but we all know there is no truth to that. We check out the Metropol Parasol (this huge modern art-looking large wooden structure) at night, but it is closed so grab ice cream instead. We walk Natalia back to her flat and head back after making plans to meet up again the next evening.
Waking up early the next day, we have breakfast 
at the hotel and head to the Seville Cathedral to get in line before it opens. It is massive and extremely ornate with the longest nave of all the cathedrals in Spain. Inside is the tomb of Christopher Columbus and
a tall bell tower you can climb for great views across the city. We wander the city more, do a little shopping at a small craft mall and stop for a menu del dia lunch. We head back to the hotel for a quick siesta before meeting up with Natalia at the Real Alcazar. 
I had done an earlier internet search and found out that morning that it is free on Mondays from 6-7 for a limited number of tickets. 
By paying 1 euro a ticket, you could bypass the lines for the free tickets and just show your emailed ticket. Worked perfectly! 
The Real Alcazar was beautiful. It is the Royal Palace of Seville and and old Moorish fort. It is a mix of many styles of architecture and design and apparently was featured on Game of Thrones (I swear, I must be the only person who has never watched that show). 
It was fun to wander the courtyards, gardens, and baths full of fountains and detailed stone and ceramic tile work. Afterwards, we headed across the river to the Triana district. I had heard of a flamenco place called Casa Anselma which supposedly had long lines and started up around midnight. We grabbed a few tapas here and there and wandered around. Had dinner at an outdoor plaza spot before heading over to Casa Anselma, There was no line and no signs of life, so it must have been closed that night. Sad I missed it. Natalia went several nights after and said it was great fun. But we did stop for fabulous homemade small batch ice creams at Heladeria Bolas. Nice woman working let me try several flavors as it was hard to pick between their traditional flavors like salted caramel and the less traditional but strangely delicious fig and creamy cheese. We got to enjoy our ice creams outside as the shop woman closed up and Wade made friends with a little boy that lived upstairs from the shop before heading back to the hotel.Our final day was spent heading back to Triana. The area is not only known for its flamenco bars, but also its famous Seville ceramics (and I wanted to find a ceramic tile to bring home for my house). I didn't see any tile that spoke to me, so we wandered Mercado de Triana before heading back to the hotel empty handed. We grabbed a delicious lunch at Al Aljibe near our hotel in the plaza and played a little cribbage before taking a little siesta.
After the previous night's bust at flamenco, we had reserved a flamenco show at La Casa del Flamenco. We headed over a little early to try to get good seats, and then wandered around. I saw this cute little antique shop, Populart, and wandered in. The shop owner was so nice and patiently explained all kinds of things about the ceramics of the area. I found just the tile I wanted! Scurried over to the Flamenco show and Wade had scored us great seats. The show was FANTASTIC! So much emotion and talent and they really seem to put their all into it! We both enjoyed it immensely. 
After the show, we met up with Natalia at Metropol Parasol to head to the upper level to catch the sunset and enjoy a sangria. We grabbed dinner in one of the many outdoor plazas and said our goodbyes to Natalia, as we had to go pack for early flight back to Barcelona in the morning for the flights home.Trip photos are up online or you can view them as a slideshow.
Love,
Betsy
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