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Sunday, March 16, 2008

From Seville

Good evening. This morning we boarded the bus to leave the Costa del Sol and head toward Gibraltar. We arrived there about 10:30, and two gentlemen, one at a time, boarded the bus to inspect our passports. We got to the parking area, and as we got off the bus, a woman snapped a picture of each of us. I thought that was probably going overboard on the security of the facility. Just what do they still have there that's so important? Surprise! When we returned to the bus 2 and a half hours later, there were little plates and key chains, 38 of them I presume, one for each person on the tour. Because the sun was so bright in my eyes when I got off the bus and I was surprised to find the camera in my face, the picture of me was far from complementary, and I wonder just how they manage to recycle the plates. The key rings it's pretty obvious. One thing of interest as we came in was that beside a car wash, there was a dog wash place as well. I didn't see any pooches getting shampooed there, but it was an interesting idea. We got local guides to take us by van up to the St. Michael's cave where they had the space prepared for hospital use in WWII but now have a concert area laid out, and they had a concert there for the local people the evening before. The cave was neat, and it was a good experience. We also got a foretaste of the second stop, where the Barbary Coast apes greeted us. I sat down on top of the rock to take a picture of one calmly sitting there trying to eat a tissue, and he decided the lens cover I had set down was fair picking. I saw him grab for it and did the same and won out, but he was a dour looser. We went on down to the market area where they were in the midst of a military/governmental ceremony preceding (or perhaps in the middle of) a parade. A band played and a group of soldiers stood at attention while a group of older gentlemen dressed up, some in kilts, stood at attention on the other side. There was some speaking, but the PA system was poor enough I couldn't understand a bit of what they said. A land rover came and carried away two gentlemen and a lady, then after some more fal de ral, the remaining people from the square marched down the street. Later little boys were mimicking the long straight-legged marching. It was a fun occasion. I hurried to get some gifts from the shops, waited impatiently for the fellow at Subway to make my typical chicken teryaki on wheat sandwich, then bolted for the bus. I got there in plenty of time, walked with the other people, all of us wondering if we were going to be late but knowing if we were, we were a choir and not a solo for the required singing for being late, which halfway through the trip has not actually happened, so it's a good ploy to keep people timely. 

We got to Seville about 4:30 and after checking out the room and dropping some stuff, Linda and I set off in search of the cathedral. We didn't find it, but we did find the church of the Macarena. Really. Like the dance. They're setting up for quite an event, and there are people in band uniforms with instruments. But right now it's time for supper, so the report will continue. I do know I have catching up to do and pictures to post.

barb


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