Friday Favorites: Sevilla Top 5

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The second leg of our honeymoon took us southeast from Madrid through the countryside on a high-speed rail to Sevilla. The train ride was pleasant and due to the speed of the train, passed pretty quickly! (Pro Tip: Tickets for the trains in Spain are less expensive if you buy them online once you are there, but many banks have fraud alerts set for Spain, so be sure to notify your bank and get cleared to use your debit card both face-to-face and online during your travels).

Sevilla was definitely our favorite location from our travels in Spain and we also stayed there the longest, so it was really hard to narrow our experience there into just 5 items, so expect to see a lot of references to other things we saw during our stay that I won’t be able to elaborate on very well. I will go ahead and say as well, that a couple of the coolest things we saw weren’t things that were on our radar before we arrived in Sevilla but things we just happened to discover upon our arrival in Spain.

Alcazar – This one was a big one on our to-do list while we were in Sevilla! This is the oldest functioning royal palace in Europe. Because it was originally built as a Moorish palace in the 10th century and reconstructed during the 14th century for the Christian kind, Pedro I, the palace is decorated in a style known as Mudejar and marries both Islamic and Christian elements into the palace. The rooms in the part of the palace that is open to the public meander a bit so that you never quite know what to expect as you walk from room to room. My favorite room in the palace was the Hall of the Ambassadors. It is a cube shaped room topped with an intricately decorated half-dome.They say that the cube represents the earth and the dome is the starry heavens, therefore showing that Pedro ruled heaven and earth. Bold statement if you ask me, but this was 14th century Spain. The walls in the room are stucco decorated with plants, geometrical shapes, and Arabic writing. I was just amazed. The courtyard is also beautiful, but on the day we visited it was mobbed with people so it was hard to take any real time to enjoy it. The rest of the palace is lovely as well, and so are the gardens, which we spent a good deal of time walking around before we left. Fun fact: Did you know that the scenes from the palace in Dorne for Game of Thrones were filmed at the Alcazar? It was fun to watch those scenes and realize we had been in some of those same spots!

Cathedral and Tomb of Christopher Columbus – I guess this item on the list technically qualifies as two things, but since the remains are housed in the Cathedral, this one warrants combining. Although there is some controversy over whether the true remains of Christopher Columbus are here or in the Dominican Republic, the remains entombed in Sevilla have had DNA tests that show a close DNA match to those of the brother of Christopher Columbus who is also entombed there. As I mentioned, the tomb is housed inside the Cathedral. The Cathedral itself is the third-largest church in Europe and the largest Gothic church in the world. There seemed to be a million little alcoves and things to see as we wandered through the vast space. We also took some time to climb spiraling ramp to the top of the attached Giralda Bell Tower for a marvelous view of the city before we went on our way. The entire experience of being in the Cathedral and climbing the bell tower was breathtaking (seriously, it was a long climb up), but being in the presence of the remains of a historical figure of such significance was pretty awesome as well.

Flamenco – We thought about trying to catch some flamenco in bars recommended by the guide book we were using, but we also knew that we really wanted to be sure we experienced it while we were in Spain, since that was the music that really inspired the long story that became our honeymoon. Ultimately, we decided to attend a ticketed show at Casa de la Memoria. We definitely weren’t sorry that we made that choice. The music was lovely and so was the dancing. It is an intimate setting for a show! The audience sits in just a few rows of chairs surrounding a small stage which is housed in the courtyard of a traditional Sevillian house which was originally the stables of a neighboring palace. Cool setting. Great show! After the show was over, we decided it was time for second dinner, and discovered an an absolute gem (keep reading for a quick review of eating in Sevilla).

Plaza de Espana and Maria Luisa Parque – This was one of the sights we just happened to stumble upon on our first day in Sevilla. After checking into our hotel, our intention was to hunt down the Real Fabrica de Tabacos de Sevilla for it’s operatic significance (see Bizet’s Carmen), and we did that eventually, but along the way, we discovered the Plaza Espana and Maria Luisa Parque. The area was constructed as part of a 1929 international fair. Restoration work was just finishing up when we visited, but it was a minor obstruction so we were really able to take in the beauty of the square. Sevilla is unique in that there is a whole subcategory of more modern architecture throughout the city from the time of the international fair that is also in the Mudejar style but incorporates more Renaissance elements and this is a perfect example of that kind of architecture. We actually took a ton of pictures in the Plaza and then enjoyed a lovely stroll in the park to enjoy the fountains, large trees, and numerous plants in bloom before we passed by the Real Fabrica de Tabacos de Sevilla and made a quick visit to Torre del Oro. It was really an ideal way to spend our first afternoon in Sevilla.

Roman Ruins – This is another one of our random discoveries. As we wandered about Sevilla, we couldn’t help but notice a gigantic modern mushroom-like structure standing prominently along the Sevilla skyline. Like our experience in Madrid, we did a little research and decided a trip to the Metropol Parasol was warranted. We knew we would get a fabulous view of the city and we did (note: there are a lot of opportunities to see the city from above in Sevilla), but we also discovered was one of our most memorable sites in Sevilla. Originally this lot was supposed to house underground parking and a market, but during that construction, ancient Roman and Moorish ruins were discovered and construction was halted. These ruins were eventually turned into a museum now known as the Antiquarium de Sevilla. When you visit, you travel underground and then walk along walkways elevated above the ruins. It was fascinating to walk through the ruins and get the feel for what the actual layout of the land was at that time. In addition, many artifacts have been extracted from the ruins and are in display cases so they are easily viewable at a close-up angle. It was definitely a memorable Sevilla experience!

Eating

Catalina – I’m still not exactly sure how we found this delightful little restaurant. After leaving the flamenco show, we were feeling a little hungry. We had eaten some jamon and cheese before the show, but everyone knows that the dining schedule in Spain runs much later so we decided to get a small meal of tapas. We ordered several different dishes while at Catalina, but what really stood out were the little gems of goodness wrapped in puff pastry. The night we visited there were several different options that were prepared in this style. I distinctly remember the shrimp and curry and another that was fig and cheese. We sat on their patio and enjoyed a leisurely meal. We even saved a business card and tucked it away in our tourist guide so that we could remember and hopefully return someday!

El Torno Pasteleria de Conventos – the cookies cooked by nuns – mantecados – a shortbread type cookie – we chose almond – various bakeries scattered through the city, many just have a small window for ordering and you never really see the nuns who create the confections as they live cloistered from society, but deliver the baked goods via a torno, or a lazy susan type device to the customers. The location we visited was a full shop of baked goods with an employee working at a register. The baked goods were delicious and I like that we could see everything we had to choose from, but I kind of wish we had visited one of the more traditional tornos while we were in Sevilla.

Lodging

El Rey Moro – We were in love with this hotel we stayed in during our time in Sevilla. The entire place was decorated in bright colors, our room was spacious, a tasty breakfast was included in our stay, and the courtyard that was surrounded by the rooms was absolutely lovely as well. It is a small hotel with only 19 rooms, but it met our needs perfectly. In addition, it is located right in the Barrio Santa Cruz, the old Jewish Quarter, and is well known for its narrow meandering walking lanes. We even managed to get ourselves just a tiny bit lost in the Barrio one evening and found it lovely to just walk and enjoy our time together.

You can easily see how Sevilla became our favorite city we spent time in during our honeymoon. It was beautiful, the food was delicious, and we stayed just long enough to feel at home. Come back next week for the final part in my series on my favorite spots in Spain and see what we loved best about Granada!

Also, be sure to check out more Friday Favorites at Momfessionals!