Seville

This week we're heading to one of Spain's most beautiful cities – Seville. Aaron and Gee have both been, Allie hasn't, and she has questions.

We get into the current state of travel (it's complicated), put Gee and Allie to work on a last-minute booking challenge, uncover a dark piece of Seville's history that might put you off your lunch, and have a heated debate about whether tapas is actually overrated. Spoiler: Aaron thinks it is.

Plus – three facts to guess the destination for next week's episode.

In this episode:

• The Deal Challenge – £350pp, last-minute, flying from London
• Don't Go Alone – the Spanish Inquisition and a very popular food market
• Gate Change – is tapas culture overrated, and is Seville becoming a victim of its own success?

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to the Departure Lounge. Thank you. It's real.

SPEAKER_04 0:04

Are there any cocktails?

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Uh B Y O B. C.

SPEAKER_04 0:09

B-Y-O-B-C.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

B Y O Coctails. Yeah, this is a brand new podcast called The Departure Lounge, where we talk about travel and get your holiday ready.

SPEAKER_04 0:21

Very exciting. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Yeah. I'm Aaron, by the way. And today we're going to be talking about Seville. But before we get to that, let's introduce the team. So we have co-host one, aka Ali.

SPEAKER_04 0:35

Hello. Yes, I am I'm Ali. Yes. Thank you. I'm here to get holiday ready.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 0:40

Yeah. I've not been to Seville, so this is going to be an enlightening episode for me.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

I have.

SPEAKER_04 0:44

You. Oh, lucky you lovely. And um G over here. I also have with Aaron. So we went together, did you? That's lovely. Where was my invite? Thanks so much. Sorry. You were lots of invited.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

NFI.

SPEAKER_04 0:56

NFI.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

Yeah. Brilliant. Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

I'm G.

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Oh yeah. Again, again for the audience, please.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

My name is G, and I'm also very excited to be here.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Yeah. First time podcasters, so um not that you can tell.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

You can definitely tell.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Yeah. So let's kick off with travel state of mind. So obviously, travel is having a bit of a crisis these days.

SPEAKER_04 1:26

Is it?

SPEAKER_02 1:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:28

Oh well, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Um according to my notes, um, there is a lot of talk about flights to the UK being cancelled because of jet fuel shortages. Um and there's lots of headlines about people missing their flights because of the EES thing, which is probably, I don't know, what when we released this episode, but it may not even exist by the time that goes out.

SPEAKER_04 1:48

No, I think it's going to exist now forever.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Oh.

SPEAKER_04 1:51

Sorry to break that to you and everybody.

SPEAKER_02 1:53

So really we were lying when we said that places weren't going to be doing it anymore.

SPEAKER_04 1:57

Um, I don't think we were lying. I think we were uh putting pressure on countries to suggest that perhaps they might like to follow Greece in dropping ES. Um, and we speculated that Portugal and Italy might be the next ones um to fold. Yeah. And then um expected then that the whole thing would collapse. I think the phrase was like a house of cards. Right. Um, however, Portugal and Italy did then come out and say, uh, we never said that. Probably not in British, but you know, what's Italian for we never said that? Squeezing.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

Um I don't know, Gwid will add it in post.

SPEAKER_04 2:32

Perfect. If you can add me saying, We never said that in Italian.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Uh yeah, yeah, I can do that. Perfect, thanks. Note to me, add that in post.

SPEAKER_04 2:40

Um, so that was uh that was speculation based on what we know about countries.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

But I was under the impression that Portugal didn't even turn it on to begin with.

SPEAKER_04 2:52

I think Portugal has switched it on and off again um intermittently. Right. But I haven't seen that much about there being that many issues in in Portugal. Okay. Um yeah. I mean we went to try and test it in like October when it was meant to be on. Yeah. And it wasn't we said we sent somebody out there to test it. And I feel like she was like, well, it's not even on. What would you like me to test?

SPEAKER_02 3:15

We've tried to test it several times, I think. We have. I think maybe once it was actually on and working, which was Parma when we came back from Parma. That's the only time it worked.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Very different experience to Seville, where they did we did technically start and try doing it. They had a massive queue for all these machines, and then at the end everyone just got a big X being like, just go to the desk. Like it just did not work.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

It was just like an extra unnecessary step.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Yeah, it was like a little quiz, you know? Asking me these questions.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Yeah, how much money do you have? Yeah, not a lot after a trip to Seville. Which, like, don't let me in the on the plane if I'm not gonna have enough money when I get here. Like, anyway. Um, yeah, so it's all going on.

unknown 4:02

Like closer. Closer.

SPEAKER_04 4:04

But it's too far away. I mean, you were in Seville February, would I say?

SPEAKER_02 4:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:09

So I mean it wasn't even fully rolled out then, even, was it? So that maybe maybe now it's working.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Yeah. It was I'd say fingers crossed, but not fingers crossed. No. I mean, if it's working, then theoretically it should be quicker than going through regular passport control, but the issue is that it's not working.

SPEAKER_04 4:26

Right. I think families have had quite a lot of issues as well.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Yeah, so when we were coming back from Parma, there were I mean, we went through instantly, there was nobody there, and we got through in seconds, like it was a ghost town, but there were apparently families where the children couldn't get through because I don't know the the technical reasons, but there were a few people that couldn't board the plane.

SPEAKER_04 4:47

Oh really?

SPEAKER_02 4:47

Because they the gate closed before they could get and then you're stuck with your child in an airport. The irony being that we then had to stay on the on the runway before they'd even left like the I don't know, the what's the thing called? The gangway? That's a boat. What's the the bridge, the sky bridge, before that had been disconnected so that they could then dislike unload the people's luggage who didn't make it on the plane. But in that time they probably could have just boarded the plane. Yeah, but logistics wasn't didn't allow it. It's very strange. So I have some facts um to talk to you about um about this this jet fuel shortage situation that we may or may not be facing. Um good news from Jet 2. Um, they have confirmed that they won't be adding surcharges. So for context, some airlines have said that they're going to, even if you've already booked, gonna then charge you extra because they have to pay more for the fuel because there's obviously less of it for them.

SPEAKER_04 5:48

Do we know what airlines? Name and shame? Um Shame Them Shame Them Shame is one of them, obviously.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

I mean Ryanair, you have to pay to breathe. Yeah. So um they've said they're not currently experiencing shortages, but their fuel supply is only guaranteed until mid-slash end of May, which as of recording is pretty much now.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

Oh my gosh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Um so after that it's unclear. Um, if you're flying with Ryanair in June, July, or August, it's worth keeping an eye out because they probably will add surcharges because why won't they? And then what will happen is they won't get rid of the surcharges.

SPEAKER_04 6:22

Oh, that'll be it forever now.

SPEAKER_02 6:23

Yeah. Genius. Let's hope not. Yeah, you have to pay for the fuel.

SPEAKER_04 6:26

What's this name? Michael Leary, is that the name of the Ryanair boss? Michael Leary, don't do that.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

I've got the name not Ryan.

SPEAKER_04 6:32

It's not Ryan, Ryanair. My life is a lie. God damn it.

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Um, but yeah, so if you are looking to fly this summer, best bets airlines-wise, are Jet 2, EasyJet, and BA, um, which theoretically won't be seeing supply issues yet. Um, so their fuel costs won't impact the price of your ticket. And if the fuel costs do impact the price of the flight, if you've already paid and booked it, they won't add a surcharge. So I suppose the best thing to do is a book now. If you're feeling brave enough, obviously. Make sure you've got insurance.

SPEAKER_04 7:13

I think it's fine to put now. I think there are a lot of facts. I mean, there's been a lot of the news about how there's like 13,000 flights are gonna be cancelled, but um that's a that's a global figure. That's you know, and so actually when you look at how many flights are cancelled in the UK on average a year, like it's it's barely even it it's basically baseline. So I think you know, they like to make a big I mean that's what sells news, right? But um yeah, I mean we looked at it and yeah, even um it's like 1.5% of global flights.

SPEAKER_02 7:44

So it's not a huge amount.

SPEAKER_04 7:45

No, I mean and and 8.3 million flights leave the UK a year. So it's really a drop in the ocean. It's really tiny. Yeah. Um I think it was kind of really oversold on that.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Um I think I've heard a lot about um people or airlines trying to consolidate flights a bit more as well. So like where they've been cat if they have having to cancel flights instead of like not offering those seats out to customers, they're trying to move them onto flights that aren't as full, which I feel like should just be the way that you do it anyway, right? Especially if we're trying to save energy and things like that.

SPEAKER_04 8:22

Yeah, I mean that's why the government um extended the cancellation period. So now they have it's like 14 days or whatever. So that's the the idea is not being that they would cancel all flights in 14 days. It was if they have two flights going to Alicante on a Thursday, well, actually, if they're not full, you combine the two, but you find out 14 days in advance, so you it's not like you're at the gate and your flight is cancelled. You should know, okay, well, I've been rebooked onto this flight, and then there's like compensation that you can claim. Okay. Yeah. That's good. Yeah, I think it's like f uh 520 pounds per passenger. Yeah. So you just have to it's the UK 261 passenger rights legislation. Right. So any cancellation with less than 14 days' notice, you can get cash compensation. That's very interesting. So actually, yeah, if they cancel it and you can claim that and still be going. Per passenger. Per passenger. That could, I mean, that'd be more than your flight, right? Yeah, like I mean I assume it's an up to figure.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

But still, like that could potentially cover a large chunk of your holiday.

SPEAKER_04 9:21

Yeah, or at least cover the cost you paid for the flight.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:25

Fascinating. Fascinating. I'm just hoping my flight gets consolidated. There you go, that's it.

SPEAKER_04 9:29

While we still have rights before reform get in.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

Um yes, cool. So I actually do have a holiday booked in June. Oh, congratulations. Which um said no to EES. Gree ES.

SPEAKER_04 9:43

Gree ES. We're about to say Greece, will you be happy?

SPEAKER_02 9:45

I'm going to well, I'm going to Xante, but we call it as a kinthos in our lives because. Oh, do you? Yeah, we're not sold. It's not that type of holiday. But also, I have a Greek partner. Yes. So, you know, it's actually I will say going to Greece on holiday with a Greek person is great because you don't have to do anything. They speak to them in in Greek and all the taxis and stuff. And also I find every time we've done it, the hotel have been really nice to us because they're like, oh, we're local. Yeah, they don't assume that we're like Brits abroad. I mean, I am.

SPEAKER_04 10:16

I mean, you definitely are. You like socks and sandals.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Uh not socks. Actually, not sandals either. I just like to wear flip-flops. But I have really farty feet, so whenever I walk in flip-flops, I can confirm Aaron does have farty feet.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

Squeaky feet.

