Still Seville, June 7, 2008, An even hotter Day 9

This morning was a little rougher. We all woke up near 8:30 or so. But breakfast was to be a treat this time. Adam, the Waterman foodie, had a favorite local breakfast place that we could walk to. I can't seem to remember the name of the scrumptious bread that was a cafe speciality but that is what David and I had (plus butter and jam), same as Adam minus his jamon (definite Spain staple of richly flavorful cured ham that hangs in deli, tapas, and restaurant windows throughout Spain adding to the atmosphere of sense memory for me). The girls were treated to their first encounter with churros and chocolate. Yum and double yum. Rich, creamy, dark chocolate is served in coffee cups with a somewhere between syrup and pudding consistency (this threw the girls off very much I am afraid) and you are supposed to dip your churros (long strands of fried sweet dough that taste like doughnuts to me) and luxuriate in the taste sensation. But alas the girls verdict was that they liked the churros without any chocolate and they were "okay." Well at least they gave it a try and never complained. As for the breakfast spot, I loved it. It was very casual, busy, locals all around having breakfast even at 10 in the am. It was definitely a place that would have to be found by an insider as it was set in a Market and away from tourist Sevilla. We filled our tummies and drove out in two groups again to a special area outside of Sevilla--the Italica Ruins.
I really could go on and on about this sight but let's just say that outside of Italy these are pretty amazing intact mosaics and ruins of an Italian colony (called Italica), started around 200BC and from which 3 Roman Emperors originated. I have not traveled to Italy and seeing any kind of historic spot this old always puts me in mind of the fact that there were people in this place at the time of Christ that were probably hearing stories about the "troublemaker" from Nazareth. Amazing. But, so, so, hot. The heat in Spain was not humid (thankfully), but the sun seemed to pound us down and drain our energy. Ale made us chuckle when she shared that in the summers she challenges herself to walk around town from shade to shade and winter she walks paths in the sun. Actually, when you found a shady spot out of the Spanish sun, it was very bearable, even pleasant. So when we got to the mosaics (oh, so intact mosaics), and the trees were few and far between we decided that yes it was all very interesting but the direct sun and some late afternoon hunger called us to leave and find another Adam favorite meal spot.

Adam drove us (again in two groups) to a large grill restaurant that was just on the outside of Seville. The joint was definitely jumpin' with large family groups having parties, simply hanging out in the restaurant proper, the patio, but we chose the lively air-conditioned enclosed patio/eating hall. I ordered a pitcher of tinto (I shared, well, a little) and Adam was trusted again with ordering favorite meats and sides. The girls had Spanish style hamburgers that, later they said were not as they expected since the meat between the buns was more sausage type meat, but they topped it off with strawberry mousse and cheesecake and downed it all with a Coke so it was all good.

We had such a good time here, eating the delicious meats (the Spanish know how to grill their meats) and salads, watching Sophia and Ben giggle and point at each other, talking about their time in Spain and the changes a-comin'. But after we arrived back at the apartment, about early evening, we called it a day in and watched a movie, finished laundry and packed. We were leaving early the next morning for PARIS but somehow didn't get ourselves to sleep until close to midnight. I was the last to bed and told myself to remember the sounds outside the window, still going strong on a Saturday night.