38 - Wednesday, August 12, 1992 — North Shore News EXPO ’92: Getting in sync with Sevillanos (Part Two of a series on EXPO ’92 in Seviile) EXPO ’92 is west of old Seville, on La Cartuja Island in the middle of the Quadalquivir River; there are four entry gates plus boat access from Seville. Buy The Best of EXPO, ride the monorail once and you'll quickly get a sense of the five large zones and simple grid layout. Yes, Seville, Europe’s hottest city, can hit a dry 45°C in sum- mer, although June was cool this year, EXPO planned a ‘‘biaclimatic’’ site to literally increase humidity and lower temperatures by 7°C. Each street is covered by “*canopies’* of greenery that mist visitors below like Safeway vegetabies. Computers control cool air distribution. Giant chimneys and a_ globe- shaped sprinkler also spray out billions of water droplets, and there is water, water everywhere, running down pavilion walls. through aqueducts and into pools. Demonstrators of Agua de Sevilla cologne squirt visitors at every turn. By Kerry McPhedran Special to the News hotels or modernized !7th century palaces booked through Coral, the official EXPO accommodation agency, fist from $133 to $726 (phone: 011-34-5-446-00-92), EXPO recommends **Open Ci- ty” agency for rooms in pensions or people’s houses (011-34-5- 428-49-36). Other recommended options within walking distance: Hotel Tryp Colon $328; Hotel Monte Triana $244; Hoiel Simon, $111 (great location, !8th century house, pretty patio — Hd uy this). I stayed at Hostal La Francesa (very basic pension, no English spoken but clean, share bath, five-minute walk to site); $30 for a single! Photo Kerry McPhedran SITE, THE New York tirm which dreamt up Highway 88 for Van- couver’s EXPO '86, designed a walk-through wail of water run- ning the length of Fifth Avenue. Because the site is big, it can handle crowds (80% of visitors _are Spanish, so weekends and Spanish holidays are busiest) and there’s an excellent free transport system on site. Many hotels openly doubled rates for EXPO, but prices began dropping in June by 30% when European attendance slowed. BCTV reported a family of four could spend $1,000 a day. Travel- ling alone, I spent $100 a day, in- cluding meals, pension and site admission. Basic costs Admission: $48 or $]21 for a trxve-day adult pass (the $12 Ex- po Wight ticket is a bargain — spend a day sightseeing in Seville, go to the site at night). Food: $4 for breakfast (local ham on toast, coffee in Seville’s cafes hotel breakfasts are more), $10 for lunch on site; $20 to $30 for dinner on site (tapas with beer or wine). Cheaper: $3 for gazpacho, $8 for paella and a soft drink, or pizza, salad and Coke. Pavilion fine dining restaurants (especially Spain and France) are expensive ($70 to $100 with wine), but there are lots of options around $10 to $15 on site. Accommodation: $30 to $600 per night. Cabs: inexpensive; fares in Seville rarely over $5 ($15 to the airport). Beyond Seville, surcharge or even return fare may apply. Local buses: $1.25, Accommodation Prices are dropping, so ask. Double rooms in new apartments, On arrival Stop off-site at the multilingual tourist information office by Seville’s cathedral (closed Sundays and after 2 p.m. on Saturdays) for maps and a sense of what you can see in Seville, as wel! as enter- tainment that week on- and off- site. Ask how to order tickets for the likes of Jose Carreras, Rostropovich, Dizzy Gillespie or the great philharmonic orchestras of Berlin and Israel. Every Sunday: Symphony with Horses (ballet of Andalusian horses) at the famous 18th century bullfighting arena off-site near Maestranza Theatre. More information Ask hostesses in 11 information booths or use computerized touch-screens (leave messages for friends, make dinner reservations). Skip the bulky official guide written before the pavilions were built. Do buy the excellent pocket-sized The Best of EXPO (written after opening by in- dependent writers), La Prensa, a major news stand near the Danone Gate (very close to the Canadian Pavilion) sells this. I didn’t always agree with its pavilion ratings, but liked tips, time estimates for lines, etc., plus the list of where to eat in each zone, all keyed to a map on the back. Also the suggestions for family and “‘whirlwind”’ tours. Programme EXPO 92 (in sou- venir shops) gives good insight on EXPO and Seville through maga- zine-style articles. Getting around EXPO °92 is huge, with 80 km of streets. But you quickly know your way around. Walking the lergth of the site takes about 30 minutes. The key to EXPO ‘92 is the ter- tific free bus service running every two minutes around the site pe- rimeter. For $3.60 or $4.80, you can ride the monorail (great overview first day), cable cars, canal boats or tourist train. Prams, electric carts ($55) and video cameras are for rent at ail gates. Biggest frustration ff you don’t speak Spanish, know that many locally hired staff, even at the entrance gates, and most cab drivers, don’t speak English. (Why should (hey? Spanish is spoken by more people than any other language world- wide.) “*We feel badly,’’ apologized one young host, explaining foreign languages are not required in school. Information booth staff do speak English or French, albeit haltingly. Take a phrase book (BBC series is the best — buy in Vancouver), and smile. These are proud people — an attitude won’t get you anywhere. Tips Advance reading on Seville — Frommer's 1992 guide to Spain. The trick is to balance EXPO with the pleasures of Seville itself. Buy tickets {cash or credit cards) at the gate (no. cheaper off-site). Traveller's cheques must be cashed at banks (use the 16 banks on site — geared to tourists, longer hours, quicker). Not all restaurants or shops take credit cards — take cash. Seville is said to be the pickpocket capital of Europe. Be careful, but not fearful. (Sevillanos keep an eye out on your behaif.) Fuji booths sell tourist film on site. Phoning home: there are card- operated phones on site, but ! found the telecommunications centres easier. Free if you dial a Canadian operator (900-99-00-15) and charge to B.C. Tel card. Otherwise, credit card and service fee. Forget faxing: $12 a page in Spain! Medical attention is free on site; even hospitais will bill your medi- cal plan. Entertainment Pick up free daily program at Expo information kiosks. Day one, check what international stars are playing that week at the spectacular open-air auditorium on-site or off-site at Seville’s new Maestranza Theatre. Both are worth the price of admission. Don’t miss: the bizarre nightly parade of floats and bands at dusk or the multi-media laser and fireworks show at the Lake. Best viewing: Argentine restau- rant on the roof of Plaza of the Americas or the roof of Andalusia Pavilion (bonus view behind you of Seville; tapas and beer, $20). Making the most of your time To get in sync with Sevillanos, add 2% hours to when you would normally eat, sleep, etc. That way you can arrive in Seville’s Barrio when nightlife starts cooking at midnight, or conversely, beat the 2 p.m. lunch rush on site by eating at noon. Pavilion lineups are shorter from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; heavier at 8 p.m. when crowds pour in on the cheaper Expo Night ticket. Pavilions open at 10 a.m., but the site opens at 9 a.m. : "Proto submitted FINLAND'S DRAMATIC architecture is an award-winner. Four students won an architectural competition to design the Suomi pavilion at EXPO ’S2. 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