SPEAKER_02 10:30

Yeah. Like a little duck has joined us for the holiday.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Well, it's lovely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

And I feel like when you're in like a hotel corridor, especially abroad where they're all like like I don't know, hard floor, like the squeak just echoes so much, and you can hear me coming down the corridor and then walking around. All the doors slam shut. Yeah. It's um it is a curse, but it's something that I've just learned to live with, actually. Because you can't do anything about it. I don't actually think that's so brave of you opening up to us like that.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Thank you. It's very humbling, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 11:02

We need like a is it like a little Ariana? What it does like hold your little pinky finger in it's like a thank you.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

I need to get my nails done.

SPEAKER_04 11:11

Do it what nails done.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Um anything else to add before we move on?

SPEAKER_04 11:15

No, I don't have anything planned.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

You don't have anything planned?

SPEAKER_04 11:17

I don't have anything planned, no.

SPEAKER_02 11:18

That's sad.

SPEAKER_04 11:19

I I really struggle with booking a holiday. I I get like analysis, paralysis. Um Analysis paralysis. Analysis paralysis.

SPEAKER_02 11:28

That's a jingle.

SPEAKER_04 11:28

Analysis paralysis. Um and I I look and then I I think, oh, I should book here, but then oh, what if this isn't the best? If I'm gonna go somewhere, what if this isn't the best hotel choice and then I just collapse into a heap of it?

SPEAKER_02 11:40

I I I know what you mean.

SPEAKER_04 11:41

You know what you're like, I need to commit to this.

SPEAKER_02 11:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:44

And I really want to go away or whatever. Um but yeah, I really struggle. I was booking Greece last time, it took me forever to pick. It ended up with the most amazing place, but yeah, um, just like deciding on somewhere. I mean it's like there's like a big commitment spending that money, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 11:59

Yeah, especially if like you're gonna do the whole all-inclusive thing, you want the hotel to be perfect, and also and like travelling with a a child or a toddler as well.

SPEAKER_04 12:08

Like, it's like if you book somewhere that's got like no entertainment for them, and you're like, great, we're all just gonna be sat there, just like what's going on. You become the entertainment. Yeah, that's it, that's it. So yeah, no, I we don't think about potentially Copenhagen.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

Oh, okay. I haven't been to Copenhagen. My friend went, I think it was this year or late last year, she absolutely loved it.

SPEAKER_04 12:28

It just looks amazing, yeah. It's meant to be really like toddler friendly as well. So that's interesting. I potentially thought that. I don't know why I thought I was a kid, and I was like, people on TikTok where you get all travel advice these days, were like, but get an Airbnb. But I feel like in my mind, Airbnb was like sort of cancelled.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

So wouldn't like a hotel be easier if you had a kid with you?

SPEAKER_04 12:47

But then they were like saying that there's Airbnbs that have like playrooms and stuff, so obviously like you could could be easier. I just feel really weird about Air Airbnbs. I don't know, like I always feel like I'm worried there's gonna be like some like I don't I think I've seen like horror stories of like there's a secret camera or or whatever. I just never thought about that.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

Yeah, and then just out of everything for you. I mean, I also have the this like guilt thing as well. The guilt thing. Yeah, the guilt thing. Well, like with Barcelona and different places, like taking up a space. People that could have yeah, yeah, people could be renting and living like locals. Yeah, that's definitely it has made that worse, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

When I'm on holiday, I want I don't want to have to worry about cleaning and cooking and all of that stuff. Like I I want to be able to just go to my hotel room and know that it's gonna have been cleaned for me.

SPEAKER_04 13:38

I think that's what's good about all inclusive as well, is you can just not worry about it. Like just go, yeah, this is all included, don't have to worry about it.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Yeah, and then yeah, they usually give you like a a disgusting like cling film wrapped sandwich to take with you if you're gonna be on an excursion.

SPEAKER_04 13:53

I thought it was just like when you like the breakfast buffet and you're just like, put it in your bundle, get some more rolls.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

You hope most all inclusive hotels will give you like a takeaway lunch if you ask them.

SPEAKER_04 14:04

Oh, I really no, I I've always done the just like babe, go go up to the go up to the buffet one more time. Uh I'd really like some.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

You can just official path to achieving lunch for free while you're not at the hotel, and it's to just ask.

SPEAKER_04 14:17

Big if true.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Yeah. Well, I mean, uh it's never failed me.

SPEAKER_04 14:20

You just ask. I mean, that would never occur to me.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

Remember when like you were little and you'd go on like a school trip and you'd take a little pack lunch with you, you'd have like an apple.

SPEAKER_04 14:28

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 14:29

And like the apple would be really shiny. I've seen your lunch boxes, don't I? Yeah, excuse me, I my apples are perfectly fine.

SPEAKER_04 14:36

Um you have lovely apples.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Yeah. The the ick for me is the cling film sandwiches, especially when it's hot.

SPEAKER_04 14:42

Because they just they get very warm, sweaty.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Yeah, so I normally just well, I'll just buy something out anyway, but But that isn't quite as fun as stealing from the buffet, is it? No, well no.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

What's your method then, Ali? Like, what's your vessel of choice?

SPEAKER_04 14:55

How do you do it? A bag and a napkin and just put it for your bag. I think actually, if you're if you're bold about anything, then no one's gonna question you either. Yeah, if you're like, yeah, this is look at me.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

I got a whole loaf of bread spinning a bag.

SPEAKER_04 15:07

Also, like I think you paid for it, it's all inclusive, right?

SPEAKER_00 15:09

So much goes to waste as well. It's like if you're gonna end up going out spending more money, then as well.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Also, I feel like the hotel staff absolutely know that people do that and they just do not care.

SPEAKER_04 15:21

I mean it's not their money, is it? Like they've baked the bread themselves, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:26

So it's time for the deal challenge. Gwid, play the jingle. Jingle jingle, jingle, jingle, deal challenge. Lovely. It's catchy, what a catchy tune. Yeah, it's great. I love that. Um, he wrote that himself.

SPEAKER_04 15:40

What a talented man.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Made it up just now.

SPEAKER_04 15:42

Just now, on the fly. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

Um, so obviously, we're supposed to be talking about Seville today.

SPEAKER_04 15:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:47

Um, so I tasked you with finding me the cheapest last-minute holiday to the city. Um, but quickly, let's go over the rules. So, number one, um, I don't want to go on my own. So make sure that the trip is for two people. Larry and our mates. Sharing one room.

SPEAKER_04 16:02

Greedy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

I want to fly from a London airport. Um, I didn't tell you this in advance, but preferably not Luton or Stanstead.

SPEAKER_04 16:10

I I think that it is shocking that you can even refer to Luton as London Luton.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

Well, I didn't, I don't, I'm not in charge of the window. I didn't mean you, but um, just in in general. Yeah. I mean, I suppose South End as well is a London airport as well.

SPEAKER_04 16:22

Can I go for a lovely day out in London? Oh, where are you gonna go? Oh, South End. Yeah, oh, is it Big Ben there?

SPEAKER_02 16:26

Isn't Southend where they always go in East Enders for a holiday?

SPEAKER_04 16:29

I don't know, I'm not sure if to ask Hannah, sure no.

SPEAKER_02 16:32

Um anyway, rule three, um, last minute um means within five weeks of me setting the challenge. So, yeah. Um, your budget is £350 per person. Per person.

SPEAKER_04 16:48

I didn't I did misread that to start, I will admit, oh that's £350 when I saw the per person.

SPEAKER_02 16:53

So that seems like your mistake.

SPEAKER_04 16:54

No It's a comprehension.

SPEAKER_02 16:59

Number five, you can use any provider you like. You can book it as a package, or you can book book each element separately, or a mix of both. Okay. Um, whatever you fancy, really. Um, you get an extra point for each holiday extra that you add while remaining in budget.

SPEAKER_04 17:16

Nice little plug.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

Um the budget is a guideline only, but the closer you can stick to it the better. Um I don't know what happens if you've added holiday extras and you've gone over budget. We'll we'll see how that goes. Um and finally, number eight, don't actually book anything because we don't have sign-off from the budget department. Um, it's just for entertainment purposes. Um we may or may not post these itineraries in the show notes. Oh and then you can you can book them as as the gentle viewers or listeners.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Um and makes them gentle.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

I don't know. They're temperament.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

We don't I mean, I don't think we would attract rough listeners. Do rough people listen to rough people. I don't know. Um anyway, back on topic. Um right, so G, I think you have the advantage because you actually have been to Seville. So I'm gonna let Ali go first. Oh, perfect. Um that's great. If you please.

SPEAKER_04 18:20

Yeah, so I'm just gonna talk you through how I found. Well, I did struggle um uh due to aforementioned analysis paralysis. Um I tried booking it myself um without using AI, and I really I struggled because I was like trying to compare between all the tabs, and I'm like, is that is that the best one? Should I should I commit? Should I not? Um and also not having been to Seville, I was like, I don't know where any of these um hotels are. Um I did consider putting you in a hostel.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

Um that'd be funny, thought that's that'd really suit you. But you remember you want to be winning.

SPEAKER_04 18:57

No, and and then so that's why I didn't put you in a hostel. I you know, you was I was like, yep, ten bed, mixed dormitory, save the money, queen. But no, not for you. Um so um I hope you're not busy the 10th to the 13th of June.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

10th to the 13th. I actually am in Greece.

SPEAKER_04 19:12

Oh, well best best cancelled. Good job, everybody's got free cancellation. Yeah, yeah, perfect. Um so it looks like I spent um £303.1 pence.

SPEAKER_03 19:20

£303.

SPEAKER_04 19:22

Yes, I thought I'd save you some money for some cocktails or something, you know, treat yourself. Um return flights, let's have a look. So you're flying Ryanair, not easy jet, I'm afraid. Um you from from Stansted, um, which is about the limit of what I'll accept as London. Um it's not too bad to get to Stansted, don't worry.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

Um I just hate coming back from Stansted.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

Um we're often driven to be better. I was just going up, we're often driven.

SPEAKER_04 19:51

Oh the queen over here, we're fucking driven for our trip. Um so yes, uh 450. I was gonna I I looked and I thought, I'll book you an airport hotel, and I was like, I don't think you need an airport hotel for a 450. 450 flight. PM. In the afternoon, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:07

Okay, very civilised time.

