By Laurel
So, it is our last day of Seville (Sob.......). We plan to go to Parque Maria Luisa and feed the pigeons (see Pigeons in Parque Maria Luisa, by Bryce), and then head over to Feria (also see that article), and go to Duo for dinner. Duo is the place with the awesomest chocolate souffle´ that is just on the corner. So that will be our day, but WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE THE DETTERINGS GOING NEXT??????? Morocco. Africa. Yipes. We are staying there for a week. MOROCCO. It is going to be record-breaking hot. Another Yipes. Triple yipes. Seville was a challenge with the heat, so what are we going to wear in 70 degrees? Shorts? We have rented an awesome hotel in the middle of town! See you later! In Morocco!
Showing posts with label Sevilla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sevilla. Show all posts
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Salmorejo
One of our new favorite dishes, which we've found only here in Sevilla, is a special kind of gazpacho called Salmorejo. It's basically Gazpacho, but made with bread, and often paired with hard boiled eggs and Iberian ham.
Sue has lived on Salmorejo since we've been here, and the rest of the family likes it too. Even Laurel, who is adamantly anti-vegetable, has ordered and enjoyed it.
Sue has lived on Salmorejo since we've been here, and the rest of the family likes it too. Even Laurel, who is adamantly anti-vegetable, has ordered and enjoyed it.
Pinchos
Today, as I went in search of money and an internet cafe, I found an interesting looking place for lunch called Lizarran. This was a pinchos bar - the first one I've seen. Pinchos are little hors d'oevres on baguette-like toast. Lizarran had a nice looking selection on display, and you'd just open the display case and snag one. Each was about $2, and little cañas (beers) were about $1 US. They would also bring around hot places from the kitchen. It was just like being at a cocktail party. Overall, the pinchos were yummy - I especially like one with a brown and white anchovy.
Here's what Lizarran looks like:
Here's what Lizarran looks like:
Friday, April 27, 2012
Flamenco show in Barrio Alameda
We went to a flamenco show last night. It was at a savvy little restaurant in El Barrio Alameda. A kind waitress greeted us as soon as we were sure we were at the right place. She led us through a door with a small step that tripped you if you didn't look down. We were led to a table right next to the stage where the dancers would perform. I slid
in first, followed by mom. We sat in the creaky woven straw seats for the next thirty minutes, bored out of our
skulls if it wasn't for a soft, yummy, bread bun that the waitress gave us. I was going to ask mom if this really was the right place when an older woman in a light yellow dress stepped onto the stage. Three guitar playerS followed her.
Two other men took their places in betweens guitar players. They sat down as a group onto the same style chairs that
we were sitting on. The woman started singing in a loud, clear voice that echoed off of the walls. The two men
without instruments joined her. The trio sang opera for a little while, and then a wave of applause. I didn't really understand what the singers were singing, so I clapped politely anyway. Then one of the men singers went offstage,
and a woman in a dress so long that it dragged on the ground came out. She bowed for some time, and then started dancing. The audience was whistling and hooting almost the whole time. Near the end she whisked the long end of her yellow polka-dotted dress into her hand and tapped her feet against the stage. Shavings of stage flew off of the
stage and landed on the white tablecloth. The lady bowed and gestured to the guitar players. Lots of applause.
Then, as quick as she had come, she was gone. The show had some really amazing men dancers. One of the men's feet
was going so fast, sweat was flying off his hair every time he turned. It was a great cultural experience, and Bryce drew a picture ( or was forced to) of a flamenco dancer. Here it is:
----------picture coming soon------------
I noticed that the dancers either used castanets or their fingers to create sharp snapping sounds in time to the
music. We weren't allowed to take video or pictures, so we can't show you how good they were. Sad.......
By Laurel
Flamenco
The last two days have been Flamenco themed. Yesterday, we saw a Flamenco show in a cabaret, which in spite of being two hours long was really good, and held both kid's attention. Laurel seemed particularly enthralled with the dancing, music, and dress. Today, we visited the Flamenco Museum in Sevilla, which was really well done. They has a lot of videos showing the different styles, including some classic video footage, some costumes on display, and a good interactive exhibit showing the different styles and explaining the different components of how to properly Flamenco dance.
I've watched Laurel try to imitate some of the Flamenco hand movements while she is walking down the street, and I was inspired to try to incorporate some of the postures and hand movements into my poi spinning.
