me a lot of the Bright/Mt. Beauty area in Victoria.
7:00 pm – We arrived in Coimbra,Portugal, to a gorgeous view and sunset. I’m about to go down to do some night lights photos as the hotel’s on a hill overlooking the city. There’s about 120,000 residents so it’s sizable. My room faces a hill, which is on the rear side of the hotel, but Betty and her friend Betty Lou let me shoot from their balcony on the first floor as their room fronts the hotel and overlooks the city.
9:00 pm – Dinner this evening was included and was a buffet. Vegetable soup, meatloaf, rice and hot vegetables. Chicken croquettes, vegetable parcels, cold roast pork. Salads. Fruit salad, chocolate pudding, creme brûlée and blancmange. Nice food in a very nice hotel. Best Western chain. Heading to Lisbon tomorrow.
11:00 pm 19th. October – Left Coimbra at 8:30 am after a gorgeous sunrise over the city from our perch on the hill. The city was well awake as we departed the Hotel. Drove into town where Julian asked us to do a walk around with him, but we were only given a bit over an hour and a half here so I chose to wander alone, away from the monotonous recitation I’m starting to associate with him. He means well I’m sure, and is quite knowledgeable but he does tend to go on, and on and…….
I overheard one of the ladies mimicking him.
“We are going for a walk to the cathedral, then you will have free time. We will meet back here at the bus at 10:25 am. You will have some free time at the end, but be back at the bus at 10:25 am. There will be souvenir shops you can go into but be back at the bus at 10:25 am. You will not be have time to go into all of the souvenir shops as you need to be back at the bus at 10:25 am. If you go to the university you need to be back at the bus at 10:25 am. You can have a coffee but be back at the bus at 10:25 am. Make sure you use the restrooms before you are back at the bus at 10:25 am.”
Helen was standing next to me, I was standing next to the lass who had just told the story, she then turned to me and said, “what time do we have to be back at the bus?” I collapsed laughed.
Some of the group walked to the university and saw students in their traditional robes as the equivalent of “O” (orientation) Week was on, some went wandering and some had coffee. Little was open as the shops start stirring here around 11:00 am. I went to six ATM’s. The last one gave me money. I couldn’t get the card to even insert into the others. I have no idea why.
Portugal is famous for cork products. The shops along the street had amazing bags, wallets, purses, jackets, jewellery, watches and other items you might normally associate with leather, all produced with cork. I bought two necklaces and a bracelet, really striking pieces, and found a coffee and bite to eat shortly after my window shopping for morning tea. It was 2€ for coffee with an eclair style pastry, with chocolate on top and custard inside and it was the first coffee since leaving Italy that I have actually really enjoyed. “Non feurte” means not strong in Spanish and I finally found someone who, thankfully, listened to how I might like my coffee instead of insisting on making what they think I should drink.
From Coimbra we drove from to a Monastery nearby Fatima called the Batalha Monastery. Sunday services were being held as we arrived and it was beautiful listening to the priest’s sing song recitation and the congregation’s answering chorus of replies. It was simply inspiring in such a stunning building.
There was rice on the ground outside, a wedding the day before I’d guess. I took some photos and enjoyed it for what it was, a grand building alive with the sounds of what it was designed for, the sounds of worship.
From the Monastery it was onto a Port tasting at a Wine Bodega, only a short distance away from the Sanctuary of Fatima, our next stop. I thought of dad who loved a glass of port at the port tasting and surprisingly enjoyed all six varieties offered, even bitter almond which smelt exactly like almond icing on Christmas cakes. It didn’t taste like the icing base however.
From the port tasting we trekked to the Sanctuary of Fatima which is an area in Cova da Iria. This site is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and it is a site of pilgrimage. It’s notoriety occurred when three small children, on the 13th. May 1917, Lucia 10 and her two cousins Francesco 9 and Jacinta Marto 7 saw the Virgin Mary above an oak tree whist they were shepherding sheep in the countryside. Every month for six months the Virgin Mary returned to the spot and on the 13th. October 1917, the last time she appeared to the children, a crowd of seventy thousand pilgrims also visited the oak tree. Each month she appeared on the 13th. except in the August as the children were removed by the local administrator on that date, however the Virgin Mary appeared that month on the 19th. at another location, some 500 metres from Aljustrel.
