Sevilla, Andalucia (Spain)

Woke up in my room at the Naval Station Rota Navy Gateway Inn at around 0900 and tried to get a rental car. There weren't any available then but I later (1130) heard back from ATA Rent a Car (at Base Operations) - they'd found a car if I still wanted it! When I called the other guys (Micah and Karl), I discovered that none of them wanted to go.  Later, I learned that they had gone out again last night after I went to bed.  This was one of those rare opportunities that I could not let pass without making the most of it! Got a little help from the concierge, who printed out a Google map for me.  Even better: one of the enlisted crew (Hanscom) agreed to go with me.  Armed with basic information, we quickly drove to the city of Sevilla (Seville). We were hoping to visit the Cathedral where Columbus was buried but it was closed! Instead, we took a tour of the Alcazar - it had a great exhibit on an early Muslim writer who traveled in Spain during the Ninth Century. We walked in the gardens of King Ferdinand and Isabella and stood in the room where Columbus presented his discoveries from the New World. The whole city was very interesting - I would definitely go there again! Hanscom and I later drove around Rota, looking for a good seafood restaurant. We ended up finding one (part Italian, part seafood) near some beautiful beach resorts and had a delicious dinner  It was a great end to a great day!