SPEAKER_04 20:08

That's a very civilised time to fly, isn't it? Um but I did manage to book you airport parking at the Stansted Short Stay Green Multi-story. Um, it's undercover parking. Undercover. You'll be undercover. Uh I I suggest you arrive at 1.30 for that for your 450 flight.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

Okay, well, so fine. Yeah. But Ryanair won't let you. Hang on a minute. I only need to be at the airport two minutes, two hours.

SPEAKER_04 20:36

I thought it was three hours for an international flight.

SPEAKER_02 20:38

Two hours for short haul. Oh, is it? Okay. Alright. And I think Ryanair also won't announce the gate until like five minutes before.

SPEAKER_04 20:45

Yeah, but that's 250 and 1.30. Yeah, okay, I've I've dad that. It's fine.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

I mean, the car park I'm sure won't mind if I'm adjusting. I'll just do that.

SPEAKER_04 20:53

Yeah, we'll just lose 20 people. We'll just go on the live chat and one of our team will happily change the arrival time for you.

SPEAKER_02 21:01

Just self-serve on the app.

SPEAKER_04 21:02

Or you could self-serve on the app. There you go. Change your own, amend your parking time. Um so you arrive, you walk to the terminal, you check in, you relax, and you depart for Seville. When you arrive in Seville, I have booked you a private um airport transfer with holiday extras um because I know what you're like as a person. Um so they will What kind of car is it? A private one, not a not a shot bus, not a shared.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

No, but like is it is it like a Oh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 21:24

I didn't tell you.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

Sometimes we have like higher levels of car.

SPEAKER_04 21:28

Oh, it just said private transfer. Right. Yeah. It looked quite nice. Yeah. So you get to go, you and your um travel companion can uh take your private transfer to your hotel. The Hotel Sevilla Centre, which I can only assume is in the centre. It looked quite nice, had a pool.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

On the roof.

SPEAKER_04 21:43

Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:44

Or inside.

SPEAKER_04 21:45

I think it had like a hot tub on the roof and a pool inside. Okay. I could I can't really find pictures. Large modern rooms. Pool, strong air conditioning. Strong air conditioning. Good value for June. Quieter than Santa Cruz, wherever that is. And it's walkable to all major sites. Thank you. AI for this.

SPEAKER_02 22:01

For example, what major sites?

SPEAKER_04 22:03

Um Las Las Citas.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

The mushrooms, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:09

I was supposed to say Las Las Ramblas, but then that's Barcelona.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

Yeah, that's not in Yancerville.

SPEAKER_04 22:14

I haven't been. I couldn't tell you. Some oranges, potentially potentially. Um walking distance to Plaza Les Plaza de Espana. Okay. Ten minutes. Okay. 20 minutes to the cathedral. Alcazar, 20 minutes. 20 minutes to the cathedral. Apparently.

SPEAKER_02 22:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 22:28

You're staying there for three nights. I've got um a suggested daily plan here for you. Um sorry, what's my board basis?

SPEAKER_02 22:34

Huh? What's my board basis?

SPEAKER_04 22:36

It's a hotel, so it's just um room.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

Room only. Room only, right? So breakfast not included.

SPEAKER_04 22:40

Breakfast not included. Okay. Um I've got a whole three-day itinerary here for you. I'll send that to you. You can look at that in your own time. Um, and then you'll be leaving on Saturday, returning again with Ryanair. You depart Seville at 10 30am, because uh there's nothing I hate more than when you check out of your hotel and then you're like, oh, we're booked the 5 pm flight, and then you're like, what the fuck am I gonna do with my bags for the next one?

SPEAKER_02 23:06

Especially in someone like Seville where you can't just chill at the hotel because Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:10

So I think that's a big mistake people make booking a late, a late flight out so early. Um but again, you've got you've got a private transfer that'll pick you up from your hotel, take you to the airport. Um it tells me here that you should pack the night before. I do suggest that if you're flying at 10:30. Um and then additional spend estimated food and drink, 120 to 180 pounds. But uh three days that seems for two people.

SPEAKER_02 23:37

This is AI, don't don't blame me. Okay, I'm gonna say that's probably not enough.

SPEAKER_04 23:42

It does said to bring portable fan, optional for your little your little fan. I do have a great portable fan actually. That's it. Um yeah, so I stayed within budget, 300, yeah, 303 per person. It was. Um had yeah, I did spend a bit more on an airport hotel, but I did cancel that and went for the private transfer instead.

SPEAKER_02 24:00

Okay, so we've got private transfer and parking.

SPEAKER_04 24:05

Parking, yeah. There isn't there was no lounge available, unfortunately. Oh, it was my other option I was gonna look for, but they were sold out.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

That's fine. I think there are better lounges in better airports. So fired, you're immediately fired. Yeah. Let's say. Um Okay, so we've we know you've got at least two points.

SPEAKER_04 24:24

Perfect.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

Because of the holiday extras.

unknown 24:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 24:27

Um obviously I don't want to say whether you've won yet because you know You haven't seen my options. No, well no, I know.

SPEAKER_04 24:33

So let's do we get points for like how many days that you're there?

SPEAKER_02 24:37

Well, that I think that will come into my final scoring when I can compare it to G. Perfect. Over to you, G.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

I'm before we begin online, I still want to know your process with the booking and using AI.

SPEAKER_04 24:47

So how did you actually Oh, I just said Hello AI friend. Uh I am planning on travelling to Seville in the next five weeks. Was it five weeks? Yeah. There will be there'll be two of us, and I would like to uh uh have budget for airport extras as well. Gorgeous. Um I but I didn't uh you I mean in theory you could get it to book it for you, but obviously we weren't doing booking. Um so I didn't um but I did actually I hate to admit it did save me money. Um when I priced out when I was looking for myself, it was more than that. So really yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Um as in when you looked at the same deal or when you were looking initially.

SPEAKER_04 25:26

No, so I because it told me where to go and I went and looked and I found that when I was looking initially, when I was just like Google Flights. So I started with like Google Flights and like Booking.com. Um but I think like I said, I was just like I was all over the place. Oh and I think that that one I was like there was like a really early morning whiz air flight you could have taken.

SPEAKER_02 25:43

Um What time was oh my flight was like four o'clock o'clock in the afternoon. Okay that's fine.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

Can I see a peek of the hotel as well?

SPEAKER_04 25:52

Oh, I don't know if I've got it on here. Oh I'll find it. Hotel, what do I say?

SPEAKER_02 25:56

Hotel Centre Sevilla Centre.

SPEAKER_04 25:59

Sevilla centre.

SPEAKER_02 26:02

Here we go.

SPEAKER_04 26:04

Stay in the heart of the action. Oh, I don't want to sign in. No Google Images. Here we go, look. A pool. A pool.

SPEAKER_02 26:17

So a pool is actually quite a rare find in Seville unless it's like on the roof.

SPEAKER_04 26:21

There you go, like a little rooftop pool number. Crazy. There you go. View of cathedral. It looked fine.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

Fine is what we're aiming for.

SPEAKER_04 26:32

I think that's nice. I think that is having sent the picture of where you stayed when you went uh in the curse of the I've done quite a nice quite a nice number for you there.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Yeah, and I like the the strong air conditioning in particular. That's because we didn't have that.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Um you'll be you'll be cool as a breeze.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Because you did not have that when we stayed in Seville, we stayed in a convent, and mine was fine, but yours and Grid's it was it was warm, it was like a sauna when you entered the rooms, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 26:59

Yeah, I had to have my window open, but the window opened into the interior of the hotel.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Right.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

Yeah. It was weird. It was like outside but inside. I know what you mean. Yeah. And then there were bars across the window as well, so that so you didn't jump. Well, I would have only fallen like four feet.

SPEAKER_04 27:20

No, for some people that's enough.

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Um yeah, anyway. Okay. Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

So for mine, I was really trying to get into the psychology of Aaron. Right, that's dangerous. So I also thought Paul outside would be number one, because that was something with Seville that we found it gets very hot, and I wish it with the how beautiful it is, it would be amazing if it was like a city and a beach break as well, but yeah, can't have it all. No, so Seville isn't on the coast, it is not on the coast, um, and you will be wanting to dip a toe in somewhere, so I feel like pool is very important. So, yes, I've also got you a place with a pool. It's at Soho Boutique Cathedral.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 28:10

It's very well located. It's got nine stars on booking.com.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

Nine stars?

SPEAKER_00 28:17

Nine stars out of five. That rating system is out of ten. I should say it's out of five.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

No, so not like it's not like a nine-star hotel.

SPEAKER_00 28:26

Oh no, no. Oh yeah. Yeah, it's a superb rating. A nine star nine score, I should say. Nine point eight star uh score for the location. Um, it's very close to like everything, it's right in in the centre. So it's 800 metres away from the Royal Alcazar. Okay. So like on the doorstep, basically. Um, let's see. I've got a little thing that tells me the the main distances from everything. I went down the booking.com route. I was worried with using AI that it would only take um certain key listings. I don't know, I found that when I've done a bit of holiday booking before, that it would go for like most popular. But I didn't see this hotel when I was looking, because I was like, there there wasn't that many with pools, and I this one would have caught my eye. Yeah, probably. It's nabbed the last one, clearly. But yeah. Well, so let me look. Oh, I need a fidget. Sorry. Have a fidget and I'll get organized. It's actually really close to um where we went to the market because it's also 750 yards from Triana Bridge. Okay. I assumed that was Triana Bridge, right? Because it was the Marc Mercado de Triana.

SPEAKER_02 29:48

It was the Isabella.

SPEAKER_00 29:51

Oh Isabella Isabella? Yeah, it's less than a mile from the Plaza d'Espagna. But it looks I feel like part of it is the walking as well. So it's nice to just take it all in. So, Aaron, you're travelling if you accept my request. On the 19th of May to the 21st of May. Um I feel like you don't need to.

SPEAKER_02 30:15

What day is the 19th? Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

Wow, that's a great question. Wasn't prepared for that. Wasn't prepared for the 19th of May. Is it Wednesday?

SPEAKER_04 30:25

Oh, it's a Wednesday.

SPEAKER_02 30:26

It's a Tuesday, actually. So the 19th to when? The 22nd?

SPEAKER_00 30:30

Isn't that like literally next? 21st. Next.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

21st. Okay, so only only two nights.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

However, and this is where hearing your conversation, I'm like, oh boy, maybe I've goofed. I I've gone down the early start, late finish route. So it's like you arrive and you're going. That's my preference with a holiday. Um for a city break. Early start, I can get behind.

SPEAKER_04 30:55

It's the late finish, I can't.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Yeah, I'm the same. I'm the same.

SPEAKER_04 30:58

I would I would have preferred an earlier flight than 450.

