Seville

Seville was a wonder. We arrived planning on staying just two days, and ended up staying for five. One of the initial reasons was our hostel, Hostel One. We arrived from the airport by bus and with the help of a map found our way into a beautiful courtyard with a café filled with local Spaniards dressed in their Sunday best, surrounded by fragrant orange blossom trees.

Our room was incredible, with high ceilings, private bathroom and a balcony with prime seating for people watching, listening to live music from the plaza and to the church bell tolling the hour.









If we close our eyes and think of Seville, the first thing that comes to mind was the smell of the orange blossom trees that was present throughout the city. It was so pleasant to smell it in the wind, drift to sleep with it at night, and wake up to it in the morning. Unfortunately they were sour orange trees and therefore not suitable for eating unless in marmalade form, but perhaps this was a good thing as the bright orange globes dangling off the green branches were also very pleasing to the eye.

We spent our days wandering the winding narrow streets, enjoying all the beautiful pastel colours of the city and the amazing tile work. Just when we thought we had gotten to know all of the unique spots, we would stumble on yet another hidden plaza with a central water fountain and inviting patios.

The mix of the Moorish and Spanish architecture was gorgeous, especially in the Cathedral Santa Maria, which is the third largest cathedral in Europe, and the largest cathedral in the Gothic style.

We celebrated Ben’s 33rd b-day in true Seville style. We found an amazing restaurant for lunch, Los Coloniales. The saying goes that the best tapas in Spain are in the south, and we would definitely agree. We enjoyed white wine with a “tabla” of bread, olive oil, a local sauce called salmorejo and sliced iberian ham, among other delicacies. The waitress was a treat.

For dinner we made reservations for the best seat in the house at a flamenco restaurant called Flamenquito, and it was incredible. There was a dancer, singer and guitar player, all extremely talented people who obviously have a passion for what they do. It was great to try some more homemade local food and drink some good wine while watching the show into the late hours of the night.

We went out one night with two other travellers who were from Quebec on an organized Tapas Tour, where we sampled different types of food and drink. We particularly liked the little forks and the digestif at one of the last restaurants.




This was followed by some bar hopping, and soon we were blending in with the locals, with Ben bargaining for a bottle of wine at the bar which we drank on the street in fancy glasses.

Now that we are firm Barcelona soccer fans, we made a point of watching the Barca versus Milan game at a patio bar and cheering with the local Spaniards.

Spending five days in Sevilla really gave us a good taste of the city. We were not surprised to meet many other travelers who had made far reaching travel plans, but upon arriving in this seductive city, decided to stay long term. They share good company as over the centuries this region has lured so many people of different places and cultures. It is definitely high on our list for a return visit. Next stop Granada to continue our tour of amazing Andalucia!