Madrid vs Seville

So, what ever happened to the blog posts about Madrid? And Seville, and Porto, Portugal? Well, we’re still mulling over Porto. Nice town, but we are not drawn to it. Still, lots of possibilities in Portugal, I think. Maybe we’ll spend more time there, later.

As for Madrid… as expected, our return to Seville at the end of April clarified our lack of enthusiasm for Spain’s largest city. Sitting in a small plaza in Seville on a busy Saturday this is how it appeared to me.

Madrid vs Seville

It has been very satisfying to be back in Seville! I feel the same elegance, the same beauty, the same heart and soul as the last time we were here. It’s satisfying to walk down the same streets, see the same landmarks, and find our way through the narrow, tortuous lanes that once seemed so impossible, but now so familiar, even after being gone for 18 months. And I’ve come to understand our dissatisfaction with Madrid.

Monumental buildings. Broad boulevards. A massive park. World- class museums. Huge, open squares jammed with people speaking every imaginable language.

          Such is Madrid

Narrow cobbled streets. Odd street angles. Low buildings with beautiful tiled courtyards. Streets suddenly coming together in a small plaza filled with kids and baby carriages. Small hidden parks with large spreading trees and exquisitely tiled benches.

          That's Seville

La Giralda with the full moon

I know now that it wasn't just jet lag or unfamiliar surroundings that put us off from Spain’s capital. Seville really is more lovable! (Well, I meant “livable” but lovable works too!)

The street life here (and we're talking Seville now) has a certain low-level intensity ­­– noticeable, but far short of frantic. Around the cathedral the crowds are thick, the foreign tongues many, the cafes and shops tourist oriented. There's a Starbucks, and down the street, across from another Starbucks, is a Burger King next to a Dunkin' Coffee (they don't have donuts here). Not too far away, in the small plaza where I'm sitting, with cafe tables spilling into the street, younger kids are climbing on the play equipment tucked into a corner of the plaza, while locals stream through, going about their Saturday afternoon business.  Meanwhile, a few tourist types wander by, studying their maps and rubbernecking at the buildings.

There’s vitality, a lived-in-ness, here that is endlessly satisfying. Madrid felt too big, too distant, too cold to appeal to us in the same way.

I spoke to our landlady, Victoria, about the two cities. She owns the apartments we stayed in, both in Madrid and in Seville.  I explained our dilemma over our lack of enthusiasm for Madrid. About how we found more love in Seville than the larger city. She nodded; she understood, but she grew up in Madrid, has family there, and visits often (using the apartment we rented). She finds plenty of heart and soul in Madrid! But she understood; we just don’t have the connections that she does.

Plaza d'Espagna, Sevilla

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While travel is endlessly engrossing, and can be very satisfying and exciting, seeing new sights and experiencing different customs, we never forget our friends at home. Rarely, though, do we actually get to see them until we get back. So we’re always grateful when we have a chance to visit with someone we know. This time we were able to visit with our friends Judy and Robert, from Los Osos,  CA. They were in the midst of their own travels, and we were able to meet up for a few days in Seville.

We had a good time showing them some of our favorite places in Seville, like the Plaza de Espana and the incomparable Alcazar (the 12th Century Moorish palace). Plus, we got to share travel stories. Thanks, Judy & Robert, for making sure we got together!

 

Night time tour of the Alcazar

 

Daytime in the Alcazar gardens, with Judy and Robert

Now, back in Alicante, we are spending more and more time thinking of what happens after August. It’s an interesting balance, this long-term travel. We want to be in the moment, experience what’s happening now. At the same time, we’ve got to keep an eye on where we will be, where we will stay, four to six months from now. Plans are locked in through the end of August (a month in London!). We’re currently looking at Central Europe and Turkey in the fall, another visit to Croatia, and then back here in Alicante in November. We were quite taken by the Christmas season in Seville, so we expect we’ll be back there for December and January. After that? Too early to tell!

La Vila Joiosa, a cutesy beach town up the coast from Alicante

Next up: we ride the tram up the coast, and visit some other beach towns...