One of my biggest regrets in life is not studying abroad in Sevilla. I was so excited to visit this city after dreaming about it for years, and it certainly did not disappoint. We spent three packed days here and while we saw a lot of main attractions, there were still entire parts of the city that we didn't get to. Over this short stay we took a walking tour of the city and visited the cathedral and Real Alcázar palace and gardens. Thanks to a borrowed Rick Steve's travel guide I stumbled upon an amazing tour group that showed us some secrets of Seville and made our trip very memorable and personal (see details in my Seville summary post to come).
I owe my dad a lot of credit for our wonderful time in Seville. He donated his Starwood hotel points to put me and mom up at the
Alfonso XIII Hotel in the center of town. This is hands-down one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. With its Moorish architecture and decorative details, the Alfonso XIII is the definition of luxury. Everything about this hotel is just excellent; if you stay here make sure you check out the pool (I sadly didn't do this until our last few hours there). I'm pretty sure this isn't on the average traveler's budget, but if you're in Sevilla at least stop by to take a look.
Even though it was really hot during our visit, the Spaniards have a few ingenious ways of staying cool in the summer heat. Narrow streets will have a canopy draped between buildings to create shade on even the sunniest days. A lot of cafes (including the Starbucks across the street from our hotel) have little water misters that go off every so often refresh you during your coffee breaks. Sevilla was so beautiful. I fell in love with the trees, horses, and of course Moorish tiles (it's an obsession of mine). On our walking tour we passed a Spanish guitar player, the site of Cervantes' imprisonment, and lots of hidden courtyards.
One night we walked to the
Metropol Parasol -- this huge mushroom shaped modern building in the center of the city. The basement holds an archeological museum of Roman ruins, and apparently you can see gorgeous panoramic views of Sevilla from the rooftop (sadly we didn't have a chance to go up).
Some of the last pictures are of a cool pharmacy I passed on a busy shopping street & the weather vane on top of the cathedral tower. Stayed tuned for pictures of the Real Alcázar and my recommendations for a visit to lovely Sevilla...
