I am in awe.
Normally, I don't love cities, they're more of a spend-two-days-seeing-all-the-good-stuff-then-leave kind of places, but I have fallen in love with Sevilla.
Friday (20,049 steps)
I woke up at 6.35am, walked to the bus station, caught a bus to Málaga, got on the train to Sevilla as the sun was rising, then walked to my hostel. There, I met up with an Australian friend who had flown down from Italy for a long-weekend - I am so jealous of how easy it is for Europeans!
We walked to Iglesia de San Bernardo to buy tickets for the Cathedral and the Giralda (a tip I saw in my Lonely Planet book to skip the queues at the Cathedral). It was beautiful! We arrived at the right time too, as the sun was shining through the stained glass windows onto the incredible altarpieces. We were also able to walk right up to the art as there were no barriers (which was a downside of visiting the Cathedral). Then we climbed the 39 ramps to the top of the Giralda, which used to be the minaret of the mosque (now Catholic cathedral), and overlooked the city. It's actually not that big, just very dense.
We were staying at the Black Swan Hostel, which I would highly recommend for social interaction. There, we caught up with another Australian Aux who had been placed in Sevilla for tapas and I ordered solomillo al whisky (pork tenderloin in whisky sauce), the famous bitter Seville orange marmalade, and rebujito (apple wine with soda water)...YUM!
Saturday (39,532 steps)
We pre booked student passes online to see the Real Alcázar, however, once we got there, we found out that the student passes are only valid for EU citizens, and had to walk around to the ticket sales area to purchase new ones. Thankfully, we were able to skip the line, as it would have taken 40ish minutes, so I would definitely recommend buying your tickets online, just make sure to get the right ones!
I was absolutely amazed at every part of the palace. My neck was sore from constantly looking up at the intricate details on all the ceilings. I think I'm also in love with 'Mudejar'... I actually live on 'Mudejar' street in Torre and had seen the word everywhere, so it was great to learn that it refers to a Christian architectural/art style that borrows many elements from Islam. There are so many colours, patterns, and tiles, but also, detailed arches, and plain walls. If I ever get to build a house, this is how I would want it to look.
Unfortunately, we only had about 3 hours at the Alcázar, but I would recommend staying 3.5-4 as the gardens are huge, and therefore, I will 100% be going back!
Afterwards, I went with some lovely friends from the hostel to Plaza de España - another jaw-dropping moment for me. The plaza is in the enormous park of Maria Luisa which was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. There is a giant fountain, tiled alcoves of all the Spanish provinces, and I even saw a flamenco performance! It was incredible!
That night, we went to a small, crowded pub to see some more flamenco. I'm afraid I can't remember the name, but it was a great atmosphere with no photos/videos allowed and the entry fee was to purchase a drink. I also saw male flamenco dancers for the first time.
After dinner, we were served complimentary chupitos (after dinner drinks) of crema de orujo which is a brandy cream from Spain.
Here are some more pics that hopefully capture my love for this city.
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