Granada to Sevilla

The alarm went at 9am. I got ready and packed up in a leisurely fashion, and checked out at about 10.30. I bought a croissant at a patisserie not far down the road, near the gelato shops, and got the 33 bus to the bus station, having tried to hail it from the wrong stand. D’oh! I bought my ticket to Sevilla (€18), then went downstairs to the cafe and got a very nice coffee from a very nice man for 90c. I found stand 14 and a little lady had a chat with me – she seemed to want to know where I came from since I didn’t speak Spanish. I got on the bus, making sure to take my allotted seat, which was 30! The bus and the trip were pleasant – there were some rocky mountains, but I had an aisle seat again so couldn’t take photos. I nodded off a few times, watching the temperature climb from about 28 to 33.

We arrived in Sevilla at about 3pm, and I was already impressed with how the city looked. It’s very clean with a lot of white and terracotta, and the buildings are all attractive. I asked the guy at the info desk for a map, and he told me to go to the tourist office. I asked how to get there and he gave me a simple map. The sun was fierce outside, and once I oriented myself, I found the tourist office easily. Once there, I got some maps, and asked about accommodation. There really is only one youth hostel in Sevilla! The nice and funny guy recommended a hotel or pension in Santa Cruz, since it’s near the bus station, which has buses to Cádiz, Gibraltar and the airport. I set off in that direction, stopping outside one hotel to check its price. Two nice girls tried to help me with very limited English, but they realised I had a plan and left me to it. Very sweet. I walked up Cruces and was faced with two pensions. I chose El Patio Cruces and went in. The guy at the desk spoke very good English and offered me an A/C room with a bathroom for €35, for as long as I need it. Brilliant! It’s a beautiful place too, opening out onto a central courtyard. I rested, working out my plan for the next few days.

I ventured out again to explore Santa Cruz, letting myself get lost and taking lots of photos. I was going to go into the cathedral, but the map said it was closed, and there were people there for what looked like a wedding. I found no farmacias open, but I did find a good supermarket and bought some hair bands, juice, bananas and other assorted food. I headed back to the hotel and put the aircon on. After a shower I headed back out in search of a tapas-style bar to get some fried fish, which is the local speciality. I chose one place and ordered a sangria and fritos variado. It came out quickly, with pieces of fish, calamari, small fish whole, and much bigger fish whole, and with bread. I made my way through most of it, and it was good. I got a shock when the bill was €18!! I walked back to the hotel the long way, hoping to find an internet place open – I found the one on San Fernando open until 11, so surfed for half an hour. I headed back and turned the light off at 11.30.