Day 90: Sevilla (Drive)

If rain was not the dominant, current and forecast, weather phenomenon I quite possibly would have given Sevilla a miss and continued with the cycling. As it is, I've hardly seen the sun in weeks, which has mainly been due to dust haze. Moreover, it doesn't look as though I'll be seeing much of it in the coming days. At least cycling was something that could still be enjoyed during the dust haze. But, believe it or not, I don't enjoy the cycling so much in the cold, wind and rain! So a visit to Seville it is!

I arrived this afternoon having reluctantly left the forest location south of Almonte. I had to leave because I'd run out of biscuits and milk, and was running low on other non-essential food stuffs. Accordingly the first stop was to Carrefour to restock - €146 later, I returned to the van to weep have coffee and biscuits!

The afternoon was spent researching possible park-up locations and places to visit in Sevilla. My original plan was to find somewhere to stay outwith Sevilla and get a bus, metro or train into the city but, instead I'm about 1.5 miles from the "The world’s largest Gothic cathedral, built between 1434 and 1517 over the remains of what had previously been the city’s main mosque", located in central Sevilla. And, if I'm too lazy to walk, there is a train station about 100m away from the van, which will take me in (for a fee)!

Photo of said train station (the low rise concrete rectangular box structure to the left in the photo):

Here's a photo of the van, near the station:

And another:

And one of the vast open space behind me where other campers are parked, including a giant bus/coach:

What had completely slipped my pea sized brain was the fact that it's Spy Wednesday today, Maundy Thursday tomorrow, Good Friday the day after, swiftly followed by Easter Sunday and Monday, in other words: its Easter! which is Semana Santa (Holy Week) here, there and everywhere in Christendom.

In Seville, every day from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, elaborate, life-size pasos (floats carrying revered statues of Christ or the Virgin Mary) are paraded across town from their home churches to the cathedral. Apparently, for the best views, park yourself near the cathedral in the early evening. So I'm expecting Sevill to be extra busy with tourists and locals whilst I'm here! Great!!

Happy days!

• Distance driven: 51 miles
• Distance cycled: 0
• Weather: Overcast, rain at times, strong winds with gusts up to about 50 miles per hour - so said the weather warning. It was pretty windy this afternoon but, I don't think it's hit 50 mph yet. However, it was overcast and it has rained.