Last December & January we visited Spain and Morocco. This is our amazing trip, starting with Seville. I hope you like it as much as we did.
Spain was beautiful, warm and welcoming, just like I remember it from our previous trips. I always wanted to visit Seville and Cordoba and this is what this trip was about. Morocco was just an added bonus. We rolled into Seville in our little rented car at about 10 am in the morning. Being so close to it (based in Estepona) it only took us 2 and a half hours to get there. The city was heaving, people everywhere, getting ready to celebrate the last days of the old year. Restaurants & bars were offering their famous tapas while the old ladies drank small glasses of cherry for the early morning kick. Tourists were everywhere, queuing to get in to the museums, taking horse carriage rides and standing at every corner with their maps wide open.
Where we stayed: We stumbled upon Hotel Europa while looking at another close by hotel and decided to take a plunge at £45 per night. The room was nice. Clean and lean. Not too much character but we did get the last one and for a very good price. The hotel itself is an old converted 18 century palace and a grand reception room had plenty of atmosphere unlike the room. It is located just around the corner from La Giralda and a great value for a short visit. Parking is a bit of a problem in Seville, as it’s so compact. It was a pleasant surprise when we discovered they have parking too. Price: 17 Euro per day.
Seville is a charming town packed with loads of stuff to do. Whether you prefer to eat tapas all day, drink a great wine or sight see, you wont get disappointed. There is so much on offer and two days are enough but not plenty of time. We opted for a mixture of taking photos while having small breaks(in between those sunny bright hours full of shadows) and my fav, eating tapas! OMG, it is literally everywhere you turn, small plates of Serrano ham filled with sunbath olives served with goats cheese topped with sardines, garlic bread & albondigas with sauce-} read meatballs. We, I ate a lot. 🙂
What to see:
La Giralda -an old mosque, now turned Cathedral is a very impressive building. Nestled in the city center and full of life there it stands in its full glory. You can go to the roofs if brave enough or visit the Cathedral it self, either way you wont get disappointed. It is a one stunning piece of the architecture and locals refer to it as La Giraldita as in a litlle, small pretty Giralda. The tower is 95.5 m in height and it was one of the most important symbols in the medieval city. Tickets start at: 6 Euro.
Alcazar of Seville -The Almohades were the first to build a palace, which was called Al-Muwarak, on the site of the modern day Alcázar. The palace is one of the best remaining examples of mudéjar architecture. Subsequent monarchs have added their own additions to the Alcázar. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional.
Patio de las Doncellas
The name, meaning “The Courtyard of the Maidens”, refers to the legend that the Moors demanded 100 virgins every year as tribute from Christian kingdoms in Iberia. The story of the tribute was used as a myth to bolster the Reconquista movement.
text taken from : Wikipedia
Plaza Del Espana-It was built for of the Ibero-american Exhibition of 1929, held in Seville. Its creator was Aníbal González. He mixed a style inspired by the Renaissance with typical elements from the city: exposed brick, ceramics and wrought iron (worked by Domingo Prida). Text taken from : Sevillaonline
Funny enough as I was watching The Dictator the other day with Sasha Baron Cohen I realized the the presidential palace in the movie was Plaza Del Espana slightly altered to fit in with the movie theme. It was one one our favorites places and it is surrounded by huge park where most of the Sevillans go for a stroll or run. Down the park path there is a Museum of The architecture. Another pretty building where locals gather around and talk about the past times. We were taking a break when I ears drop on the two old boys conversation about the world wars and how times have changed. Really cute.
Looking slightly as a mix of Venice it also has canals and you can take a small boat ride for about a tenner.
Where to eat: Seville has a lot of tapas bars & restaurants all over the place.If you are not into little bits and do prefer something big-ish, head over to Maccheroni & Co a great Italian in a walking distance from La Giralda. The size of bruschetta is huge-enormous and J. cannelloni’s were to die for, as was my prosciutto & black olives pizza.
Another great place where to eat, was a sister restaurant of Maccheroni & Co but we didn’t realize that until we got our final bill and business card with it. Gusto is literary opposite La Giralda and makes some mean burgers among some other tasty foods.
After our two nights, three days in Seville we went to Cordoba and that is where I will be taking you next.
Hope you have a lovely relaxed Sunday, I am off to pack for another adventure, Krakow in Poland tomorrow x Ines
All photos except instagrams are courtesy of my very talented husband 🙂 and can be seen here or here.
