Sevilla, Spain: Crunchy on the Outside, Sweet in the Middle

After a day of watching the skies weep with rain from our room at the Casa Gil in El Bosque, we were back on the road the next morning in the crispness of a freshly-washed world. We continued a downward descent into the plains, and just when we thought we were in for flat country, the hill-town of Arcos de la Frontera loomed like the a snow-capped peak.

Approaching Arcos de la Frontera.  We rode (and pushed) our bikes to the top through some insanely steep roads barely wide enough for a compact car.

The view, halfway up, as we catch up breath.

We camped in a hidden spot next to a wheat field that night.  Quiet.  Just us and the quail and maybe a dog barking in the far distance.  It was flat terrain approaching Sevilla, but a headwind, warm temperatures, and a detour to buy bike tubes and a new stove made for a late day.  But Sevilla comes alive in the cooler evening hours, and we rode through the streets of the old city to the pension where we would stay for a couple of nights, with people everywhere, spilling out of the bars and seated outdoors at cafes.

We filled our day taking in the Real Alcázar de Sevilla and the Cathedral de Sevilla.  Treasures on the inside of a old and interesting city.

Evening light crossing over the Rio Guadalquivir in Sevilla

Metropol Parasol, a building whose function was not apparent to us and form is a bold contrast to the sharp features of the rest of the city.

Babies gone bad.

Courtyard of the Real Alcazar where the influence of Islamic architecture is apparent.

Exquisite detail of an archway in the Real Alcazar.

Gardens of the Real Alcazar are blooming and fragrant in all their spring glory.

Exterior of the Cathedral de Sevilla, claimed to be the world's largest church in volume.

From the cathedral's tower there are sweeping views in all directions.

The tower combined with a zoom lens offers views of another kind.