Espanol!

Not even the first signs of morning could penetrate the dark curtains in our hotel room. It wasn't till at last 10 that we returned to the world of the living and attempted to head out and explore Sevilla. Taking advantage of the hotel discount we jumped on the city bus tour. This helped us get our bearings of what there was to see in Sevilla. Sitting on the open roof, double decker bus we braved the 10 degree weather and the icy wind that had the delightful sensation of a hundred pins pricking our skin. After completing one full circuit we jumped off and began wandering, north along the river. As the temps rose, so did the atmosphere in the city, locals and tourists began filling the streets. At most street intersections we would bump into tourist, who also had their maps out trying to figure out where to go next. As we wandered further north along the river we stopped in at the bus station to work out how long it would take to get Lisbon - 7 hours by bus. Now we knew how to get to our next location, it was time to soak up some rays and explore Sevilla. It wasn't long before Pia was in streetart heaven. Behind the station was an amazing array of artwork - filling buildings, walls, bridges and any other concrete or metal mass. The remainder of the afternoon was spent catching the bus to the northeast point of our bus tour, La Macrena. From there we walked along the canal, mingling with the afternoon joggers, taking in the street art which covered the walls, parallel to the river. There were certainly many photo opportunities. As the sun set on the horizon, locals found a spot along the river to relax and enjoy the mild winter temps. Dog walkers, rock climbers, cyclists, tightrope walkers and every Tom, Dick and Harry filled the foreshore. Occasionally we would stop and take in the atmosphere and enjoy the chilled European lifestyle.
After surviving the whole day without feeling the need to nap, we regrouped at the hotel, dumped our day packs and headed out to enjoy some post festive celebrations. The local park still had the Ferris wheel, food stalls and ice rink set up. As we wandered through the stalls the urge to consume churros was too great! Nom nom nom. :) From there we wandered along the avenue in the direction of Jardines Alcazar. It was here they had set up stalls representing different countries, where they were selling local cuisines and beverages. Even Australia was there offering Fosters and steak sangies! Our goal of the evening was to make it to the town hall to admire the Christmas light show. Whilst walking along Constitucion Avenue we were in awe of the thousands of Christmas lights that covered the street. Buskers lured crowds and filled the sidewalks, whilst latenight shoppers enjoyed the end of year sales. Before we knew it we had followed the crowd to the exact place we wanted to be. As the clock striked 9 and the lights dimmed on Town Hall, we were spoilt with an amazing light show. After a generous 15 minutes, we were treated with an extra special finale. They had set up foam machines on the roof, so when they turned them on it was like a white Christmas - snowing! What a treat, hehe! Covered in speckles of foam we made our way into the side streets to find some Spanish cuisine. In a little side alley we found a Tapas bar riddled with people. As we squeezed in and propped ourselves on the corner of the bar, we went on to purchase a variety of tapas, varying in different pork products ;) and enjoyed with a nice glass of red. Not completely full, in true Alisha and Pia style we had spotted the desert cabinet and there spinning around amongst the cheesecake and chocolate mousse was my much desired lemon meringue!!! You can guess what was sitting in front of me at the end of the evening... Satisfied!