There were three messages given to Lucia. The first was to Christians, to stop the war. The second was to stop communism. The third was never revealed until after an attempt on Pope John Paul’s life in 1982. It was then revealed that Pope John Paul had known of the prediction and had worn a bullet proof vest the day of the assassination attempt as the message was an attempt on his life would occur on that day. He survived unscathed and visited Fatima after the event, and had the bullet welded into the crown of the Virgin Mary at the church of Fatima as a result.
Lucia was told to build a church at the site and she lived to a great age. She devoted her life to serving God and became a nun. The two cousins died within three years of the Virgin Mary’s appearance, dying from a flu epidemic. Lucia died aged 97 in 2004. All three have been canonized and are now saints. They are buried together in three separate graves at the church of Fatima.
We visited the sanctuary and some people were shuffling along in a kneeling position embarking on a personal trek of humility and prayer. There were two huge fires in which people were burning wax candles, symbolic of prayers for healing, and many, many visiting pilgrims. Fatima is considered to be quite a holy place and there was certainly an air of awe and spirituality there. The oak tree, once in a field, is now surrounded by a hedge, a concrete surround, and a huge square, and is flanked by the Fatima church, outbuildings and other important structures. Hundreds of people were visiting and milling nearby, and in the shopping area of the town, shop after shop was selling religious relics, statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, rosary beads, holy water, crosses, bibles, artifacts, angels, pictures, ceramic tiles, prayer aids, book marks. The shopping district sort of flanks the Sanctuary area on one side.
Also in the town shops were masses of typical Portugal souvenirs, including beautiful lace work, table runners, table cloths, serviettes, many things with a cockerel on them Portugal’s national symbol, tee shirts, coffee cups and so on. I bought a beautiful embroidered table cloth and ten matching cloth serviettes.
The journey to Lisboa (Lisbon) was through rolling hill country and olive trees, squat and short, and at times in rows and hedged in their shape due to the recent mechanization of olive picking. There were also a lot of vines and crops. Farming land could be seen all the way. Coming into Lisbon there was a huge nuclear power plant, and in the distance we could see glimpses of the River Tagus, a massive river that Lisbon sits against, and the 25th. April Bridge, a very long bridge.
The Hotel in Lisbon was called the Roma Hotel and was very roomy and comfortable. I had a little bit of fun when the porters were bringing up our luggage tonight, videoing the huge number of suitcases they loaded into a single elevator before taking them to the higher floors. I posted it on my personal facebook page and got quite a few likes.
Dinner this evening was part of a Fado evening so we were allocated our rooms at the Hotel Roma then spent a short time changing or freshening up before heading out. The Fado night was at the Luso Club. Dinner was excellent and started with appetizers on a shared plate. I sat with Anthony, Maria and Chris, all Americans. The shared plate had Black Sausage, fired Chorizo, cheese, olives and a non-cooked but cured meat, not sure what it was. It was yum. We also had two bottles of wine to share included but I was the only one drinking the red. Second course was a Thick Beef Soup and mains was Cod Fish Gratin style with a rich cheese and potato sauce with salad. Dessert was a strawberry mousse.
The music and singing throughout the evening was melodic and soulful. Folk dancing that had some Flamenco in it with lots of foot tapping and stamping, twirling and partnered dancing with twirling skirts, linked arms and skipping. It was good fun and the last performance of the night saw some of the packed house join the dancers on the stage. There would have been over a hundred and fifty people crowded into the smallish restaurant. Photos were permitted so I managed quite a few shots over the course of the evening although it was very dark on the stage during the singing performances.
