I am seriously jetlagged and underslept.
The guy next to me on the flight across the ocean was chatty. And that’s not a bad thing as he had some stories… he’s a US Marshal, heading to Spain to extradite and transport a prisoner back to the US. He name dropped his conversations with “Joe” about security and Joe’s son in Ukraine and his thoughts on gun control. But it wasn’t the Los Angeles style name dropping … it was more a matter-of-fact, this is the world I’m in name drop. He also has a charming wife and 5-year-old adopted son who didn’t want to come for just two days so they’re headed to Colorado next week for another pickup. They also weren’t with him the day he had a fugitive arrest, a hostage shoot-out, and an active shooter all before noon. Nice guy, kinda a real-life superhero, but oh-so-chatty. I kinda wanted to close my eyes but he was pretty busy regaling with stories that made it both a fight-or-flight adrenaline rush that made it harder to sleep… and easier to sleep at night knowing folks like him were doing their jobs with the notion of protecting and serving equally. Although, I was astonished to see his unlock pattern for his phone was an “M.” Seriously, Marshal? An “M?!”
But I digress. The main point is I got into Sevilla after a long layover in Madrid, and, well, I’m just knackered as the Brits might say. I did take a quick walkabout to try and get some of the lay of the land before the sun set… and then wound up ambling about waiting for restaurants to open. I always forget siesta-lands and Europe as a whole seem to eat later than my culinary clock grumbles… so a lot of places didn’t open for dinner until 7:30 or 8 PM… and even then, it was a slow, soft open where tables and chairs were being taken down one-by-one but food prep was still a while off.
My AirBNB host doesn’t speak much English and my Spanish is atrociously sub-toddler (it’s not your fault, Meredith Harmon, my Spanish TA in college who looked like a 20-something Helen Hunt yet spoke with a southern belle accent — you’re practically perfect in every way). But with GoogleTranslate and lots of hand gestures, we tried to come to a meeting of the minds with regards to things to see and do around town. We’ll see how I do tomorrow when I take a scribbled down list of top 12 things to see, do, and eat in Sevilla and run through.
In the meanwhile, here’s some photos from the iconic “Las Setas” or mushrooms that went up in 2005… and took forever because construction unearthed Roman ruins that had to be archeologically addressed and preserved.
Speaking of preserved, man, oh, man… do I look a pit death warmed over in these pics. I want to say it’s from the jetlag and lack of sleep but it’s probably too many drinks and too many miles over the years. Yeesh. 
Looking crypt-keeperish, Kevin. Get it together, man. Get. It. Together.