sevilla weekend getaway

This past weekend I travelled to southern Spain to a city called Sevilla or Seville in English. I travelled with the entire group from CIEE Friday morning by train and we arrived in the south about two and a half hours later. I initially thought that Sevilla was going to be similar to Toledo, but a tiny bit more urban. I was wrong. Instead I arrived in a highly urban city that had modern and old buildings mixed together.

On the first day we visited the La Seta which is nicknamed "the mushroom" after its shape. Its architecture is very modern and really stands out against all the older surrounding buildings. I was able to go to the top of La Seta at night to see the sunset and it was beautiful. You could see all of Sevilla from anywhere you stood and the sunset was so colorful and bright it seemed like it was not even real! Later that night I ate dinner with my friends at a Mexican restaurant because we were craving tacos and nachos. We did not make a reservation so the owner told us we had to be out by 10 pm! This was so different to me because you never hear someone say that to you in the States. The culture around eating dinner and going to a restaurant is very different because they expect you to be at the restaurant for the entire night, where as in the US they want to turn over tables quickly. The food however was great and we were out by 9:30 pm so the owner was happy for our service and that we were gone quickly.

Earlier that day my friends and I also visited a convent where the nuns never leave and cannot see anyone. In Sevilla there is a tradition where couples bring eggs to the convent for good luck on their wedding day. Since the nuns received so many eggs they started selling sweets for very cheap so the eggs were not wasted. However, since they cannot see outside people, the exchange happens on a spinning platter. You ring the bell, place your order, put the money on the spinner, and by the time the nun gets the money you have your sweets. It was so interesting to see this in action. Supposedly you are suppose to say a phrase tot he nun when she firsts answers the ring, but my friends and I were so confused about the whole process that we didn't realize we were suppose to say something important, but she took our order anyways.

Saturday I visited the Real Alcazar with my school which was lead by a tour guide named Alejandro. Alejandro was very knowledgeable about the Spanish history of Sevilla and about the Alcazar itself. The Alcazar was one of the most beautiful places I have been to in the last couple weeks in Spain. It has mainly Muslim architecture influenced with some Catholic influence as well. There are gorgeous tiles which are all hand painted. The design of the palace was made so that when a person entered they were trapped in a maze, so the entrance opens to a wall that directs you in one of two ways: either to the private rooms or the public ones. We got to see the private side first which included the bedrooms of the royal children. This side was also where Game of Thrones was filmed so I really geeked out when we saw those parts of the Alcazar. I loved being able to relate the scenes in the show to what I was seeing right in front of me and learning all the history about the palace itself. My favorite fact that I learned was that it is the oldest palace still in use in Europe and that there were many additions to the palace over the many centuries and each addition can be seen in the style of architecture in that room. I also though that it was cool how in one of the rooms there are hidden faces of dolls in the arches. The gardens were also magnificent and it was crazy to see so many orange trees in one place, that I just wanted to pick one at eat it! Actually, the trees are all around Sevilla but no one picks the fruits. In the US those would be gone in a hot second!

Later on Saturday I did a bike tour in the rain in which I fell in the city center but don't worry I was completely fine and finished the tour no problem. It was just somewhat miserable from the rain but our guide was very knowledgable about Sevilla and the history around the city. I also tried Dunkin Coffee which is not to be mistaken for Dunkin Donuts in the US even though all the logos are the same. I felt like I was cheating on Dunks but the donuts were actually pretty good and dare I even say better than DD? Well you all will have to go to Spain and try for yourselves. Later, I hung out with friends and tried some more restaurants. We even got gelato late that night (as well as every day in Sevilla because it was just so good).

Sunday I participated in a ceramics class and learned about eh history of ceramics in Spain, the US, and the world. I found it really interesting that there used to be only one bridge that connected to Sevilla's city center and it was formed from boats. When the tide of the river rose, the boats would wash away and you would never know when you would get to go back to the other side. I got to paint my own tile at the class and now have my own unique souvenir from Sevilla! Overall, I had an amazing time in Sevilla and highly recommend it to anyone looking to travel to cities in Spain. I think my heart is still with Toledo because of its design and vibes but I would love to go back to Sevilla again sometime and explore the city some more.

xoxo, j

more more photos and videos from my trip, click this link! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey0CkuAUpJA