Day 2 Sevilla/Antequera

I was the only one awake at 7:30 (just as I expected), prepared breakfast and loaded the cooler with drinks and snacks. I finally woke everybody up at 8:30, had breakfast and then left at 9:30 for Sevilla. It was only an hour drive and they commented that there isn't much to see except farmland just like when they were landing yesterday.

Parked at the underground parking lot next to the bullring (left) and then walked over to the cathedral to attend mass at one of the chapels. We missed it though so we just walked around and took pictures. The main cathedral was open to the public (regular paid entry 7.00 euros) and there was a mass in progress but we were not allowed to go in since it already started so we just walked around admiring the architecture and the statues which the kids really admired. We then went outside to take some more pictures and then returned to the side chapel for the 12:30 Sunday mass.

Here are some pictures taken by Romar & Leanne:

We went to Starbucks just next to the cathedral after the mass where Romar and Theresa enjoyed the a/c before heading back to the heat outside. It's a nice lounge area where customers can relax and surf the 'net with their laptops since wi-fi is available. Did some souvenir shopping afterwards.

It was still early to leave for Antequera so we took the open bus tour to see more of the city sights. We only got off at the Plaza de Espana to take some pictures and then just stayed on the bus for the rest of the tour. Here are some mug shots from the bus and one as we are approaching the Plaza de Espana.

Plaza de Espana is the seat of the government for Sevilla and houses most of the departments. It is semicircular in design with a tower at each end and a fountain in the middle. Pictures on the left and right are Romar's and Leanne's is the middle one. The kids clowned around and Romar even took a picture of a pile of horse poo.

Here are the kids clowning around and Romar's horse-poo-rtrait.

We left Sevilla around 4:00 pm and headed for Antequera (about 1 hr away) for the bullfight. The weather was very hot (around 35+C) and the heat was radiating through the windows even with the a/c on full blast. Antequera was easy to find but had to drive around to find the bullring with some help from the locals. We were able to find a parking spot nearby and paid 1 euro to the parking attendant. Got our tickets for the cheaper side (35 euros/person) - there are 2 sides: sol (sun) and sombra (shade) so we were baking for a good 2 hours until the sun went behind the bullring stands.

The bullfight was the traditional way in which the matador was on horseback. There were 4 matadors in six events: individual performances on the first four and then pairs on the last two. It was quite an experience and I regretted leaving the video camera in the car. The matadors were really dressed up and there was even a mini-parade including a horse show wherein the riders have their horses do some fancy foot work including rearing up on their hindlegs and jumping up.

It's really hard to describe how each event transpired and you have to be there to really appreciate their skills but the matadors were outstanding horsemen. They controlled the horses' pace keeping the bull about a foot away behind while it is chasing them, making maneuvers to attack the bull head-on and then moving sideways to stab their 'banderillas' on the bull's back and having the horse do a 360 turn while moving away.

The youngest matador was about 16 or 18 years old and had the best performance. The matador's expertise is determined on how quick they can kill the bull and he was able to bring it down to its knees within 30 seconds after sinking his lance all the way to the hilt. He jumped off his horse immediately, approached it from the front and then pushed down on its head. You can tell the bull was mortally wounded because so much blood was gushing out from its mouth and nostrils and it staggered right away. The crowd got on their feet, started waving their white handkerchiefs and yelled 'Bravo, Bravo' real loud to show their appreciation.

The bull's ears were cut off and given to the matador as an honor for his accomplishment and he walked around the bullring to accept the crowds' adulation. People were throwing hats, mantillas' wineskins even jackets into the bullring for the matador to touch and toss back to them. For more insight about bullfighting, visit the link: http://www.andalucia.com/bullfight/home.htm.

The bullfight was over about 9:30 and we headed on to Granada to stay for the night. Since it's our first time to travel there and was night time, we missed our exit and had to turn around. Romar broke out my directions and was able to act as the navigator. Finding the hotel was another challenge since Granada is a big city. The street names are not easy to find and the map certainly doesn't look like the actual layout.

We missed our turn again and ended up on a narrow, winding and uphill street with mostly pedestrian traffic. We had some weird looks saying like 'What are you doing here?' and people had to move close to the wall so that we can pass by. It took us about 30 minutes to find our way out winding through the alleys. We were able to see the illuminated walls and towers of the Alhambra though but was unable to stop and take pictures.

Hotel Molinos where we stayed has a peculiar caracteristic - it is included in the Guiness Book /96 for being "the narrowest hotel in the World". It is 3 storeys high and has only 9 rooms. Our reservation was for 2 double rooms and Romar had to sleep on the floor because there wasn't an extra bed available. Anyway, he was too tired to care and just needed to lay down and get some rest after a long day. At least the a/c was working.