A delayed post here. Definitely missing some cool details bc I wrote this while being in Granada and my days are soo full! In any case, Sevilla was amazing for me. Hope that message gets across....
Arrived to Sevilla Saturday and was reminded that I absolutely love Spain. It feels the most like home, yet it offers a culture with pizzazz that I don’t find in the US. I think seeing palm trees and having warmer sunny weather also improved my mood.
I got into Sevilla around noon after my 2nd overnight train. Not a bad experience at all, but why on earth is the heat so high on those overnights??? Seriously, people were sweating while trying to sleep and my stinky boots didn’t help matters.
The first thing I did in Sevilla was meet up with an awesome couple that Austen knew, Roberto and his wife, who’s 8 months pregnant. Despite all the doctor appointments they had that day, they gave me such a warm Sevilla welcome. We walked around the city center, which almost reminded me of Santa Barbara, and they narrated the sights as we went. So many tapas bars and the Cathedral was amazing. My favorite place, however, was the Plaza de Espana. It's a half moon shape and Roberto was saying that many movies were filmed here, including the Star Wars with Natalie Portman (it's the Palace of the Nubes???). We also went through some gardens and the greenery was so welcome. At the end, they took me to “the best ice cream place in Sevilla”. Loved it. Got 2 flavors in a cup, but I don’t know their names. They sent me off with warm wishes. It was amazing.
The Cathedral.
Pretty fountain in the city center.
Within the Plaza de Espana.
So many old old trees in Sevilla!!
In the Jardins.....
The Plaze de America.
On Roberto's suggestion, I went to the El Patio de Calle Suyo. These are the seating arrangements while eating and drinking!
That night, I shopped but didn't buy much. Went to this place called El Patio de Calle Suyo (I think...) bc Roberto said it was a very cool place to eat. When I walked in, it was crazy busy and I had no idea what the tapas were. I ordered what I knew and had a Tinto de Verano. It's a typical drink here that I will def be making at home. Red wine with lemon-lime soda. Very refreshing, esp if it's made well. I sat on the steps where everyone kind of people watches eachother. It's basically an indoor plaza, so it's really a cool atmosphere. After, came back to the hostel and met some people on the terrace upstairs. It’s on the roof and gorgeous. Ray, Michele, Nung and Sam. We chatted and I drank some OJ. Went to bed kind of early bc I was tired.
Next morning, Ray and I woke late and made a big breakfast. We had eggs and chorizo omlettes and it totally gave into furthering my chorizo obsession. I met Ardie, and Ray, Michele, Ardi and I walked around the city for a few hours with some Sangria stops here and there. We came back to the hostel and Ray, Michele and I whipped up a spaghetti dinner. So yum to have home cooked food sometimes. We all went out after meeting Amanda then Michael and got tapas and more sangria. Nung and Sam found us and joined in.
Dog in front of the Cathedral.
Inside the Cathedral. It's one of the biggest in Europe!
The tomb of Christopher Columbus. The REAL one.
View of Sevilla from the Cathedral's bell tower.
View from Cathedral. All the orange trees in Sevilla!! So many and love it.
Loved the sign!
We wanted to go to flamenco. There’s a place they told us to go near our hostel that was free. (they usually charge you, or the meals are really expensive) So we navigated through some small alley streets—so quaint—and found 2 men standing next to a car smoking. We looked around for signs, but there were none. Nothing except a big red door. We opened it and were hit with a wave of heat, sounds of people and the sight of a crowded bar. Awesome. The sangria was best there too. The flamenco was amazing, however it was so crowded in front that I only got a couple views of the woman’s feet. Eh, still the Spanish guitar was awesome to hear along with her tapping and pounding steps. We ended the night hours and hours later after some more Spanish wine and a long hang out sesh in the hostel.
I had to leave the next day. It was sad because our group, though we all arrived individually, became quite a team in my opinion. But that is the life of traveling: you meet friends and have lifelong memories together for a day, then you say goodbye. As a social butterfly, it actually works quite well with my friendship lifestyle.
Took a bus over to Granada and saw vineyards and mountains and greenery and I was immediately reminded of California. The sun was amazing on Monday. It completely made my mood high despite feeling nauseous on the bus. Met a couple from Minnesota. Soo, gonna write more on Granada later....ciao!
Hey Riss,
ReplyDeleteLoved the graffiti art. You could frame some of those shots and hang them up in your room as art. They are beautiful. Sounds like you're having a grand time meeting all these new friends. I'm glad Granada was much more than you expected. Love you my sweetie, mom<3