Sevilla

After my ferry from Morocco, I arrived in the coastal town of Tarifa.  Tarifa is a port and kite-surfing hotspot.  I stopped for lunch after I arrived and was happy to find that Spanish food was both more varied and better prepared than much of what I’d had in Morocco.  That being said, it was about twice as expensive.  After lunch I spent the afternoon wandering the city and picking up some things at the pharmacy.  That evening I met up with Angelerosa and her mom, who I’d met at my hostel in Tangier.  Angelerosa’s English was quite good, and she started helping me work on my Spanish.  They were kind of enough to give me a ride from Tarifa to the bus station near their home in Chiclana de la Frontera, only a short bus ride from my hostel in Cádiz. 

The next morning, I went to grab some lunch and find transport to Sevilla.

My days in Sevilla were a good mix of activities for this far in to my trip.  Where earlier on I had a seemingly endless desire for tourism and history, I’ve found that going to another museum just doesn’t have as much to offer me these days.  Instead, I’ve been enjoying waking up late, having a luxurious lunch, doing an activity or two in the afternoon, before taking a siesta.  My evenings in Sevilla were filled with family dinners at the hostel and Spanish beer, shared with plenty of new friends.  As some of my days in the city were a bit slow, I’ll just share a few highlights here.

Highlight 1 – The Aesthetic Beauty of the City

Sevilla is a seriously beautiful city.  It is a sumptuous combination of new and old, with a 1000 year old church sitting next to hip new cafes and shops.  The grey, cobblestone streets and yellow/cream colored buildings make for a beautiful contrast with the clear blue skies.  See below for pictures I took as I wound my way through the old city.

Highlight 2 – Eating

Spain is often cited as one of Europe’s finest culinary destinations, and I found this to be true in some cases, but less so in others.  I found that walking into a random restaurants (especially in the more touristy areas) would not yield particularly good food.  With some looking, excellent food is available, but that’s true in lots of places.  That being said, I did enjoy some delicious food during my time in Sevilla, with the tapa at Bartolomea in Sevilla being the highlight.  That one I split with my friend Simon, who shared with me the Swiss tradition of snuff tobacco.  The snuff made me sneeze and blow my nose multiple times, and I don’t think I’ll be picking it up as a habit.

Highlight 3 – La Plaza De España

The Plaza de España is a large, semi-circular plaza that was built in preparation for the a large festival in Sevilla in the beginning of the 20th century.  While this celebration never actually happened, a few incredible buildings remain.  I went to the Plaza three times in total in search of great photos.  A particular highlight was the man making bubbles at sunset.

Highlight 4 – El Catedral

Sevilla’s old city is host to a tremendous cathedral, with its tower being one of the highest points in the city.  Like many cities in southern Spain, Sevilla was held by Muslim forces during the rule of the Islamic caliphate.  The Muslims built a mosque in the center of the city, with its large minaret serving not only its typical role of helping in the call to prayer, but as a watchtower to assist in the city’s defense.  Upon reconquering southern Spain, the Spanish decided to simply rebrand this mosque into the Cathedral that stands today.  Unlike the church in Cordoba (which you’ll see later in the post), this Cathedral doesn’t bear a strong resemblance to a mosque.  See the pictures below for a look inside.

Highlight 5 – Las Setas

Another of the city’s great highlights is a huge piece of art meant to act as a sunscreen (southern Spain is HOT).  Due to it’s fungal appearance, it has been nicknamed “Las Setas,” which in Spanish means “the mushrooms.”  One can ascend the statue via an elevator and enjoy a drink and a walk around the top of the structure.

Highlight 6 – The Alcazar

The city’s final tourist attraction is the Alcazar.  This structure is a palace built on the ruins of a Muslim fortress after the reconquest of Sevilla.  It is full of beautiful patterns, Christian/Muslim fusion decoration, and hosts sprawling gardens that I willingly got lost in for a couple of hours.

Highlight 7 – Day Trip to Cordoba

My final highlight was the day trip I took to nearby Cordoba with my friend Gene.  We began the day with a lovely lunch, before heading to the Mezquita.  Mezquite, which means Mosque in Spanish, is actually a catholic church built within a mosque.  Like the Alcazar in Seville, a previously muslim building was retrofitted to fit into Spanish society.  The church is truly breathtaking, and has a bit of a “remix” feel in that it fuses different elements into a (mostly) cohesive whole. 

Rather than take our return tickets back to Sevilla as planned, Gene suggested we go check out the local soccer team, who were playing that evening.  Despite it costing us an extra train ticket, this turned out to be a lot of fun.  Even at a small stadium and for a team that is doing quite poorly, the fans went CRAZY every time something was about to happen.  I will say that I enjoyed the match considerably more than I thought I would, and it is certainly better than on television.

All in all, Sevilla was an excellent way to start off my trip to Spain.  Thanks to everyone I met there!  Next stop, Basque Country.