Even though we had practiced getting to the train station, we both woke up very early and felt anxious about our timing. We were going to have a quick breakfast at 7:30, but we decided to just get to the train station and have something to eat there. So we were out the door on our way at 6:30.
Our walk to the train station with luggage in hand was not nearly as bad as we had anticipated. We’d go a few hundred feet and stop and rest. The route recommended by the hotel staff was so much easier than the way Google maps directed us, and we didn’t have too many rough sidewalks to contend with.
So, we were at the train station super early. We had a cup of coffee and a couple of croissants and watched the crowd of passengers coming and going. Eventually, our train was posted on the departures board so we knew we had to be on platform 1. I’m really glad we had our practice session yesterday because we then knew exactly where to go. And, we bypassed the slanted escalators and found the lift.
Next, we had to await the assignment of our platform. I don’t know why we had to go up a level for the entrance because then, to get to the actual train platform, we had to ride a rather steep escalator ramp down. Christine was having great anxiety about this because we had a rather riotous event once in Amsterdam that involved what we thought would be a typical escalator with moving steps, but it turned out to be a steep downward moving ramp. Unprepared and surprised by this, luggage went rolling down the ramp and Christine nearly tumbled down herself. But getting down to the train platform today was a non-event and I was able to hold all the luggage and Christine held on to the railing herself.
We found our seats on the train and prepared for departure. What a nice way to travel, an electric bullet train. It was so quiet and smooth. The trip was supposed to take about 2-1/2 hours, but we were nearly 30 minutes late into Seville.
I enjoyed seeing the scenery. Nearly all the trip was through rural areas. I learned the major crop in Spain is olives and we surely saw a lot of olive trees. This was mostly during the first half of the trip. Spain produces 40% of the world’s olive oil, which was surprising to me. The closer we got to Seville, the major crop changed to orange trees. However, the oranges from this area are not used for juice or fruit because they are bitter. They are mostly used to make marmalade and also some type of liquor. At any rate, the scenery was beautiful.
We got to the Sevilla Santa Justa train station and figured out where to get a taxi. Our ride to the hotel was about 20 minutes. We are staying at the NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas, a big modern hotel that is near the Quadalquivir River which is the only navigable river in Spain. There’s actually a Port of Sevilla. One can sail to the Gulf of Cadiz and the Atlantic Ocean from Sevilla. I think both Columbus and Magellan began their voyages from Sevilla.
We were surprised that there was no Roads Scholar greeter at the hotel. We didn’t know how many participants had signed up. In talking with the reception at the hotel, he suggested I check my email for a message from the group leader. Sure enough, there was a message from Lucia Gonzalez and we learned that we were to meet in the lobby at 6:00pm for our orientation.
We unpacked and then went off to get some lunch and walk around the neighborhood. The receptionist recommended a restaurant called Las Piletas. We had tapas and drinks and loved our choices. Then we wandered around for a bit. What was really amazing is that the Jacaranda trees are in bloom and so the streets and sidewalks are littered with purple petals, everywhere smells heavenly, and the trees are loaded with purple blooms. It’s really beautiful.
We walked in and around an old train station that is being renovated and turned into a shopping mall. It’s also a location for a McDonald’s, the nicest looking McDonald’s I’ve ever seen. The place is called Plaza de Armas.
In the last photo, that is a Bugs Bunny statue at the dome. I’m thinking it is related to the cartoon “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” where one of the pieces was the “Rabbit of Seville.” This Plaza de Armas has a movie theater in it so I think this is why the statue is up there.
We rested a bit and then went to the lobby to meet our group leader and group. There are 12 people in the group and so we made introductions and got to know one another a bit. Everyone seems nice and we appear to be well-suited. This was the first Road Scholar for several of us, and then there were a few veterans, with the most being 6 trips, I think. Lucia is quite a character. She’s very Spanish, very demonstrative. She has a throaty, low voice and she’s quite funny. She’ll be our mother hen for the week and will make all the arrangements as we tour around. Although this is called an independent study where there is a lot of free time built into the schedule, it seems as though most everyone would like to stay together and take Lucia’s lead on where to eat, what to see, and to, etc.
After our orientation, we walked to a restaurant, which just happened to be Las Piletas, where Christine and I had eaten lunch. This restaurant is a monument to bullfighting and every inch of the walls are covered in bullfighting memorabilia, including the heads of 3 famous bulls.
We had a fish dinner of what we think was sea bream. It was a very nice dinner and we were able to get to know some of our group a little. Lucia is very talkative and had a lot to say about life in Spain, and we got into a bit of politics, including what’s happening with the Trump trial. One of our group is a retired white collar crime fraud attorney, so he was reviewing some of the testimony and giving his opinions about business fraud. A couple in the group were not happy with the politics talk so we’ll see if Lucia will change anything in her presentation.
We all walked back to the hotel and everyone was tired. Many arrived from the U.S. today. We’re lucky to have already been in this timezone because we don’t have to deal with jet lag. We’ll see how people are in the morning.
So, we’re in Sevilla, and looking forward to learning about this fascinating place.