Seville was where we spent the second longest time in Spain. It is such a lovely city and we were well located near the Cathedral. We rented an apartment from a lovely young woman who was residing in Barcelona. In email conversations with her before and over the course of the time we were there, she was telling us how traditional Seville is. It holds onto its traditions and values unlike other Spanish cities.
Seville Plaza
After our stay in both Madrid and Barcelona, I was expecting to see the same wide modern streets. Instead, the side streets, as we got closer to the apartment and in the more historic parts of the city, were narrow. It was wonderful to explore Seville and probably was one of my favourites.
Seville Streets
On the afternoon of our arrival, we took the opportunity to explore the cathedral and the fortress. We had great weather and it was nice to see the carriages and their horses wondering around with tourists. It was definitely more relaxed for us and since we were in Seville for a few days we had a lot of time to explore what we wanted to see.
Fortress
One of many fountains in the Fortress
With the Hop On Hop Off bus available in Seville, we took advantage of its service to get around the city. There were only four stops in an hour’s tour of the city. The four stops were:
- Torre del Oro
- Plaza de España
- Isla Magica
- Monasterio de la Cartuja
Guadalavir River
The pick-up point we chose that was closest to where we were staying, the Torre del Oro, was along the river that cuts through Seville. The Torre del Oro was a military watchtower constructed in the first third of the 13th century, It also served as a prison during the Middle Ages and housed precious metals periodically brought by the fleet of the Indies.
Torro del Oro (Gold Tower)
We ended up doing one full round on the bus to see where things were before we chose where we wanted to get off the second time around. We did get off at the Plaza de España which was definitely a highlight. The plaza is located near the Parque de Maria Luisa. It was built in 1928 for the Ibero-America Exposition World’s Fair. The Parque de Maria Luisa has pavilions interspersed throughout which honoured and housed all the participating countries in the exposition. Each pavilion was done in a different style which symbolized the country it represented.
Plaza de Espana
Plaza de Espana
The Plaza de España was built to showcase Spain’s industry and technology exhibits. It was a huge half-circle complex. The buildings ran around the edge of a moat with beautiful bridges connecting the buildings with the centre. In the centre was a large gorgeous fountain. The walls of the Plaza were covered with tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain.
Plaza de Espana Fountain
From the Hop On Hop Off bus I learned that the Plaza de España has been used as a filming location, including scenes for Lawrence of Arabia. The building was used as a location in the Star Wars movie series — Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
We didn’t get off at the Isla Magica. It was just an amusement park and we weren’t interested in what it had to offer.
Back at the Torre del Oro, we got off so that we could walk across one of the bridges to the Triana side of Seville. The Triana side mostly contained residential apartments and shops that catered to the residents. All the tourist spots were on the other side of the river. It was still a pleasant walk which we enjoyed none-the-less.
Cathedral’s Spire at night
Bishop’s Palace and the Cathedral
After spending the day exploring the tourist side of Seville, we also spent a day just exploring the city’s side streets. We were treated to guitar music and impromptu dancing to a peacock roaming one of the back streets. There was an olive oil and vinegar bar where we bought some oil which then opened up onto a little square. We sat in the square to watch the elderly men chit chat and children play. This type of exploration was so serene and equally enjoyable to the touristy things we did the previous day.