SPEAKER_02 31:01

But I would have actually as well. Yeah. Just for future reference.

SPEAKER_00 31:05

I feel like it's so gutting to yeah, arrive and then just feel like you've wasted so much. So it is very early though.

SPEAKER_02 31:16

Early.

SPEAKER_00 31:17

6 a.m.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

That's fine.

SPEAKER_00 31:19

Yeah?

SPEAKER_02 31:20

Yeah, assuming that you've booked an airport hotel.

SPEAKER_00 31:24

Well. I was looking.

SPEAKER_04 31:28

She's like, I actually haven't actually got you've got to drive.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

I don't know. And actually you're flying from Manchester. I was just like Well, I'm assuming that you've got many, many friends that would, you know, drop you there in a minute.

SPEAKER_02 31:41

At 4 a.m.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

Airport Hotel is necessary, but I did have a little gander actually, but I I think I was just I did find one that would have been like similar sort of budget, but I actually also went for I went for lounge actually. What airport was you? Yeah, which airport am I flying from? Oh yeah, I was trying to avoid uh that question. Is it Stansted? Um What's wrong with Stanstead?

SPEAKER_04 32:09

Oh, not Luton.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

You're flying from Luton. Oh and you're coming back by Stansted. Right. London.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

Parking that isn't isn't going to be useful.

SPEAKER_00 32:18

That that was it. I think that was part of it. I was like, well, you're gonna get dropped up anyway.

SPEAKER_04 32:23

Well what do you mean they're both in London? It must just be a short walk between Luton and Stanstead.

SPEAKER_00 32:28

But I also within within this budget, I have also given you another extra airport transfer.

SPEAKER_02 32:39

Okay, obviously. Obviously.

SPEAKER_00 32:41

Yeah. Um but what I noticed that Ali didn't mention, maybe I'm wrong, is luggage. What did you do? Oh yes, luggage.

SPEAKER_04 32:49

Uh you have one uh 20 kilogram um bag. Nope, I've lied to you. You've got one 15 kilogram uh like cabin bag. No, like not checked in like a roller. So you you have like a backpack, you both have a backpack, and then one bag. Three night trip. I feel like you got one bag between us.

SPEAKER_02 33:07

Yeah, you got a share.

SPEAKER_04 33:08

Do you think that would be a good one? I mean, there is more room in the budget. Come on then, you've still got money, you've still got another however many pounds, so you can add a bag in the back.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

So in that instance, what I probably would have done is booked check luggage, one. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 33:20

Check one check luggage. Yeah. I think to be fair, it was a similar um a similar price, but yeah, it's whether you want to then have to wait around for your your bags or not.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

I've only recently discovered that yeah, you go down the one one checked route. Especially the two people a lot more value for your money. You could you tend to save I mean I think it was I think it was almost like a third off, or like it was it was quite a fair bit off than if you just did like cabins. Okay. Um yeah, 26 kg, my friend. For two days. Yeah. Who am I flying with? Back in rocks. You're flying with Whiz Air on the way. And then let me double check.

SPEAKER_04 34:06

You're actually flying yourself back.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Yeah. Private jet. Ryanair on the way.

SPEAKER_02 34:13

Right, okay. So my question. Yes. So obviously I've got 26 kilos on Whiz Air.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

I feel like I won't have 26 kilos with Ryanair on the way back.

SPEAKER_00 34:23

I mean, oh no, you do.

SPEAKER_02 34:25

I do.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Wait, let me look. Let me double check. She's making. No!

SPEAKER_04 34:31

Oh, she's forgotten the bag. That's it, you're gonna leave your bag there.

SPEAKER_00 34:34

No, okay, you've got 20 kg. Yeah. But I could swap it and then you'd you'd save. It to be fair, I went for the 26 kg on the way out there because I I saw that you get six extra kg for five pounds more.

SPEAKER_02 34:50

Right.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

So I thought £2.50 per person might as well go for it. However, I reckon you could cash in on that by really like loading up on snacks or like any of your toilet trees, and then you'd have to worry on the way back. You can save the way.

SPEAKER_04 35:07

I don't like to smack talk people, but I thought you'd be a really bad travel agent. How dare you, how dare you there at the desk. Well no, what you could do is you could just so give this a go.

SPEAKER_00 35:17

Pack your whole bottle of resume on the way out, and then do you try to water on the way back? I it could be switched for and then you could save a little five pound and get I don't know what you could buy at the airport for five pounds at this point.

SPEAKER_02 35:28

Absolutely nothing but half a bottle of water.

SPEAKER_00 35:32

But to be honest, the my approach, I feel like I could have got you a cheaper deal. I know I haven't revealed the price yet, but I know that you're a man of luxury, so I I I specifically was going for like good aesthetics and pool with Aaron right, and then yeah, it's about the destination of the journey, uh, number one.

SPEAKER_02 35:54

Number one at Luton must be because there's not a number one at Stanstead.

SPEAKER_00 35:59

Number one. Yeah, yeah, you're flying out from Luton. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:02

Right.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

Number one at Luton. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 36:07

I have flown from Luton once. Oh, you have? Is it nice? I I preferred it to Stansted, I have to say. Okay. I don't think that's a common um thing though.

SPEAKER_00 36:17

London Lutte. London Lutstead. Why you and not other people?

SPEAKER_02 36:21

I don't know. I th I I I can't really remember it, really. We it was very early flight, and we stayed at a hotel and then it was like we just walked up, and I just feel like it was I feel like Stansted is like as busy as Gatwick, but smaller.

SPEAKER_00 36:37

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 36:38

So it constantly feels like there's too many people, but Luton is less busy.

SPEAKER_05 36:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:45

So it feels a bit less stressful when you go through it. Oh. That's what I kind of feel. So if I if between the two, I would rather fly from Luton than Stansted.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

I would always go for a lounge if I was flying from Stansted, I think, because of that. Just the food court area. It's too much, isn't it? It's very crowned trying to get a seat. Yeah. Well the lounge looks lovely.

SPEAKER_04 37:08

Well looks new.

SPEAKER_00 37:09

Doesn't it? Very fresh.

SPEAKER_04 37:10

Looks very new. What kind of food can I expect? I don't know why I'm doing a headshot first. Make use of the fully attended bar with included beers, wine, spirits, and mixes. Right. Champagne can be purchased.

SPEAKER_02 37:22

Not at 6am.

SPEAKER_04 37:23

No, and I've seen that I've seen that Ryanair have called for banning the morning pint. What? Um, because I think they had a lot of trouble with like rowdiness on planes. And so um Mike O'Leary again um has yeah, called that they don't want airports to serve pints at like 6am.

SPEAKER_02 37:42

Maybe um they should just shut up. Why don't they just ban Joy? They wouldn't be.

SPEAKER_04 37:49

You are abroad, aren't you?

SPEAKER_02 37:52

To be fair, I don't I don't like to drink if it's like an early morning flood.

SPEAKER_04 37:55

And that's good because there's also a wide variety of non-alcoholic drinks available at the bar. Tea and coffee at the drink station. Tea and coffee is fine. In the morning, enjoy a range of hot dishes and snacks like sausage and bacon and many continental. Sausage and bacon. Sausage and bacon snacks. Uh, from the afternoon to the evening doesn't apply to you. You can enjoy a range of hot and cold dishes like pasta and salads, and a range of sweet and savory treats from the pantry.

SPEAKER_00 38:18

I mean, I was really proud of this because I was struggling without the use of AI to find something within budget that looked nice, and now I just feel like yours was actually really lovely.

SPEAKER_04 38:28

Oh no, no, that's much that's a much nicer hotel.

SPEAKER_02 38:31

You can put it up on the I'm not sure about the colour of the of the sofa with the yellow light. It's giving tree.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

It's very complimentary to this. Like it's giving they're like cousins.

SPEAKER_02 38:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:42

Like the velvet, soft velvet. But yeah, the pool I thought looked quite luxury. This looks tiny. Excuse me. Not that poor size mouse. Grid, can you pull up the uh meet suspects? Yeah. I just when I saw on the map as well where it was, I was like, this is this is pretty nice.

SPEAKER_03 39:02

Boutique.

SPEAKER_00 39:03

Yeah, as you can see, smoke. Oh, okay, yeah. Mm-hmm.

unknown 39:07

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 39:08

That's all. But I think as part of this series, we're gonna learn more about your preferences. Every every traveler's different. So I think even from this exercise, next time, I know more how to so what was your total bud what did you spend? Drum roll.

SPEAKER_02 39:27

I suppose we could just we could have a drum roll and post, couldn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a lovely drum roll. Sorry, little class wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

Why are you drum roll? So it's not in a rush, is she? No, I apologise, guys. It's because I had an option.

SPEAKER_04 39:44

My parking's about to run out.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

So without the extras, 31250. Okay. With extras, 387. That's about it.

SPEAKER_02 39:53

Right, so you're over budget, obviously, with the extras. So if you remove one extra, are you in budget?

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 40:01

So maybe you'd like to go to consider doing that? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

I'll consider that. Yeah. I'll keep the transfer and then it's like 343 at 15. 343 pounds at 15 per person.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

Per person. And that's with the transfer. Yes. Return transfer. Yes. Private?

SPEAKER_00 40:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 40:21

It is yeah, private car, guys.

SPEAKER_02 40:25

So it is tough. But obviously Ali's already got two points. You've got a point for that one extra. In terms of value for money, I would say Ali's is probably better because it's slightly longer.

SPEAKER_00 40:41

Three days. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:43

Um hotel's a bit further out, I think, though. I couldn't tell you.

SPEAKER_00 40:48

Um it does require a lot of research to know where you want to be, like, specifically located. Um fine.

SPEAKER_02 40:57

I I think both of your hotels were kind of the same level.

SPEAKER_04 41:01

I I was looking and actually there were some like quite like I don't want to say ropey, ropey looking ones that I thought, oh Aaron Wednesday. Yeah. I thought I'd get Doc Marks.

SPEAKER_02 41:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:14

Um I will say I don't like the flying from Luton and returning to Stansted. Although I have done that once before.

SPEAKER_04 41:20

How like how do you even like like what's the practicalities of that? Do you just like get someone to pick you up or what?

SPEAKER_02 41:24

Yeah, so but that was in the days where I was too scared to drive myself to the airport. So I would usually have someone do it for me anyway.

SPEAKER_04 41:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:31

So that wasn't an issue. But now I actually quite enjoy driving to the airport. It's quite exciting.

SPEAKER_04 41:34

Become holodaddy.

