Today was a luxury - sleep-in day! We didn’t have anything planned till this evening! Yay! I wanted to get over to the cathedral in time to buy an entrance ticket, so headed out for brekkie about 8:30, while Irv had a good lie-in. There’s no catering at this hotel so we got a voucher for a nearby cafe to get brek. After that I wandered back to the Metropol Parasol, or The Seta as the locals call it. I wanted to check out the Antequarium which is down below the Seta. Apparently when they were preparing the site for the Seta, they discovered Roman ruins from 30 AD and they are now displayed in a small museum below ground. Unfortunately it didn’t open at 9:30 as advertised, but at 10:00, which was the time I wanted to be at the Cathedral to line up for the opening at 11.
I managed to get close to the start of the line so had no issues getting in. I was NOT prepared for the absolute immensity of this cathedral. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in Europe and surpasses the Hagia Sofia. As temples go it is the third largest, behind the one in Rome and St, Paul’s in London. There are not enough superlatives in M. Roget’s thesaurus to describe the grandeur, the opulence, the immensity of this structure. The massive columns that stretch to the ceiling many metres above, the gold altars, and the ornate elements are almost overwhelming! Of note, this is where Christopher Colón (aka Columbus) is interred. I wandered around for a couple of hours, completely gob-smacked and taking waaay more photos than I probably needed to.
After the cathedral, Irv had walked down to meet me and after a helado stop, we headed over the catch the HoHo bus. We got off at the first stop to take a look-see at the Plaza Espana, a huge park with a lagoon where you can rent rowboats, much like El Retiro in Madrid. We amused ourselves by watching people who obviously had never been in a rowboat try to navigate these unfamiliar crafts. The plaza, located in Maria Luisa Park, was built in 1928 for the 1929 Ibero-American exposition. The goal of the exhibition was to make peace with Spain’s former colonies and its semi-circular shape represents Spain embracing those colonies. There is a great deal of beautiful tilework throughout the plaza, reminiscent of the azulejos of Portugal.
We hopped back on the HoHo bus to continue the tour which took us around the city to various locations. It was interesting to see other more modern areas than just the historic main part of the city.
After the bus tour we headed back to the hotel with a stop for me at the Seta, the massive wooden structure we had seen the day and night before. I wanted to pop into the Antiquarium but was short on time so had to content myself with grabbing a few shots through the windows.
A quick shower and change of clothes to get ready for the flamenco show. This was located in a small, very intimate theatre where you are only a few metres away from the stage and the performers. It was a mesmerizing performance, with a very talented guitarist and two singers providing the musical accompaniment to the dancers. There were three dancers - a young woman, a fortyish gentleman and a woman I would put in her late forties. But the energy! Their staccato moves with their feet and their graceful hand movements held your attention throughout the performance. It was most entertaining!
After the performance we headed off to a restaurant to enjoy dinner together. It is a very congenial group and these dinners offer the chance to get to know the other members. We sat with the two other couples who are also continuing on for the north part of the tour, along with the single, Paul. A walk back to the hotel with the mandatory stop for helado on the way, where we ran into a young American girl who is solo backpacking over here.