Day 8 Caceres to Seville

 Monday April 22nd

I slept well enough in my new digs in Caceres butIi was up before the 08.00 alarm ready to find a way to Sevilla. If I had known how long it would take I would have  been a bit less anxious to get going. 

I was at the  bus station window 21 as it opened at 08.45 to  be told that I couldn;t take my bike on the bus despite what it said on their web site and that they had no boxes or bags for sale for €12 despite what it said on the web site. I could try putting it on the bus, as is. the counter bureaucrat suggested helpfully, but I wasn't going there again gracias.

The train station was 100m further on and the difference in attitude and helpfulness and effectiveness, there, was stark. The bus "service" is privatised the rail service is still national. By 9 o clock I was booked on the 14.30 to Sevilla with a reserved space for my bike ( no need to dismantle) Only 5 hours to kill. I went back into central Caceres for a two hour breakfast and to sit in the sushine.

Eventually 14.30 mcame round and the five hour slow chug to Sevilla began. I had cycled it in four days a car would take two hours the bus takes three hours  but.the train .. every lamppost!

I arrived at 19.00 having booked via booking.com ( must get shares) on the train. Mrs google came up trumps and guided me skilfully through the maze of little streets that is central Sevilla to my home for the next two nights. My room is enormous. It opens from  a typical Sevillian courtyard and consists of a big room with double bed as requested and single bed and a further room with a double bed each room with AC and a lovely spacious bathroom. Lots of room to fill my bike box if I can find one tomorrow.

This evening I decided to reprise a visit to the oldest tapas  bar in Sevile- el Rinconcillo, where the speciality of the house is garbanzos con espinacas (chicpeas with spinach) When we were last there the age old tradition of marking the bill in chalk on the counter was alive and kicking. Disappointingly, they had replaced the counter tops and installed a state of the art computer system. When I asked what had happened to the chalk tally the barman pointed to the computer and marked my order in chalk on the counter. I am sure I wasn't alone in my disappointment. However the bar was so busy they had a doorman controlling entry so they hadn't got ot all wrong. Still progress uis not always forwards. Old man rants,

Once in. I  squeezed into my place in an international line up which considted of a couple from London using google for everything. A chinese man who worked in finance in Dublin and could eat for Ireland. A Scot on his way to France was next to an Italian lady who lived in Valencia and was eating for two. To her right was a nice couple from Guadelahara in Mexico. An international brigade indeed.

Fortunately I spared the manzanilla (fino sherry) and was able to find my way back to the hostal Sierpes to complete this essentially non day. However my cough is no worse, my achilles is forgotten about and I am feeling able to eat and drink almost normally again, although I am still weak and sure that I took the right decision to stop when I did.

We shall see what tomorrow will bring. I can be sure there will be something unforseen.