My final big city stop in Spain would be Seville.  I thought if I could make it up to Basque Country after Portugal, I would see San Sebastian and Bilbao.  Alas, as you will soon find out, that did not happen.  Visiting Seville satisfied a fifteen year dream of seeing the cities of Spain, implanted in my brain during my college years when friends returned from study abroad in Europe.  Indeed their architectural beauty holds true.  I believe Seville may have the most beautiful city center.  The area between the train station, also outside the center, and the center itself, is not impressive.

By this time in Spain, I had confidence in the idea of pensions from my time in Cordoba. These are a unique Spanish concept for accommodations. It’s the equivalent of the single room occupancy (SRO) of Manhattan-past. With a shared bathroom in the hallway and a small bed in a private room, you get the benefit of privacy with low cost. In the pension in Seville, I almost had no window (I mean, it existed but it did not have any air coming through). There was no fan in the room. The listing advertised air conditioning. When I arrived, the air conditioning was not on. It was stifling in the room. There were no controls in the room. I went down to reception and discovered it was centralized control. The hostess was almost surprised that I asked for it to be turned on as I had sweat pouring all over my body. It was another moment in Spain where I wasn’t sure if I was frustrating someone even though I was not doing anything wrong. I was almost certain this would be the end of my Spanish adventure.

I made my way into the old town of Seville and the small streets and architecture are noticeable immediately.

There is a relatively new tram line in the city as well. It has a unique design that allows it to run through the historic center on battery power alone without overhead catenary lines. The trams batteries recharge at the stations and when the tram reaches catenary lines again. It’s a beautiful technology project. Unfortunately, the line itself is rather limited in distance and usefulness. I’m sure they will eventually fund an extension.

While the center is filled with all sorts of shops and cafes around the cathedral square, the big hit of Seville is absolutely magnificent Plaza de España. I believe this is the most architecturally marvelous plaza in the entire world. With a combination of water feature, bridges, semi-circular form and wide open spaces, it has the best elements of a grand public space. The only negative thing is that there is not much surrounding it except a park, so it isn’t really the focal center of the city. I don’t think that matters much. Seville has some absolutely incredible things to look at, that’s for sure.

The city is also known for its nightlife. Like the rest of Spain, dinner starts at 9pm at the earliest and the pub becomes lively around 11pm-midnight and the club does not get going until 2am. I wish this were an exaggeration. I was determined to experience Seville nightlife knowing this was going to be my last big city in Spain. I discovered the nightlife district of Seville. It’s an incredible pedestrian promenade lined by Roman columns, outdoor restaurants, cafes and people everywhere. Known as Alameda de Hercules, I think it has solved some of the major problems that large cities have had with integrating nightlife into their cores. The area is so large that it is its own neighborhood. Car traffic is restricted. There is enough open space for all types of gatherings. You can sit and be a spectator as people pass by, you can skateboard, sing music, or get drunk as a skunk. I really appreciated this part of Seville. It’s just that… well, once again, I did not feel like I could connect with it.

By midnight, I wanted to go dancing at the club. I did not have anyone to sit with at the cafe and have an overly extended dinner (like all of the Spanish people seem to have). I tried walking up and down the Alameda to pass time knowing that the longer I wait, the more likely the dance club will have people. By 12:30am, I headed over to the dance club and saw a few people waiting on line outside. The bouncer was explaining to people the incredibly complicated process of having to pre-purchase all beverages on a bar-provided charge card. I peeked inside the club space and saw there was absolutely no one inside. I asked the two guys in front of me what time people start arriving. They told me to come back at 2am. I was already fading. I made the decision to throw in my cards and call off my attempt at Spanish clubbing.

I had to make my way to meet Anna, Alyssa and Tame in Lisbon within a few days. I decided that I should stay in a small Spanish village border town that’s on the way to Lisbon in an effort to process everything I experienced in the rest of Spain. I thought maybe if I could find my way in a smaller town, something that makes me feel connected, then maybe I would understand Spanish culture more. I would choose Badajoz as my next stop based on all of the criteria above. I found a pension with a fan in the room and I was set to go.