Flamenco And Tapas
Seville (pronounced ca-vee-ya in Spanish) wasn’t originally on my list of cities to visit. My Morocco weekend trip began and ended in Seville so at the last minute when I book, I decided to stay an extra day there before jetting off to Lisbon. And I was so glad I did!
The capital of Andalusia, Seville was truly a hidden gem in my European travels. The lively music, the sangria and tapas, the castles to explore make it a great weekend trip. This little city often gets overlooked for Barcelona or Madrid but has so much life and culture packed in that it’s definitely worth a visit.
If you are a Game of Thrones fan, make sure to check out the Real Alcázar, a UNESCO-listed complex that is not only still used by the Spanish Royal Family but is used as the set for Dorn in the show. I also geeked out upon visiting the Royal Palace of Seville because of my fascination with architecture (I even took an Architecture of London class when I studied abroad). The Moorish architecture here features several architectural styles ranging from Gothic to Renaissance. You might see the word mudéjar when visiting: it is the term used to indicated the Moorish style that characterizes monuments built after the Christians reconquered Spain.
The Seville Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is made up of 80 cathedrals and is actually the largest castle in the world by volume. Inside, you can find the tomb of Christopher Columbus (although it has been still debated which country his real body is buried in).
Next to the cathedral is the Giralda. What’s interesting about this bell tower is instead of a stairway, there are 34 ramps leading to the top. This was so in the olden days you could ride a horse up instead of walking - pretty ingenuous!
Plaza de Espana is another must visit. A semi-circular plaza by a canal, Plaza de Espana overlooks a large curved palace that contains many of the city’s administrative buildings. It was built for the Ibero-American Exposition in 1929 and has an extensive gallery consisting of decorative panels for each province in Spain along with busts of important figures. You can pay to take a canal ride, and there are often performers in the square to enjoy!
