Right now I’m in Minneapolis Delta Lounge between flights. Have about an hour before they will be boarding. Nice flight from STL although weather caused us to be 30 minutes late in landing. Originally, I had a later flight to here, but, if it had been as late as ours was, I would have been sprinting to the Amsterdam flight. Gates here are a very long way fro one another even on the same concourse. Arrived G22, leaving G4. At least three or four moving sidewalks in between. But all is well. Will board next flight at about 9:00 PM, supposed to depart at 10:00 for a 7-hour, 40-minute scheduled flight.

Flight was fine. Have to say, though, that the ANZ business class seats and food are way ahead of Delta. Rolled back from gate on time – 10:00PM.  So dinner was after 11:00. Around midnight, I lowered the seat into a bed. Probably slept under 3 hours altogether with lots of waking and adjusting my position. At 11:30AM local time, I woke up, ate part of a breakfast, and then it was time to land. Got in on time. My lot this trip is to have arrival gates and some departure gates at the end of concourses. This was true here as it was in Minneapolis. Long moving sidewalks to get into main building. Then the line to go through passport control had to be about three blocks long. Took an hour from deplaning to get through passport control. Then, of course, my next flight is at the end of another concourse. Good thing about where the gate is – no one is around way out here. Empty. And another 3 hours before we get boarded. But it’s quiet!

Bruce and Pam arrived and had a short line to get through passport control. We waited together and then got on the Transavia flight to Seville. Nice flight. I was in first row so had extra leg room. Pam and Bruce were so far back they almost were in the restroom. A nice thing aboard was a full menu of things one can buy to eat. I had a sandwich and coffee. Got into Seville on time. We didn’t realize we had to go to a special carousel to get our luggage since we had to go through EU Customs here. So, after standing where all the other luggage came in, all of us still waiting figured it out we had to get our bags elsewhere. Nice driver picked us up and drove us to the hotel, Las Casas de los Mercaderes. I’m in Room 209. After putting our stuff in our rooms, the three of us went to the hotel’s restaurant next door and the rest of our group were still there finishing dinner. We ate, it was late. Got to the room about 10:30 or so and, after a shower and shave, got to bed around midnight. Long day(s), but we’re here.

Up again for morning shoot out the door at 7:00. Different direction than yesterday. Back at hotel around 8:30, had breakfast, and then to room until leaving at 10:00. Got to bed last night at 1:00, so had about 5 hours sleep, but doing okay.

We walked through a shopping street area and to the Metropol Parasol, a huge sculpture/building you climb up and down walkways for different views of the piece itself and of the surrounding city. Were there for over an hour. Stopped across the street for coffee and pastries. Then into the van and to the Macarena church. Gorgeous alter pieces, quite different than I’ve seen before. No large stain glass windows at all. Just interesting side chapels and alters.

We walked from there all along some of the old city walls, some of which date back to Roman times. Spent some time just walking and then back to van for ride to near the hotel, walk back to hotel around 2:30 for space to catch up in our rooms, rest, grab a bite if we want, etc.  I updated computer, wrote, read emails, and took a short walk until about 5:00.

We all left at 5:30 walking over to Hotel Inglaterra to meet the van. Then eventually ended up on other side of river down opposite the Gold Tower (a watchtower for when treasure was coming in from the Atlantic in days of yore). Walked out onto one of the bridges for images and then slow walk down the street by the river ending up at the Triana Bridge where we set up for moonrise. Long wait and by the time it had cleared the horizon, the Sun had set so we did not get sunset images although a few toward the west with post-sunset colors.

Van took us back to Inglaterra, which is as close as it can get to the hotel. Walked back and sat with some others at hotel tapas restaurant and had a satisfying steak and potatoes. To the room about 10:30. We need to be packed up and ready to leave hotel at 10:00 AM tomorrow for ride to Arcos de Frontera. Have asked about Barcelona and have been told the Spanish tour agency that works with Strabo is assessing the situation. It’s still a week away, so we shall see what Plan B is if we cannot go there.

