The hotel in Almaden called Casa Concha was very pleasant. I could have spent another night there but time is pressing...

I wheeled my bike down to the Bar Morales for breakfast at around 9:00 a.m. Maybe 9:30. The bar must have been open early as there were already tables in need of cleaning, out in the square. I doubt they have been left like that overnight. Breakfast was café con leche and tostada with tomato and olive oil. And of course a second café con leche before I set off.

A bit of a climb out of town was not very friendly to my tired legs, but I was soon on quiet country roads through very nice countryside. Still, there was more climbing than I thought necessary for what had been forecast as a primarily downhill day. By the time I had covered 12 km I climbed over 200 m. But then a long downhill with some fast speeds reached. So fast that my helmet slid off my head and was held in place by the straps wrapped around my throat. 67 kph might be a record for this trip so far.

Then, closer to Sevilla, I began to get caught up in faster moving vehicles on roads without much shoulder, quite an unpleasant change from what I had grown accustomed to. The route I had chosen was from cycle.travel and would take me directly to my hotel in Seville. When I checked the Ruta de la Plata map, I found that I was far to the east of it.

With hindsight, it would have been better take the Ruta de la Plata route to the outskirts of Seville, and then keyed my hotel into cycle.travel. Too late now.

And then I was in Sevilla, weaving in and out of narrow cobbled lanes, and at my perfectly located quaint old hotel by 3:00 pm. Perfectly located, indeed, but without a lift. I was on the second floor, but each floor seemed to have two long flights of stairs. My knees, which seem happy enough on the bike, do not want to bear my full weight when going upstairs.

The hotel was very well located a few minutes walk from the cathedral. It's definitely already high season; English voices are common. I popped into a tourist office (not an official one) and learned that it was very difficult to get into the cathedral. And for the palace it was almost hopeless. Tickets went on sale at 9:00 a.m. with people lining up from 7:00 am. Or so I was told. I guess I won't be seeing the palace. This stay in Sevilla was about resting my legs as much as seeing the sights and my hotel bed was very comfortable.

So I wandered around and took some photos, enjoying the narrow streets. I wonder how anybody found their way around before Google maps? I booked a flamenco performance for 10:30 at night. It was an amazing, intimate setting, front row seat. Great talent.

Then out into the warm evening, night really since it was almost midnight. But the bars were closing and I had a thirst: I found a cocktail bar and got a couple of bottles of beer, finally retiring to my hotel room about 1:30 in the morning. I had felt ina bit of a party mood having reached Sevilla, always an important destination of this ride, the end of the Via Ruta la Plata. Part 2 starts now.

A day spent wandering around, investigating some of the many sights.

Not the earliest of starts after my indulgences the previous night. The hotel breakfast was small but surprisingly good. Orange juice (local Sevilla oranges? It could be reconstituted Floridian concentrate for all I know). Then out to visit one of the churches that had I noticed the evening before.

(No, not juice from Sevilla oranges. These oranges are for marmalade only. Probably the juice was from Valencian oranges, my breakfast waiter told me.)

The streets of Sevilla...

I could hear the tyres of this SUV, too big for these streets, squeaking on each side against the curbs.

Church of the Saviour
(Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador)

Converted from a mosque in the 13th century, and rebuilt in the 17th. A 'masterpiece' of baroque architecture, with 'intricate carvings, gilded details and ornate sculptures.'

Lo and behold, my entrance ticket to the Church of the Saviour also admitted me to the Cathedral. My informant the day before had been less than completely honest with me. Surprising the private tourist operator not giving me the full details!

La Giralda and Sevilla Cathedral

As I entered the cathedral, I was told to go to La Giralda, the bell tower for the cathedral, first. OK. I joined the line, not really anticipating the slow upward shuffle to the top. There were 35 ramps, each sloping up one side of the square tower. So, about nine circuits of the inside of the outer wall, a step or two forward, wait. Crowds. Stifling. 45 minutes to an hour. Welcome to tourism, booming post Covid. Thankfully it was a ramp. Easier on my ankle.

There was plenty of time. Each of the 35 ramps contained about 15 people. Around 500 people on the way up. A similar number on the way down. Plus some on top. One thousand plus (and a handful of masks!). What if an earthquake... no, don't go there.

Then, finally, steep steps to the top. Shoulder to shoulder. Views through protective wire. Much ado about not very much.

Descent was faster...Back down the ramps, past a few hundred still on the way up. Then into the cathedral itself.

Between visiting the Church of the Saviour and Sevilla Cathedral, I went for a haircut. I was barbered in Seville.