Please see below the link to YouTube which has a slideshow of my pictures.
Today was mainly about walking, seeing as there was no plan again.
The intention had been to visit the Real Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla. Google said it was open for visitors from 8am-2pm but it was all closed up when we got there. It was interesting to read that the tobacco factory complex contained its own prison, nursery and courthouse. In addition, it had as many as 116 mills for the tobacco produce and stables for 400 mules that propelled the grinding system.
We spent a lovely lunch at a place called Postiguillo, somewhere we had visited for a drink a few days before. It is always a good sign when it is full of locals, and a queue even built up whilst we were seated. I had a simple tomato and tuna salad, with the best extra virgin olive oil that I have ever tasted.
Temperatures hit 29-30 degrees around lunch time so we walked in the shade down narrow back streets that were inaccessible by car, mainly around the areas of the Barrio de Santa Cruz, El Arenal and San Bartolome. We managed to get five miles under our belts just by wandering off the beaten track and seeing where our feet would take us. There were many pretty gardens, houses and other interesting things worthy of taking a photograph of, as well as hidden gems that we stumbled upon.
One particular place of note was the Plaza de Cabildo. This place is actually not a square but a semi-circular collonade designed in 1967 by an architect named Joaquin Barquín. The building is decorated with floral frescos painted by José Palomar. If you stand facing the building, behind is a 50 metre section of the Hispano Arabic Almohad wall. This formed part of Sevilla’s defences and parts have been stood since the 10th century. At one point in time the wall was 7 kilometres long and still surrounds the Real Alcázar today.
Our evening meal was booked at El Pintón which was a stone’s throw from Hotel Doña Maria. As we left the hotel, crowds were heading towards where I assumed would be the now familiar religious paseos. We arrived at the restaurant and it was quiet, the reason presumably due to the aforementioned.
El Pintón’s choice of food was mainly fish and seafood. I have copied the link if you want to have a look:https://carta.elpinton.com/en/welcome I started with a Bloody Pintón, the restaurant’s own take on the classic Bloody Mary. My starter was the most amazing spinach salad with pickled onion, crispy bacon, Parmesan flakes and old fashioned mustard ice cream. At this point the gathering of people outside was enormous and then the procession came. From the window I could see the band, then the pasos followed by the hundreds of hooded cofradias holding their long wax candles. This was a relaxing way to view it all away from the hustle and bustle. They are also known as nazarenos and walk in pairs , sometimes with bare feet. As well as carrying a candle, I have viewed others carrying large wooden crucifixes or lanterns. You can hear a pin drop when they march past.
At this point the waiter told me that my main course was ready. I had salmon with vegetables- the amount of food was just right considering how big the salad was.
During our visit some of the costaleros called in to the restaurant bar for a well earned drink of cola. The men carry the pasos for an eight hour stint so it must be exhausting as they lift, move and lower the pasos. The costaleros consider the carrying of the paso as a great honour, as it’s a sign of devotion and penance. This is usually a task performed by men as the pasos often weigh over 2,000 kg and it takes many months of practice before the big day. They are trained to walk in the same rhythm as the music and also in such a way that it looks as if Christ or the Virgin Mary is gliding along.
We ended the evening with a nice brandy type digestif called Gran Duque de Alba. It is made from grape spirit together with other low-strength spirits (between 40-70ᴼ) of high quality, known as holandas, matured for a long period of time and aged in oak casks. In Spain, it is classified as Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reserva, which means that it is aged for a minimum average of three years. It was suggested to us that we drank it warm, which we did.
Rather than getting caught up in the crowds after leaving the restaurant, we visited a nice bar called Second Room before heading back to the hotel.
This was our last evening in this beautiful city and somewhere that I have enjoyed immensely. I have learned so much about the Catholic religion and have actually been in awe of all of the Easter celebrations. I think I have left a little piece of my heart in Sevilla.
jctraveller 
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