2026 March 23 – 2026 May 8
Now that temperature is 28 celsius, after walking so much we get exhausted by around lunchtime. It just feels right to take it easy and rest in the early afternoon, so we can go out again later, even if it is just for a walk in the old town. I like it how even on the narrowest streets, the smallest plaza you see people sitting outside eating and drinking late into the night.
Today we visited this amazing 500 years old palace with a beautiful garden, nearby. Two completely different styles came together seamlessly here, islam inspired Mudejar and Renaissance. Tiles, stone carvings and wooden ceilings fused in such an unbelievable harmony. No wonder one of the biggest Hollywood movies, Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here.
Today it seems like the entire city is out on the streets, all dressed up, most men, even youth wearing suits, women wearing dark dresses, many with mantillas. The crowd is flowing in multiple directions. The mood and atmosphere is solemn. Christ died for all of us.
Growing up I read so many books on seafarers, sailers, adventurers, so stepping on board on the real size replica of Victory, the first ship that circumnavigated the world 500 years ago was a real treat for me. It started right here in Sevilla with Magellan. Only 16 or so crew members returned 3 years later. Incredible journey that included mutiny. scurvy, starvation, hostile encounters, storms and so many other unforeseen difficulties.
Traveling light, just with carry on is great, we would not do it any other way, but it means that we need to find laundromats wherever we are. After 10 days it was time, luckily just opposite of our hotel we discovered a very small completely automated laundromat. We did not even wait there, instead we sat outside in the neighboring restaurant to have some lunch. No time wasted.
Did not take more than twenty minutes of walk to reach this amazing place. Every direction you turn your jaw drops, it is like you are transported to a different time, or rather a different world where harmony still exists, life is simple. Moorish style tiles blend well with baroque towers.
Train ride was great, maybe a little too long, almost four hours because of some unexpected delay. The mountains and landscape were relaxing. Suddenly we saw huge number of wild flamingos, it is quite a sight how they fly. Couple days ago we got a notification from the hotel that roads will be closed nearby, no car access. Did not know how far we have to walk with our 10kg backpacks, but this taxi driver was great, dropped us off just two blocks from the hotel. Cannot wait to start exploring.
Just before we left our hotel to catch a train to Seville a military procession came by right below our balcony. All uniformed personel of the city and government is allowed to participate in Semana Santa, they don’t see this as a threat against the secular state. There was a constitutional challenge in 2011, but it did not succeed: “when a religious tradition is integrated into the social fabric of a particular group, it cannot be argued that public authorities intend to convey support for or adherence to religious tenets through it.”
I don’t know if rudeness and feeling entitled always go together, but sadly here, it turns out frequently originates from American tourists. You know Krisztina, she always pays attention to make sure we don’t block anyone’s views when we pick our spot to watch the processions. We were just trying to find a place to stand, a family in the front row told us to keep moving to somewhere else, saying “what are you thinking, we came two hours early to secure this spot!” I guess for them all this is just a spectacle. No doubt they were right, but conflict so often rises from what is right and just, even when you could easily make space for others. As it happened two days later a Spanish family with three children, baby carriage, a grandma sitting on a small stool, pointed us to a little space behind them allowing us to stand there.
On our last day we decided to go down to the marina and beach, beautiful sunny day. We took a short catamaran cruise to enjoy the sea. I was sitting on a net just above the water, a playground for adults, I guess. This unplanned excursion turned out to be one of the highlights of our stay here in Malaga.