Bryce made this drawing from last night's Flamenco show:
I've watched Laurel try to imitate some of the Flamenco hand movements while she is walking down the street, and I was inspired to try to incorporate some of the postures and hand movements into my poi spinning.
Bryce made this drawing from last night's Flamenco show:
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Seville's Bike Share
One of the best things about Seville which would make it really liveable is the Servici Bike Share system. It's so smart, and it works really well. I got a bike rented for us for the week, and it was easy.
Here's how it works:
1. Go to a kiosk, and swipe your credit card. A one week pass is 11 Euros. You'll receive an access code. You're all signed up!
2. When you need a bike, find a bike station (there are over 100 in Seville), enter your access code and PIN, and pick the bike you want. It's automatically unlocked and ready for you.
3. To return your bike, just park it at any station in town.
The bikes are three speeds, and are adjustable enough so that Bryce or I can ride the same bike just by changing the seat height. They have lights that come on automatically as you ride. There's even a bike lock, which is activated by a key which you can remove.
Seville is relatively bike-friendly. There are some nice pathways by the river that are flat, and have actual bike lanes and markers. In the middle of town, some of the cobblestone roads make it a little more work to get around, and some streets are either too heavy with cars or too heavy with people to make bikes practical. But all in all, it's a pretty awesome system, and from a customer standpoint it works great.
Here's how it works:
1. Go to a kiosk, and swipe your credit card. A one week pass is 11 Euros. You'll receive an access code. You're all signed up!
2. When you need a bike, find a bike station (there are over 100 in Seville), enter your access code and PIN, and pick the bike you want. It's automatically unlocked and ready for you.
3. To return your bike, just park it at any station in town.
The bikes are three speeds, and are adjustable enough so that Bryce or I can ride the same bike just by changing the seat height. They have lights that come on automatically as you ride. There's even a bike lock, which is activated by a key which you can remove.
Seville is relatively bike-friendly. There are some nice pathways by the river that are flat, and have actual bike lanes and markers. In the middle of town, some of the cobblestone roads make it a little more work to get around, and some streets are either too heavy with cars or too heavy with people to make bikes practical. But all in all, it's a pretty awesome system, and from a customer standpoint it works great.
Pizza Buoni
In our neighborhood, one one end of the Alameda de Hercules plaza, lies a little clean white pizza shop called Pizza Buoni. We walked by there the first day, tried it once, and since then have returned daily.
These guys make the most awesome foccacia pizza I've ever had. The crust is perfect - it's hearty and wheaty. And toppings are made from fresh ingredients, and include combos like potato and bacon, ricotta, sage, arugula and olive oil, butternut squash, zucchini and more. All the pizzas have a card in front of them with the ingredients listed in words and pictures. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Aside: this pizza is so good, we've even gotten Laurel to eat vegetables, as long as they are on one of these pizzas.
These guys make the most awesome foccacia pizza I've ever had. The crust is perfect - it's hearty and wheaty. And toppings are made from fresh ingredients, and include combos like potato and bacon, ricotta, sage, arugula and olive oil, butternut squash, zucchini and more. All the pizzas have a card in front of them with the ingredients listed in words and pictures. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Aside: this pizza is so good, we've even gotten Laurel to eat vegetables, as long as they are on one of these pizzas.
Barrio Santa Cruz
I took some time today to explore on my own. Armed with Seville's bike share, and a couple of maps, I set out to locate the Citibank and the Flamenco show ticket office.
I'm loving the Servici bike share system. In two minutes, I got a bike, and headed towards the center of town. However, Citibank is another matter. Before departing, we specifically ey up a Citibank account, since we were told that we could get money all over Europe without paying extra fees. I located the nearest Citibank on the map, but when I got there it was nowhere to be found. So I would up using a local bank, and getting charged who-knows-how-much to access my money. Arrgh.
Next stop: the ticket office for the Flamenco show Sue chose for tonight, in Barrio Santa Cruz. Despite having a couple of different maps, it took me forever to find the square where the ticket office is located. Seville has quite a system of narrow streets interspersed with an occasional boulevard. And the streets never go straight, so it's easy to get lost. The maps don't show all the streets either, and there are pretty pictures of the main attractions that obscure some basic navigation. I did eventually reach my destination, and got tickets for the show.
