Day 110 - What to See in Sevilla in 1 Day
/We had originally planned to take an overnight trip to Sevilla (also spelled Seville, though they spell it with an "a" here so we'll stick with that), due to its distance and how much there is to do in the city, but since my parents were only visiting for a week and were interested in seeing the city, we decided to make it a day trip.
We woke up a bit before 8 and were surprised to still see the moon in the sky (disclaimer: we usually work on the blog and other activities at night until 2 sometimes 3 AM, and so we are usually not up in the morning before 9AM, and thankfully our kids are at a good age and since they have very busy days they sleep at until around 9AM as well).
We headed out of the house and hit the road for our 2.5 hour drive shortly after 9 AM.
Sevilla
Sevilla is a fairly large city, but most of the sights that attract tourists are in the same general area. We parked the car near Alcazar and used our legs for the reminder of the day.
The pedestrian only streets of Sevilla are similar to the ones we saw in Nerja. They are covered with white sheets and full of shops and restaurants. We ate a quick lunch first (sadly since the service was terrible it is not worth mentioning the name), then walked past the Cathedral and the Giralda tower, then onwards to Alcazar.
Alcazar
When we arrived at Alcazar, we were greeted by a sign that informed us that due to the filming of "Game of Thrones", parts of the building were closed to public. If I watched Game of Thrones I would have been so excited and would have totally tried to find ways to see what was going on in the "restricted" parts, but I have not started watching the show yet. I do hope to get to it one day.
Nevertheless, the palace is beautiful and there was plenty for us to see.
Alcazar was originally a moorish fort, and today the palace is renown as one of the most beautiful in all of Spain. Additionally, it is one of the oldest palaces in use in Europe. You can read more about the history here.
There is a reason they say a picture is worth a 1000 words. The pictures below will help you see Alcazar through our eyes in a way I never could with words, or if I tried I don't think any of you would actually read the 16,000 words it would take.
Catedral de Sevilla
After Alcazar, we walked by the Cathedral and saw a very long line of people waiting. We also realized that the Cathedral was only open for 1 more hour. Having had seen many Cathedrals in Barcelona and doubting our chances to get in before closing time, we decided to admire the architecture from the outside only.
Royal Tobacco Factory
The building that once was the Royal Tobacco Factory is today the University of Sevilla. We took a brief walk through the university and enjoyed showing the kids some of the empty classrooms. We also encountered some enthusiastic college students. The campus is not huge, but it is certainly beautiful and historic. If there is time in your itinerary we would strong recommend a quick walk through.
Plaza de Espana
Although Plaza de Espana was built in 192, what it lacks in history it certainly makes up for in beauty and vastness. You should not leave Seville without having walked through Plaza de Espana.
What makes Plaza de Espana especially unique is that the wall stretching around the interior perimeter highlights dozens of major towns from all across Spain. Each town it showcases with beautiful tile murals that give a little taste of what the town is like.
Unfortunately, our camera battery died while seeing Plaza de Espana, and our back up battery was not charged! Also, my phone's battery died! We did take a few more pictures with my parents camera, but did not have the chance to transfer them to our computer before they left (as I am writing this 6 days after their departure). So lo and behold, the remainder of this blog post will be a bit barren, you'll just have to use your imagination :)
We did walk around a bit more around Sevilla, and having gotten tired of the Spanish tapas cuisine we found a Jordanian restaurant for dinner. Since we had 45 minutes before the restaurant opened we found a great hair salon called, 'Oh my cut' and Kian got the buzz cut he has been asking for.
We returned to Aladdin Restaurant around 8 PM, and had one of the most delicious meals. I had no idea Jordanian food would be so scrumptious! The restaurant is a bit of a walk from the touristy part of the city, which is fantastic because the prices are right and the quality is what the locals come back for.
After a wonderful day in Sevilla, we were back at home shortly after midnight.
What we didn't get to do, but which is typically recommended when visiting Sevilla, is taking a walk by the river and maybe taking a river cruise. We also did not have enough time to check out Metropol Parasol (though we did walk by it) or the bull fighting arena (though we did drive by it).
What else would you add to this 1 day itinerary?