Spain – Andalusia – All Around The World

Seville is the capital of Andalusia region in southern Spain. A historic city popular with tourists, it’s old town contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar palace complex, the Sevilla Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.

My wife Glenda is Hawaiian-Filipino and her Filipino ancestry trace back to Seville with a migration around early 1890s during Spanish colonial era. With her recent DNA test showing her still 1/4th Iberian and her middle name (Sevilla) still bearing the heritage, a trip to Seville was an obvious choice. And when we landed she was beaming at the airports large signboard!

We arrived in Seville from Atlanta via Lisbon, Portugal. The airport is well organized and have a delicious restaurant right next to the security checkpoint!

We decided to stay at the historic old town and took a 30 min taxi ride from the airport. Some areas in historic district are only accessible on foot which was a treat exploring the historic wonders!

*Musician playing Spanish guitar by the cathedral*

After freshening up at the historic Murillo apartments, we started our walk toward Plaza de Colone for our bus tour around the city.

*The nicely laid out historic district is an enjoyable experience including Street side Flamenco dance.*

The Hop on hop off bus tour took us all around the city with an audio guide explaining notable sites.

*Getting a sit at the upper level in good weather is best to enjoy sightseeing in the bus tour*

*The famous bull fighting arena of Seville*

*The blending of Muslim and Spanish design is prominent in Andulasia*

The Seville harbour, located about 50 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain. The river splits the city in two distinct regions.

*The River Guadalquivir made Seville an important City during the Spanish Golden age back in 16th century*

*The famous Macarena church housing the priceless gold statue of Virgin Mary brought out during the annual procession*

*An example of modern Seville from the 1992 Expo that gave rise to the Technology district*

After the bus tour and quick lunch, we headed to the Royal Alcazar for a guided tour. The palace grounds has been in existence since 10th century during Muslim Spanish rule and there are even remnants of walls from the Roman period. It was rebuilt in it’s current Andalusian Mudejar style by King Pedro I in late 14th century. More recently the palace interior and garden were filmed for the HBO hit series ‘Game of Thrones’.

*Real Alcazar, palace of the Spanish monarchy for 5 centuries*

*One of the access-gates (b. 14th century) to Salón de los Embajadores in Palace of Peter of Castile*

*The famous Royal gardens featured in the fictional kingdom of Dorne in HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’*

*The interior facade by the pond of the Royal gardens where they still have live fish!*

*A photo op for the ladies next to back facade of the garden of Real Alcazar*

One of the big attraction of Seville is it’s amazingly diverse and colorful cuisine. Tapas was invented in this city during the Spanish Golden age. Below are a few delicious samples!

*Simone checking out the tasty treats at a Spanish bakery*

*Dinner in the historic district next to our Murillo apartments*

Exploring Seville was a memorable experience for us. The charm of it’s old town cobblestone streets, historic architecture and delicious food makes it a must see in any Spanish trip.