SPEAKER_02 41:36

Yeah. Yeah, I've reached my holiday driving to the airport era. Anyway.

SPEAKER_04 41:42

You know what we but like I feel like what we both missed is that did you put travel insurance?

SPEAKER_02 41:46

No, we don't want to talk about travel insurance. I've already I've got an annual policy, I'll put that in the roll to the case. Okay, right. What I assumed, yeah. Fine. Yeah, so I'm covered globally anywhere in the world. As long as the FCDO says that we can go there. Um I on this occasion I have to give it to Ali, I think.

SPEAKER_00 42:05

That's valid. When I saw that, when I saw what it looked like, I was like, I was trying to trump on that. And I'm like, no, I didn't even make the mark. And I have budget to more add more extras, you know, if needed. Uh oh, you can send me the itinerary and does it. I might book.

SPEAKER_02 42:20

If we book it back, we will link the itineraries in the show notes. Yeah. If that's a thing, I don't even know what platform you're listening on, but if if there's a way that we can, then you'll have it.

SPEAKER_04 42:31

On the old radio. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:35

Um, okay, so how did you find that? Was it was it difficult, fun?

SPEAKER_04 42:39

Um, it was it was I I was stressed. I was dressed. I like I said, like analysis paralysis, even like not booking for myself. I just it's the committing to like, yes, this is when I want to fly, yes, this is where I want to stay. I like that's quite a and I had like so many tabs open, I was like, right, where's it? I was just like trying to like figure it all. And then I was like, oh, should I like should I be using incognito? Like, is that is that is that a thing that everyone always says, you know, your flight prices will go up. You know, you come back and you're like, actually.

SPEAKER_00 43:09

We should do a deep dive on that.

SPEAKER_04 43:11

And actually, it was really difficult because I obviously like you do uh this always catches me out. It's like you do um oh, we tend to like look on Google flights, and you're like, Great, I can fly to Seville for £24, and then you go to whatever site it is, Wiz Air, and they're like, Wait, there's no bags, yeah. Add some and then it I and um you needed to put quite a lot of information in even to find out how how much bags were, so it was quite like difficult doing it and not booking.

SPEAKER_02 43:35

Some airlines just straight up don't let you bring like hold luggage sometimes. Oh really? Yeah, like when where was where were we booking? I feel like it was when I was sorting out when we actually went to Seville.

SPEAKER_05 43:47

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 43:48

And obviously we we did business on the way out, so I was trying to recoup budget on the way back. And I think it was like Iberian or one one of the Spanish airlines.

SPEAKER_00 43:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:00

Was really cheap, but they were like, Oh, you can't add baggage.

SPEAKER_00 44:03

No baggage.

SPEAKER_02 44:04

No, like you could have a carry-on, I think, and that was it. But you couldn't take like a whole baggage, which I'm like, well, that's odd. But obviously, so we couldn't take that flight because we had no, you know, baggage with us.

SPEAKER_00 44:15

I wonder if it was fully booked or if that's just not something they offer. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:20

I don't yeah, I think it's I think it's difficult. And it was the same with like hotels. Like you like, okay, yeah, I could book this hotel, then you get to it, and like, oh, that's only a oh double room, or they've got they've also got a junior suite. And like the oh, I could I could just add this on, and it's like you know, suddenly you're £350, you're like, oh actually, I'm at £700 per person. Um I've you know gone over here. I think there's so many, it feels like there's so many hidden things before you kind of get there. Not on hot extras, though. No. Prices what you see. Yeah. No hidden fees. But but it generally helps, like the the booking of flights, I think, yeah, it's a real it's a real minefield. I just wish it would be like assume that I want to take a bag. They should have that on Google Flights. Actually, there should be like a button that's like, are you gonna take a bag? And then it adds that in for you automatically. I hate because then you've got going through and then you're like then you're trying to like rain man compare like it should be like opt out anyway. Or bags. Yeah. I mean, most people travel with a bag, right? Anyway, um I feel like we've gone off topic again.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

Yeah, as is as is the way.

SPEAKER_04 45:19

Um you both, as you keep rubbing in, have actually been to um Seville. Uh I have not. So I feel like I need to uh interrogate you a bit about what what's hot, what's not in Seville.

SPEAKER_02 45:31

The whole city is quite hot, actually.

SPEAKER_04 45:33

Yeah, so you you need a strong air conditioning. Did I get a point for that, by the way? The strong air conditioning.

SPEAKER_02 45:39

No.

SPEAKER_04 45:39

Oh, okay. Um okay. So um yeah, why why Seville? Why why why go there?

SPEAKER_02 45:46

We wanted somewhere that had a nice sort of retro vintage kind of vibe, I think. I think is the word you're looking for. Moorish. Yeah. Very moorish. It is very Moorish.

SPEAKER_03 45:59

It is.

SPEAKER_02 46:00

Um yeah, I think. Okay. Somewhere in um Andaluthia.

SPEAKER_00 46:07

Wow. Andaluthia.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

Uh yeah. We were toying with where we um what was the other place? What was the other place we were?

SPEAKER_00 46:15

Oh yeah. Where was it? It was Valencia.

SPEAKER_02 46:17

Valencia, yeah. But we wanted to afterwards. Yeah. Why did we pick Seville over Valencia? I think because we had that guide. So we were like, let's go there. Um see what what all the fuss was about, really. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 46:33

And so you do keep mentioning the heat. Is it as hot as people say, or is that so?

SPEAKER_02 46:38

We went in February and it was kind of like the desert.

unknown 46:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 46:43

So like it was f absolutely freezing cold, like first thing in the morning.

SPEAKER_05 46:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 46:47

Like, like we had to, I think, at one point go back to the hotel so that we could get a hoodie because it was freezing, like single figures. But then by like sort of 11 o'clock, it was like mid-20s. Oh, okay. So that's in February. Yeah. Right. And it's quite difficult to dress for actually.

SPEAKER_04 47:05

Any rain? Did you have any rain? Take it out? No, any rain.

SPEAKER_02 47:08

No, it's very dry.

SPEAKER_04 47:09

Yeah. Yeah. So was it was that would you say that's like a good time of year to visit?

SPEAKER_02 47:13

I think so, yeah. It wasn't too busy. I mean, it was still busy, but like they didn't seem to be.

SPEAKER_00 47:19

I can't imagine in summer what it's like.

SPEAKER_02 47:22

I think summer would be horrible because it would just be so hot as well. Like, we were hot. I remember when we were in like that, the square outside the cathedral, like making TikToks.

SPEAKER_04 47:33

Um, doing our little dances, etc.

SPEAKER_02 47:37

Um I was struggling.

SPEAKER_00 47:39

The direct size, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:41

It was really, really hot. Um pack sunscreen. Of course. Okay. Uh factor 50 for my face and then 30 for my body. Because my body is generally more covered up than my face. Fair enough. And I don't want the premature aging.

SPEAKER_04 47:57

Um, how long were you guys there for?

SPEAKER_02 48:00

Three nights?

SPEAKER_00 48:00

I think three nights. Was it three nights? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 48:02

Okay. And like, did you was that enough time? You need you wanted some more? I think it was enough.

SPEAKER_00 48:09

Yeah. We were on business. Yeah. We were we were shooting uh a YouTube video that was all about travel back in the 60s versus now. So we obviously to took longer at each location because we were shooting. Yeah. Um, but there were times where we were like, oh my gosh, I would love to stay here for longer.

SPEAKER_02 48:29

Yeah, I feel like we could have spread out what we did a bit more, but still been there for the same amount of time.

SPEAKER_05 48:36

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:37

Like the second day was I feel like we would have had time the second day to do maybe something, or even like the the third day where we weren't flying until like three, four o'clock, I don't think. So we had we could have done something in that time where we were just like shooting TikToks. Um, but like when we went to the the Alcazar, you could easily spend like a half day, if not more, just not even wandering around, like you just like take a picnic and like what's the Alcazar? The Alcazar is a like palace, a royal kind of palace, where apparently the royal family still go there sometimes. Like if they if they're staying in Seville, they'll stay at the Alcazar. Um, but it's like open to the public, and you can it's like kind of like a Moorish castle type thing.

SPEAKER_04 49:24

Like it sounds like somewhere where a magician would stay.

SPEAKER_02 49:27

I mean, I'm sure a magician could stay there. Yeah. Alcazar.

SPEAKER_04 49:33

Um the great and wonderful Alcazar.

SPEAKER_02 49:36

Yeah, it was it was really cool though. It had like this like I I don't even know really how to explain it. It was like a big like courtyard with like a waterway in the middle, and then sunken on each side, it are like is like an orange tree grove.

SPEAKER_04 49:50

So beautiful. Yeah. Is this where they filmed uh Phantom Menace?

SPEAKER_02 49:55

Absolutely not. Oh, okay. No. Where was that?

SPEAKER_01 49:57

That was in the Plaza de Espana. And also that was um Attack of the Clones. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:02

Oh for God's sake, Ali.

SPEAKER_01 50:06

Anything.

SPEAKER_04 50:07

Anything, oh my god. Sorry, didn't practice my Star Wars knowledge with you two nerds. Yeah. Um talking of the oranges, is it true that I couldn't just pick one off the tree and eat it?

SPEAKER_02 50:17

Supposedly. I think I think two reasons. One is it's f illegal, I think. I don't know if I just made that up back scoop.

SPEAKER_04 50:24

Another fact check. Fact check, fact check, good.

SPEAKER_02 50:27

Um but also apparently they're not very nice.

SPEAKER_04 50:30

Um yeah, I heard that they use them basically for marmalade because they're a bit more bitter.

SPEAKER_02 50:34

Yeah. Um I also, I mean, my sense of smell is warped anyway, but I couldn't really smell them. And there was a lot of talk about that be you being able to smell them, but maybe it wasn't hot enough.

SPEAKER_04 50:44

I did wear I actually did wear this shirt. You probably can't see it. It has oranges on it. So cute, especially for the Californian, but that's not good. Um okay, so what was your what was your highlight? What was your favourite thing there?

SPEAKER_00 50:56

I think there was a plaza that we came across that did have amazing orange trees, and these I think it was opposite a church, and then you had these gorgeous restaurants on the other side with turret kind of esque architecture, really lovely, warm, rich but kind of muted colours, like not pastel, but they'd have pinks and plums and orange, and it just it looked like something of a fairy tale. Nice, so gorgeous, and yeah, there was a really good, good buzz there. That wasn't like a touristy location, but that's where my mind automatically goes. I feel like I just walked in because we we were using a map to navigate around Seville, yeah, in true 60s fashion, and then um, yeah, we came across it, and I think that was a really lovely moment as well because it wasn't on the itinerary, it was just like a that's that's good, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 51:58

Like you can have an itinerary, but actually it's the stuff that you don't plan for that can be one of the best. I think I saw that I think you guys took a film camera with you, and there was a nice uh it came in nicely on the camera. Well, it wasn't jealous at all.

