A SLUMBERING GIANT

Stepping out onto quiet streets filled with fallen leaves of a sleepy Sunday morning London reminded me of how enchanting a city is when its inhabitants are still wrapped up warmly, unstirred from their nightly hibernation.

There’s something magical about experiencing a city waking up from its slumber. Last September, at the crack of dawn of the 5^th day of our European Escapade, my gastronomist friend, Tom and I touched down at Seville Bus terminal at 4:45am in the morning.

A very spontaneous trip turned epic epicurean adventure, and Seville, was where we discovered the freshest orange juice and, I kid you not, the best Spanish Iberico ham sandwich in an likely venue, a grungy smoke-filled bar (that was sill open at 5:30am) just on the boarder of suburban Seville.

Between not being able to check into the hotel until after mid-day and having stuffed our faces with 2 rolls each we began our slow stroll towards the waterfront … wandering aimlessly through warrens of cobble streets and alleyways made up of towering doors and maze-like side streets as the sun stirs the city to its awakening. By the time we reached the watchtower by the River, the early morning rays softly kissed Torre del Oro revealing the secrets to its name, the ‘Tower of Gold’

Seville is sublime. Years of intercultural influences left me mesmerized with its Moorish, Arabic and Franco inspired features everywhere we go. If you want inspiration go to Seville …