The upside of getting lost is that you never know what you're going to discover. As I was meandering through Barrio Santa Cruz, I was really enjoying the narrow streets with cafes everywhere. I walked past one place that had tremendous energy called Bodega de Santa Cruz, and I had to stop in for a tapa snack and a beer. This was about as old-school as it gets. The bartenders serve all the food, they go a mile a minute, and people are packed around small tables or at the bar. I got a paella tapa, and it was so good I had the bartender recommend me another dish - tuna with potatoes- that was also really good. The servers have this cool trick of throwing forks into the tortillas (a popular potato and egg fritatta dish) as they serve.
I'm loving the Servici bike share system. In two minutes, I got a bike, and headed towards the center of town. However, Citibank is another matter. Before departing, we specifically ey up a Citibank account, since we were told that we could get money all over Europe without paying extra fees. I located the nearest Citibank on the map, but when I got there it was nowhere to be found. So I would up using a local bank, and getting charged who-knows-how-much to access my money. Arrgh.
Next stop: the ticket office for the Flamenco show Sue chose for tonight, in Barrio Santa Cruz. Despite having a couple of different maps, it took me forever to find the square where the ticket office is located. Seville has quite a system of narrow streets interspersed with an occasional boulevard. And the streets never go straight, so it's easy to get lost. The maps don't show all the streets either, and there are pretty pictures of the main attractions that obscure some basic navigation. I did eventually reach my destination, and got tickets for the show.
A narrow street in Barrio Santa Cruz
This street has a house covering it, and a guitar player inside.
The upside of getting lost is that you never know what you're going to discover. As I was meandering through Barrio Santa Cruz, I was really enjoying the narrow streets with cafes everywhere. I walked past one place that had tremendous energy called Bodega de Santa Cruz, and I had to stop in for a tapa snack and a beer. This was about as old-school as it gets. The bartenders serve all the food, they go a mile a minute, and people are packed around small tables or at the bar. I got a paella tapa, and it was so good I had the bartender recommend me another dish - tuna with potatoes- that was also really good. The servers have this cool trick of throwing forks into the tortillas (a popular potato and egg fritatta dish) as they serve.
Bodega Santa Cruz
My yummy paella dish and beer. Note the writing on the bar to track your tab.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Seville's Cathedral
Another must-see in Seville is the Cathedral. Apparently it's one of the three largest in all of Europe, dating from the 1500s. Originally a mosque, the tower was retained, and the rest of the church was built around it.
To me, it wasn't as impressive as the cathedral in Toledo, but it did have some outstanding features, including the tomb of Christopher Columbus:
Also, some amazing crowns and other things were on display in the treasury. These were some of the most elaborate pieces I have ever seen, covered in gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious gems. One angel was carved from the world's largest pearl. These items were literally priceless:
Finally, we walked up the tower, with some amazing views of the city and grounds below. Rather than stairs, the walk was a ramp, making 90 degree turns at each corner. And the ceilings were high, and the walkways wider than normal. Can you guess why? (Answer below):
Answer: When the tower was a mosque, the priests would ride horses up to the top to call for prayer. Since they had to do this five times per day, it made more sense to take horses than to have to walk up each time.
Aside: Laurel seems to be getting into the flow of visiting antiquities now. Previously, she was expressly not interested in cathedrals, but with the carrot of gelato afterwards, and having her read from the Rick Steves book describing what we were seeing, she really seemed to enjoy herself. She rated the visit a 3 out of 10, which is 2 points higher than she would have rated it a few days ago.
The tower (originally part of the mosque.)
One of the altars inside.
To me, it wasn't as impressive as the cathedral in Toledo, but it did have some outstanding features, including the tomb of Christopher Columbus:
Also, some amazing crowns and other things were on display in the treasury. These were some of the most elaborate pieces I have ever seen, covered in gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious gems. One angel was carved from the world's largest pearl. These items were literally priceless:
The crown - with the angel front left carved from a ginormous pearl.
Finally, we walked up the tower, with some amazing views of the city and grounds below. Rather than stairs, the walk was a ramp, making 90 degree turns at each corner. And the ceilings were high, and the walkways wider than normal. Can you guess why? (Answer below):
Answer: When the tower was a mosque, the priests would ride horses up to the top to call for prayer. Since they had to do this five times per day, it made more sense to take horses than to have to walk up each time.