SPEAKER_02 52:09

It lends itself quite well to that kind of like where's that with the colours, like because it's very moorish, it's got that kind of I mean almost sort of Arabic kind of vibe and like intrica mosaic and like with the kind of the way that I mean I'm not a photographer, but the way that the colours come out on that film looked so nice.

SPEAKER_04 52:31

Just lovely. Didn't it lovely? Didn't it lovely? Um you said about the nice restaurants, what food, what food did you have when you were there? One of the most important things.

SPEAKER_02 52:38

Um the sangria was good. Sangria?

SPEAKER_04 52:41

That's white or red?

SPEAKER_02 52:43

Red.

SPEAKER_04 52:43

What was your um what should I not bother with? What's the overhyped or is there nothing? Is it is it is it as good as they say? I don't know who they are.

SPEAKER_02 52:54

I think everything that we did was good. Yeah I don't think there were I uh of the things that we did. I mean, if you're lazy or in a rush, maybe skip the um what's it called? The Geralda at the cathedral. Because it's like I mean, we recorded the full walk-up. How long did it take us to get up there?

SPEAKER_01 53:16

Um, spoilers for the video, but about six minutes and fifteen seconds to walk up from start to finish.

SPEAKER_04 53:22

So what when you say walk up, what is it?

SPEAKER_02 53:24

So it's it's like so it's part of the cathedral, but where the cathedral started life as a mosque. Right. It's one of the minarets of the original mosque.

SPEAKER_05 53:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 53:34

Um, but you like you can climb it, but it's all like a slope, there's no steps, because apparently in the in the olden days it was so that horses could ride up. I don't know why you'd need to take a horse up a minute.

SPEAKER_04 53:45

Riding a horse on the minaret.

SPEAKER_02 53:46

Yeah, I don't know. The the Moorish.

SPEAKER_04 53:48

The Moorish people.

SPEAKER_02 53:49

Yeah. Um I don't think we can imagine that.

SPEAKER_04 53:51

Imagine you're just like, what a lovely day. Yeah. Is that is that a horse there at the top of the minaret? A horse giving a call to prayer.

SPEAKER_02 53:58

Yeah, I don't know. I've no idea. But like it was if the experience of it was, I mean, exhausting, and and the views are sorry, I'm lots of the horse of the minaret. Back on topic, I mean. Sorry, you can lead a horse to a minaret, but you can't make it. Yeah, and then when you get to the top, like the there's views all around, but like they've done that classic thing where they've put like barriers over the thing, so yeah you can't quite see it that well, and then obviously there's lots of people everywhere, so you have to kind of wait your turn to stand up on the little battlement to look out, which I imagine if you go in summer is much worse.

SPEAKER_00 54:30

There must be fights in that gorgeous holy building. People probably lose their minds.

SPEAKER_02 54:38

So I would say maybe skip that part because you could just go to a hotel like a hotel rooftop bar, of which there are many, if you wanted nice views, and also you get to one and you're staying in a pool, lovely pool as well.

SPEAKER_04 54:51

Um okay, and then you mentioned earlier um the mushrooms, was it Las Les Cetas? Les Cetas? Yeah, uh Las Cietas. Las Ciedas, not lettuce. Um it looks it looks it looks fantastic. What what's the story there? Uh do you know the story?

SPEAKER_01 55:08

Um I do because I was literally writing about this yesterday. So back in the 1990s, they were gonna build a car park there, and then as soon as they started digging, they found ancient Roman ruins, and they were like, Oh well, we can't very well build a car park here, so what do we do? Um and over the next decade there were like people bidding to decide what they were gonna build over it as like a special sort of art project. So they put like a little museum around the ruins, so you can still go into the underground bit and look at the ruins. Nice. Um the giant mushroom thing is what won out. It wasn't meant to be a mushroom, it's just kind of meant to be a representation of like abstract version of the cathedral and architecture and stuff like that around. Yeah. Um looks cool. Yeah, it took ages to build, it went massively over budget as all these kind of vanity projects do. It was like, I think the arch one of the architect's first ever big projects as well. Um all the locals hated it. It was yeah, it was wild. Everyone hated it, and now they're all kind of used to it. Everyone thinks it looks like a giant mushroom, so that's why it's called Las Cietas, it's like the mushrooms.

SPEAKER_04 56:17

Or is that Spanish for mushrooms?

SPEAKER_01 56:19

Um I think so. Producer me, fact check that. It looks more like fungus than a mushroom. Okay. I would say. Yeah, micellate. The actual name of it is meant to be um the Metropole Parasol. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 56:31

Oh, okay. Fine.

SPEAKER_01 56:32

Very nice.

SPEAKER_04 56:32

Big parasol. It looked nice. It kind of it's kind of like a really like modern thing amongst all this like old architecture, which kind of incongruous but a bit cool. I don't know how I feel about it. Oh I actually think Oh, here we go, real talk now.

SPEAKER_02 56:48

Like if we were to skip something, maybe that. Yeah. Like it's cool to look up at and maybe if you wanted to, I would say go at night because it lights up and like there's like a little light show. Nice. Um, but it costs like 16 euros per person to go on top of it and walk around. Yeah, I would probably maybe not spend your money on that. Okay. Um, again, go to a rooftop bar, and you could probably see the light show from the top of the bar and enjoy some sangria instead.

SPEAKER_01 57:16

I mean, I enjoyed it, but that's because I'm an art and museum nerd, so cool little things to stop and read at.

SPEAKER_04 57:22

Um, most important question then, would you go back?

SPEAKER_00 57:25

I would definitely go back. Yeah, I think it is just the pinnacle of otherworldly architecture for like a European city break. I don't know if I've been anywhere else in Spain that that has topped that so far.

SPEAKER_02 57:44

Yeah, I think there are other places in Spain I would like to go to maybe first before I go back to Seville. But yes, it would be on my list of places to reuse it.

unknown 57:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:55

The food could have been better, but I don't know if we just picked we didn't pick very wisely. I feel like I've had better versions of the classic cultural dishes elsewhere.

SPEAKER_04 58:05

Okay, that was that was Seville.

SPEAKER_02 58:07

That was Seville. Sevilla. Um Gwid. Bongiorno. Play the jingle. Gwid plays the jingle. Um, okay, it's time for don't go alone.

SPEAKER_05 58:20

Don't go alone.

SPEAKER_02 58:24

This is where we explore some more gory details of our destination. Um emphasis on gory this time. Of course. Um and I'm gonna start this week by giving you a bit of context on the Spanish Inquisition.

SPEAKER_04 58:38

Oh, nobody expected that. No.

SPEAKER_02 58:40

I did because I wrote the the notes. Um so again, we may need to fact-check some of this, but I believe I quite I researched it quite well. Um the Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and it was about um enforcing Catholic orthodoxy across Spain and uh specifically to root out Jews and Muslims who had converted to Christianity but were suspected of secretly practicing their old faiths.

SPEAKER_04 59:16

Wow, so that's why it's an Inquisition.

SPEAKER_02 59:18

Yeah. Um but these people were called conversos for some reason. Uh yes, and basically the Inquisition had the power to arrest, interrogate, torture, and execute these people, um, which is kind of crazy.

SPEAKER_04 59:34

That's yeah.

SPEAKER_02 59:35

And it operated for nearly 350 years.

SPEAKER_04 59:38

So I don't think I don't think I realised it was as long as it was. It's quite a long time, isn't it? I thought, you know, just like a quick pop-in.

SPEAKER_02 59:43

No, yeah, it was just like done. Yeah, they were inquisitizationing for many years. Um yeah, and actually the Spanish Inquisition started in Seville. Oh really? It did. It did. Yes. Um the very first tribunal was held there in 1481. And within the first year alone, more than 200 people had been burned alive.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:06

Is that why it's so hot there?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:08

Potentially, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um by 1524, the Seville tribunal had handed down nearly 5,000 sentences, 659 of which were death.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:23

Gosh.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:25

Bad time to be in Seville.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:27

Um Does that include the burning alive, or is that like a separate figure then?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:31

So yeah, that does include the 200 were in the first year alone.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:36

Oh, right.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:37

Which is crazy actually. That's like I mean, not quite one a day, but like you know, if you're popping down to like Sainsbury's to get some eggs, you just see like a Inquisitor. A burning. Yeah, I don't like that. No. Um, so yeah. And the headquarters of the civilian Inquisition um was a castle called the Castillo de San Jorge. Jorge. Is that I thought that was the Portuguese pronunciation.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:07

Oh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:08

We'll say Jorge, yeah. Um and that was in the Triana neighbourhood, Gee.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:12

No way. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:15

So you went there. We did go there. Um it there was a market there that we visited. We had we had a lovely time. We had some cakes, some pastries, there were some fish, like fresh fish leaking all over the floor.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:26

And little did you know what dark, dark history had happened there.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:32

Yeah, the castle, what that was the headquarters of the Inquisition, doesn't exist anymore.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:37

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:38

Um, but there's one thing that still remains like the site of the castle where it was stood is still there. And directly on top of it is the market that we went to. So you're saying that we were just prancing around at the site where like all of that murder and all those kind of interrogations and torture and executions happened at the castle, and apparently, so you know when we were there and we kind of sat down to eat our cake, and there were those sort of old walls, and like there was that slope that went down. Apparently, it's like all the kind of the cells of where they held the conversos and stuff are all there, and you can just go down and visit. And we were just completely blissfully unaware.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:24

We were just eating our grandmother cake, yeah, loving life.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:28

You should feel really bad about that, guys.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:30

That makes you feel quite sick, actually. It's wild, it's horrible.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:33

Yeah. So they just thought, oh, here's uh an old castle ruin. Excuse me. Let's build a market.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:41

Better than a car park, I guess, but Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:44

So don't go alone. Don't go alone.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:48

Yeah. That at night with all of the fish juice still lingering would be very ideal.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:57

By the time by the night, you know when night falls, the the leaky fish has been cleaned. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:03

Um you never know what's you know, under your feet.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:08

We didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:10

No, nobody did. No.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:12

Wild. Anyway, um it's time for gate change, where we talk about some of the most hard-hitting issues facing travel today.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:24

Let's get serious.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:25

Yeah. Um today we're going to be talking about tapaz.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:29

