{"id":22295,"date":"2023-05-20T12:05:10","date_gmt":"2023-05-20T19:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=22295"},"modified":"2023-05-20T13:11:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T20:11:00","slug":"the-sportster-of-seville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/05\/20\/the-sportster-of-seville\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sportster of Seville"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6>By Joe Berk<\/h6>\n<p>When I was a kid, I used to watch a weekly television comedy show called <em>The Little Rascals<\/em>.\u00a0 \u00a0In one of the episodes, one of the rascals named Alfalfa sang a song from Gioachino Rossini&#8217;s opera, <em>The Barber of Seville<\/em>.\u00a0 Until very recently, Alfalfa&#8217;s rendition and a Cadillac made in the 1970s (the Seville) were all I knew of Seville.\u00a0 That changed with our recent trip to Spain.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22319\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22319\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22319 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/IMG_5023-002-600-Barber.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/IMG_5023-002-600-Barber.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/IMG_5023-002-600-Barber-252x300.jpg 252w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22319\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I found it: The Barber of Seville!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cards on the table:\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t know anything about Gioachino Rossini&#8217;s opera until I Googled the Little Rascals and the Barber of Seville.\u00a0 \u00a0In so doing, I found out that Warner Brothers also had a Bugs Bunny cartoon with the same song.\u00a0 I know&#8230;I digress.\u00a0 Indulge me for 56 seconds more. Here&#8217;s Alfalfa belting it out.\u00a0 Told ya&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Alfalfa Sings Opera and the Crowd Doesn't Like It\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mKkJAu16yJ0\" width=\"759\" height=\"506\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You might be wondering:\u00a0 What&#8217;s with the Sportster in the cover photo up top?\u00a0 \u00a0I saw it my first afternoon in Seville.\u00a0 \u00a0Believe it or not, in Spain, the land that brought us Bultaco (the motorcycle, not the Mexican bullfight snack bar delicacy), Ossa, and Montesa (or, as some might say, Montessa), the ultimate motorcycle status symbol is a used Sportster.\u00a0 Hence the title of this blog:\u00a0 The Sportster of Seville.\u00a0 We&#8217;ve had a lot of fun with <a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2021\/10\/17\/18-reasons-why-you-should-buy-a-used-sportster\/\">Sportster blogs here on ExNotes<\/a>, but let&#8217;s get to the main topic of this discussion:\u00a0 Seville.<\/p>\n<p>One of our first stops in Seville was the Plaza de Espa\u00f1a, which is a magnificent building and park area built in 1929 when Seville hosted the Ibero-American Exposition World&#8217;s Fair.\u00a0 The Plaza de Espa\u00f1a is impressive.\u00a0 Today, the building has been renovated and it is used for Spanish government agencies.\u00a0 It&#8217;s beautiful.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22310\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22310\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22310 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2518-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2518-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2518-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22310\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo opportunities abound. This shot of the tower through one of the many arches almost took itself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22312\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22312\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22312 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2540-600A.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2540-600A.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2540-600A-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22312\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Any time there&#8217;s water or a mirror, I&#8217;m there. You can do a lot with reflections when you shoot a photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We saw a bunch of touristy chotchkas in the Plaza de Espa\u00f1a courtyard that made for good photos (I would never buy this sort of stuff&#8230;if I need to generate a breeze, I&#8217;ll hop on my motorcycle&#8230;you know, to get my knees in the breeze).\u00a0 But it was fun to photograph.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22299\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22299\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22299 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0537-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0537-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0537-600-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22299\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fans for sale in the Plaza de Espa\u00f1a courtyard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My attention then turned to the tilework along the Plaza de Espa\u00f1a courtyard wall that stretched for half a mile.\u00a0 Each tile-based mural depicts a Spanish province.\u00a0 The work was impressive, but what was even more impressive was what happened next.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22297\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22297\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22297 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0511-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0511-900.jpg 900w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0511-900-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0511-900-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22297\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of many tile murals in the Plaza de Espa\u00f1a courtyard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22298\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22298\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22298 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0522-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0522-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0522-600-300x220.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22298\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Another Plaza de Espa\u00f1a courtyard tile mural.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Two Spanish motor officers rolled into the Plaza de Espa\u00f1a courtyard on (get this) police motor scooters.\u00a0 I always thought small motorcycles and motor scooters made a lot of sense in urban areas (I&#8217;ll say more on that in a second).\u00a0 \u00a0I asked the motor officer in the photo below if I could grab a picture and he was cool with it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22314\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22314\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22314 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2553-600A.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2553-600A.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2553-600A-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22314\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Seville motor officer. If I was 50 years younger and spoke Spanish, I might try out for a job like this. It looked like a great gig, and I like the colors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I didn&#8217;t realize why the motor officers had appeared out of nowhere.\u00a0 All those tourist chotchkas like the fans you see in the photo above?