More cloak and dagger followed, to extricate Vincent from the premises, having to fore-go the hostal's complimentary breakfast. After coffee and pastry we headed down to Atocha train station, securing 2 seats on the 10:05am to Seville from where I am currently typing this. Coffee is keeping me awake, beer is keeping Vincent talkative, as we pass through the Spanish countryside on a train that puts ours in England to shame.
Good job that the train isn't full as there are loads of Americans travelling with the biggest suitcases I have ever seen. They must be on the road (or rails) for a whole year and using their suitcases as emergency beds judging by the size of them.
We swept into Seville around 1pm, exiting the station into the gorgeous Andalusian sunshine. And after a short stroll we were at Samay hostel with which I am very impressed. Big, bright hostal with very friendly staff. A twin room greeted us which was a relief as we will both have a real bed tonight. And the roof of the hostal? Check it out. What a beautiful little sun trap.
Bags dropped off we went to explore the city of Seville. And what a lovely city. Cobbled, orange tree lined streets, narrow little alley ways to explore and many great little cafés and bars.
Its lunchtime somewhere in the world so it must be time for a cerveca (or several). But maybe not in every bar. We were refused service in one outdoor bar that was bustling and looked perfect for a little refresher. I think the reason, although my Spanish but not all that great, is that the waiter objected to Vincent sat there with his top off, with his tatts out in all their glory! Suitably attired we wondered off to find a less discerning establishment.
Needing to rest up after a long walk exploring the city, we retired (via the bottle shop) to Samay hostal to catch the late afternoon rays on the rooftop garden. This is when I rediscovered one of the many wonders of staying in backpacker hostels. The “free food” section, left behind by travellers moving on. However, what I found wasnt food as such, but cans of beer labelled as “Free”. I dont think I have ever seen Vincent smile so much :-)
Happy days!!