Oh, okay. Not where I expected this to go. Very serious at that. Yeah. Very serious. So tapaz.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:35

Yeah, one could argue that Seville is actually the spiritual home of tapaz culture.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:39

Okay. Tapas and burning of alive. Wow, perfect.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:43

Uh and the word tapaz, actually, interesting fact about tapaz here. Um, maybe fact-check it again. I feel like we should be this is correct though. The word tapa um actually means lid.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:56

So where they get tapaware from.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:59

Actually, the story goes that bartenders in Andaluthia would place a little piece of bread over your glass to stop bugs getting in.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:07

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:08

No. And then over time, um, people started putting food on top of the bread and thus tapas the board.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:15

A game of Jenga. Yeah. How much ham on croquettes?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:21

I imagine if you put like a like a croquetta on it, it would just completely fall into the body.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:27

Flies in your beer is no longer the big issue as well. The fact you've got ham in it.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:31

Yeah. So yeah. And I don't want to poo-poo hundreds of years of of tradition. I absolutely hate tapaz.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:38

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:39

Well that that venomently.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:41

Okay. Um tapas. I you know what? I could take I could take it or leave it. I feel like it doesn't I'm never like, oh, you know what? Really, really fancy this evening? Just a bit of tapas.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:52

Right, no one thinks that.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:53

No, and I and I I think I it's the whole like the whole shared plate thing. And it's like, and you go with someone and they're like, Oh, should we order this? And you're just like, oh, I guess we could. Like actually, I just wanted to like sharers. But also share, but like if if the other person is picking like duff plates and you're like, well, I think.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:09

What aggravates me is that it never comes in like the correct number.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:14

So then there'll either be like there'll be like five and there'll be four of you, or there'll be three and there's two of you, and then there'll always be like one thing left over, and everyone's too polite to be to be like, Oh, I want the last croquette. And I'm just like, Well, I I don't want I don't want the prawns in the red wine.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:29

No, that's that's that's funny, that's exactly what I was thinking. I was like, would people say the one ordered the prawns? Someone's gonna order the prawns, I don't want to eat the prawns. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:37

So does that mean the picket an extra sausage because I didn't eat a prawn.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:40

But I I yeah, if we were sharing like it's never the prawns, so well quite we'd be like, actually, let's just have two um sausages. There's a lot of mental, is it?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:49

I think it's the very like chorizo.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:52

They do have chorizo, yeah. But they also have sausages.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:55

Imagine like a like a nice chorizo.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:56

See, I don't like chorizo either, controversially. Well, quite. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:02

I think it's it's a situation that's made for very like complementary pairings, like it's an intimate exchange. You you can't go with someone that you don't feel that comfortable with because if you're comfortable with someone, you're like, I'm having that sausage, but and you know their dietary preferences, you're like, okay, I know you don't like that, and that's important to you. We can you can compromise, yeah. But yeah, not big groups as well.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:27

So you just like you just leave and you're just like oh not hunting, you're still full.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:31

Is that it? Yeah, which brings me on to my theory about tapaz.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:35

So I actually have a theory that we're all doing tapaz wrong anyway.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:38

Oh, do tell us.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:39

Yeah. So I think as British tourists, we go out and we'll have tapas for dinner. We'll sit around a table and we'll order little sort of different things, spend loads of money on stuff and then leave hungry. Well, actually, what you're supposed to do is go to a bar, order a drink, and get a small bite with your drink. So it's not dinner, you should have already had dinner by the time you're having tapas. Or I suppose you could not have dinner if you're having lots of drinks.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:07

Risky. Yeah, and then just have lots of it sounds kind of fun though. So a tapas is actually does like to help you preload, is what you're trying to say. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:14

And also, like in in my method, you don't have to share. Because you get a tapa with your drink, so that's yours.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:22

It's actually not like you're like sharing your beer, are you? So yeah, well quite. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:26

Um I feel like that that does sound more acceptable. Yeah. Yeah. Just like have one, bar snack.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:32

Yeah. It sounds kind of cute, the display, like having it just on top, and then a little level.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:37

And actually, I found when the like the tapas places that we tried to get into in Seville that were so busy, but actually people weren't necessarily sitting down and having like a sit-down meal, were they? They were just kind of standing at the bar.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:49

That's true, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:51

So I think it makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:53

It kind of checks out.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:54

We're doing it wrong. We're doing it all wrong.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:57

Brits abroad are doing a lot of things wrong. Yeah. Well, that doesn't surprise me.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:00

Quite, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:01

Lots of questionable behaviour. Yes. I do love to share though. But it's always so expensive that I feel like I can't actually do it. And the whole etiquette of who gets what.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:14

And like and how many plates you meant to order? Because you're like, have I overordered here? Have I underordered here? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:19

Can't really trust the staff or something.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:21

You like Brits.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:23

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:24

Yeah, it's just not for me, I think.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:26

No, I could I could give tapaz a miss.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:28

Yeah. Um, yeah. So actually, when we were in Seville, I found that a lot of plate obviously were in February, so it wasn't like high season anyway, but it wasn't super busy, like the restaurants. Nice. Unless we went to a tapaz place.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:41

Yeah. Oh really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:43

So then everyone was. Yeah. Like we'd found a couple of places that we'd kind of put on the schedule to visit and actually couldn't eat there because they were so full, like it was crazy.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:55

So you feel like that's like people that are like, oh, I want the you know, the the official official experience? Yeah, like authentic. Authentic, yeah. Thank you. Yeah, like you kind of want that experience. There's like a flamenco dancer in the background, I can only assume.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:08

Yeah. Well, there wasn't actually the flamenco was quite uh spontaneous, I thought.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:13

Our experience of it was, I know you can go to the specific bars, um, but we were really lucky, went to the Plaza de España. Right. So gorgeous. That is a must see, in my opinion. Um, yeah, and for the setting, just having these, it was uh two main dancers, and then there were musicians as well that were all just castanets vibing.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:36

Do you know what? I don't think they had castanets.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:39

Scarves and just the shoes were doing the most. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:42

And they had she had like a little raised like um slab which she stomped on.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:49

Okay, so she was providing her own percussion.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:51

Yeah. Go off queen. Well, no, there was also like a man, I feel like had a little drum, didn't he?

SPEAKER_05 1:09:55

Yeah, like a little cajon situation.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:58

Um, yeah, and then just a singer. One of the men was singing. Very nice. Yeah, it was really cool actually.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:07

That uh blew my expectations out of the water. I don't think I fully knew what I was expecting. I'd only ever seen like imagery of flamenco dancers, I'd never seen a video, which kind of makes sense because when you go to the bars, you're not allowed to film. Right. But if it's in public, it seems to be socially acceptable that it was a good idea.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:26

Well, yeah, I mean I guess they can't stop you from filming. Yeah. Actually, what they did do, like, is they would hold up a QR code. Oh, fair enough, a lot of people don't really carry caps. So yeah, you can scan the QR code and donate.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:42

See that at Covent Garden anytime soon.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:44

Yeah. Um, but I mean I to be fair would have well, I think I did donate actually once I took a picture of it and then because it was it's cool, like the the like the the talent that they were like on show is actually so worthy.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:57

You can tell that's a skill that they have invested a lot into. And it's not even just the moves, obviously a huge part of it, the attitude that she had was like mesmerizing.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:09

It's all unrehearsed as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:11

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:11

So like they don't of they don't, I mean they probably plan it to some extent, but they don't go in with like a like a set list or anything. It's just like the guy starts singing, the woman kind of gets into the rhythm of the music, and then she starts moving, and then like the guy plays the drum in time to her moves, and then they all just kind of sync up together naturally, and just it just evolves into its own thing each time. It's really cool.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:32

Do you do you feel like it feels like a genuine thing or something that they the locals feel like they have to perform for the sheer amount of tourists that are there to see it?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:40

I feel like probably a bit of both. Yeah. Yeah. Because they what like when we were researching it, there are places like I can't remember the name of the places where you go to see to see it, but like there are like certain specific bars where you would go where they would have it, but like it's not for the tourists, it's for the locals.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:58

Right, okay. Um still does genuinely happen.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:01

Yeah, but and then there are places where you pay to go as a tourist to see a flamenco show. Like, I mean, I think our hotel even did it, didn't they? But we weren't there at the right time to see it. Right. Like you would pay, and then there was a stage and and seats, but where with where they had it at the at the Plaza de España, it felt a bit more spontaneous. Yeah. Like, um, I feel like maybe that's the more authentic way. Yeah. Not an expert, so I don't know if that's the right interpretation.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:30

A day in the life of a flamenco dancer, see what their thought process was from the different level.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:34

Yeah, um, but no, I think it was it's quite cool. I'm trying to find a segue into over tourism actually.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:42

I was trying I was trying to set you up there with uh whether it's something that they perform for tourists.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:47

I mean, yes, they do, but again, being there in February, it wasn't so busy. We got like a basically front row shot, like view of the of the dance. Um yeah, so I from from our experience, I don't think necessarily over tourism is a huge issue in Seville. Okay. But I do have some stats for you. Okay. Um so let's go. According to Spain's sustainable tourism strategy or the SSTS. I don't know if that's what they sound like you might do the cream for that. Um 2030. That's Spain's Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2030. Um Seville is now officially classed as at capacity.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:30

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:31

Um and that basically means that um they've capped the number of tourist apartments, um, which are like Airbnbs or Verbo, which I think is the other one.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:42

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:42

Um at 10% of properties per neighbourhood. So there can only be yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:49

10% is still quite a lot. That's pretty high.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:52

Yeah, but then I feel I feel like there I feel like there's other places right where it's almost like a 100%. You're just like a like a ghost, yeah, a ghost neighbourhood that's lost all of its like actual authenticity.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:03

And the historic centre where we stayed is actually already at the limit. Oh really? Yeah. Yeah. Which I guess kind of makes sense. But then to be fair, like that kind of place I suppose Yeah, it because it's so old, like I can't imagine what it would like what those be the places would even be like to live in. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:25

Oh, I see, just in terms of like I don't know if they have like grade two listed equipment out there, but yeah, protected status kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:34

Yeah. But then I suppose like it seems odd to me that you would opt to to do uh an Airbnb in that kind of place when like you could live if you wanted to, for example, stay in a a convent like we did, yeah, like which had that kind of authentic vibe, even though it was absolutely cursed.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:56

Like authentically cursed, the conjuring.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:59

Look, it was quite cool. Um, but yeah, and there's apparently um a bit of discourse online from s civil residents describing the old town as a theme park.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:08

