She will knock a gypsy the fuck out!

Last night, after an amazing flamenco performance,  we sadly said goodbye to our friends from Madrid promising to be back for one more night on the evening of the 19th before we head back to Portland.  Thursday night we went to Larios with them,  a discoteca in downtown Madrid where we shook our money makers to god knows what kind of music!  Lori made friends with yet another group of people after several Spanish Bourbons (pronounced boo-r-bone in Spain).

We showed up to the Atoche station this morning only to find out that AGAIN! I messed up AGAIN! Last year I got us to LAX a day early leaving us stranded with nowhere to go with two cranky 8 year olds. This year I misread the ticket and we missed our train.  Lori had a 5 second meltdown, but quickly pulled it together and got us on the next train to Sevilla.

Everything in Sevilla is 90 times cheaper than in Madrid and the Old World feel is genuinely welcoming.  The first time we encountered gypsies was back in Segovia where Lori was acosted by one demanding that she buy some wooden fans for 5 Euros each.  After haggling back and forth, Lori walked away with 3 fans for the price of one.

We settled in to our hotel (which is not across the street from a brothel like the Madrid hotel) in Sevilla and we walked around through a ghost town because it was siesta time.  We made our way to the Cathedral where a gypsy grasped my arm demanding that I take some rosemary for good luck.  As I pulled away from her I heard Lori screaming “get off me! GET OFF ME!”   It seems as though her mother’s fear of everything un-pentecostal was coming in to play.

We found our way to a corner deli where we had fresh baquettes, lemonade and wine.  Lori asked about what the deal was with the gypsies and as we had suspected our waiter said that they get you to take the rosemary, grab your hand and quickly read your palm and then demand money.  If you don’t cooperate they will make a scene and most often the cops are called.  “I will knock a gypsy the fuck out!” Lori stated in no uncertain terms.  And so far this has been our first day in Seville.