Click picture to enlarge - Original hosted at Flickr

Last set of shots from Spain. We took a day trip to Santiponce, outside of Sevilla, to visit the archeological dig of Italica. Italica was once one of the largest cities in the Roman empire. Now it is some bricks and a pleasant walk between two olive tree orchards. Deep, man.

After Sevilla, we headed back to Malaga for one night before flying home. I was able to sneak a hike into the trip because Malage has a minor mountain with an ancient castle and lighthouse. Other than the hike, we did what we had done all week, stroll and eat tapas.

In one tapas bar, I jotted down a bunch of impressions on Spain. Here the are:

• Everyone smokes.
• Everyone stays up late. Even the kids.
• Portion control is easier with tapas.
• Spain is very clean.
• Like the rest of Europe, the coffee is awesome. Steamed milk.
• Flamenco appears to be about woman empowerment, but the dance is also sort of a strip tease. They lift their skirt ever so higher as the song progresses.
• Southern Spain is hot like a desert, so it's very noticeably cooler when you step into the shade. Even more when the cervaza arrives.
• I always drink bottled water in other countries, not because I don't trust their infrastructure. I have some fear of just different microbes than my body is used to. Taking bottled from the minibar was racking up and grocery stores were hard to find, so I said screw it and chugged out of the sink. Nothing happened to me other than refreshment.
• Siesta is really from 2-8PM, making it perfect for beer, pool, AND a nap.

One last thing, go to Spain.