Age

So as to show some of the age mentioned in the last post, here is a picture from beneath the palace of the Reales Alcazares, a stunning palace that is still in use in Sevilla today. As a student my brother can come to the gardens (above ground), and study or read when he wishes. Certainly an inspiring backdrop.

Ask a tomb!

I had the chance to take in Carmona today, including the Roman ruins, one of the most striking of which is the necropolis. This museum features a short tour which is guided by your favorite cartoon character, an unnamed talking coffin.

Across the street is an amphitheater which was half filled with water once per year for a staged naval battle. Apparently this town has been a strategic military location for almost three centuries. The town has a cultural record which readily shows this immense passage of time.

This is not modern art

Down by the river in Sevilla, along with the construction, and the newly aging structures, many built for the Expo in ´92, is an amazing array of tags and murals. The center of one has a small white box that reads:

THISISNOTCONTEMPERARYART (sic)

If they wish, we can afford them that much, I suppose. Thanks for making this part of the river beautiful again.

Calatrava

Today My brother and I saw Calatrava´s bridge, built for the 1992 World Expo. Many buildings were constructed for this event, including the so called smart building (that turned out to be not so), and another structure that burned down before it was opened.

Incidentally, it seems that the Sevillanos take very good care of their ancient artifacts, but not so much of their newer ones. The old buildings and statues are washed daily and weekly, while the World Expo structures are aging very quickly into ruin. It is a bit odd, but it makes room for yesterday´s post.

P. S. For the record: to anyone that knows the amazing feat that Calatrava has achieved by designing a non-controversial PATH station for the site in NYC, this bridge is now the tallest structure in Sevilla, surpassing the hiralda (tower) of the cathedral. This has been the tallest point for the entirety of the city´s (very long) history. Some people are not pleased. Oops.

Vampiros

So, it turns out that you cannot fully grasp the melodramatic soap operatic quality of "Buffy: Cazavampiros" until you have seen it in the original Spanish. Well worth the trip.

Ibuprofeno

Shortly after arriving, I became ill. This was too bad, not only because I was staying in a hostel (these things tend to create a bit of a domino effect in a room full of eight people), but also beacuse I would have to purchase meds in Spanish. Thankfully, this turned out to be easy, as I left before the rest of the hostel ejected me, and Ibeprofen simply gets another few o´s in Spain. It also turns out that they sell them in 600mg increments, which I discovered only after becoming a bit dim after taking two.

Espana

In celebration of starting a new job, I've decided to visit my brother in Seville for a few days, aided by some falling Iberia fares (accompanied, as it turns out by falling Ibreria quality). I landed in Madrid today, and have been able to establish that Merrick is correct: the Spanish have some of the most advanced hair in the world.