Praised be that I had the foresight a few weeks ago to tack on a weekend in Spain ahead of some meetings in Madrid on Monday. After one of the crappiest weeks in recent history at work, I need a mini break (and this just after a 4-day weekend in Ireland!).
I left London a little before 5pm and was in Seville by 8pm. It is hot and dry and full of Moroccan tile …
… and palm trees next to cathedrals …
… and oh-so-narrow streets where my blessedly air conditioned hotel awaited with a receptionist who good-naturedly let me practice my halting Spanish during the check-in ritual.
I set out to walk around the ancient center and instantly wished that Justin were here to see it all with me, and that Amanda were here to wilt in the heat and enjoy the happy accident of eating dinner at the right time for once in Spain.
But I’m on my own so I found an appealing restaurant and ordered some tapas and a guanciale-wrapped monkfish take with pan-fried pate and truffles …
… while reading David Brooks’s book The Second Mountain, which seems about right when one is in the mood to question one’s life choices.
Now to bed. More exploring tomorrow and then a train to Córdoba.
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 
I love Spain, but maybe not in August
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Looks delightfully full of old world charm. Poor Amanda, I’d be right there wilting with you! Jason, so glad you get to enjoy another city!
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Jason, I am really impressed with the narrowness of the road, or walkway. Is there any explanation why the passageways were so narrow?
Mom and I went to La Grande just to have a look around and reminisce. We were both surprised at how much we did not remember and how unfamiliar things seemed. One of the reasons we went was to have lunch at the Cock n Bull restaurant. They had the best turkey sandwiches. But, to our chagrin, they were closed for the entire Labor Day weekend. So we went to the Mexican restaurant that we would frequent. It was good.
Sorry to hear your week was less than rotton. I hope this coming week will be a delight and rewarding.
Love, Dad
On Fri, Aug 30, 2019 at 4:19 PM A More Gentlemanlike Manner wrote:
> jackjasondavis posted: “Praised be that I had the foresight a few weeks > ago to tack on a weekend in Spain ahead of some meetings in Madrid on > Monday. After one of the crappiest weeks in recent history at work, I need > a mini break (and this just after a 4-day weekend in Ireland!” >
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I think the narrowness can be explained in large part by the fact the buildings date to an era before cars when people walked on foot and everything needed to fit within the city walls. Some of the streets are large enough to get small cars through, but many in this part of town do not. The old buildings are built around courtyards, many with fountains and gardens, so the pleasant outdoor spaces that you might get with broader streets were actually indoors.
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