\u00a0 The folks\u00a0 selling their wares there (I&#8217;m told they were Gypsies, if you can even say that anymore) weren&#8217;t supposed to be there.\u00a0 When I looked up after grabbing the photo above, all the chotchkas (and the chotchka merchants) were gone.\u00a0 They just went poof and vanished. Wiped clean from the face of the Earth (as they said in that Indiana Jones movie).\u00a0 I guess you don&#8217;t want to mess with a Spanish motor officer.<\/p>\n<p>On the motor scooter\/small motorcycle thing for police motorcycles:\u00a0 When Gresh and I were at the Zongshen factory in Chongqing, one of the many very cool things we saw there were RX3 police motorcycles.\u00a0 Imagine that:\u00a0 A 250cc police motorcycle.\u00a0 I talked Zongshen into giving us (&#8220;us&#8221; being <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cscmotorcycles.com\">CSC Motorcycles<\/a>) three or four of the things so we could market them to police departments in America.\u00a0 \u00a0Imagine that, too&#8230;one short email and poof: Three free motorcycles.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22323\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22323\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22323 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RXPolice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"780\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RXPolice.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RXPolice-231x300.jpg 231w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22323\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The CSC RX3 250cc police motorcycle. I had a lot of fun on these.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22324\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22324\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1727673344?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22324 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PoliceMotorcycles.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"522\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PoliceMotorcycles.jpg 400w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/PoliceMotorcycles-230x300.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 85vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22324\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The obligatory blog commercial: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1727673344?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860\">The Complete Book of Police and Military Motorcycles<\/a>. Did I mention these make great gifts?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I thought I knew the police motorcycle market a little bit because I had written a book about police motors.\u00a0\u00a0Man, I tried, but it was a bust.\u00a0 The Sacramento Fairgrounds Police were interested, but I couldn&#8217;t close the deal.\u00a0 We shipped one to the New York City Police Department (I knew they used Vespas for police work), Andy Sipowicz and crew kept the bike for about two months without ever taking it out of the crate, and then they shipped it back.\u00a0 I took one to a couple of local police departments, but the only thing to come of that was one of the cops told me I wasn&#8217;t allowed to ride it around with the red and blue lights and the siren still attached.\u00a0 I told him not to worry; I only used that stuff if people wouldn&#8217;t get out of my way.\u00a0 Zongshen, on the other hand, has done fabulously well with their police bikes.\u00a0 They are selling RX1s, RX3s, RX4s, and other bikes as police motors literally all over the world. Just not in America.\u00a0 I&#8217;ll do a blog about Zongshen police bikes someday.<\/p>\n<p>I know, I&#8217;m digressing again.\u00a0 Back to the main attraction:\u00a0 Seville.\u00a0 We walked around quite a bit (I did 17,000 steps one day) and there were tons of photo ops.\u00a0 Doors, tiles, alleys, and more.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22300\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22300\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22300 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0570-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0570-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0570-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22300\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A door in Seville. Spain and Portugal are an artist&#8217;s palette. Both were awesome.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22301\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22301\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22301 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0576-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0576-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0576-600-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22301\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Seville sidewalk. The sidewalks were awesome everywhere we went. Think of the labor that went into this. Joe Gresh, this is your new concrete standard. I&#8217;ll take a photo when you finish and put it on the blog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22302\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22302\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22302 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0583-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0583-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0583-600-272x300.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22302\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Decor on a home in Seville.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As we walked around Seville and took in the sights, Jose (our awesome guide) told us we were in the Jewish quarter.\u00a0 I asked if Jewish people still lived there.\u00a0 Very few, he said.\u00a0 You know:\u00a0 The Spanish Inquisition.\u00a0 Oh, yeah.\u00a0 I remember reading about that in James Michener&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Source-Novel-James-Michener\/dp\/0375760385\/?&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=exhaustnotes-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=6d88373882ff4af7a17908b70fd3f2ef&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Source<\/a> (a great story and a great read).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22303\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22303\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22303 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0586-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0586-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0586-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22303\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Seville&#8217;s Jewish Quarter. Note the sign on the wall on the right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Our walk through Seville presented one photo op after another.\u00a0 I had my old Nikon D3300 (the current version is the Nikon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Nikon-Digital-18-55mm-70-300mm-Telephoto\/dp\/B086PH36GW\/?&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=exhaustnotes-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=e67be6954ce1bcb5be9d3a39351f0e3a&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D3500<\/a>), an entry-level consumer grade digital SLR, and the relatively inexpensive (but vibration-reduction-equipped) 18-55mm zoom lens.\u00a0 It was great.\u00a0 \u00a0The D3300 is a light camera. My other Nikon (the D810) has more capability, but it is much heavier.\u00a0 For this kind of tourism, the D3300 (or the current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Nikon-Digital-18-55mm-70-300mm-Telephoto\/dp\/B086PH36GW\/?