Flight Amsterdam - Madrid - Sevilla: ± 9 hours of travel

Saturday 17 May 2003   

We leave for Amsterdam Airport with the 9.31 train from Rotterdam. The flight should leave at 12.15 but we are more than 40 minutes delayed. We fly first to Madrid, where we change planes. Around 5.10pm we land in Sevilla. Our fears for luggage problems, because of our delay on the first leg of the journey prove to be unnecessary.  We take a taxi into town (€22,=). We have booked a room in the (gay) pension Airesevilla, in the middle of the Santa Cruz district in the centre of town. It is on a narrow alley and a bit hard to find. We are welcomed by Fabian. We take a rest and then hit the town. We have some tapas here and there (among others Albondigas de Merluz, fish balls)  which prove to be rather filling. Later that night we sample a bit of the Sevillan gay scene and have a drink at El Barron Rampante. In Sevilla it is warm, around 30°C (90°F) but at night it cools down to around 22°C (71°F).   

Sunday 18 May 2003   

We have breakfast at the veranda of the pension. Walter serves breakfast rather meticulously, but friendly nevertheless. It is fairly warm by now, but the forecasts promiss more heat.  We walk to the House of Pilate. It is a family mansion from 1519, built after a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It was supposed to resemble the house of Pontius Pilatus there, but in reality it is combination of Mudejar style with renaissance and classical elements. The house has wonderful patios and gardens. The upper level can be visited only with a guided tour. Which we do. The rooms are dark, but worth the effort. We continue to the Hospicio de los Venerables Sacerdotes, a former guest house, now a museum with temporary exhibitions. The building is a sight in its  own right, with a lovely patio and a grand chapel. We have lunch in the Santa Cruz district, before we take a siësta. Later that afternoon we walk to the banks of the river and sit on a side walk terrace in the shade (in the sun its a scorching 40°C (104°F)) and enjoy the views. At night we have dinner on the outdoor deck of the Rio Grande Restaurant on the other side of the river Gualdaquivir in the Triana district. The view on the river is very pretty. After dinner we walk along the banks of the river on the Triana side and cross over on the Isabel II bridge back to the centre. We have a few drinks in the gay bars on Paseo Colon.     

Sevilla - Aracena - Zafra: 181 km

Monday 19 May 2003   

After breakfast we take a taxi to the train station, where our rental should be waiting for us. Once there I realise I have left my passport at the pension's reception. Back again, while Erik stays at the railway station. Our car is indeed ready at AVIS and after some formalities we are on our way in a  Seat Léon TDI. We drive out of the city to our destination  Zafra in de Extremadura. We are not taking the direct route but take the more interesting detour via   Aracena. Aracena is a reasonbly interesting village with a church on a hill built by the Knights Templar on the ruins of Moorish Castle We have lunch in Aracena. There is also a Gruta de Maravillas (Miracle Cave), but we leave that for what it is. We go on to Zafra. We arrive there around 2pm. We stay here at the Parador, located in a 16th century castle. It has a beautiful marble renaissance patio. Unfortunately the pool is (still) closed. A shame in this type of weather (27°C). We explore the town in the early evening and later we have dinner in the Parador's restaurant on the Patio. Lovely food and fine service.     

Tuesday 20 May 2003   

The breakfast is great in the  Parador. After breakfast we explore the centre of Zafra more thoroughly. We pass along the Santa Clara convent, the city gates (Sevilla en Cubo), the monastic church of Rosario monastery and the main church of the town. The old town has a couple of picturesque streets. The focal point is the Plaza Grande (grand square) and the nearby Plaza Chico (minor square). Both are surrounded by arcades. The grand square is a lively place at night with side walk café's and bars. Mornings it is fairly quiet.After the walk we set for a drive around the region. We pass Bienvenida and Llerena. In Llerena we have lunch. It has an attractive central square. Closeby is the the roman theatre of Reina. The theater is now in an open field, but looks fine and is still being used for plays. In the afternoon temperatures soar to around 30°C (86°F). Via numerous small roads through mountainous terrain with lots of olive groves we find our way back to Zafra.

Early evening we try to find a place for tapas, but these are hard to come by. The best we can find is some nuts and olives. Later at night we eat at Regilio a reasonable and average priced affair. The main course goes without any vegatables or salad. Only some olive oil fried potatoes accompany the meat. Later that night we have some drinks on the Plaza Grande.