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Seville, Spain: January 17-20 2011
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Day 1: We arrived in the Sevilla airport (about twenty minutes outside of the main city’s center) in the evening and it was dead, there was virtually nobody there. After a short wait and a breeze through customs, we picked up our luggage and headed to the taxi stand. Unfortunately, my Spanish speaking skills are minimal so I pulled out our hotel’s address to show the driver. He knew right away where to go. The first thing I noticed during the drive to the hotel was that Sevilla is comprised of a maze of tiny one lane streets, which our cab driver was very adept at maneuvering through. At one point he told us “Calle Pequena,” probably because I had closed my eyes as he nearly grazed several buildings and cars. We checked into our hotel and freshened up in our room. Our hotel room was a nice size for European standards and very modern and contemporary. Apparently, every room comes equipped with a laptop and free wi-fi. Since we were both hungry and had no desire to get lost at night trying to find a restaurant, we consulted our hotel receptionist for a good place for tapas. She pointed us to a restaurant (“it’s very good,” she said) right down the street called Caberna Coloniales. The atmosphere in the restaurant was lively and filled with locals, with not a tourist in sight. This is always a good sign to me. We ordered a bottle of wine and three tapas: a chicken and vegetable dish, an eggplant and honey dish, and a potato dish. For dessert, we had what I guess is considered the Spanish version of chocolate cheesecake, but so much better! The consistency was so light! I had no idea what to expect out of the food in Spain and all I can say is that the food and wine were amazing! It was at that point that I knew that I would love Sevilla. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to rest after our long day of travel.
Day 2: The day started with breakfast in our hotel, which consisted of pastries, eggs, sausages, and coffee. The first stop on the itinerary was to visit the Catedral. At first, we had trouble finding the actual entrance, but then we just followed a few of the other people that looked like they knew where they were going. The Catedral was magnificent inside! It’s amazing to be in a place that old that has so much history. Christopher Columbus’ tomb was in there, but the best part was going up the Giralda tower. Rather than climbing stairs, it was a gradual inclining slope that circled around the tower. It was tiring, but the view was well worth it! The various neighborhoods of Sevilla looked like one big maze just waiting to be explored.
After we climbed down the Giralda tower, it was time for lunch, so we sat down outdoors at a nearby restaurant and I got to enjoy my first paella.
After lunch, I got my ‘Best of Sevilla’ book and we decided to do one of the neighborhood walks of Santa Cruz. It seemed as if we got lost about a million times and ran into garden after garden and so many various plazas. The streets were so narrow that I would call them more like alleyways, and they all connected somehow and led to another small street, and then another plaza. After coming across several ‘jardines,’ AD was convinced that we already saw the Real Alcazar, which is one of Sevilla’s most well-known spots. However, I knew otherwise. We followed the signs, since I was sick of getting my map out, and finally found it. The Real Alcazar is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Because it wasn’t tourist season, there was barely anybody there, which made the experience even better. We wandered around for what seemed like hours because the gardens were never ending. A handful of peacocks scattered throughout the gardens were meandering about, as if they owned the place. I even saw a woman with a blanket spread out on a lawn, reading a book, and I could just imagine spending one whole day here relaxing. At one point, AD and I went through one of those garden mazes, trying to get to the center. We finally made it to the center, only to realize that if we had just gotten straight from the entrance we would’ve gotten there. But sometimes getting lost and enjoying the beauty is what makes the experience better. 
After the Real Alcazar, it was siesta time. I guess we must’ve been really tired from all the walking because we slept for over an hour, waking up just in time for dinner. For dinner, we decided to go back to the same place we ate at the prior evening because we had enough of getting lost during the day that we didn’t want to get lost at night. Another bottle of wine and some tapas and dessert later, our day and evening in Sevilla had come to a close.
Day 3: Our day began with breakfast at the hotel, once again. I was surprised to find the breakfast room packed with American students. After talking to some of them, we learned that they were on a six week study abroad program that went all around Spain and Italy. I was envious! Before we left our hotel, we asked the hotel receptionist about recommendations for a Flamenco show. She recommended a good show with tapas and dessert, right near our hotel, and then said she would call for us to make reservations. After leaving the hotel, we were off on our search for the Torre del Oro. This ancient tower was built by the Moors to guard the city against Christian invaders in the 13th century. The view from the top of the tower provided an excellent view of the city that included the gigantic Catedral right in the center. 
From there, we headed to
wards Musee Baile Flamenco. Of course, it took us awhile because of the streets. Now, the only reason why I had this on our list of places to visit was because of the number of ‘stars’ in my guidebook; it received three stars. It was actually quite interesting to learn the history of flamenco since Sevilla is known for this type of dance. On the top level of the floor was art on display of flamenco dancing and it was so incredible. While we were up there, a nice Spanish man who worked there started to talk to us (in English) and he was so excited that we had come to visit the Musee.
Next, we decided to explore the El Centro neighborhood of Sevilla, which had more contemporary stores and shops. We had fun shopping in some of the stores that we can’t find here in the States and of course getting lost. We had McDonald’s for lunch and it was surprisingly very crowded. After lunch we stopped into La Campana for dessert, which is one of Sevilla’s most well-known bakeries. After all the shopping and walking and eating, a nice siesta was in order, so back to the hotel we went. 
Feeling refreshed, we got ready for the dinner show and headed out. I know that getting lost is a theme in Sevilla, but this time we really needed help because we had to be at the show on time. We stopped in a shop for directions and learned that we were much closer than we thought. Surprisingly, the place was packed for a weeknight that has two shows per night. Our meal began with sangria, then tapas, then an ice cream dessert. The dancing was so beautiful and amazing! I love watching all types of dance so I was completely in awe. The guitar playing that went along with the dancing just showed me that music and dance is art in its purest form. This was the best way to end our last night in Sevilla. Upon arrival to our hotel, a bunch of students that we saw in the breakfast room in the morning were scattered all throughout the lobby in their pj’s, all studying. I wasn’t so envious of them anymore. 
Day 4: Our flight out of Sevilla didn’t leave until the afternoon, so after breakfast at the hotel I wanted to go see the Plaza Nueva before we left. After consulting my map, we of course got lost and ended up taking the long way to get there. Once we arrived, Plaza Nueva’s grand beauty was a sight to behold. Again, there weren’t too many tourists which made the scene picturesque. We lingered and took pictures for awhile, then started our walk back. On our way, we stopped in a Starbucks to people watch. Afterwards, we collected our bags at the hotel, had our hotel call a cab for us, and were off to the Sevilla airport to await the flight to our next destination.