A very long day. Up at 6:00, outside to take predawn images at 7:00, back for fast breakfast about 8:15, out the door for the day’s adventures both walking and in a van, back to hotel at 5:45, out the door and walk to Hotel Inglaterra at about 6:00, staying there through sunset to get pictures of the cathedral, brief dinner nearby, to the room about 10:30 and am now downloading images from the day. About 14,000 steps and around 1,000 images.

So, 7:00 it was out to take shots of narrow streets and the cathedral until the sun was fully up. Then back for cold meats, cheeses, toast, lots of coffee. Antonio, our guide for the day, met us at 9:00 and we walked to where our van was. From there we drove around getting the lay of the land. First stop was Plaza de America for its gardens and different architecture on all four sides. Next was Spanish Plaza (Plaza de Espana), huge open area surrounded by a building on three sides. Wandered around there taking images. Next into the old Jewish Quarter, Santa Cruz (yes, that’s right). Then to the Alcazar, which is huge both interiors and gardens.

By then, it was after 1:00 and we were all hot and tired. So we found a nearby place for sandwich lunch. Next stop was the Cathedral of Seville, St. Mary of the Sea. Wonderful, huge cathedral. After taking images and walking around, most of climbed the ramp to the top of the cathedral spire. Figured it’s like going up about 15 floors. But nice views of the city. And down we went to grab some ice cream and off in the van again, across the Guadalquivir river one way and again back across on another bridge (drove though areas where ceramic tiles are made, residential area). Stopped for tour of Plaza de Toros which included walking into the empty bullring. Strange, interesting, but a bit creepy if you don’t like the idea of bullfighting. By now it was 5:30 and we went back to the hotel by van. Threw stuff into the room, grabbed tripod, walked over to Hotel Inglaterra to the rooftop terrace to grab a good spot and wait for the sunset about 8:00. Lots of shots of the cathedral from up there as the light changed. After it was full dark about 9:00, walked back to a local spot for light dinner and then back to hotel. Really long and tiring day, but got in most of the main sights of the city. Know it’ll be after midnight before I get to bed with downloading, shower, and shave. And up tomorrow to be out the door at 7:00 AM again for predawn shooting.

Set the alarm for 8:00 and slept until it buzzed. Breakfast downstairs and then we left hotel at 10:00 and had to roll and carry luggage to the van which was parked over by Hotel Inglaterra, closest it could get to us. But one of the tires on the van was low. The driver and Jose, our guide, took it to be repaired so we walked across the square and onto a shopping street where some had coffee. I wandered.

In about an hour, van returned and we climbed in for the 1.5-2 hour trip to Arcos de la Frontera. It’s a hill town and the frontier is when the Spaniards were driving the Moors out and this was on one of the dividing lines. It’s one of the “white” towns … all the buildings are white. Van could only go to the lowest level of town. Streets are very narrow and one-way. We took what we could carry, leaving our heavy suitcases for the parador’s van to come and get. It was a LONG way up steep streets to the Parador of Arcos de Frontera. Had to stop a couple of time to let my legs rest.

Very nice inn, lovely rooms, great view over the valley and of the nearby churches from rooms and the terrace. Went partway downhill and ate lunch on the street about 3:00 or so. Oh, I’m just drinking beer over here. Beer and water. Thirsty. Really have no desire to rink wine so far. When we were done, I went off on my own to find a high spot to try a 360-degree set of shots. Have not processed them as yet, so don’t know how they turned out. And I went up and down various streets and alleys and took pictures.

Got back to hotel at 5:00 just in time for a two-hour walk up and down through streets I had not taken. Was tired and cranky by the time we got back to hotel about 6:45. At 7:15 we met on the hotel’s terrace to see about sunset and/or moonrise images. Ended up that the moon rose not where my app said it would, so we didn’t see it until it was fairly high in the sky. Best view would have been from the window in my room (#19) had I known. We played around shooting sunset, post sunset, one of the churches until we finally gave up. Dinner was at 9:30 and ended about 11:00. Hey, it’s Spain and they/we eat late. But that always means a late night in my room with downloading and doing the trip log and taking a shower and shaving ……and it’s close to Midnight now and not done with computer stuff, no shower yet, no shave yet. Getting there.