A Few Days In Magical Seville
It feels like a significant point on this journey as we head into Seville, drop the rental car off at the airport and get a ride into town. Apart from a night at the ferry port, Seville will be our last stay in Europe before we swap continents and head for Africa, this is the last of our Spanish cities as well as the point where we hand back the last of our rental cars until Morocco. All in all, it feels like a bit of a watershed moment.
Our long journey through Spain is nearly done, a journey which started in Catalunya, took us through Zaragoza and into the Rioja region, hundreds of miles down the Mediterranean coast and eventually to the very edge of the continent. A journey which had earlier started in Paris on 3rd July, has taken us through the different character of successive provinces of France, given us glimpses of Andorra and Gibraltar before we finally find ourselves wandering amongst Moorish and Arabic influences as the transition begins.
And then, just as our minds are moving on to Morocco, we wander out of our last Spanish apartment into the afternoon sunshine, between the majestic buildings and the palm and orange trees and we think, you know what, we might just have left the most beautiful city till last. Seville is a city which just keeps on giving, no matter how many streets you walk down, no matter how many corners you turn, no matter how many bridges you cross. Almost every street has something beautiful about it.
Admittedly, it’s busy though. Maybe it’s the influx of those not governed by school holidays and consequently in the habit of coming away in shoulder season, but the streets are full of walking tours, segway tours and cycling tours; the open top buses and the river boats are doing brisk business. Countless horse and carriage combos trundle around the same circuit. Everyone seems to be speaking English.
But we’ve always said that places become popular for a reason, whether it’s beautiful beaches, gorgeous scenery or, like here in Seville, a city of majesty. Crowds head to such places because there’s something worth seeing, that’s the crux of it. People don’t head in numbers to dull places. Seville is popular for exactly the reasons that Luton isn’t.
The cathedral, for instance, is the largest in Spain, one of the largest in the World, has 15 different points of entry, 80 separate chapels and the longest nave of any church in the country. There is nothing deceptive about all this, it looks huge from the outside and it looks cavernous within: it’s a stunningly beautiful Gothic building which is one of those places which keeps making you stop and stare, both looking at the wonderful facades from outside and marvelling at the splendour of its interior.
In fact, admiring this wonderful place, a thought occurs. Maybe Gaudi wasn’t so crazy when designing La Sagrada Familia, maybe he was just taking the concepts from the likes of Seville to a different level. Gaudi was undoubtedly innovative, but judging by this cathedral, somebody was at it a long time before he was, there are some inspired moments behind the design of this enormous place. Inside the cathedral lie the tombs of Christopher Columbus, his son Diego, as well as Spanish royalty including those with such splendid names as Alfonso The Wise. Ah, Alfonso The Wise. Wouldn’t we all love to be known by a name like that centuries after our death.
The views of Seville from the top of the belltower – the Giralda – are fabulous. At 343 feet tall, the top of this belltower is reached, unusually, by a winding, sloping walkway rather than stairs. It’s worth every ounce of effort to walk out on to the platform and see Seville spread out on all sides.
Right next to the huge cathedral is the Palace of Real Alcazar, a magnificent and rambling complex built for Castilian royalty on the site of a former Arab fortress. Such is the scale of the Alcazar and its grounds that it’s easy to lose your bearings as you move from spectacular room to graceful hall and out into the extensive gardens.
It’s impossible to run through all of Seville’s impressive sights in a respectably sized blog post, it would be possible to go on for ever – but special mention has to be made of Plaza de España, such a beautiful and interesting place that it’s actually hard to turn our backs and walk away. Built for the 1929 Ibero-American Expo trade fair, the plaza, and the surrounding courtyards and parks are all beautifully designed and everything about it is extremely pleasing on the eye. And on the ear, with music from buskers and flamenco groups echoing through the archways.
Seville has another “biggest in Spain” claim in addition to the cathedral. The Plaza de Toros de Maestranza is the largest bullring in the whole country, holding 13,000 spectators and home to both a major annual festival and a bullfighting museum full of fascinating photographs, paintings, posters and costumes from this time honoured tradition. However, the riveting history of the traditions and pageant of bullfighting, which I remember reading here some twenty odd years ago, all seems to have been removed, leaving us to wonder whether it’s gone because its content would be too upsetting for today’s snowflake generation to read. You know, that all too common preposterous stance that if history doesn’t please us, let’s either rewrite it or pretend it never happened. Whatever, the absorbing detail of bullfighting history is no longer there to read. Shame.
Something which definitely does please us is the food scene in Seville – like the city itself, we seem to have left the best till last, some of the flavour combinations in the tapas dishes here are sublime. Calle Mateos Gago, a small street leading away from the cathedral, is lined both sides with traditional looking atmospheric bars where outside tables lead through to wood panelled interiors in which walls are adorned with bullfighting memorabilia and mounted bulls’ heads.
Pick any bar here – if you can find an empty table – and enjoy these wonderful little dishes, many of which are Sevillian specialties, some with influences from its Arab neighbours. “Tapas”, literally translated, means “lids” or “covers”, dating from a time when each little plate of food was balanced on the top of a drink prior to serving.
Our brief stay in Seville, or Sevilla if you prefer, has been a great way to finish this Spanish odyssey, a beautiful city which showcases much of what we take to be classic Spain, and does it with aplomb and panache. A wonderful last fill of all things Spanish before we head to the port town and leave España behind.