8:30 pm 20th. October – Meeting a few more people but don’t know their names.
I’m really shocked at the bus this time. It’s relatively new and very comfortable but the steps at the middle entry/exit are so steep almost all of older people are simply not able to negotiate them so they use the front entry which is a more reasonable gradient. I feel like I’m ascending or descending a sky scraper each time I embark or disembark the coach at the middle exit and have to literally pull on the side poles to get to the next step. Disabled people would not be able to use the entry at all. The previous two buses on the earlier tours were not at all like this one.
Today started with a city tour. The lack of sun, it was under a cloud, helped with the window reflections this morning and I managed some good captures whilst speeding along.
We drove past the 25th. April Bridge, one of Lisbon’s most famous icons and the guide Rita factored some stops in shortly after passing it by.
We also enjoyed some free time at the waterside to look at historic relics and statues, monuments and features, or shopping, coffee and a comfort stop.
From there we made our way to another Monastery fronted by gorgeous gardens, and a huge fountain. We went to a door, but the rest of the building was closed as it was a Monday, so the guide spoke for fifteen minutes by the door before giving us twenty minutes free time to wander the gardens.
We headed back to the Hotel by 11:30 am then had a quick stop before departing for a coastal optional excursion which took us to Estoril and Cascais the playground of the wealthiest Portuguese.
The coastal road took us under a huge aqueduct that was built to improve the quality of water to the Lisbon people in the 1700’s and we were told that was in use until the mid 1960’s. We then passed out of Lisbon’s built up areas and drove along the coast which abuts the Atlantic Ocean.
There were no multi storied blocks of buildings or accommodation fronting the road on the way to Cascais as apparently a law was passed in the 1970’s outlawing anything but single family dwellings being built, consequently land prices here are huge and the skyline is not filled with high rise apartments. We stopped for lunch and free time at Cascais. I wandered to the fishing area first nearby a tiny pocket handkerchief sized sand beach and captured photos of boats and nets.
Although the beach was tiny there were many people there enjoying the weather. The water at Cascais never exceeds 18 degrees even in summer so swimming is a chilly process. I don’t know if any from our group went swimming today but we were told we could if we took our costumes with us. I went for a walk and found a mass of outdoor restaurants and also a lot of exclusive shops like Zara. I ran into the five Malaysian girls having lunch and stopped for a drink with them, then I showed them an ice cream shop, as Jenny has a thing for ice cream (like me), and we all bought some of the delicious dessert.
We headed back to the bus by 2:10 pm and then drove to the Royal Summer Palace, a medieval palace at Sentra, home to former Portuguese royalty.
This palace was quite different to the architecture I have seen so far and it looked like a little like it could have been home to knights. The most striking building material used at the palace was small handkerchief sized fired terracotta tiles with either pictures which formed a large picture mosaic when pieced together, or richly textured patterned tiles which covered the internal walls or sections of the walls with decoration, or made a feature of door and window frames. There was a beautiful hand painted ceiling with the sea and ships on it in one room, rich wood paneling on walls and ceilings, furniture from the fifteen and sixteen hundreds, chandeliers, paintings and some Arabic touches, particularly around doorways and lintels. Apparently the Palace’s ball room is still used from time to time when foreign dignitaries and royalty visit Lisbon.
The kitchens were huge and the roofs, some 35 metres high, were domed with a chimney in each roof’s centre, like a conical hat, open to the weather. The opening at the top would have been at least a metre. The ovens were huge, pots and saucepans all oversized, all orderly and along one wall, with a small fireplace under each one, and there were massive spits, a gigantic stone table, and a water tap with plumbing and a water outlet. A huge warming oven for keeping food warm. A massive staff of servants would have worked in these two adjoining kitchens, separated only at roof height, with two chimneys soaring skywards either side and it was quite unlike anything I have ever seen before.
Free time again after touring the palace and then everyone was on the bus heading back to Lisbon by 4:20 pm.
