Letter 96

Sevilla; the last and most wonderful city I visited in Spain. I felt I could stay here for weeks. Every minute detail exudes perfection and beauty and these combine to create a city that is different to every other and is such a pleasure to be in. It’s a city of colour, noise and decoration. 2 days was most certainly not enough and I will be going back. Not only did I love the city, I loved the whole experience I had. My hostel and the people I met there made my stay even better and showed me how great this kind of travel can be.

Arriving late after a day in Cordoba, I got settled into my hostel and went for a supermaket run to get food, my typical routine. I got myself a salad and chocolate for dinner and decided to stay in and catch up on some stuff on my laptop and chill. A mixture of wifi not working, a long skype call and chatting to people at the hostel meant I wasn’t productive at all, but I had a great evening. To recover from a couple of nights of little sleep I decided to have a long lie in (until 9 that is for me) and then grabbed the hostel breakfast which was pretty great. I had intended to go on the walking tour, but for some reason I missed it and so I set of on my own to explore. I’m now very glad I didn’t do the tour. I had the most wonderful day discovering the main tourist spots and hidden gems of Sevilla. I was out for the whole day and walked my feet into the ground, and quickly got the lay of the land in this charming city.

Plaza de Espana

Normally I’m not such a fan of the major touristy hotspots, but this place blew my mind. I didn’t know what to expect because I had done next to no research on Sevilla, but I honestly couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. Even just the approach to one corner of the monumental curving building you’re struck by the tiled railing and lamp posts showing sheer attention to detail and beauty. Then you begin to see the water curving around the plaza with the building and people rowing underneath the tiled bridges taking people to and from the building. The fountain in the centre produces a rainbow mist across the square and is circled by horses pulling carriages. The building itself is a complete triumph. In red brick it is a monument to architecture and every inch shows how much time and effort went into making it beautiful. There are even tributes to all of the Spanish cities along the bottom of the building which surprised me even more. It’s like a fairytale and one of my favourite places I’ve ever visited.

 

The River

Walking along the river is beautiful, especially at this time when there’s a carpet of petals below you. The views across to Triana, a small area of Sevilla, are lovely because of the multicoloured houses lining the river. You can also hop up to the Torre de Oro to get a lovely view over Sevilla and to learn a bit about the history.

Triana

This little neighbourhood is charming and well worth a walk through. I walked first down the main street and then along the river to get to a bridge further down that would meet up with Plaza de Espana. I saw a couple of really nice restaurants and if I went back I would spend more time here!

Unexpected Food Festival

Upon reaching the end of the bridge that I had intended to return me to the Plaza de Espana, I came across a food festival – that finished that day. The sun was shining, music blaring and Spanish families enjoying good food together. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting and people watching and only wish I’d known the festival was on before!

 

Parque de Maria Luisa

This is a tangled maze of paths, flowers and beautiful buildings. I walked around not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. This is where the archaeological museum is situated which I might have gone in with more time. There are also a lot of fruit trees – I know this because a wee fruit ended up on my head.

 

To complete my long day in Sevilla, I had sangria at the hostel with new friends and then we all went out to a beautiful tapas restaurant for a great night of food and drinks. Then, because we still weren’t done, we decided to head back to Plaza de Espana (the third time for me at this point) to see how it fairs at night. Well, it is just something else at night.

 

Real Alcazar de Sevilla

On my second and last day in Sevilla (not enough time at all) I headed first to the Palace. I went with a couple of girls from the hostel and went spent a lovely couple of hours wandering around the rooms and parts of the garden. Unfortunately the weather turned British so we stayed undercover for most of it. Like every other palace I’ve been in, it was beautiful with rich decorations and stunning gardens. Definitely worth going in, I spent longer than I thought here.

 

Metropol Parasol

An an architecture student I was really interested to go and visit this huge sculpture which doubles as a stunning viewpoint for the city of Sevilla. It’s slightly out of the centre but it reached through some lovely shopping streets and squares. The ticket to get to the walkway and viewpoint includes a drink and postcard as well so it’s worth the €3.

 

Catedral de Sevilla

I had one thing left on my list to do before I left Sevilla heading west to Portugal. As it brightened up I decided it was the perfect time to head to the cathedral and tower for the last look over this beauty of a city. The cathedral is a large (if not the largest – I don’t remember) Gothic masterpiece which towers over the city. The tower was interesting to walk up as it was a series of ramps, not stairs. However, the views on the way up and at the top were magnificent.

To me Sevilla was perfect. I loved the size, the architecture, the layout and the parks. I needed more time but I know I’ll return here. I hope I’ve convinced you to pay this gem a visit. 

From Lou