Monday, November 25, 2013

Our Train To Seville And The Lovely Hotel Abanico

We left Barcelona at about 6 AM for Seville. We purchased turista-class tickets as the only difference between turista-class and second-class was 30 Euros. So we said, "Why not!"

It was a good decision. Our train ride was quiet and relaxing. We were the only ones in the car all the way to Seville.

 Seats were comfy and clean.

 Empty and so quiet.

 Although the movies were in Spanish, we managed to watched and still put together the story of "Snow White and the Huntsman."

 Gotta have my soda and some pork rinds for the ride.

 Arriving at Sevilla-Santa Justa - the ride was about 6-7 hours.

 Hotel Abanico - a hotel that really embodies the beauty, character and hospitality of Seville. The workers there treated us so well and they were genuinely accommodating. I love that their coffee room is open for 24 hours.

 As usual when in Europe, don't expect a double bed but instead, two twin beds put together.


The bathroom is nice and just what we needed.



 These lamps were adorable.

 There were potted Poinsettias everywhere.

 Christian paintings/art adorned some walls and there were antique collections around the hotel.


 It didn't feel like a hotel at all. This is the hotel lobby.



Here's the lovely mirror in our room and a welcome bathroom kit when we arrived.

From Hotel Abanico, we walked to all the historical sites. We chose this hotel for its location but we were amazed that the hotel itself is a destination worth experiencing.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Barcelona's La Boqueria

I'd like to take a break from my road to transplant posts. I have to keep living and reminiscing our trip to Spain last year makes me long for the thrill of travel again. I took these photos on one of our nightly walks at La Rambla. Our hotel was on La Rambla so this gave us an opportunity to enjoy the lights and crowd that La Rambla offers.

Here are photos taken at La Boqueria. There's so much life and color here. It's vibrant and it's always full of people. For me, it's the colors of sweets and produce that entices me to spend hours here.


 These Mangoes were HUGE. The photo doesn't really show it, but I've never seen such large Mangoes.

 My weakness...locally made sweets.


 You can see that I hovered at this shop for quite a long time.

 Spiral lollipops, olive oil bottles and more.

 Peppers and vegetables.

  Mushrooms

These are soft candies covered in sugar. They also come in different flavors.

La Boqueria also offers places for lunch and really good tapas. It's worth a visit and I think it's a great place to shop and eat.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Saturday, November 9, 2013