Aside: Laurel seems to be getting into the flow of visiting antiquities now. Previously, she was expressly not interested in cathedrals, but with the carrot of gelato afterwards, and having her read from the Rick Steves book describing what we were seeing, she really seemed to enjoy herself. She rated the visit a 3 out of 10, which is 2 points higher than she would have rated it a few days ago.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
La Feria
One of the reasons we're here in Seville at this time of year is to check out La Feria, also known as the April Fair. Being rather ignorant in all things Seville, we weren't entirely sure exactly what to expect. I estimated that maybe 20,000 people would be at this thing, but as we took a taxi into town, the driver told us it's more like 700,000 every day. So we had to check it out that afternoon.
After a pleasant day exploring Plaza de Espana and the pigeon park, we followed the various well dressed Spaniards and eventually came upon the fairgrounds. This was like nothing I had ever seen before: besides a few onlookers like ourselves, every man was dressed either in a suit, or on horseback in a traditional outfit with a flat, wide-brimmed hat. The women all looked spectacular, with a traditional frilly dress, matching shawl, jewelry and earrings. There were horses and carriages everywhere - and even the horses were decorated. And this went on for blocks and blocks - it was like a throwback to the 1800s.
The other part of the tradition is that groups of people will set up casetas (tents), and serve food and drink, and have music. These are mostly for friends, but there are a few public casetas as well. Since we don't know anybody here, it would have been impossible to get an invite, and besides, we didn't have the proper clothes. (Fortunately, I did bring a clothing upgrade with me, as I was ale to look more presentable with a white t-shirt instead of the wife-beater tank top I had been wearing all day.)
The photos don't do Feria complete justice. Here's a quick video panorama I took, so you can get a feel for the noise and activity:
The other part of the Feria is a carnival, complete with the standard Ferris wheel, rides, games and attractions. Clothing was not an issue for us here. Bryce got two turns in the bumper cars, and both kids went into a fun-house with a spy theme called Torrente Cinco. The whole carnival area was incredibly loud, and Sue and I stayed as long as we could bear. The fun house had a constant looping audio announcement going full blast outside, and I still hear "Torrente thinco" ringing through my ears.
It would be great to return one day and experience Feria as a local would, but we would have to overcome the challenge of making friends in a new place, in a foreign language. Laurel was particularly taken with the whole pageantry of the event, so perhaps she will represent for the family one day and enjoy Feria to it's fullest.
Aside: In the taxi, while talking about Feria, the driver referred to a "montaña russa" and "coches locos". I had no idea what he meant, but both kids knew exactly what he was talking about. These are the Spanish words for roller coaster and bumper cars. Laurel told me she learned about montañas russas from a Phineas and Ferb cartoon she watched in Spanish. Bryce said he just figured out coches locos himself. Awesome!
After a pleasant day exploring Plaza de Espana and the pigeon park, we followed the various well dressed Spaniards and eventually came upon the fairgrounds. This was like nothing I had ever seen before: besides a few onlookers like ourselves, every man was dressed either in a suit, or on horseback in a traditional outfit with a flat, wide-brimmed hat. The women all looked spectacular, with a traditional frilly dress, matching shawl, jewelry and earrings. There were horses and carriages everywhere - and even the horses were decorated. And this went on for blocks and blocks - it was like a throwback to the 1800s.
The other part of the tradition is that groups of people will set up casetas (tents), and serve food and drink, and have music. These are mostly for friends, but there are a few public casetas as well. Since we don't know anybody here, it would have been impossible to get an invite, and besides, we didn't have the proper clothes. (Fortunately, I did bring a clothing upgrade with me, as I was ale to look more presentable with a white t-shirt instead of the wife-beater tank top I had been wearing all day.)
The photos don't do Feria complete justice. Here's a quick video panorama I took, so you can get a feel for the noise and activity:
The other part of the Feria is a carnival, complete with the standard Ferris wheel, rides, games and attractions. Clothing was not an issue for us here. Bryce got two turns in the bumper cars, and both kids went into a fun-house with a spy theme called Torrente Cinco. The whole carnival area was incredibly loud, and Sue and I stayed as long as we could bear. The fun house had a constant looping audio announcement going full blast outside, and I still hear "Torrente thinco" ringing through my ears.
