ole!!!! (Seville)

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Product:	Seville
Date:	15/01/02 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: toro, women

Disadvantages: expensive

When stepping foot into Seville, it's hard not to expect to see Don Juan wooing throngs of women, Bizet's Carmen stirring controversy, or the shop sign of Rossini's famous fictional barber. What you will see is a city with a passion for life, romance, and sunshine.

Serviced by the muchly lauded Ave train, Seville is an easy getaway from Madrid's Atocha Station. The train ride is fast and comfortable and lasts just over two hours. Once in Seville, I was overwhelmed by its character and atmosphere.

We stayed at the Hotel Simon, which is just a couple of blocks from the Catedral and in the heart of everything. The hotel itself was once an 18th century house. Now a no-frills favorite, its 29 different rooms are all situated around an Andalucian patio. We felt privileged to be granted not only a rotary dial telephone but air conditioning between the hours of 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm despite the sultry mid-September temperatures.

Seville is divided into two primary districts: El Arenal and Santa Cruz. Within these two areas, there is plenty to see, do, and eat. Among the main attractions of El Arenal is the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza, Hospital de la Caridad, and the Torre del Oro. The Plaza de Toros is not only the home to the weekend bullfights held from April to October, it also houses a museum that pays homage to the history of bullfighting and its revolutionaries. The Hospital de la Caridad is a hospital church and is an example of Sevillian Baroque architecture. The Torre del Oro, or Tower of Gold as it is translated in English, sits on the banks of the Guadalquivir River. Once a defensive lookout, a gunpowder store, a chapel, a prison, and port offices, it now houses a maritime museum. El Arenal also has a tablao of the same name nestled in its streets. Labeled "The Best Flamenco in Seville" in 1984 by the New York Times, it offers a dinner and a fascinating flamenco show.

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