That's interesting. It's kind of interesting, isn't it? Because you you think, oh, you know, like I'll book an I'll book an Airbnb, like I'll get like I'll be amongst the locals, and that that you get that authentic, but actually the locals can't live there. The locals aren't the locals aren't there, it's just another bunch of Brits in the like the room next to you. Yeah, that that's interesting because like you've kind of lost that you kind of want locals to be there for it to feel like an authentic yeah destination, otherwise, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:31

You could just be on like a movie set of yeah, or you have to kind of leave the historic centre to get to the authentic part, which is not the way it should be, really. You want both.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:42

Very ironic.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:43

I do kind of get what they mean by like the theme park thing though. Like it did I mean, I guess because it's it's all been sort of sensitively restored, I guess. So it's all very well looked after. So it does kind of have that kind of too good to be true almost vibe. Yeah. Um but the difference is that it's actually authentic and real, it's not just made out of plastic. Do you know what I mean? Like it's it's just very well looked after, I think.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:08

The paint work is so fresh, you don't really see that other places, I don't think.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:14

I feel like the cobbles were shining. Yeah. Like it was very much like they've obviously spent a lot of time looking after that part of the city. Which obviously, as a resident, I don't I can't say whether that has an impact on other parts of the city that aren't getting attention. So I mean, like maybe there's issues there. You know, there's I I I can't say. Um, but yeah, like places like Barcelona, Malaga, the Canary Islands all have kind of similar issues in terms of overtourism, um, and they're the ones that are getting the headlines.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:45

Essifical, isn't it? I feel like that's the Spain is just it's just the go-to destination, you know, especially for Brits. And it was the first place where like package holidays were kind of invented. So yeah, it's almost like culturally, um, this is a ridiculous thing to say that Spain is a part of our culture. Yeah. But that sort of, you know, that that Brits holiday. Love it or hate it, like that's kind of that's the thing, isn't it? You go to Spain.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:10

I think it's time for destination unknown.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:13

Destination. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:18

Alright, that's enough. We're not no longer than ten seconds before we get hit with a copyright claim. Um, okay, so before we finish, I'm gonna give you three facts about next week's or next episode's destination. Okay. Um, you have to guess what it is. They get progressively easier. Is my photography degree gonna go to work?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:37

Are we like competing to try and get it before the end then? Oh what? Oh god, I didn't realize it's a competition.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:42

Obviously, bearing in mind Ali's got three points. You've got one point. Okay, so the first clue this country has more archaeological museums than any other in the world.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:54

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:56

For reference, that is more than 110.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:59

Whoa, so it probably has to be quite a big like I'm like, I'm like, I'm don't decide whether to go straight out there or like a it's Greece.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:08

Is that your answer?

SPEAKER_04 1:18:10

I was deciding. Alright, let's have another clue.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:13

Okay. One of its islands is one of only five places on earth where people regularly live past 100.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:22

Well, that's like Sardinia.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:24

Well, Sardinia's not in Greece. No, I know, but that that's where the people that live past they've got they have a name for them, right? Yeah, they do, yeah. Oh.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:31

Which I'll tell you when we when I go through the Oh, I'm still I'm I'm still thinking it's Greece.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:36

Okay, ready for the next one, or do you want to make a guess? Greece. Okay. It is Greece.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:43

Yes, there you go.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:46

Um, I'll give you the third fact. It has around 6,000 islands. Yep. But only 200 of them are actually inhabited.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:53

Wow. Oh really?

SPEAKER_02 1:18:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:55

And I didn't realise that um one of the islands, Kephalonia, I thought they all the islands were like in the what's that? Is that the Aegean Sea? I I my brain was like, oh, actually that's over in the between Italy and Greece instead. Ionian. Oh yeah, yeah. There's like I for some reason I was always like, yep, the islands and Greece are between like Greece and Turkey, and that's where they are. Yeah. And then I was watching Greece across the world.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:19

And there was Cephalonia, and I was like, Is Cephalonia the one where Captain Curly's mandated? It is the one where Captain Curly's Mandalin must have. That's where I'm not going. To Zakinthos, which is just up from Cephalonia.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:30

Yeah, yeah, it's anti Zanti.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:31

Zakinthos. Um yeah, I'll give you a bit more context on those clearies if you like.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:36

Oh, I'd love some context.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:37

Let me just put my glasses on, my factual glasses, anyway. Um so fact one, archaeological museums. Um Greece's obsession with preserving its ancient history means virtually every major town and island has its own dedicated museum.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:51

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:53

The sheer volume reflects just how layered the history is. Um and it's not just ancient Oh the glasses just turn on. Um yes, um, and it's not just ancient Greek, it's um you've also got ancient Minoan, ancient Mycenaeans, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, all leaving things buried in and around Greece. Um yeah, and as I said, over 110 official archaeological museums, which is more than anywhere in the world, including Italy and Egypt.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:24

I feel like the the it has a much more interesting history than um the Romans. What did the Romans ever do for us?

SPEAKER_02 1:20:31

Well, quite, and also the Romans have basically just copied the Greeks anyway, didn't they? Assassin's Creed just changed the name.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:36

Did you ever play Assassin's Creed Odyssey? Yeah. Oh, so good.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:40

Yeah. I liked that. Oh wait, this is away.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:43

I think I only played Assassin's Creed 2. Uh. And I loved it. I should I just wasn't as much of a gamer girl.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:50

To be fair, two is one of the best ones.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:52

Okay. Start strong.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:54

So, fact two, um, the island where people live past 100, it's called Ikaria.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:00

Nice.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:00

Or Ikaria. I should know how to say these things really, because my father's Greek, boy, tell me off. Um, and it's called a blue zone.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:07

Blue zone. I was like, it's got under colour. I just couldn't think it. All I could think of is Sardinia.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:11

Yeah. And the five blue zones in the world are Okinawa, which is in Japan, Sardinia, um in Costa Rica. What? Nikoya in Costa Rica. Um Loma Linda in California.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:24

Go on, Linda.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:25

Yeah. Um and Linda as well.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:29

They're all over 100 and they're all called Linda.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:31

Yeah. Linda's that live Linda's that live. Linda's that live forever. Um and Icaria, Icaria. Icaria. Icaria. Um in Greece.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:40

Icarus. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:42

So um researchers have found that Icarans live on average eight years longer out than Americans. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:47

Which I'd like to do.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:50

And they have significantly lower rates of dementia and heart disease.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:53

It's more like the it's the it's the olives, it's the fresh air, it's the sea, it's the food. Mediterranean diet.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:58

Yeah, the running theory is a combination of the Mediterranean diet, daily napping, strong social ties, and a general unhurried pace of life. Get behind the napping.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:07

Nah, it's Mediterranean. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:09

Notably, obviously, Icaria is not a tourist hotspot.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:12

No.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:12

Um it's relatively unknown, which some locals think is part of the reason why.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:16

Yeah, that's why less stressful, desperate abroad raising a hot rate. Yeah. Go to Icarib quick.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:23

Yeah, no, don't go there. Let them live in peace.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:25

Do you think I'm allowed to go there? Because I could take a local with me.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:28

Um no.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:29

Right. Okay. Okay, fact three. So what we say, 6,000 islands, but only 200 are inhabited. Um, most people guess much lower number on both counts, apparently.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:39

I yeah, I mean, I don't think I could name 200 inhabited islands. No, I mean that's a good thing. That'd be a long episode if I did. Yeah. Oh, actually, yeah, one way.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:47

No one expects you to do that, so don't worry.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:49

Perfect. I was gonna worry that next time you'd ask me all 200 inhabited islands.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:52

I could do. Um, so yeah, the 6,000 figure includes very small islets and rocks, which I think maybe is cheating.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:58

This is what I was born in the inhabited rock size. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:02

Around 1,200 are large enough to be considered proper islands. And of those, only 200 have permanent population. And of them, only three are where Brits go. Some of them only have a single family on them. Which I just think is very inconvenient. Like if you need to nip to like you know, I can't think of a market. Yeah, little. Um, you have to get a boat or or a plane.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:26

Or you just fish and live off the land. Live off the land. That's it. Yeah. That's all everyone down to Greece.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:32

What their average age is like across the all the islands. Because if yeah, if you are forced to live off the land, I imagine it can be very stressful, but also none of all the preservatives, all that.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:47

Fact mode is off. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:48

So get down to Icaria. Or don't.

unknown 1:23:53

No.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:54

Well, if you want to live past 100.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:56

Who doesn't?

SPEAKER_02 1:23:57

Um so yes, next episode we'll be talking about Greece. Um so I guess you'll need to book me a holiday there. Wonderful.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:06

I do already have one booked, yeah. So I don't need to be going back to Zakinthos. Okay. Um I will say I've also been to Corfu twice. Don't need to go there again.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:13

Okay, Corfuff.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:14

I've been to Kos. I've been to um Volos. Oh. Which um I haven't had that one. That's where my partner was living. Yeah, okay. And I've been to Larissa.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:27

Larissa explains it all.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:30

So um I wouldn't like to go there again. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:33

And it sounds like you're missing out on uh mainland Greece.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:36

So Larissa and um Volos are on mainland. Alright, I'll let you off. So actually.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:41

Actually. Alright. Um I'm gonna book you a flight to Thessaloniki.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:47

Isn't that where? Is that uh have I been there? No.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:53

Northern Greece.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:54

Yeah, I've been to Northern Greece. That's where Volos and Larissa. Uh I actually flew to Volos, which is a very small um like regional airport. I don't think you can fly there anymore, but it only opened for like three months out of the year. Um that's when I got trapped by a flood in a bus station waiting to get my transfer to the airport. Did you have travel insurance? Uh I did, but actually um it was a like an act of God, so I wouldn't have been covered anyway. But luckily um EasyJet uh just well they had to cancel the flight because it couldn't leave. So they just put on another flight the next day. Unfortunately, I missed a day of work.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:32

Oh, that's such a shame.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:33

Because I was trapped. What a shame. Yeah, had to sleep on a bus.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:37

For real? That's a shame.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:39

Yeah. Yeah, actually, so we were in the bus stop, in the bus station, and there were just and everyone was like, Can you maybe just let us on the bus so that we could lay down? And then the bus drivers were like, No. But then people just like stormed the bus.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:54

Wow. All this coming up for the next episode. Yeah. What to do? Aaron Storm's about in Greece. Yeah. You had it here first.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:02

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend. No. It's quite stressful actually. But I made it back eventually. Glad you're here to join us. Yeah. Anyway, that's the end of the episode. Anyway. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:12

That was a pleasure. Thanks. Thanks.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:15

Bye.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:16

Bye. See you.