In a neat ending to our journey through Spain, ornate tiled alcoves at the Plaza de España pay tribute to each of the country’s provinces, giving us the opportunity to piece together our route in a collage of photographs. This, below, has been our rather wonderful journey through this ever changing country…step by step….
33 Comments
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normareadtalktalknet
What an incredible journey through Spain, you’ve taken us all the way through with you from beginning to end with wonderful photography, your storytelling and descriptive blogs… I feel as if I’ve been with you hanging onto your coat-tails .. and almost tasting the wonderful food & wine .. sad it’s come to an end but look forward to enjoying your new and exciting venture through Morocco 🙌💚🩷
Phil & Michaela
Cheers Normski, glad you enjoyed tagging along! X
Marie
What a great trip you’ve had – and it isn’t over yet!!!
Phil & Michaela
Indeed so!
Toonsarah
Oh yes, beautiful Seville indeed! You’ve captured that beauty perfectly in your words and Michaela’s photos, and taken me straight back to our visit a couple of years ago 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Lovely city…
Brian
Like you two we love Seville
Great blog and trip
Thanks for sharing it all
Brian
Phil & Michaela
Cheers Brian, glad you’re enjoying it. Thank you.
leightontravels
A gorgeous city from top to bottom and one I enjoyed discovering immensely back in the day. The food is sublime and that view from the Giralda is just as wonderful as I remember.
Phil & Michaela
Great city, Leighton. As we said, busy but so beautiful. And I do love having a dig at Luton whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Helen Devries
Leo saw El Caracol there when he had just arrived from Latin America….he was fighting the bull with his back touching the barriers….his jacket was torn to shreds and the crowd were howling, imploring him not to take such risks…but it made his name.
Phil & Michaela
Wow, I would have loved to have witnessed that, and any other bullfight for that matter. It must have been a wonderful pageant back in the day.
Tan Bollesty
Fascinating to read. I did a similar journey in reverse around 17 years ago and like combining Turkey & Greece it makes so much sense seeing Southern Spain and Morocco together. Seeing the influences, similarities and differences. Looking forward to the next leg.
Phil & Michaela
Yes indeed – it was fascinating travelling through such typically Spanish towns, then a few tourist-influenced spots, and then to see the merging of Arabic heritage and influence. Our Morocco journey has got off to an “interesting” start, as you may see in next post. Thank you so much for commenting, it’s always much appreciated.
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderers
This is timely for us. We will be in Seville staying for 3 nights in a few weeks and all the places you mentioned are on our list, except the Bar Catedral, that place for sure. What an amazing assortment of tapas they have on their website. Boy oh boy we may have to eat there a few times. Thanks Phil and Michaela, great info and photography as usual. disfruta tus viajes!
Phil & Michaela
It’s one of several very good ones in that street, but for us it was definitely the best. Two of their tapas in particular were beyond amazing (goats cheese and stuffed mushrooms). Seville is magical and beautiful. Lovely city.
Monkey's Tale
Looks like you did leave the best for last. Seville has been on my list for awhile and I don’think I’dbe disappointed. Love that you found the tiles of each province and included them to sum up Spain!
Phil & Michaela
We can’t imagine how anyone could be disappointed by Seville. It’s a beautiful city.
grandmisadventures
What an incredible city! I love how you can see the Moorish influence in the buildings and the layers of civilizations since mixed in. And the cathedral is stunning inside and out. Maybe Spain is calling for this coming spring, I don’t think it would take much to convince the hubby of that plan.
Phil & Michaela
Well it sounds like a good idea to me, Spain has been fantastic. And Seville is gorgeous, a really lovely city.
rkrontheroad
I only spent a day in Seville, Alcazar, but it is quite a blend of Moorish decor and buildings. You have captured it beautifully.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Ruth. We really loved Seville, beautiful city.
Alison
You really have done justice to both France and Spain. Seville is one of the places I’ve actually been to! We had an incredible time there. I love the photos of those ornate tiles. As you say something to see around every corner. Safe travels to Morocco.
WanderingCanadians
Even though it was busy, Seville looks like a wonderful spot to end your travels through Spain. The cathedral looks beautiful, as do the views from the top of the bell tower. It certainly looks like it was worth the climb.
Phil & Michaela
It’s a truly lovely city
wetanddustyroads
Seville is a beautiful city! I never get bored looking at the streets in Spain. Of course I love the cathedral (especially the evening shots are beautiful) and Plaza de España is simply stunning! And the tapas … yummy 😋. It’s a fitting end to your amazing time in France and Spain I would say.
Phil & Michaela
Genuinely beautiful, would be very happy to return
Lookoom
It’s been so long since I visited Sevilla, I’m well aware that I missed out on a lot back then. And that sun!
ETB Travel Photography
That cathedral is magnificent. I think we drove a car in seville many many years ago and ended up on a street so narrow we had to fold the side mirrors in so we didn’t hit the buildings 🤣
Phil & Michaela
It’s a beautiful city, isn’t it
Born to Travel
Thanks for sharing. Back in 2017 Sevilla was one of our favourites, especially for the food and the Alcazar. Loved the photos of the tiles to revisit your journey. Cheers
Phil & Michaela
Thank you….we absolutely loved Seville, it’s a beautiful city