Bryce mixing it up in the bumper cars
It would be great to return one day and experience Feria as a local would, but we would have to overcome the challenge of making friends in a new place, in a foreign language. Laurel was particularly taken with the whole pageantry of the event, so perhaps she will represent for the family one day and enjoy Feria to it's fullest.
Aside: In the taxi, while talking about Feria, the driver referred to a "montaña russa" and "coches locos". I had no idea what he meant, but both kids knew exactly what he was talking about. These are the Spanish words for roller coaster and bumper cars. Laurel told me she learned about montañas russas from a Phineas and Ferb cartoon she watched in Spanish. Bryce said he just figured out coches locos himself. Awesome!
Pigeons in Parque de Maria Luisa
We took this video of pigeons attacking us in Parque de Maria Luisa.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sevile's Alcazar
One of the must-see attractions we read about in Seville is the Alcazar. Originally built as a fort by the Moors, it turned into a royal palace when the Spaniards took over and hence has been in continual use since the 1500s. In short, it's spectacular. The insides have elaborate tile designs and carved plaster reliefs, with gilded dome ceilings. Once you've figured out the maze of rooms that lead to quiet interior courtyards there is an immense garden in the rear of the Alcazar to challenge you next. Bryce was certainly entertained by the fish pond and high waterspout that shot into it from above.
Strangely enough, the Alcazar is located right smack in the middle of Seville. Across from the Cathedral, it's hard to imagine that something so big would be so close to the center of town.
Laurel was a little low energy today, having not slept well the previous night, and unfortunately didn't get to experience as much of the Alcazar as we would have liked.
But she did rally a little bit towards the end:
Bryce (a.k.a. Mr. Architecture) thoroughly enjoyed every part of the palace - especially the gardens. Sue snapped this photo of us on one of the benches in the courtyard.
Strangely enough, the Alcazar is located right smack in the middle of Seville. Across from the Cathedral, it's hard to imagine that something so big would be so close to the center of town.
Laurel was a little low energy today, having not slept well the previous night, and unfortunately didn't get to experience as much of the Alcazar as we would have liked.
But she did rally a little bit towards the end:
Bryce (a.k.a. Mr. Architecture) thoroughly enjoyed every part of the palace - especially the gardens. Sue snapped this photo of us on one of the benches in the courtyard.
Go karts at Isla Magica
by Bryce
I'd recommend wearing shorts at Isla Magica's circuit kart station for three reasons. The first one, the kart gets hotter as you race, and that means at the final lap you'll be sweating faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Reason number two, Seville's hot sun will make you burn after those 15 laps so make sure to drink a lot of ice water after burning a bit of rubber. Last but not least, if you're like me you'll be burning your wheels in no time so make sure to sit back, relax, and watch me do pretty good on my 4th time kart racing ever.
Well, it was pretty fun on those single man go-karts but I know you're dying to hear what it was like so I'll tell you guys. First, I walked around the park a bit and went on rides like a log flume ride called the Anaconda and then a pirate ride where you squirt people with water cannons. I had some really good shots on that ride. First of all, I hit all the targets and all the human targets (mostly in the face)! I only got hit once when a whole boat ganged up on me.
Then I saw that glorious sign. Oh, that great huge glorious sign: Go-karts! My face clearly expressed where I wanted to go. "Anaconda, here we come!" said Dad. My eyes turned as huge as dinner plates. I sniffled a bit, made my eyes watery, and stepped up to Dad. "Why can't we go to the go-kart station?" I said in a low small voice. "I've only done it twice in my life". Dad tried to hold back but I knew he couldn't resist letting his son miss something this big. "Alright", he said. Glad I won, I dashed to the go-cart station with 10 euros for my ticket while the rest of the family was choking on my kicked up dust. "Uno taquilla para mi por favor,". "Cuantos años tienes" asked the attendant. "Diez," I answered solemnly. He opened a gate so I could get in my helmet and then my go-cart. After a while the whole family (except for Mom) was looking at the starting flag and hearing the "Tres! Dos! Uno! Sero!" Mom's camera started up and soon we were burning a lot of rubber. Laurel took a small, slow, inside turn as I quickly passed her by taking a fast middle turn. Dad passed her on the straightway as I slowed down a bit to take the hardest turn of the track. I heard a tiny creak and thought that I must have turned too sharply. Back to the race, I thought. Dad sped around the turn as I went on the straightaway. What? How did he accelerate on that turn if I wasn't at top speed and I took it wider than him? Better control?! That's unfair! He went ahead of me not at top speed while I was at top speed. Soon the race ended. Dad was first, I was second, and poor Laurel, who we lapped three times, came in third. I raced another guy after that and nearly won but he had a grown up car so I came in second. Here's the video of my second lap down below. Ciao!
stay tuned for Bryce's next article.
