Mind Mash

A bash function for command line histories

# look in history for $1, or just return everything if no argument
# given
function h () {
harg77=${1-.};
history | egrep “$harg77″
}

Seville is a strange city… it has a beautiful heart: the buildings constructed for the 1929 World Expo, the river, and the historic center with its narrow Roman streets. And then there is the rest… vast continents of ugly suburbs, some of them quite rough looking, tiny apartments stacked high against the narrow streets.

We stayed in an amazing hotel, the Hotel Al-Andalus, which is next door to the Real Betis football stadium. The hotel service was amazing: call for room service at 9am and the breakfast is there by 9.05am, fresh rolls, doughnuts, and coffee so strong it makes you drunk. Sit in the huge glass-lined foyer on a big cushy sofa under a 20 foot high decoration hanging from the ceiling like an open inverted tulip, like a giant bulbless hanging lamp. The rooms were by no means large but they were sufficient. The beds were comfortable, and the bathrooms functional and fairly clean… and all this for 70-100 euros per night.

I enjoyed our visit to the Casa de Pilatos, a late 15th century villa with beautiful tiles, paintings and sculpture.

On the whole I really enjoyed my stay in Seville… despite the ugly suburbs, and despite infections in both ears which obliged me to spend 30 minutes three times a day putting drops in them… and it was great to see where my wife grew up and he parents still live.

On our last evening in Seville, we ate at a wonderful restaurant, lots of very good fish, including bocquerones, which are like small sardines, served fried in batter and eaten whole. OK… I looked it up and apparently they are large anchovies. Delicious.

On, the next day, to Madrid by train. The train was great, except for the incomprehensible lack of luggage space. Arriving in Madrid, we took a cab to our hotel, which was in Barajas very near the airport.

First problem: the cab driver ripped me off. He charged me an extra 7 euros for some kind of “airport supplement” which does not exist, and I (before I knew that he was just chancing it) I tipped him another 5, which makes me stupid. I have always found it a bit odd that someone can have a cab full of replicas of Jesus, Mary and the other one and still be a cheat.

Second problem: the water in our the bathrooms of our new hotel came out yellowy brown. That’s just not cool. The rooms were tiny too. Tiny brown-watered rooms… not consistent with the class of the hotel.

Third problem: the hotel had three dining options: (1) a buffet of hot dogs, rice, salad and fruit, all covered with that dull grey which tells you they have been sitting out for half a day, (2) a restaurant (the selected option) which served me a menestra of burned vegetables and those giant asparagus leaves which are hard as nails and best used for thatching rooves, and (3) (the option selected for desert) which was a gas station opposite serving the finest in international ice creams on a stick (Magnum!).

Grrr. There are some things I really don’t like about capital cities. But I still loved Spain.