Last (but Not Least) Spanish Stop – Sevilla

I got a bunch of advice about Sevilla from the long-term lodger at my last Airbnb. He grew up and lived there as an adult so knew it well.

He advised me to go to a famous tapas place, El Rinconcillo, slightly away from the tourist attractions, but in the center. I passed by a ton of tapas bars on my way in (I’m staying sort of out of town so I could find easy car parking – it’s like a 20 minute walk to the edge of the center and a good 30-40 to some major attractions). I wound my way through narrow empty streets and plazas. At 4:30 most had plenty of room. And outdoor patios.

Not so El Rinconcillo! Mobbed. All inside. I do seem to luck into great spots at the bar (same when I was with Troy) — we sorta manage to stand near the people who are about to leave and snag a good spot. So I got one. But seriously crowded.

The tapas are good. Beer not my style so I switched to a sherry (allowed with tapas). I think I ate what four people normally eat (well at least two) but it was my only meal of the day. I was pretty much starving by the time I got there so ended my meal with an omelette!! I even ate there a second time on Sunday and it was way less crowded. I think Sunday is an eat-at-home day.

Meantime it’s hot here! Warmer than usual. The sun is really strong. When walking/driving and it’s low in the sky, I can’t see with the glare. And I’m getting tan. In December. I didn’t bring sunscreen cause it was rainy season everywhere — who’d think I’d need sun protection in December?! At least I’m not getting burned.

I can’t complain. I was at the beach this morning. I’m in an amazing city this afternoon. (Literally everyone in Spain asked me when I was going to Sevilla. It’s a must-visit Andalusian destination.)

Now that I’m here I have to agree. You can immediately tell the town has a great vibe. Reminds me a bit of Rome. Not that the architecture or parks look similar. And Rome is bigger (and more impressive). But the people seem to really enjoy being out and about and their major attractions are well integrated with the city and people.

You turn a corner to find a new plaza you hadn’t seen before. People are eating and drinking, walking and talking, and generally enjoying themselves. Though weirdly just blocks away from crowded streets there are many that are dark and empty in the center.

I also think people realize it was a very important city at one time and still carry that around with them even if they are aware that the past is … the past! It’s not the power it used to be. Hard to explain but that’s like Rome too. Malaga, which had no real past, just felt different and looser somehow.

Anyway I did a walking tour which was helpful since Sevilla is the largest Spanish city I’ve toured so far — and maybe now I think of it the largest city overall (it’s bigger than Lisbon though I’d have to check Split and Glasgow). It’s the 4th largest city in Spain, coming closely behind Valencia with 700K people. Even from one major attractions area to another, it easily takes 10-20 minutes to get there.

I went into the famous cathedral (third largest in the world — after St Peter’s in Rome and St Paul’s in London). It was (of course) originally a mosque and there are some remains. It’s huge and impossible to get into a single photograph.

In particular the martinet which is now a bell tower survives almost intact. For a long time it was the largest tower in Europe and Sevilla itself had a rule nothing could be built higher. So it affords great views.

Funny thing is that the Moors realized that the poor guy who had to do the 5 daily prayer calls wouldn’t be able to make it up/down the 35 flights five times/day, so they built ramps inside instead of stairs. And he took a horse (some say donkey) up/down. I of course walked it. The inclines really don’t show in photos but this is semi-steep — and there are 35 of these to climb up.

It’s not bad actually. Better than stairs? The tower is called La Giralda and is one of the symbols of Sevilla.

I also went to the Alcázar. Which was really beautiful. The park grounds were lovely. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but it’s absolutely gorgeous inside.

Of course it was an old Moorish fortress — but when the Christians reconquered Sevilla (early – like 200 years before they reconquered Granada), they decided to convert its stark interior into a palace for the royals to live in.

They actually hired Moorish workers who had created the Alhambra to create similar rooms here. The style is called Mudejar. They blatantly steal the Moorish style but throw in a lot of Spanish crests (like the Castile and Leon— castle and lion), Christian symbols, Iberian workmanship and materials, and paintings of previous Kings. Funnily this is all integrated with Arab stylings and scripts that praise Allah as the only god.

I had such beautiful weather that I spent over an hour walking through the gardens. It’s not the Alhambra (scale alone — Alhambra is massive) but I had lousy weather there so I enjoyed this more. There weren’t as many pools and terraced gardens. But there were renaissance stylings, bigger trees, labrynths, and buildings you wouldn’t see in the Moorish structures.

I’m not sure which I liked better but both are worth seeing and weather can really impact your enjoyment of places. And I had amazing weather in Sevilla.

The other big tourist attraction I visited was the Plaza de Espana. It was built for a huge America’s Expo of sorts in 1929. With the stock market crash it wasn’t that successful but they left beautiful buildings.

It was used in Star Wars Episode II for Naboo I think (Queen Amidala’s home planet) though now I need to rewatch the movie (even though it’s like the worst one) just to recognize it. (It was also apparently used in Lawrence of Arabia which I would gladly rewatch.) Our guide said it’s very popular not only with tourists but also with locals. Sounds like Millennium Park! Anyway I had amazing weather there as well and enjoyed sitting in the sun and walking around this curve looking at the beautiful tile work that commemorates each province in Spain. Just a sampling! I chose places I’ve been to …

I also went to the second largest church in Sevilla which was huge as well.

And had a throne which I also had to capture.

Sevilla’s Holy Week is an even bigger deal than Malaga’s. It’s apparently their biggest tourist time. Expect to pay at least double for accommodations!!

Finally I must say the biggest charm of Sevilla was how the people enjoy their lives and city. The cute little neighborhoods (Barrio Santa Cruz, Triana), the big plazas, the narrow streets, the monuments, the rio Guadalquivir, the shopping streets — clearly a pleasure to all.

I saw somewhere that they call it “paseo” — sounds like the passeggiata that Italians like to take. Sevilla wasn’t the most beautiful Spanish city I’ve been to (the river has siltified over time — and it’s not like being on the sea, plus it’s flat which makes it less interesting visually), but it’s got a wonderful vibe.