I'd recommend wearing shorts at Isla Magica's circuit kart station for three reasons. The first one, the kart gets hotter as you race, and that means at the final lap you'll be sweating faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Reason number two, Seville's hot sun will make you burn after those 15 laps so make sure to drink a lot of ice water after burning a bit of rubber. Last but not least, if you're like me you'll be burning your wheels in no time so make sure to sit back, relax, and watch me do pretty good on my 4th time kart racing ever.
Well, it was pretty fun on those single man go-karts but I know you're dying to hear what it was like so I'll tell you guys. First, I walked around the park a bit and went on rides like a log flume ride called the Anaconda and then a pirate ride where you squirt people with water cannons. I had some really good shots on that ride. First of all, I hit all the targets and all the human targets (mostly in the face)! I only got hit once when a whole boat ganged up on me.
Then I saw that glorious sign. Oh, that great huge glorious sign: Go-karts! My face clearly expressed where I wanted to go. "Anaconda, here we come!" said Dad. My eyes turned as huge as dinner plates. I sniffled a bit, made my eyes watery, and stepped up to Dad. "Why can't we go to the go-kart station?" I said in a low small voice. "I've only done it twice in my life". Dad tried to hold back but I knew he couldn't resist letting his son miss something this big. "Alright", he said. Glad I won, I dashed to the go-cart station with 10 euros for my ticket while the rest of the family was choking on my kicked up dust. "Uno taquilla para mi por favor,". "Cuantos años tienes" asked the attendant. "Diez," I answered solemnly. He opened a gate so I could get in my helmet and then my go-cart. After a while the whole family (except for Mom) was looking at the starting flag and hearing the "Tres! Dos! Uno! Sero!" Mom's camera started up and soon we were burning a lot of rubber. Laurel took a small, slow, inside turn as I quickly passed her by taking a fast middle turn. Dad passed her on the straightway as I slowed down a bit to take the hardest turn of the track. I heard a tiny creak and thought that I must have turned too sharply. Back to the race, I thought. Dad sped around the turn as I went on the straightaway. What? How did he accelerate on that turn if I wasn't at top speed and I took it wider than him? Better control?! That's unfair! He went ahead of me not at top speed while I was at top speed. Soon the race ended. Dad was first, I was second, and poor Laurel, who we lapped three times, came in third. I raced another guy after that and nearly won but he had a grown up car so I came in second. Here's the video of my second lap down below. Ciao!
stay tuned for Bryce's next article.
Isla Magica- Birthplace of Fun
We went to Isla Magica yesterday, or Ithla Magica as most Spaniards would pronounce it. Did I mention Spain talks with a lisp? So yes, we went there, expecting a few kiddie rides, maybe some roller coasters (None of our family likes roller coasters. Dunno why.). So we got there, and it's like "Woohoo! Isla Magica, here we are!" Bryce was excited about a log flume he had looked up online that had drops up to 15 meters. I'll do the math for you. That's pretty far! The first and closest ride to the exit was Los Buccaneros, or The Buccaneers. I clambered into a small barrel-shaped boat and Bryce and Dad followed. I banged my elbow on a blue cannon-like barrel thing. We had seen other people pulling back a lever on the side of the blue thing and water came out of it, so I pulled the lever back and banged my elbow again. Ouch. But water came squirting out of the cannon and nearly dousing the attendant, so I knew I was on the right track. The attendant pushed the boat with her foot, and we were off on a narrow track, trying to shoot other suckers on the ride and small targets. We didn't know what was going to happen when we shot the targets, so when I shot the first one, a small hose shot a fine mist out on the bottom of the track. I liked it because it felt really cool and Seville is really hot, but Bryce and Dad went like "Ackthp!" so I didn't shoot any more targets. It was really fun shooting other suckers because the track was circular, so when they went like "Whew, we're out of the trouble zone," they got soaked from the other side of the track.
