Day 1 - Travel and arrival
Got up at 7 when I had only gotten to bed at 4 after spending hours chatting on msn and drinking a lot more wine than is good for me. The few hours I slept were not spent dreaming of
I had a few things left to do in the line of last minute packing and spent the last hours before the arranged pick up time checking TB once more just in case anything had happened in the 3 hours that I slept…
My sister arrived and we took the kids to her place to be babysat by her husband until my mum would arrive in Meppel.
We then basically had to hang around the airport to wait for our departure.First we had to sort out the luggage situation as there are very strict rules now regarding hand and cabin luggage. This meant a lot of moving around of stuff between suitcases and my sister putting on a second coat so we didn’t have any extra kilo’s. As there is not a lot to do at Weeze airport we basically just sat around chatting and had a quick look around the shop.
We then checked in and went through the safety checkpoint.
At first we ended up quite a few rows apart end our hand luggage at almost opposite ends of the plane as it was so busy, but after take-off we managed to find two seats behind each other so at least it felt like we were going on holidays together. The flight from Weeze to
We arrived at
We got off at the Avenida El Cid and walked to the hostel past some beautiful buildings and other points of interest which we will explore at a later stage. When we got to the hostel I started off in my best Spanish (which is not very good at all) but the guy at reception spoke English to us straight away. The walk to the room upstairs was interesting, very narrow and steps leading everywhere like a maze. The room was basic but pleasant, with a private bathroom.
After getting unpacked we walked down the road for a bite to eat and a drink, which we ended up getting at Tre Fratelli just around the corner. And yes, as the name suggests, this is an Italian restaurant, but we were just too tired to walk any further in search of a Spanish one…. Again, everyone started speaking English to us from the moment we walked in the door. We had some red wine, a starter, bread and could not resist the flan for dessert. The food was very nice, we had a nice chat and afterwards walked back to the hostel to have a good night’s sleep so we could go explore the city nice and refreshed the next day!
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The building consists of a few old houses which have been combined by putting doorways where there used to be walls. This makes for a maze-like series of stairs, most of which are lined by traditional Seville tiles. The building has many old features like this.
The hostel is very secure, the reception is right at the front door and the lobby is only small so no-one who doesn’t belong can get past. Receptionists speak English when required although not all with the same level.
We had booked through a website called Hostelbookers and all our details were known at reception upon arrival. We were told the basics we needed to know about the place and were also given a map of Seville which will make it much easier to explore, although for now we might just walk around and see where we end up…
Our room was on the third floor which, as there is no lift in the building made for a difficult walk upstairs with our bags and other people walking down the stairs at the same time. There are small landings on every floor with a little seating are so this made for the best passing points.
The room itself has all you require and a tv. There are two single beds, a wardrobe, small desk and air conditioner for the hot Summer days. The bathroom is small with a shower, toilet, bidet and wash basin. The only downside to our room was that there was no outside window so no option for fresh air.
The beds are quite comfortable although very short (approx. 1.80m), I have some very tall friends and I am sure their feet would be hanging over the end of the bed! Breakfast is included in the price and is a continental breakfast buffet, which is basic but adequate.
Towels and bedding are also included in the price, internet is available in the lobby at €1,- per 30 minutes. The room is made up every day.
On the third day we asked if it was possible to change rooms to a room with a window and we were moved without any problems at all. Great customer service!
The reception was great, we were shown to a table straight away and were given the choice of a Spanish or English menu. The waiter spoke English very well so when we couldn't get there with our limited Spanish this was not a problem. We ordered some wine which was very good, and both had a starter as a main meal. I was somewhat disappointed with the mushrooms as it seemed like a mushroom soup more than anything else. The sauce was very watery. The gambas my sister chose were very nice though. The price was quite high as weel as we found out later when we had experienced other restaurants. We both had flan for dessert which was very nice.
One thing we learned in Spain: bread will always be put on the table but it does come at a charge. If you don't want to pay for it, ask for it to be taken away.