I ordered room service tonight as there was no included meal, a delicious soup and chips which I had at 7:30 pm. An early night for me tonight as we head back to Spain, and on to Seville, tomorrow.
11:30 pm 21st. October – Departed Lisbon this morning at 8:30 am. We crossed the massive San Fransisco American inspired “25th. April” bridge on the way out of Lisbon and the replica South American Jesus statue that was on the left bank. After that it was a drive through commercial areas, then a built up area of Portuguese houses, typically white render with orange terracotta tiles on the roofs, until we passed out of Lisbon and were in the countryside.
Rolling hills, olive trees and thousands of cork trees followed. Cork is harvested every nine years and it’s a careful process to remove the female outer layer of bark without removing the male inner layer. Once harvested the tree is painted with the number the current year ends in so harvesters know when to harvest again.
We also passed through quite hilly country, part of the Sierra mountains, driving off the Autostrada. Much of it was grazing land, some however was cropping. It was a beautiful drive, very picturesque.
A stop at 10:00 am until 10:30 am, then lunch for 50 minutes two hours later. We arrived at the Hotel Macarena at 4:30 pm and Patti, an American, was keen to walk so we set off to stretch our legs after a day spent in the coach. There was an old city wall near our hotel so we headed there first.
Then we wandered to a church and then down the main drag which fronted the hotel. I found an ATM to get some cash, after which we passed by the hotel to head in the opposite direction to visit the Macarena Church.
It was surprising how beautifully decorated the church was inside, it wasn’t at all what we imagined as the outside was white with bright yellow stripes and there was a massive arch to the front and left coloured the same as the church’s facade. Portuguese inspired.
We headed back to the hotel about 6:15 and had a little over an hour to get ready for the Flamenco night.
A night sight seeing drive took us to a beautiful square in the city. It was warm about 28 degrees at 7:30 pm and there were a lot of people out and about, as there always is in Spain, in the evenings.
Nearby was the restaurant where we were to have dinner, and next door was the flamenco show. We sat at long tables for dinner and shared wine and water, as well as tapas style plates of food. A salsa salad, a hot rice savoury dish, fried fish pieces, chicken meatballs, a cold tomato soup with bread roll. Dessert was creme caramel.
The Flamenco dancing started at 9:00 pm and I managed a front row seat. Photos were permitted so I was looking forward to getting some great shots, at leisure, this time.
There were two male guitarists and two male singers, as well as one female singer. There were also dancers. Four women and four men danced and they were far better than the dancers we’d seen in Barcelona, all of them dancing choreographed dances. They were passionate, theatrical, expressive and very, very talented. An older woman, who was instrumental in the evening’s dancing, was also the choreographer of the whole show.
One dance was like a reenacted bull fight, with the toreador using his cape effectively whilst dancing. We hadn’t seen hand castanets in Barcelona, but here there was a dance where a younger man and the older woman danced and clicked their way, in complete unison, through the song. Letting the music play alone at times, then clicking in coordination with the song. It is hard to describe but it was absolutely riveting. They were beautiful to watch, captivating.
Each dancer had a solo performance during the evening, with or without the other dancers in the background, and at one point the older woman came out in a long red dress, the classic flamenco outfit, and danced with her feet clicking and stomping, whilst twirling a long fringed scarf throughout. The stars that stole the show however were two of the men. First one did a solo performance and he had absolutely all of the women in the building cheering and clapping his performance the entire way through it. The second man’s performance was different, but as equally well received, and both were very very masculine, very dramatic, captivating and really very sensual to watch.
The posturing, sharp rapid movements, dramatic footwork, was amazingly good. I’d go to see it all again, and again, and again in a heartbeat. Such a wonderful nights entertainment!
11:00 pm 22nd. October – Breakfast was a wonderful buffet this morning with a full spread of hot and cold foods. We left on the bus at 9:30 am so there was a little sleep in today, before our city guided tour. A short sights trek preceded our trip to the Roman city of Italica whose origins are dated 206 BC.