When it stopped, Bryce said what he had been saying this whole morning. "I want to go on Anaconda for a warm-up!". Anaconda is the log flume with 15-meter drops. We hiked around until we found Anaconda. The line seemed to stretch for miles, but luckily, the boats came fast and we were in one very soon. The log heaved itself onto a conveyer belt that took us uphill to the first drop. That one was only eight meters, but it seemed really long because this was the first log flume I'd ever done. There was one in Hershey Park, but I chickened out there. So anyway, we took a sharp yanking turn from the drop and stared up at an even longer conveyer belt. Our log gently bumped against the conveyer belt and got sucked up onto the uphill. I was basically leaning back the whole time because I got really scared from the first one, and this second one was nine meters. The log got set down into the water again, and pushed forward on the straight. Another sharp turn, and looming in front of me was that nine-meter drop. The boat faithfully pushed on, and when we were nearing the drop, all I could hear besides blood pounding in my head was Bryce screaming, "This is gonna be AWESOME!!!!!!!". Time seemed to slow down. I could hear slo-mo wind pounding my hair, and Bryce slo-mo screaming, "Yahoo!!". Then time sped up and we splashed back onto the track. Maybe our boat was excited for the next drop, the fifteen-meter one, because it seemed to pick up speed the closer we got to the final conveyer belt. We got placed on the really tall belt, and slowly crawled up the hill. When we finally reached the top, I got really excited for the drop. I hoped time would kind of slow down a little bit, but not like freeze again. No such luck. The drop basically whooshed by. We made a huge tidal wave as we landed back in the track. I noticed that Dad's knuckles were turning white from gripping the safety bar. We reached the loading/exiting station, and reluctantly departed from our boat. I bet everybody in the park could hear Bryce screaming, "That was AWESOME!!!!! No, BETTER THAN AWESOME!!!!! AND EVEN BETTER THAN THAT!!!!!!!"
Iguazu was kind of like a sister ride to Anaconda. The description from online: "Take an exhilarating drop of sixteen meters while riding rapids of up to 50 k/h". That's about thirty miles an hour. A lot of speed. We gingerly stepped into a boat with about twelve other people. Dad's trademark motto for amusement parks: "What have you knuckleheads gotten me into now?". He used it as we were slowly climbing up via conveyer belt. There was another sharp turn, and we got into the rapids. I warned Bryce that if he stuck his head out of the boat, it would get taken off by the splash we'd make. We cruised around another corner and dropped. We flew off of the track when we neared the end of the drop. A huge splash marked our nearing the end of the ride. A fine mist showered over all sixteen people in the boat. We disembarked from the boat and let other people get on the ride of their lives. Me and Bryce ran across a stone bridge to the "Splash Zone". I had seen a few kids playing over here when we went down and get soaked by our amazing splash. We got there just in time to see a boat racing down the drop. I closed my mouth and watched a wall of white come racing towards the Zone. The water poured down like a tsunami. I was swept back a few feet and saw Bryce amazingly stand his ground. We did that a few more times, and Dad managed to take a video without getting the camera wet:
Cool, right?????!!!!
Stay tuned for the next episode of Seville: Laurel Style
When it stopped, Bryce said what he had been saying this whole morning. "I want to go on Anaconda for a warm-up!". Anaconda is the log flume with 15-meter drops. We hiked around until we found Anaconda. The line seemed to stretch for miles, but luckily, the boats came fast and we were in one very soon. The log heaved itself onto a conveyer belt that took us uphill to the first drop. That one was only eight meters, but it seemed really long because this was the first log flume I'd ever done. There was one in Hershey Park, but I chickened out there. So anyway, we took a sharp yanking turn from the drop and stared up at an even longer conveyer belt. Our log gently bumped against the conveyer belt and got sucked up onto the uphill. I was basically leaning back the whole time because I got really scared from the first one, and this second one was nine meters. The log got set down into the water again, and pushed forward on the straight. Another sharp turn, and looming in front of me was that nine-meter drop. The boat faithfully pushed on, and when we were nearing the drop, all I could hear besides blood pounding in my head was Bryce screaming, "This is gonna be AWESOME!!!!!!!". Time seemed to slow down. I could hear slo-mo wind pounding my hair, and Bryce slo-mo screaming, "Yahoo!!". Then time sped up and we splashed back onto the track. Maybe our boat was excited for the next drop, the fifteen-meter one, because it seemed to pick up speed the closer we got to the final conveyer belt. We got placed on the really tall belt, and slowly crawled up the hill. When we finally reached the top, I got really excited for the drop. I hoped time would kind of slow down a little bit, but not like freeze again. No such luck. The drop basically whooshed by. We made a huge tidal wave as we landed back in the track. I noticed that Dad's knuckles were turning white from gripping the safety bar. We reached the loading/exiting station, and reluctantly departed from our boat. I bet everybody in the park could hear Bryce screaming, "That was AWESOME!!!!! No, BETTER THAN AWESOME!!!!! AND EVEN BETTER THAN THAT!!!!!!!"
