The Laziest Travel Day

So I woke up Sunday morning with a whole day to spare in Sevilla, and not a ton planned. I ate a leisurely breakfast with the girl who went to Flamenco with me, and she gave me some great travel tips for France, and then I stowed my stuff at the hostel and headed out. I walked down by the river, because it was a beautiful day, and why not.

 There were a bunch of people on kayaks out on the water

 I mean, I can't blame them, it was a gorgeous day

 and there's a river.

 See, lots of active people.

 It was lovely.

 That's the main part of the city.

So I decided to go and walk around Triana a bit. There wasn't a ton to see, but I walked into a church and mass was going on, and there were some nice little streets. It was also a Sunday morning/early afternoon, so it was a fairly lazy sort of day.

 This was on the bridge

This was a ceramics shop.

I then walked around for a little bit before heading back over the the river via a different bridge.

 That's the one I walked to Triana on

 Sevilla

 Torre del Oro

And a boat that gives people tours.

So then I went and wandered around the old pavilions for a little bit, wound up in a free modern art museum. It was a little strange (as many modern art museums are) and very small, but it was nice. My favorite piece was out in the courtyard

 It looked like it had rained those jugs

 or something, because they were all distorted

I dunno, I thought it was cool.

So then I headed towards the park, because I wanted to sit in the shade and read for a little bit

And on my way I passed this random tower thing. It's Spain, it's becoming normal. 

 So the park was lovely.

 There was always a surprise around the corner.

 I probably spent an hour just walking around it and reading and relaxing and people-watching.

 It may not have been the most eventful thing I have done in Spain, but it was nice.

 I assume this is another pavilion, it was on the outside of he park.

 Oh, yeah, there was a thing, I climbed it.

 Specifically that thing.

Which I climbed. Totally legally, there's a path to the top. It was cool. Had a nice view, and it's just fun to go around and explore. 

So then I went back to the Plaza de España and found Valencia's section. 

 We had been over by the A's on our tour, but Valencia is... well, with the later half of the alphabet.

They also had a nice little map, so that yellow blob is the province, and the city of Valencia is on the coast.

I really enjoyed being able to spend a little bit more time in the Plaza de España, because it is such a cool place, and well worth the time.

Also, it was pretty warm, so walking by that fountain felt wonderful. 

So then I headed over to the cathedral, because it's like the third biggest cathedral in the world, and I'm a dork. 

But first, I stopped for lunch. I went to this random cafe restaurant thingy, and I got an absolutely delicious sandwich. I hadn't eaten much, but that sandwich, it was so good. And I'm reading and eating and relaxing, and the TV is playing some top 40 music station, and I go to pay, when all of a sudden Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" comes on the radio. 

Now, I have a warped sense of perspective, because I was in middle school, and middle school does things to a person, but that song used to be INSANELY popular and I have not heard it for YEARS. And it was just so totally, completely unexpected and out of place that I almost couldn't keep a straight face to pay the waiter. I mean, first the Backstreet Boys and then "Girlfriend" what is it with Sevilla and bringing up songs from my childhood? But I learned a valuable lesson that day: I still know all the lyrics to "Girlfriend." 

So then I went to the cathedral. 

And those are two sentences that have never been in such close proximity in the history of the universe. 

Anyway, the cathedral. 

 It was impressive.

 Also, look at the adorable stonework dragon.

 They really weren't kidding, it was huge. You have to go through this little tiny passageway to get to it, and then you step out and

 boom. Space.

 One of my favorite things about cathedrals, and one of the hardest to capture, is the way the light comes through the stained glass and... it's like a kaleidoscope on the stone. It's almost whimsical in a way that seems out of place in a building so imposing.

 I mean, you have to take that ceiling seriously.

 Pomegranate in the wrought iron. I just want to put it out there that as a literature major, spotting pomegranates is one of my favorite pastimes. So much symbolism!

 The retrochoir, and a bunch of people. Also, you can see where the main altar would be in the background, but it was undergoing restoration.

 I love stained-glass.

 This is the flag that some important person carried when they defeated someone who was probably not Christian.

 The doors in Cathedrals also tend to be very impressive.

 It saddens me that I was unable to capture the scale of this baptismal font. It was giant.

 A well-done pipe organ can be almost as nice as a pulpit, though they usually aren't as easy to see.

 Oh, so since the main altar was gone, they had this one set up to the side.

 This is the Virgin of the Star. I just thought that was a lovely image. Also, another Virgin. So many.

 It's just impossible to capture the scale.

 and this is a better view of the makeshift altar.

 I kind of like this picture. It's not great, but it's growing on me.

 The lovely retrochoir.

 I'm not sure what this is, but it was cool.

 Why is the angel standing on babies' heads?

 WHY IS THE VIRGIN STANDING ON BABIES' HEADS?!

 This is the tomb of someone important. But not the most important person buried in this cathedral.

I know this is a messed-up picture, but I just thought it looked really trippy. 

 This is the most important person buried in the Cathedral. Ladies and gentlemen: the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

 I mean, I know he was a jerk and got way more credit than he deserved, and brought a lot of misery, but... it was still really cool. To see his grave, not the actual guy himself.

 So then I went up to the main area

 the bit with the pews

 the choir.

 that's really dramatic-looking.

 I love the detail of this kind of religious art.

 and this is Columbus' tomb from the back.

 Ok. I walked into this room, and I got serious Indiana Jones flashbacks.

 I'm still alive, so I think I chose wisely.

 I love the ceilings.

 I'm pretty sure that's Mary. Let's be real: there's a 90% chance any image of a woman in a Catholic church will be Mary.

 I know the Cathedrals are the big thing, they're obvious,

 but I also love seeing the smaller, but just as intricate and impressive works that people have done over the years.

 Mudejar ceiling.

 creepy curved passageway

 I was already thinking about Indiana Jones

 This is off in the sacristy.

 I've come to find rosaries very lovely.

 There was a mirror.

 So I obviously took a picture of myself.

So at this point, I was running out of time a little bit, since I had to be back at the train station at like 6, but there was a tower to climb, and I was there and I wanted to get the full experience, so I basically raced up a tower. 

 It was really fun, actually.

 Watching the view change from out the windows

 Ok. this was just cool.

 Unsurprisingly, at some point, the Hunchback of Notre Dame got stuck in my head.

 I wonder why.

 But, yeah, the view from the top was well worth it

 I love being above cities, and even as short a time as I spent up on that tower, it was breathtaking.

 It's such a different perspective.

Oh! I never noticed the Cathedral's shadow on the town before. That's cool.

So then I basically raced back to my hostel, picked up my stuff, and headed to the train station. My train was already there when I got to the station, and I got on and thus ended my adventures in 

The train ride was uneventful, and I got back to Valencia safe and sound. As for the rest of the week, that's another (and probably more interesting) post.