Upon leaving Córdoba we headed southwest to Seville, where we spent 2 nights. We had heard a lot about Seville – wonderful food, beautiful city, amazing sites – so we were excited to see it. And we did have a lovely time, despite the rain that followed us around once again.
Our place in Seville was on Plaza San Marcos, and was really splendid. It was small, too small for a family of 4 to stay more than a night or two, but beautiful, well-appointed, and with a lovely view. Below it was grocery, a wine and gourmet foods shop, some restaurants, and a books/school supplies store, which meant we had everything we needed for the evenings, and we even picked up some new art supplies for the girls. 
Probably the most touristy thing you can do in Seville is see Flamenco, but that’s okay because flamenco originated here, so it’d be a shame to miss it. We really wanted to see some dancing, and we wanted our girls to see it. This was tough because most of the shows don’t even start until around 10:00 PM, and, try as they might, our children cannot stay awake and cheerful that late at night. For this reason we opted to see a show at the Centro Cultural Flamenco Casa de la Memoria, as they have earlier shows. It was really interesting, and the show was beautiful, but it is a sit-down performance, not a place where you find a table, have a drink, and watch while you chat a little. Instead, you are supposed to be very quiet during the show, and our kids really wanted to tap their feet, get up and dance, wiggle around. If the atmosphere was more casual, it would have been perfect.
I love seeing all the painted metal doors and the murals around a town. Seville has many. Here are some of my favorites.
We walked around the Metropol Parasol on our first morning in Seville. It is a super cool wooden sculpture in La Encarnación square, and was only completed in 2011. You can take an elevator and walk around on top of the structure, with good views of the city.
The Seville Cathedral, formally the “Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Sede” is the largest Christian Gothic cathedral in the world. It sits atop the site where the Aljama mosque was originally situated, and of which only the Patio de Naranjas, Puerta del Perdon, and the Giralda remain. La Giralda, the bell tower of the Seville Cathedral, was originally built in 1195 as the minaret of the Aljama mosque during the moorish period. You can climb up to the bell chamber in La Giralda and you get a great view of the city.
The outside of the cathedral was, in my opinion, more interesting than the inside, but climbing La Giralda was well worth the time.
We also took an hour before we left to traipse the gardens around the canal. There are the Palace Gardens, Jardines de Murillo, Jardines de Catalina de Ribera, and others. A walk was a great way to enjoy the fresh air and get some energy out before starting a longish car ride.
Granada
When you go to Granada as a tourist, you go to see the Alhambra, a former military post which became a royal residence by King Mohammed ibn Yusuf Ben Nasr, better known as Alhamar. The place is huge and was, also, sold out. If you’re planning a visit, book ahead. We walked around the city a bit and the parts of the Alhambra that are open to the public. I guess it’s an excuse to return!
That night we slept in a town near the sea called Salobreña in a house we rented for the night. The yard and view were incredible, but the house itself was not the best… (Airbnb, you win some, you lose some). To give you a fair portrayal, and since everyone has a different standard with this stuff, here’s why:
- To cook our dinner we had to hook up a propane tank to the stove top (no oven), and light it with a match. Then, to actually cook the food, we had to dance around said propane tank, which sat directly in front of the stove on the floor at our feet
- Besides my ever-present fear of causing an explosion or poisoning us from improperly closing the gas tank, there was no hot water
- And the furniture and blankets were dingy and threadbare
- The people next door were pretty unfriendly and wanted our kids to be quieter in the yard, but it was only 7:00 PM and my girls are not very noisy, they were just playing and talking. Those neighbors were up quite late drinking
Salobreña view 
I was so so happy to depart for our next stop, Playa Honda.
thecloudsarelowerhere 