Iguazu was kind of like a sister ride to Anaconda. The description from online: "Take an exhilarating drop of sixteen meters while riding rapids of up to 50 k/h". That's about thirty miles an hour. A lot of speed. We gingerly stepped into a boat with about twelve other people. Dad's trademark motto for amusement parks: "What have you knuckleheads gotten me into now?". He used it as we were slowly climbing up via conveyer belt. There was another sharp turn, and we got into the rapids. I warned Bryce that if he stuck his head out of the boat, it would get taken off by the splash we'd make. We cruised around another corner and dropped. We flew off of the track when we neared the end of the drop. A huge splash marked our nearing the end of the ride. A fine mist showered over all sixteen people in the boat. We disembarked from the boat and let other people get on the ride of their lives. Me and Bryce ran across a stone bridge to the "Splash Zone". I had seen a few kids playing over here when we went down and get soaked by our amazing splash. We got there just in time to see a boat racing down the drop. I closed my mouth and watched a wall of white come racing towards the Zone. The water poured down like a tsunami. I was swept back a few feet and saw Bryce amazingly stand his ground. We did that a few more times, and Dad managed to take a video without getting the camera wet:
Cool, right?????!!!!
Stay tuned for the next episode of Seville: Laurel Style
Sunday, April 22, 2012
First Day in Seville
We're transitioning into our new temporary home in Seville, and already it's quite different than Madrid. First of all, it's about ten degrees warmer. The last two days have been my first in shorts - yippee!
We're really starting to get into the tapas lifestyle. Tonight for dinner, we really enjoyed a local spot called Duo. The kids even tried some new things. One example: Laurel ordered a toast with Micuit. I didn't know what Micuit was, but it was really good (turns out it's fois gras). Our family has a mantra of "try new things", and when it comes to our ten year olds, getting them to try a new food item can be a challenge. However, getting several small plates tapas style makes it a lot easier to expand their horizons.
Earlier, we visited a local amusement park called Isla Magica for most of the day. Sue and I could tell the kids needed a more child-oriented day, and Isla Magica was perfect. We all did a ton of rides, and Bryce even got to race go-karts. As a bonus, it was a 10 minute walk from our flat. Both kids will write something shortly about their day.
We have another week here in Sevilla, but already it looks like a good spot for us. We see more kids out and about, and the town looks very bike-friendly. They even have a bike-share service where you can unlock a bike with a credit card, and pay 0.50 euros per hour to borrow it until you restore it to another rental station. I hope to try this out tomorrow.
I'm feeling very positive about Sevilla so far, but we have a lot more exploring to do...
We're really starting to get into the tapas lifestyle. Tonight for dinner, we really enjoyed a local spot called Duo. The kids even tried some new things. One example: Laurel ordered a toast with Micuit. I didn't know what Micuit was, but it was really good (turns out it's fois gras). Our family has a mantra of "try new things", and when it comes to our ten year olds, getting them to try a new food item can be a challenge. However, getting several small plates tapas style makes it a lot easier to expand their horizons.
Earlier, we visited a local amusement park called Isla Magica for most of the day. Sue and I could tell the kids needed a more child-oriented day, and Isla Magica was perfect. We all did a ton of rides, and Bryce even got to race go-karts. As a bonus, it was a 10 minute walk from our flat. Both kids will write something shortly about their day.
We have another week here in Sevilla, but already it looks like a good spot for us. We see more kids out and about, and the town looks very bike-friendly. They even have a bike-share service where you can unlock a bike with a credit card, and pay 0.50 euros per hour to borrow it until you restore it to another rental station. I hope to try this out tomorrow.
I'm feeling very positive about Sevilla so far, but we have a lot more exploring to do...
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