Splendid Seville

Monday, April 4, 2016

We arrived at Seville’s San Bernardo train station at around 8:45pm from Granada, Spain (where Alex and I started our Spain trip). We took a taxi from San Bernardo train station to our Airbnb apartment rental in downtown Seville.

Our Airbnb apartment was on the main Calle Francos street, with many boutiques and jewelry stores. Even at this late hour, it was light outside, and some shops were still open.

Our hosts - Jose and Cristina - were waiting in the apartment to greet us, and they were extremely hospitable to us, showing us how to use all of the appliances and making suggestions for things to see and do in Seville. Jose sent us a list of all the best restaurants and “secret places” to visit in Seville. 

They were the best Airbnb hosts we’ve ever had, making our stay in Seville much more memorable and enjoyable. Internet in our Airbnb apartment worked much better in Seville than in Granada’s hotel, so we could use Yelp and Google Maps to orient ourselves and read restaurant reviews.

Jose recommended that we try the El Pinton restaurant for dinner nearby. We headed straight there for dinner and were impressed with the quality of the tapas and the fantastic sangrias (some of the best we’ve ever had).

The sangrias were expensive (8 euros each) but were filled with fresh strawberries and other fruits; they tasted marvelous. 

We ordered the following tapas at El Pinton:

• 1 Gyoza (Pan-fried Japanese dumplings)
• 1 Risotto (mushroom and smoked cheese)
• 1 Hamburguesa Buey (mini ox hamburger) for Alex
• 1 Ensaladilla Ahumados (salad)
• 1 Presa

We had a fantastic first dinner at El Pinton. The risotto and gyoza taps were incredibly great. We were delighted to be in Seville!

Seville’s downtown has many narrow, winding streets, making it easy to get lost. We relied on Google Maps for most of our directions, though sometimes they also let us down. Seville’s streets are so narrow that many cars have problems getting through the little, windy, cobblestone streets. I was glad I did not have to drive a car in Seville.

People seemed to be enjoying themselves way past midnight. Most Spaniards were going to dinner at around 10:00pm, and most places get really busy at this time.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

In the morning, I purchased pastries and bread for breakfast from a local bakery, Crustum. (I did this last year in Venice and enjoyed eating fresh pastries in the morning). Crustum was just opening up when I arrived (it opened at 9:00am). I purchased two croissants and a few bread rolls. The bread rolls and croissants were fresh but not as delicious as the ones I bought in Venice (last year).

When it came time for breakfast, we had fun trying to get our De Longhi coffee machine to work. We didn’t have a manual, so I found the model online and finally got it working. It worked acceptably well, but we only used it once (we prefer fresh coffee made in coffee shops to machine-made brews).

After finishing our light breakfast, we headed to Seville’s Cathedral, close to our rented Airbnb apartment. The line to get into the Cathedral was very long (and we were there just after 10:00am), and we almost decided to skip it. However, we persisted and were admitted in about 30 minutes.

The entire Cathedral is enormous and imposing. Look at the size of that organ below!

We purchased three audio guides, too (one for each of us), but they were uninteresting. Sometimes, audio guides are very informative and illuminating; other times, they are awfully dull.

Seville’s Cathedral is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world and the third-largest (behind St. Peter’s in the Vatican and St. Paul’s in London). In the Cathedral, we saw the burial place of Christopher Columbus, which had a crowd of people. In addition, the main center of the Cathedral had a golden altarpiece by Pierre Dancart.

This altarpiece - which tells the stories of the New Testament - took 70 years to complete and is covered in gold leaf.

We also ended up climbing the tall tower - La Giralda. Unlike most towers with hundreds of steps, the Giralda Tower uses a gradual incline so horses can ride up and down the tower.

La Giralda used to be a minaret from an Arab mosque but was converted for Cathedral’s use. The views from the top of La Giralda are pretty impressive. I observed that Seville is primarily flat from here, with houses less than three stories high.

