All in a weekend.

There were some fun times to be had in Sevilla last weekend. I had noticed a small poster outside of the Alfonso XIII hotel in the city center. This may be one of the most prestigious hotels in the city; it used to be a palace and now, as a hotel, is where Spanish “big-whigs” stay. Needless to say, the inside of the hotel is stunning and any event put on by the hotel is well done. The poster advertised an Opera Dinner. Those two sounded like my kind of event. I grabbed a few friends and the three of us headed of to Alfonso XIII for a wonderful night. As a broke college student, I don’t attend many black tie events, but when in Spain…why not. Thus, we officially dubbed the evening “Prom 2007”. The room was beautiful, the singing enchanting, and the food and drink amazing. Between opera songs, great Spanish wine, and a diverse menu, four hours passed without notice. You know you’re at a great event when the waiter opens another bottle of champagne for your table because he notices you have one chocolate bonbon left!

So here is the great menu: (Have I mentioned I love food?)

Cream of avocado
Cured salmon with mango chutney
Cream and mussel soup with parmesan
Scallops stuffed with crab on a bed of saffron rice
Fresh strawberries from Huelva and cream in a caramel tulip cup
Bonbons

(I’m salivating as I type. It was THAT good.)


I traded my high heels from the night before for a pair of hiking boots the next morning. There is nothing better after a long evening of food and drink that a hike through the hills of Spain. Situated between Sevilla and Malaga, Ronda is a beautiful white hill town of Spain. Again, having been a Moorish community, the confluence of the three religions is evident. The Arab baths we toured were still very much in tact. The large gorge that runs through the middle of this city is its main landmark. We hiked all the way down for an impressive view looking up at this quaint town before we dug in and make the steep climb back to the top. The views were stunning, and it was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Sevilla.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sgauche/EspanaPart12