Seville/ flamenco dancing 

Less than 3 hours away from Merida is Seville, Spain, famous for its flamenco dancers and bull fighting. It’s filled with old buildings that ooze history and charm. It has beautiful cathedrals and museums. The Seville University is close to the train tracks and bus stops which give it easy access for students. As David, Rebecca and I searched for parking we quickly found out the “P” signs everywhere did not mean parking! Instead they are a rating for hostels, “P” meaning cheaper ones, where an “H” meant more expensive. Both are clean and governed by the government, so either is fine to stay in. Now, this was nice to know, but back to  finding parking. As we drove around and around David finally stopped right in the middle of one of the courtyards where a wedding was about to take place, got out, and talked with a policeman. Because David can speak and understand Spanish, he easily followed the directions. Turning right here and left there, our streets were getting more and more narrow with people  and bicycles still coming toward us. We felt like Chevy Chase in his famous “European Vacation” movie. Honestly, we were all getting so nervous at this point because as the cobblestone streets became more and more narrow we were worried we might have to back out!! Eventually we found a road to take us out and it didn’t matter how far away we had to walk, we weren’t going down that path again. Time for lunch and sangria!

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We didn’t go to the flamenco dancing show this time, but several years ago we did. It was fun to see them tell their stories in their bright colored attire, all with the loud sounds of their shoes hitting the wooden floors. I will come back again later this trip and enjoy an evening here with family. Seville is a marvelous city with many choices of restaurants and things to do. 💃

There’s even Starbucks on most corners. Of course we stopped in. Their iced coffee is very appropriate for the extreme heat here, too.

A taste of Cuba in Florida

Who would have guessed that when I went to visit my friends in Florida I’d be introduced to the Cuban culture. Florida has oranges and grapefruits and gators galore. Buckets overflowing with sand and seashells. Shrimp you can peel or have fried or sautéed. But, Cuban food! We ventured to a place called Cafe’ Havana. It is owned and operated by a family of three generations. They were so very patient with us as we asked many questions about the food and even gave us samples of everything. They offered chicken in a coconut sauce, a spicy beef mixture and pork covered with cooked sliced onions. They had many choices of rice and a south of the border root plant called yucca which reminded me of a potato. They fixed the yucca two ways, one in a butter and garlic sauce and the other fried in a light batter. Both were enticing. The experience was fun, the people were very friendly and the food was very tasty. To top it off at the end of the meal one of the owners came around and passed out a shot of their Colombian very hot, very strong, dark coffee with whipped cream and sugar on top. Aww, this was the best treat of all! And if you smile real big like I did, they give you another one!!☕️ ☕️ After all, they say in Cuba you must always end your meal with coffee. The way they fix it, it’s like dessert!image.jpeg

So yes, Florida has oranges and lots of cows but why not run off to Cuba while you’re here!  I thought of my Dad and Barney Pierce and their group of friends who traveled to Cuba many many years ago  to sing and play their instruments.

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