Sevilla

Day 270 - Wednesday, October 17

As I think I've mentioned before, I've found how much I enjoy a location is highly dependent on how much I like where I stay. So despite an original plan that included heading northwest from Madrid and stopping in San Sebastian and Bordeaux, I changed plans and headed south to Sevilla because it didn't look like there were any good accommodation options in San Sebastian or Bordeaux, and Sevilla had several hostels that looked pretty great. I also found a flight from Sevilla to France that actually made it cheaper to go to Paris via Sevilla rather than taking the bus/train along my originally planned route.

When I got to Sevilla, I was pleased to find that the Garden Backpacker seemed like a great spot to spend a handful of days relaxing.

Day 271 - Thursday, October 18

When I woke up on Thursday, it was the first time I didn't feel awful in about a week. I still wasn't feeling great, but definitely better. Unfortunately, it seems the rain was following me around Spain because it rained all day Thursday, so I never left the hostel.

Day 272 - Friday, October 19

By the time I woke up on Friday, the rain had stopped, so I went out and explored a little bit, including catching my first glimpse of Sevilla's famous "mushrooms."

From Sevilla

Friday night was the first time I really went out since Barcelona because it was the first time I really felt healthy enough to do so. And for the first time on my trip, I think Americans were in the majority in our group. Prior to Spain, I had run into very few Americans while traveling, especially compared to other much smaller countries, but in Spain, and especially in Sevilla, there was quite an American contingent.

Day 273 - Saturday, October 20

Saturday was a beautiful day, so after tending to some laundry, I went and explored some more before settling in in front of the computer for about 7 hours of college football. Photos:

From Sevilla

From Sevilla

It seemed none of the Americans in Sevilla were very big college football fans because they all seemed baffled that I'd rather sit in the hostel and stare at a computer screen than go out. Perhaps you agree with them. Well, no one asked for your opinion, did they?

Day 274 - Sunday, October 21

My last full day in Sevilla was another rainy day, but luckily I got my clothes from the drying racks on the roof about 20 minutes before the rain hit. My hostelmates and I were not deterred by the rain, and we joined a tapas crawl/tour, sampling some pretty awesome tapas as we jumped around from spot to spot (not exactly the best idea when it's pouring rain outside). A photo courtesy of my American friend, Cate:

From Sevilla

Day 275 - Monday, October 22

A European vacation would not be complete without at least one trip on the legendary Ryanair. So on Monday, I jumped on a cheap flight to Paris, and by "Paris," I mean Beauvais Airport that's actually 60 miles and nearly 2 hours from Paris, but it's a lot easier for Ryanair and other low-cost airlines to sell tickets there if they call it a "Paris" airport.