The first night in Seville, Brian and I had reservations that I had been excited for since before our arrival in Madrid: a live flamenco performance. My good friend Shannon had told me about Casa de la Memoria where we could watch live singing and dancing in an intimate performance space. But before the show, we stopped for a drink and sandwich at one of the many 100 Montaditos around the city. We were lured by the cheap beer and sandwich – 1 euro a piece! How can you say no? After our quick bite, it was time for the performance. I was blown away. There were only two rows (and a balcony you could watch from as well) so you felt as if you were practically on stage yourself.
Unfortunately during our time in Seville, it stayed persistently rainy all day, but the beautiful architecture of the city was not dampened by the weather. We started our full day in Sevilla by walking from our hotel across the river, around the city, through the some markets, past the bullfighting ring Torre del Oro, toward the Plaza de Espana. It’s a grand plaza inside a large park, with an area to rent little boats, beautiful bridges crossing the small waterway, with small alcoves for each province of Spain in wonderful tile artwork.
Thoroughly damp from walking through the city in the rain, I managed to take us the long way around through some gardens and small squares to get to the entrance for the Real Alcázar, a royal palace that is one of the oldest still in use in Europe today. I could have spent hours and hours wandering through the rooms, admiring the small decorative details, before heading to the fabulous gardens full of flora and even a hedge maze. We spent as much time as we could before closing time neared for the complex. The entire area was stunning.
We crossed the street to the beautiful cathedral that we were able to duck into before their closing time. This is the supposed burial place for Christopher Columbus, and the cathedral was built in the 15th century on the grounds of a 12th century mosque.
That night, the local Seville football club was playing so Brian and I found a local pub called The Merchant to have a wonderful dinner, some drinks, and watch the game with enthusiastic fans.
Although we didn’t have the greatest luck with the weather, the city was still an amazing stop on our tour of Spain and I was absolutely stunned with the architecture, the flamenco, and the history.