&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=exhaustnotes-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=e67be6954ce1bcb5be9d3a39351f0e3a&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D3500<\/a>) is a better deal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22304\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22304\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22304 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0590-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0590-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0590-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22304\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fountain in the exterior corner of a Seville structure.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22305\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22305\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22305 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0596600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0596600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0596600-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22305\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I saw this and had to ask: Is Antonio here? Which one, they answered&#8230;we have lots of Antonios. Sometimes, my humor is an acquired taste.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We continued our walking tour, and it was on to the Catedral de Sevilla, a massive cathedral built between 1434 and 1517 over what used to be the city&#8217;s main mosque (when the Moors occupied the Iberian peninsula).\u00a0 It rivals the Vatican&#8217;s Saint Peter&#8217;s cathedral (it&#8217;s that big).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22338\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22338\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22338 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0603-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0603-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0603-600-221x300.jpg 221w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22338\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 18-55mm lens wasn&#8217;t wide enough to take in the entire Catedral de Sevilla. It is a massive church, the largest in Spain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22339\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22339\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22339 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0689-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0689-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0689-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22339\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Susie, my traveling buddy for 40 years, with the Catedral de Sevilla in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Catedral de Sevilla interior is impressive, but it is dimly lit and flash photography is strictly verboten (I wouldn&#8217;t have used flash, anyway), so I relied on finding something to brace my camera against and the lens&#8217; vibration reduction technology (which did a great job).\u00a0 I could do a photobook with just interior shots, including the Catedral de Sevilla&#8217;s beyond impressive stained glass windows.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22341\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22341\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22341 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2635-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2635-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230421_2635-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22341\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This was but one of many stained glass windows in the Catedral de Sevilla.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22307\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22307\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22307 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0640-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0640-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0640-600-300x288.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22307\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shooting in the camera&#8217;s RAW mode and allowing PhotoShop&#8217;s Auto adjustment to work its magic brings up features that can&#8217;t be captured with jpeg alone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22306\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22306\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22306 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0626-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0626-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0626-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22306\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Incredible sights, incredible detail, and lots of photography fun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You may not know this (I certainly didn&#8217;t) but one of Christopher Columbus&#8217;s crypts is in the Catedral de Sevilla (folks apparently spread his remains around a bit).\u00a0 \u00a0The photo below shows one of his crypts in the Catedral de Sevilla.\u00a0 \u00a0Columbus was an Italian from Genoa, but his expeditions were funded by Spain&#8217;s Queen Isabella.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22308\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22308\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22308 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0669-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0669-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0669-600-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22308\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Columbus lies within. Impressive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So there you have it:\u00a0 Seville.\u00a0 There&#8217;s more to come from our Spanish adventure, so sign up for your free subscription (don&#8217;t forget to tell your email program we&#8217;re not spam) or check back often.\u00a0 Or maybe do both.\u00a0 And if you have comments, we&#8217;d love to hear them.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Help us bring more content to you:\u00a0 Please click on the popup ads!<\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Never miss an ExNotes blog:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Joe Berk When I was a kid, I used to watch a weekly television comedy show called The Little Rascals.\u00a0 \u00a0In one of the episodes, one of the rascals named Alfalfa sang a song from Gioachino Rossini&#8217;s opera, The Barber of Seville.\u00a0 Until very recently, Alfalfa&#8217;s rendition and a Cadillac made in the 1970s &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/05\/20\/the-sportster-of-seville\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;The Sportster of Seville&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[96,64,452,103,89],"tags":[3552,3548,3547,3557,922,3499,276,3554,3555,3546,3549,3310,3550,3556,3553,3551],"class_list":["post-22295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-good-stuff","category-gear","category-harley","category-harley-davidson","category-motorcycle-adventure-ride","tag-alfalfa","tag-christopher-columbus","tag-columbus","tag-low-light-photography","tag-nikon","tag-nikon-lenses","tag-photography","tag-plaza-de-espana","tag-police-motor-scooter","tag-seville","tag-seville-cathedral","tag-spain","tag-spanish-motor-officer","tag-spanish-tiles","tag-the-barber-of-seville","tag-the-little-rascals"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DSC0693-900.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22295"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22348,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22295\/revisions\/22348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}