Our trip to Seville became the perfect port for my son to set sail on his next stage of life.

What better way to celebrate my son's high school graduation than going to the city that flourished during the Age of Discovery: Sevilla, the capital and largest city in the Andulusian region of Spain. As Europe's gateway to the New World in the 16th century with explorers Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and Amerigo Vespucci sailing from it's port, Seville seemed the perfect spot for my son to set sail on his new life.

Seville offers a magnificently beautiful blend of faith and culture through architectural metaphor.  Its most prominent example is the Muslim Mosque

that was built back when the Moors took over Seville in the conquest of Hispalis in 712, which was consecrated into
the cathedral of Santa Maria de la Sede after the Christian, Ferdinand the III of Castille took over the city in 1247.

The Andulusians are known to be some of the kindest people and I believe that is because they seem to be very accepting of everyone and have truly made an art of living life to the fullest.

Iberian ham, gazpacho, tapas, sherry, and flamenco are just a few of the things this region is known for.  Cole seemed to have a special homing device for spotting the best restaurants where we enjoyed tapas-sized meals for a reasonable price. Some of our favorites were Flores and Cuna II. 

My sister Carol and my niece Emily came along with us on our trip.  Emily put her photography skills to work (I will post some of her photos soon) and Carol found our apartment and cooking class with Ruth Roberts.  The apartment was central to the old quarter of the city.  It was a three story flat with a kitchen where Cole made up his own versions of Andulusian cuisine (a chickpea & Lomo Iberian ham dish with fried calamari and cherry tomatoes). The apartment also had a rooftop garden for dining and catching an evening breeze.

Our cooking class was a wonderful experience and included an early morning stroll through Seville's open market to pick out the goods for our meal.

Ruth explained that this area of Spain gets some of the best fish in the world. The rabbit, lamb, and infamous Iberian black pig were also displayed at the market --- every part of them (brains and all).

Ruth invited us to her lovely home, which is not a popular thing to do in Seville.  She said home is for family and going out to bars is what you do with friends. Nonetheless, we had a magical meal al fresco on her roof top garden.

We learned to make a tapenade de aceitunas verdes y almerdras, gazpacho, Califato (lamb), artichokes with vinaigrette and roasted vegetables; along with Flan de Naranja (orange custard).

 Ruth has an incredible sense of humor and teaches using fun props --- like a pan puffed with burnt carmelized sugar (never leave sugar browning on the stove). She also recommends always having a cheap brandy or burbon on hand just in case you burn something --- pour a little in the dish and it takes the burnt taste away.

She gave us a nice lesson on the proper way to serve a sherry to a guest. Hold the base so you don't warm the glass. The lighter (younger) sherry are always served chilled and it is common to drink them in the afternoon, while the aged sherry are generally served more in the evening.

Ruth explained that the origin of tapas, which means to "top" first began with a piece of toast which was put over the sherry to keep the flies out -over time the toast was "topped" with tapenade or other such things as a way to give patrons a little something to put on their stomachs to soak up the sherry.

We visited the Bodega Tio Pepe in Jerez, the city most known for its sherry. 

We toured the bodega, watched a video on the process, and then did a tasting with tapas. Tio Pepe is one of the oldest and most well known sherry producers in the world.  I found the process used in making sherry offered another meaningful point for my son as he transitions into his adult life.

The Solera System involves blending older wines with newer ones or as Tio Pepe's video alluded ---the importance of the perfect blend of the freshness of youth with the wisdom of age and experience. 

While it was apparent that my son is full of great ideas and more than ready to launch into his new life, he seemed willing to listen to wisdoms I felt important to share when moments in the city that never (and I mean never) sleeps invited opportunity to do so. Some of those times were on our rented apartment rooftop as the echo of college students bound for the bars and satiated singers or guitarists walked through the streets below. Another opportunity came when we were in Jerez. We got very lost and ended up in what our taxi driver later explained was like what the Bronx in New York used to be.

What is special about getting lost is you always find something wonderful. We found the unexpected kindness of strangers. We ventured into an old bar where only men were congregated sipping beer or coffee.  The owner was extremely nice and helpful; however, it was a concerned patron who ended up walking home to make a call to a taxi to come get us. While the media seems intent on scaring us into thinking the world is full of danger - I love it when life surprises me with beautiful experiences like we had in Jerez de la frontera.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was the Case de La Memoria Centro Cultural Flamenco. 

Seville is where Flamenco began --and this very small venue (only 30 seats in the whole house) on Cuna 6 offered an all acoustic presentation of the art.  A singer and guitarist came out on the small stage -voice, guitar and the percussion of hands clapping were followed by the forceful taps, slaps, and snaps of first the female dancer in a subdued peasant flamenco dress and then the male in traditional white shirt with black vest and slacks.  Cole and I were mezmerized the entire show.

Barring the terrible economy, rumors of a corrupt government,
and other reputed negatives, Seville is a place where music, flamenco, ceramics, guitar making, lace, architecture, food, wine, and the art of leisure activity seemed to fill you with a sense of awe. I know I didn't want to leave.
                            
As for Cole, having a passion and perfecting it seemed to be the common theme he witnessed in Seville and one I know he was proud to carry home with him.