Mission Accomplished!

It's been three weeks (I think) that I have been here, and while there probably are more things for me to see, I've kind of had it with looking at churches and other "monuments". So, it was nice to have a mission.

I've been on the hunt for an alarm clock. I knew pretty much what I was looking for, I just didn't know where to find it. Who knew that finding an alarm clock in Seville could be so difficult?

After my morning routine, gym, bakery, lunch, dodging hookers, nap, I hopped on my bike and decided to look for the third building in the Corte Ingles shopping center monopoly. I knew of one, but discovered there was a 2nd with electronics, cameras, etc, and then I found out there was a mysterious third. I looked on my map and saw where it was tucked away. According to a page I found on the net, this third one had appliances and housewares. If there was an alarm clock to be had in Corte Ingles, this is where it could be found.

It was nearing the end of siesta, but the streets were still pretty much deserted, which was nice, because there was very little car traffic on the streets (not that there ever is) and very little foot traffic on the pedestrian streets (where I am not sure if I am supposed to ride my bike).

Anyway, I searched all three floors of this other Corte Ingles building and there were no alarm clocks. I didn't bother to ask anyone.

At that point I was hungry and decided I wanted to have some tapas. It was 4 p.m. and I knew I had to ride fast if I was to make it to my favorite little bar before the kitchen closed. I got there, sat down and the waitress told me they were closed. I went to my second favorite place and the waiter pretty much ignored me, so I got up and searched for a new place.

I found a nice place with a little courtyard with tables. They had signs outside that said in big letters TAPAS. When I ordered a tapa of mussels, the waiter told me they didn't have tapas, only raciones (which are bigger), so I ordered a half racion of mussels in sauce and a half racion of spinach with garbanzos, and a sangria.

My spinach came and it was okay but not as good as at my favorite little place. I waited for the mussels, but they didn't seem to be coming. Finally, I called the waiter and told him I ordered mussels. He said, 'oh, you want mussels?' as if he hadn't heard me when I first placed my order (since he didn't write anything down, it was no wonder he forgot them). Finally, he brought them out. I was expecting some nice, warm mussels in some kind of sauce I could mop up with the bread, and instead I got a half-dozen cold mussels with some kind of red sauce in the center of the plate. They were not that good. I am not going back to that place, even if they have a nice courtyard. The food wasn't that good and the service sucked.

So, I got on my bike again and instead of retracing my steps, I decided to head east through streets I had neither walked or cycled. It turned out to be an interesting ride through the old Jewish quarter on the one street that allows cars and I ended up at the bike path that circles the old part of Seville and would take me home.

But with my research I did this morning, I found out that there was a mall near the ruins of the Roman aqueduct. Since I knew where that was, I decided to check the mall. Surely, I could find an alarm clock in a mall, right?

Wrong.

The mall was mostly a cineplex and a few clothing shops and a supermarket. I couldn't believe there was nothing else there. Maybe I was missing something. It was interesting being out of the old part of Seville away from the tourists and where it was probably even more local that my prostitute infested little neighborhood.

Supremely puzzled, I got on my bike and made my way back to the bike path and on my way home. As I neared the street I would take to get home I passed it, like Mecca - it was called Ronda Bazaar. In the window were dozens of different kinds of clocks, including the little travel alarm clock I had envisioned - Casio even - not some little pink made in China thing that would probably fall apart on the first alarm bell.

So, now that that is done, I am wondering if I might somehow find a money belt. Rick Steves has me really worried about Rome. Do I really need a money belt? I'm not bringing a lot of money and when I go out I will only bring what I think I will need for the day. My passport, credit cards and the rest of my cash will be locked in my safe box in my room. But since it is so much fun having a mission and a reason to explore, I think I will continue to look for a money belt (I have several in my dresser in San Francisco) just to see where this new mission takes me.