A not-so-sunny Southern Spain

After Granada, stop #2 on our half-week tour through Southern Spain was the capital of Andalucía and Spain's fourth largest city, Seville. But first, speaking of not-so-sunny, we saw a solar eclipse during the bus ride there!

A shout out to Brian for his brilliant camera work to get this shot of the solar eclipse from our bus

Seville was founded as a Roman city and, like Granada, was conquered by the Moors of North Africa in 712 AD. It was, however, reconquered significantly earlier, in 1248, following a fifteen-month siege.

Architecturally, Seville has a much more European feel than Granada. Speaking of the architecture, you can't go to Seville and not see the world's largest Gothic cathedral. Literally: it's hard to miss. The cathedral was built during the 1400s and early 1500s to celebrate the city's wealth after the Reconquista. A mosque had previously stood on this site and to some extent still does: the cathedral bell tower was actually the minaret of the earlier mosque.

The Cathedral of Seville: world's largest Gothic cathedral and site of Christopher Columbus's tomb

Just across the plaza is the Alcazar, a palace still in the hands of the royal family and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The entrance to the Alcazar

However, my energy was waning quickly, and just a day after the Alhambra, I was all palace'd out. So I beelined it to the nearest Starbucks for my cafe con hielo (iced coffee) pick-me-up and left Brian to the official touristing business. Meanwhile I wandered the narrow streets of Santa Cruz, the old Jewish Quarter of the medieval city, and admired parks filled with orange trees and tiled benches.

An afternoon of wandering around Seville

I was just a little horrified by the multi-colored KKK-styled dolls I found haunting various tourist stores and even a chocolate shop.

Never in my life did I expect to see a cutesy purple Klansman figurine. (Spoiler: they're not actually KKK dolls.)

A chocolate shop window filled with a rainbow of KKK-garbed figurines. If you look closely, on the second to lowest shelf, there are even chocolate and white chocolate KKK-style edible men.

Turns out the KKK-style men were preparations for the Semana Santa, or Holy Week celebrations. Way before the KKK was a thing, the penitentes, or people doing penance for their sins, were dressing that way here in Spain during the week leading up to Easter.

Late in the afternoon, Brian and I rejoined forces to cross the river and explore the Triana, the old Gypsy Quarter. Here, upon stumbling into the Dulcería Manu Jara (41010, Calle Pureza, 5, 41010 Sevilla), we discovered that some non-Parisians have attained equal mastery of the art of pastry-making. Highly recommended.

A quick tour through Triana, the old Gypsy Quarter of Seville

The Mushrooms of Seville, the world's largest wooden structure (or so says wikipedia)

After a quick pass under the Mushrooms of Seville (officially known as the Metropol Parasol), the city's answer to modernist monuments, we powered back to the hostel to cash in on the free sangria hour followed by home-made paella. It was the first time in years that I can recall spending an evening just hanging out with a bunch of hostelers. Despite the shock of realizing just how out-of-touch I already am with "what's cool these days" (thanks, college kids), it was a surprisingly and unexpectedly fun way to spend a Friday evening.

Our third and final stop on the Grand Tour of Southern Spain was Malaga, but with only a few hours to see the city before our flight home, I can hardly claim to have properly visited. I did, however, thoroughly visit one delicious vinoteca, or wine bar, where we enjoyed shrimps and garlic with real spices (unlike what you can find in Paris, where nothing has a kick), shrimp skewers, and an anchovy and olive oil tostada along with a couple rounds of chilled white wine.

Worth a visit: La Barra del Soho, 4 Calle Tomás Heredia, 29001 Málaga

With just a half-hour to spare, we wandered around the park and past town hall which was surrounded by palm trees because, what else? I had a hard time understanding how this was the same European Union which I call home. Everything was just too tropical! That said, the lack of sunshine made it feel a bit like home, though not the homey feel we'd been going for.

How is this still the EU??

And there you have it. A half-week in Southern Spain: check. On to bigger and farther (and surely sunnier) travels in just a few days!