Seville

So, I'm in Sevilla now and much, much happier. This place is gorgeous -- still a city, but much smaller and less intimidating than Barcelona. The hostel I'm staying at is in an alley off of a pedestrian-only shaded street filled with fashion boutiques, coffee shops, and tapas bars. I haven't been able to check into my room yet, but I already love the place because of its location (easy to find -- hooray!), free breakfast and internet, and the fact that the first guest I met spoke English. I already feel less lonely.

So, today I'll spend mostly getting an idea of what Sevilla is all about. Then I'll map out what big tourist spots I want to see tomorrow. I may visit the cathedral today; my guidebook says that Sevilla's cathedral is the third-largest in the world, behind St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London. That means, after I visit this one, I will have been to two of the big three. I see a new goal awaiting me ...

It's amazing what a change of attitude can do. I feel a million times better, despite the fact that I haven't showered in well over 24 hours and barely slept on the train last night. (Actually, I'm picking up all sorts of backpacker's tricks ... For example: If you think you smell, go into a store and "sample" the perfume. Busy fast food restaurants like McDonalds don't have time to check if you're using the bathroom and not buying anything. Etc, etc.)

I've gone through three books already -- one, which I bought at a train station, I decided to leave behind because I didn't want to carry it with me. So, due to lack of luggage space and a sore back, I decided to buy one large paperback that will last me for the rest of my journey. I wound up getting Don Quixote. Haha. It should last: it's well over 1,000 pages long and it's hardly a quick read. I look rather intellectual toting it around, if nothing else. So far, I'm enjoying it, and it's giving me a deeper insight into Spain and her complex history.

Off to explore. Today feels like a breath of fresh air.