This meant that once school was over, I had only walked about a mile and needed some serious steps if I wanted to make my 5 miles a day which usually comes so easily.
So, I walked away from home instead of toward it after class....
After walking up and down some small streets, I ended up on the touristy street in front of the cathedral. There are a half dozen gelato shops, a line of horses with carriages, a few street buscars and some familar restaurants...Burger King, Taco Bell, Dunkin Coffee (two of these) all within a few blocks.
I decided that since it had cooled off, I would cross the river and make the walk to the park that I had seen on the map a couple of nights ago. To that end, I crossed the bridge just south of the Triana Bridge, and was greeted with the large Cruzcampo sign. Cruzcampo is the name of a beer that is brewed here in Sevilla - it is everywhere and cheaper than a soft drink both in restaurants and grocery stores. The locals love it and are very proud of it - many small bars don't carry anything else. Not to worry though, if you really need a larger variety of beers, you can find those as well - you just have to look a little harder.
Once across the river, I walked the rest of the way to the park. It is really nice. There are paths winding throughout, a couple of man-made duckponds, and of course a place to play soccer (we are in Spain). If you aren't careful, you will forget that you are in the city surrounded by large roads and tall buildings. There were also about 10,000,000,000,000 (ok maybe I exaggerate a little) people with dogs. But happily, it seems that people are generally responsible for picking up after them. So, the park was quite clean.
You might notice that there is a pretty large group in the stands. These are the guys waiting for their turn on the "field" (asphalt with lines and goals). They are loud and engaged (it appears most of the engagement comes in the form of heckling) in the current play as they wait. These are not leagues, there are no refs nor parents nor supporters, just players. And, the players range in age from school age (maybe 10 or so) to well beyond 50.
After my walk to and around the park, it was time to head home for a late dinner and a quick visit with Albert before he went off to bed. Now, it is just after midnight and the cafe/bar across the street is starting to empty out. I guess I should be making my way toward bed as well.
hasta luego
