Seville Day 15 - Europe 2023
June 8
Buddie’s Birthday! And the Corpus Christi holiday!
We had such high hopes. We had been to the cathedral and we knew the altars were ready to be carried through the streets.
I was in Spain over Easter several decades ago, and I so hoped Buds and Yessa would get to experience the amazing spectacle of devotion and spirit this religious event would bring since its pageantry is similar to Easter’s.
This article shows pictures and gives an idea of what we hoped for.
City Hall was adorned.
Alas, it was not meant to be. We awakened, ready to head out and fight the crowds for a great spot to watch, to find a persistent rain and no crowds because there was nothing to see. The procession was kept inside the cathedral, but we didn’t even know that until later.
We did see several displays and shop windows that looked beautiful.
So our plans shifted. This is the day Buddie was born and that is worth celebrating all on its own.
First stop, churros con chocolate.
Here’s how to pronounce it. Churros con chocolate.
After breakfast, we walked back to the apartment to let Yessa know the weather had changed our plans. We packed, played cards, and read, enjoying the morning together.
We also had a phone call with the at-home kiddos so we could all sing to Buds together. 💖💖🎙️🎙️
As afternoon neared, we had to decide how to fulfill Buddie’s birthday wish of tasca hopping; going from restaurant to restaurant, trying out different tapas (small bites).
Buds and Yessa came to a consensus for a plan. We had the first restaurant in mind because it had several vegan options. After that, we would wander the streets, using a method they devised which included a compass, dice rolling, and tracking of distance walked. (Not being metaphorical or exaggerating. It was an elaborate system. 😁)
La Bartola was our first stop and it was a huge hit. We got seated right away, but soon after it was filled up and people had to wait for openings. This is one of the truisms about dining in much of Europe. Once you have a seat, it is your seat. You can be there as long as you like and they are glad to have you. It’s such a relaxing delight.
After an hour dining on shared small plates here, we headed out again.
We passed this enchanting statue which we hadn’t seen before.
I was engaged by every part of it, even more now that I know the story behind it.
From the description: ” The city of Seville/ in memory of Clara Campoamor/ for her incomparable contribution to the freedom of women/ which was her fight is part/ of the present of our rights.”
From here we walked and walked and walked.
We finally realized we were still full of food from our tapas meal, but we probably had enough space to squeeze in a little ice cream.
From here we headed home to finish packing and rest in preparation for our 3 a.m. alarm.
It wasn’t the huge day of festivals we’d hoped for, but it was a day of celebrating Buddie, and that’s a joy worth celebrating every day.