Italica is a mass of residential buildings, shops, avenues and sporting arenas that were discovered in the early twentieth century. Some of the houses were up to 4000 square metres (or one acre in size). Some had swimming pools. There were three types of water here, spring water, rainwater catchment, and well water used for farming, irrigation, gardens. The settlement had 49 kilometres of sewerage system, and leisure buildings such as a gymnasium and thermal baths. The amphitheatre at Italica is amongst the largest by Roman standards and held twenty to twenty five thousand spectators.
It was beautifully cool this morning wandering through Italica and I thought about the fact that there’s been one and a half days of inclement weather since I left home some six weeks ago. So I’m pretty lucky. The architectural relics at Italica are not as complete as say Pompeii, in Italy, but there are some beautiful mosaics to be seen among the low defined walls and housing foundations that have so far been uncovered. One, in particular, a mosaic, was at the bottom of a residence’s swimming pool and has sea serpents, crocodiles, and other animals featured.
We drove back to Seville and looked at more of the various sights whilst touring but hopped out in the city to do a walk round the historic areas. We headed towards the cathedral, the largest cathedral in Europe, and passed by many houses and buildings all with interesting architecture and lots of shops, on the way. The cathedral has a huge gold plated relief behind the altar, is extremely ornate and detailed. The tomb of Christopher Columbus is also in the cathedral and is unusual in that four statues hold the casket where his remains lie. It’s quite beautifully done and a big draw card to the cathedral for visitors.
I went with the five Malaysian girls for about two hours after the group split, some of the group went shopping, others returned to the hotel, but we wandered slowly towards the Palace to have a look. It was about 36 degrees Celcius today. Helen stopped and asked two women that were standing under a shady tree for directions and they seemed rather friendly. One reached out and put a twig of a tree in my hand and was mumbling something. She then grabbed my hand and started playing with my hand, then turned it over, like she was going to do a palm reading. That’s when I pulled it away, only suddenly remembering then, to keep my distance. I wasn’t particularly on guard at this point as Helen had approached them it had not been the other way around. Also, they looked like locals, dressed normally, not like they were vagrants. I was minding my own business until the twig thing happened. That’s when I realized they were gypsies. We left straight away and wandered along further and found the palace. The girls decided not to go inside however as it was 8:50€. That was about when Mandy looked at my arm and noticed my watch. She said it was unhooked, and to do it up, I might lose it. My watch just never pops open. The penny dropped. So I was about to be robbed. Luckily I had pulled my hand away, I had just kept my watch by chance.
Dinner tonight was at the Macarena Hotel and we had an included buffet meal.
I’m looking forward to Morocco but it’s an early start. I am sitting in the front seat on the left hand side of the bus tomorrow. Every morning we shift two seats forward in a clock wise direction around the bus and it’s my turn to sit with Goh at the front. Tomorrow I am wearing head phones as I am simply exhausted by Julian’s continuous monologue. Julian sits at the front and watches the group at large as he speaks. He has a captive audience. And whilst he is full of information, facts and interesting points, he simply loves to talk so he speaks for hours on end. If the travelers on the tour start talking to a friend or partner beside them we hear him say, “Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me. May I have your attention, may I have your attention” and when they hush Julian continues from where he left off without missing a single beat from his planned day’s recitation.
I am noticing more and more travelers are wearing ear phones to listen to music each day, to give themselves a break from the continuous monologue. This is sad as Julian is good at his job, he’s informative, knowledgeable and helpful. Our previous two tour directors spoke for up to two hours a day if we did a lot of travel. Julian however has proven he is capable of more than six full hours of recitation.
I’m very much looking forward to Morocco and part of me is earnestly hoping Julian relinquishes the microphone completely for our five day visit.
To read Part Two of this tour go to Spain, Portugal and Morroco – Cosmos Tour – A Journal of the Tour – Part Two
Seville to Marrakech then return to Madrid
#cosmos #cosmosspainportugalandmorocco #cosmostours