Seville Day 2

In the morning, acclimated to the Spanish climate. I didn't realize that the sun rose almost at 8 am in the morning. I'm usually a sun riser and the lateness threw my timing off. Started the morning a little late and headed into the city center for a light breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. I'm not sure why but the Spaniards seem to like Dunkin Donuts. Maybe it is the NY influence.... :) Another side note, wireless internet access seems spotty at the Hotel Alfonso XIII. I realized after sitting in the lobby that the internet access was better there than in my room. If internet is important, you should always ask how close you are to the router.

Grabbed a prepaid sim card from Vodafone. I did not think that I needed to shop around for service/rates on the prepaid but it appears that there are significant differences. After a week's worth of use, I had to put in about 15 Euros to sustain the text and phone usage. The website nor pamphlet provided isn't much help. My spanish wasn't strong enough to ask the salespeople why it wasn't working. I can only imagine if I wanted data how much more it would have cost. My advice is to avoid Vodafone.

Afterwards, rented bikes next door as the city appear pedestrian/cycle friendly. Luckily, the city is very flat and the bicycles were convenient to see the outer skirts of the city center. Visited a nearby park where a festival was being held. It was a bust since no one was inside. Even though it seems to be open around noon, none of the locals were around. I do notice that the Spaniards tend to start their day later than what I'm used to seeing. 

After walking through the park, went to have lunch at La Primera del Puente at Calle Betis, 66, 41010 Seville, Spain. It was a passable meal despite the TripAdvisor reviews. My only comment was that it seems customary for people to linger after meals. The waiter always disappear and  unconcerned about turning the table over. For anyone paying a meal with a credit card, the waiter always brings out a card reader and charges at the table. A great practice to deter fraudulent charges and identity theft.

Biked over to the bull fighting stadium and went on a tour. Looking at the arena, the field is medium sized. Probably best to invoke thrills with the actual bull-fighting. After listening to the guide's history of bull-fighting, wandered over to the Plaza de Espana at Parque de Maria Luisa, Seville, Spain. The plaza was designed to host the World Fair. Another commentary from Lonely Planet Spain was the government building was gaudy and ostentatious. I thought it was a nice area and building making me question the authors opinions of Seville and its sights.

After returning the bikes, wandered over to a local cafe to enjoy some afternoon beverages. Since every eatery serves alcohol, it was easy to have spiked coffees. I will say that the flan in Spain is a very different texture than I'm used to in the States.

Finished the night at El Mirador de Triana. After walking the boulevard, the restaurant looked most busy and it ended up being a good choice. The meal was excellent made even better with the reasonable prices and good company. This meal was where I was introduced to dogfish. It doesn't sound appealing but I really liked it.