semana santa was definitely a site to behold but sevilla unquestionably merits its own post beyond these celebrations. we visited several charming cities on this tour of southern spain but sevilla remained our favorite. there was something about it that just made it especially inviting and of all the places i've been in europe it's the only other place (besides lyon) where i could see myself living. i'm sure there are many smaller reasons for this but here were some of the main attractions:
the alcázar.
wow. i was expecting some sort of alhambra-lite but this place faaaar exceeded expectations. the moorish architecture was absolutely phenomenal; the stucco work and carved ceilings were sublime. and the bright yellow walls make it look so warm. i could have wandered around this place for hours and if i lived here i would probably do so on a weekly basis (it's free for students, or people who happen to have outdated student IDs). i'm at a loss for words here because the architecture itself is just so stunning. and if that weren't enough there are the gardens, which include palm trees, hedge mazes, orange trees and all sorts of flowers and fountains, 
and apparently peacocks (though we saw none). the amazingness of this place was only enhanced by the gorgeous weather we enjoyed - clear skies and low to mid 20's (that's 70s for you fahrenheit folks). we didn't want to leave. ...and then we hit the bookshop. these people saw me coming a mile away. everything was just details of the tiles. sold!
la comida.
one of the things europe seems to do well is bar food. italy's got its aperitivos and spain has tapas. though we had more tapas elsewhere in spain, i just thought i'd pay homage to the general brilliance of the idea, yet another thing sevilla's got going for it. what we did enjoy in sevilla was sweets. ice cream was plentiful and delicious (dulce de leche was a fan favorite) but the churros were downright ridiculous. that amount of grease on a plate is just obscene. still, we managed to fit in a few helpings of churro con chocolate every day. just beware: if you only get even one razione, be prepared not to eat for a long time. or in our case, another helping of churros a few hours later.
plaza de españa.
there's not really much to this square; in fact i don't even know what purpose it actually serves. all i know is that it's a big square with a fountain, lots of fun brickwork, tiles and bridges. to add to the charm there are picturesque horse-drawn carriages with bright yellow wheels that are constantly circling the square carting around tourists. each of the little niches in the edifice showcased (in tile) a representation of one of the bigger spanish cities. what fun. my only complaint was that half of them were shrouded for what i imagine was restoration.
parque de maría luisa.
this place is a gem. not surprisingly it's been called one of the best parks in all of europe. from what we saw it seemed pretty big. we didn't have time to explore the whole thing but everywhere we went to discovered a new fountain or section of palm trees. we found this nice spot where kelly enjoyed a catnap while i watched a cute spanish famillia take a family portrait. doesn't it look incredibly lush and green? well it is. oh and then have tandem bikes (with little roofs) you can rent. which reminds me. did i mention that sevilla has the same public bike system as lyon? (not like the weird barcelona ones) no wonder i loved it there.
la giralda/the cathedral.
the cathedral, like most big sites in andalucia, has muslim origins. today la giralda (the former minaret) remains while the ceiling inside the now-christian church is almost as impressive. the rest of the church seems to be filled with typical busy spanish decorations and design. also the remains of christopher columbus are in there for some reason. we climbed to the top of la giralda to take in the view of the city. from there you can see the alcazar and the gardens beyond, the plaza del toros and the rooftop pools of all the people you really hate.
i think we did the city justice in the few days we had but i could see myself staying longer. in the words of vince, 'who knew sevilla was effing awesome?'
the alcázar.
wow. i was expecting some sort of alhambra-lite but this place faaaar exceeded expectations. the moorish architecture was absolutely phenomenal; the stucco work and carved ceilings were sublime. and the bright yellow walls make it look so warm. i could have wandered around this place for hours and if i lived here i would probably do so on a weekly basis (it's free for students, or people who happen to have outdated student IDs). i'm at a loss for words here because the architecture itself is just so stunning. and if that weren't enough there are the gardens, which include palm trees, hedge mazes, orange trees and all sorts of flowers and fountains, 
and apparently peacocks (though we saw none). the amazingness of this place was only enhanced by the gorgeous weather we enjoyed - clear skies and low to mid 20's (that's 70s for you fahrenheit folks). we didn't want to leave. ...and then we hit the bookshop. these people saw me coming a mile away. everything was just details of the tiles. sold!la comida.
one of the things europe seems to do well is bar food. italy's got its aperitivos and spain has tapas. though we had more tapas elsewhere in spain, i just thought i'd pay homage to the general brilliance of the idea, yet another thing sevilla's got going for it. what we did enjoy in sevilla was sweets. ice cream was plentiful and delicious (dulce de leche was a fan favorite) but the churros were downright ridiculous. that amount of grease on a plate is just obscene. still, we managed to fit in a few helpings of churro con chocolate every day. just beware: if you only get even one razione, be prepared not to eat for a long time. or in our case, another helping of churros a few hours later.plaza de españa.
there's not really much to this square; in fact i don't even know what purpose it actually serves. all i know is that it's a big square with a fountain, lots of fun brickwork, tiles and bridges. to add to the charm there are picturesque horse-drawn carriages with bright yellow wheels that are constantly circling the square carting around tourists. each of the little niches in the edifice showcased (in tile) a representation of one of the bigger spanish cities. what fun. my only complaint was that half of them were shrouded for what i imagine was restoration.parque de maría luisa.
this place is a gem. not surprisingly it's been called one of the best parks in all of europe. from what we saw it seemed pretty big. we didn't have time to explore the whole thing but everywhere we went to discovered a new fountain or section of palm trees. we found this nice spot where kelly enjoyed a catnap while i watched a cute spanish famillia take a family portrait. doesn't it look incredibly lush and green? well it is. oh and then have tandem bikes (with little roofs) you can rent. which reminds me. did i mention that sevilla has the same public bike system as lyon? (not like the weird barcelona ones) no wonder i loved it there.la giralda/the cathedral.
the cathedral, like most big sites in andalucia, has muslim origins. today la giralda (the former minaret) remains while the ceiling inside the now-christian church is almost as impressive. the rest of the church seems to be filled with typical busy spanish decorations and design. also the remains of christopher columbus are in there for some reason. we climbed to the top of la giralda to take in the view of the city. from there you can see the alcazar and the gardens beyond, the plaza del toros and the rooftop pools of all the people you really hate.i think we did the city justice in the few days we had but i could see myself staying longer. in the words of vince, 'who knew sevilla was effing awesome?'
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