Jennifer and Sophie Braverman take yearly mother/daughter trips and visited us in London, July 2019. We invited them to visit us in Seville and husband/father Igor was able to get the time off to accompany them. They left Boston the evening of 14 February expecting to arrive in Seville the next afternoon. Unfortunately they left Boston an hour and a half late which caused them to miss their connection in Lisbon. As all flights were fully booked for the rest of the day they had to stay in Lisbon overnight and take an early morning flight from Lisbon to Madrid with a very tight connection on to Seville. They made the connection but their luggage did not. They finally arrived in Seville about 20 hours late sans baggage and with a very busy day already planned and booked.
Welcome to Seville Jennifer, Sophie and Igor.
Jen and Sandy had scheduled a Flamenco lesson at 11am which was rescheduled to 5pm so we headed out for a little tour of Barrio Santa Cruz or the old Jewish sector.
First stop was Sabores de Antaño where we all found a few little sweets.
Sophie loves animals.
First view of the Geralda and Cathedral.
Short legs get tired so we took a horse drawn carriage tour of the city with a great driver who made it a special experience for Sophie.
Maria Luisa Park in front of one of the giant Australian Banyan trees, Ficus Macrophylla.
We changed drivers in Plaza España.
Enjoying the process of street art.
Sophie’s first taste of Flamenco just a bit before her first lesson.
Jim accompanied Sophie, Jen and Sandy to their Flamenco lesson to take pictures while Igor stayed home waiting for their lost luggage to be delivered. The class was held in a small renovated garage studio in Barrio Santa Catalina just a little northwest of our home. The three girls picked up the moves quite well as you can see in the video below.
Getting ready to learn Flamenco.
Already looking seductive which Flamenco is all about.
After two days of traveling and a busy afternoon you can see Sophie collapsing onto the floor at the end of this video.
In the next video she is completely gone, sound asleep in spite of the music and loud foot moves.
We ended a long day at Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza. Jen and Igor treated us to nearly front row seats and a lounge experience with drinks and snacks being served in a quiet intimate lounge both before the show and during the interval.Sophie was feeling revived and energetic at bedtime but awoke the following morning with a high fever.We took care of Sophie, plying her with chicken noodle soup and lots of liquids.Looking much better after being cared for by nurse Sandy.She absolutely annihilated Jim at a game of checkers.Sophie felt well enough to go out and do some touring in the afternoon.No one thinks that they are too big for these streets. There was a little scraping with this one though.Feeling on top of the world in wonderful SevilleWe attended a Flamenco show at Museo del Baile Flamenco during which Sophie’s fever returned.Jennifer joined us for a morning run as Sophie was feeling better. Thanks to all the beautiful sights she was able to tolerate running at a snails pace with us.The women in Seville are gorgeous.
Popped into a church or two with Jennifer on the walk home.
Also treated Jennifer to some of the best churros that we have found here.
We had told Sophie about the moat around the old tobacco factory, now University of Sevilla where the stray cats hang out and she really wanted to see the cats. Igor and Jim took her to see the cats while Jennifer and Sandy walked to Plaza España.
Starting to look for cats in the moat to the left.She found them.This woman is feeding the cats, throwing multiple plastic containers of cat food into the moat.How many cats can you see?After Sophie’s very favorite activity of the day Igor and Jim walked her to Plaza España.
We watched some more Flamenco in the Plaza.Sophie was really excited to watch more dancing.Bubble blowing.We continue our longstanding tradition of rowing boats whenever available; or we have our guests row us.
Our skipper’s shirt.
Pretty señoritas posing on the bridge.
A statue of the architect who designed the Plaza and our building.Late lunch for tapas at our favorite Taberna Aguila.Walking home by Casa Pilatos.
Last full day in Seville and Sophie is over her illness. They take a tour of the bull ring but can’t go out into the ring due to preparation for an upcoming event.
This was the bull ring in Lisbon, en route to Seville, that they did not get to go in
Bull ring tour in SevilleWe walked to the river and met them at a fancy riverside restaurant for lunch. The river views are grand and food and service were quite good. We plan on trying Mariatrifulca again.
Sophie’s selfieAfter lunch we walked through Mercado Triana.
We are walking to Las Setas de Sevilla. The walking made someone very unhappy. She wants Uber.Elevator to top of Las Setas.
Last evening toast with Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin which Jen and Igor brought.Leaving for the airport at 5am.Sunrise is over three hours away.
Sophie’s favorite spot in Seville was the moat with the stray cats. The answer to how many is three. Igor and Jennifer loved Seville as much as we do and are planning on returning someday. We really enjoyed our alone time with Sophie while Jen and Igor were able to spend rare alone time for themselves.
