Seville

“From Seville to Grenada, in the quiet twilight of nights …” professor Preobrazhensky from “Heart of a Dog” book liked to hum this Don Juan’s Serenade. Therefore, traveling Andalusia, we did not hesitate for a minute whether we should watch the edge, where “serenades are heard”. Seville is the capital of Andalusia and the Central point of our journey through the region. It is the fourth largest city in Spain, an industrial and commercial center, as well as a center of tourism. Of course, we visited it for the tourist attractions.

I must say that during our stay the weather was clearly atypical for this region: +16-18 and rain. Therefore, the inspection of the city had to be done with breaks to wait out the rains. And there was plenty of places to wait at! Our hotel was located near the Cathedral of Seville and the Giralda tower, so these attractions of the city were studied first. However, the rain didn’t let us go far (more like a tropical monsoon) and we had to quickly search for a place to have a snack. According to the Trip Advisor rating, we found Mama Bistro very closeby, and it was the right choice! Delicious home (Spanish) food and cozy family service, even after the rain did not want to leave there.

Not far from us was the flamenco Museum. We bought tickets through the concierge service of the hotel, because it is not easy to get there during the tourist season. The performance of the dancers did not disappoint us, after all, it is better to watch the “canonical” performance of this dance in a specialized institution. At the same time, in addition to the show, you can visit the exposition of the Museum.

Perhaps the most striking impression of visiting Seville was a trip to Reales Alcázares de Sevilla. It is a palace-fortress, reconstructed Moorish military citadel, equipped for the needs of the Spanish king. In addition to the Royal chambers, the Royal gardens surrounding the main buildings are also important in this complex. The views inside and out are simply mesmerizing. If you watched “Game of Thrones”, you saw the Alcazar: the filming of Dorne Palace scenes took place there.

An interesting observation about public transport in Seville. Almost the entire city center is covered by a network of tram tracks. At the same time, in some places, trams are technically transformed into electric buses, removing their “horns” – so local authorities ensure the preservation of the historical appearance of the old city, so that there are no unnecessary wires. Well, in general, an interesting impression is left by these fashionable trams in the middle of architectural monuments. And the most memorable mode of transport in Seville was a horse-drawn carriage. A ride in it through the historic streets was very authentic.

And separately I would like to mention our hotel – Hotel Casa 1800. It is located in a historic mansion and inside looks accordingly, more like a Museum. The most impressive of its rooms was the Central hall with a “second light”, in which as a compliment guests were served daily” five o’clock ” – tea, coffee, cookies, cakes, and sitting over a Cup of tea, you could very vividly imagine how was the life of respected sevillians in the distant past. The roof terrace offered panoramic views of the city and the Cathedral. This hotel had a special offer for accommodation exactly for the period that we were visiting the city, which we took advantage of thanks to Hotel Hunter. But the accommodation played a great part in our general impression of the city . And, of course, we recommend visiting Seville at any time of the year – even bad weather will not spoil the impression of this city.

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