My trip to Sevilla (Jan 2013)

Sevilla (pronounced “seh-VEE-ah”) is a wonderful city. I had a ton of fun in Sevilla, not only because it’s such a beautiful city, but also because I got involved in a lot of the activities organized by my hostel – Garden Backpacker Hostel. I was so busy having fun I forgot to take pictures, so forgive me for some of these bland photos. They don’t capture how great Sevilla is. That said, I hope you enjoy them.

On the first evening, I wandered around a bit, eventually ending up down by the river at Puente Isabel II (Isabell II Bridge). It is a very beautiful spot, filled with locals and tourists enjoying the view and the nice atmosphere. It wasn’t too cold, and I decided to hang out for a while in hopes of a nice sunset. Boy did that pay off. Purple in one direction, pinkish orange in the other direction, water, bridge, so much beauty. It was a great first evening in Sevilla.

Later that night I went out to a flamenco show with some people from my hostel. It was in a bar, but there were tons of tables and raised seating in the back, clearly meant for a show. Flamenco is a traditional form of Spanish dance and music. It can be compared to tap dancing, but less cheesy. Just check out youtube to get a better idea of it. The show was great, we all had lots of fun!

The Sevilla Cathedral and the view from the top. This is the largest cathedral in the world. The only two larger Christian buildings are both “basilicas”. It’s also where Christopher Columbus is buried.

The beautiful “Plaza España”. This is the largest plaza in all of Spain. It has a huge fountain in the middle, and a mini moat that you can row around on little rented boats. Pretty cool!

Some of the beautiful scenery of Sevilla. These orange trees grow everywhere and they’re loaded with oranges!! They’re super sour though, which I was warned about from my guidebook, so I didn’t try to eat any. They are very beautiful though.

The charming Santa Cruz neighborhood, filled with TINY streets and windy corners, and cute little plazas filled with orange trees and tapas restaurants.

On the 2nd night I went on a tapas crawl with 8 other people from my hostel and nearby hostels. It was a great way to try small amounts of tapas to see what you liked, and it was a wonderful chance to socialize. I had a lot of fun. For only 10€ ($13) we got 3 drinks, plus portions of 9 different tapas. The amount of food added up to a medium size dinner, not too much but not too little. This was my favorite night.

The Alcázar (pronounced “ahl-CAH-thar”), meaning palace, is right near the center of the city, next door to the cathedral. It is a great example of the mudéjar style (a mix of European and North African architecture) that was very popular in Spain at the time. It is very beautiful. It’s kind of like a mini Alhambra, so seeing this made me more eager to see the Alhambra, hopefully soon.

What a cute tapas place! Two stools and a little ledge, perfect for small fast meals on the go. I ate here for lunch one day and I would definitely recommend it.

Well, that’s all for my Sevilla trip! I had a great time and I would definitely recommend going to Sevilla if you’ve been considering it.