Although the Seville Cathedral is gigantic and imposing, its beauty or grace did not charm us.

Inna and I preferred the Italian Duomos in Siena, Florence, and Milan and the Spanish Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona.

For lunch, we stopped by Vinaria San Telmo (due to recommendations in one of Inna's guidebooks). We enjoyed the following tapas there:

• 1 tapa rascacielo
• 1 tape crujiente de cola
• 1 media bife tenera argentine
• 1 tapa foie gras
• 1 tapa Rollitos bife bri

The tapas were delicious but not on the level at El Pinton.

Since Alex was feeling a bit tired from all the city exploring, we dropped him off at home and headed to explore the other notable places in Seville.

We stopped by at the Metropol Parasol  “Flying Waffle” sculpture. This is a giant wooden sculpture and has a few restaurants and shops on the top. 

After enjoying the view and picking up a complimentary water bottle, we descended the elevator. The Flying Waffle is built on top of some Roman-era ruins, but we did not spend any time exploring them. Next time we will spend some more time there.

We stopped by a small Coffee Shop - La Creme de la Creme - to get a coffee and pastry. The pastries and coffee looked delicious but not as tasty as they looked.

We also decided to explore Seville’s waterfront. By accident, we stopped by Seville's Bull Fighting ring, where a match was ongoing. I considered purchasing tickets to see bullfighting live, but tickets were expensive and complicated.

We walked over the bridge across the Guadalquivir River and enjoyed the magnificent views of Seville. Afterward, we returned home to check on Alex. He was doing fine, but he was not hungry.

For dinner, we decided to try the Bar Estrella restaurant nearby. 

It was an acceptable bar/restaurant with very reasonable prices, but the tapas were not in the same league as El Pinton. We ordered the following tapas there:

• 1 pate cobracho tostadit
• 1 bacalao Estrella
• 1 berenjenas tapas
• 1 pan (bread)

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

We decided to eat breakfast (Desayuno) at the Gusto restaurant near Seville’s Cathedral.

Alex ordered the Americano breakfast (3 pancakes, yogurt, fruit, and cappuccino). Inna ordered the Spanish breakfast (toasted roll with Iberian ham & tomatoes, orange juice, and cappuccino). I ordered an Italian breakfast ( a croissant, orange juice, and cappuccino).

After breakfast, we got in line to the Alcazar Palace. The line was long but moved quickly. 

The Alcazar reminded us of a similar palace in Granada (The Alhambra and Generalife). The Alcazar was more elaborate, and its gardens were far more lovely than the ones in Granada’s Alhambra.

We really enjoyed the exquisite designs of the palace and gardens.

The Moorish designs are awe-inspiring throughout Alcazar.

The ceilings in Alcazar are simply marvelous and unforgettable!

We even saw a newlywed couple posing for pictures at Alcazar.

The outdoor gardens are well-manicured and beautiful.

We spent about half an hour exploring Alcazar's gardens and delighting in the many water fountains.

We found an underground grotto that looked quite amazing.

For lunch, we stopped by a highly recommended (on Yelp) Italian restaurant - Osteria L’Oca Giuliva. 

Alex ordered the Lunch special, which included the Margherita Pizza, a Minute-Maid Lemonade, and dessert. 

I also ordered a lunch special, which included the Funghi pizza, a local beer (Cerveza), and a panicotta dessert. 

Inna ordered a pasta dish - “Pappardelle Al Cinghia” (pasta with wild boar sauce). The pizza was as delicious as Italy's - with a super-thin crust and delightful cheese. Inna’s pasta was also outstanding.

After lunch, we dropped off Alex and decided to explore more of Seville. We stumbled onto a shopping street, where lots of merchandise was sold. Inna especially liked looking at Spanish women's fancy, colorful dresses during festivals.

We walked all the way to the Basilique de la Macarena - a very famous church in Seville. Unlike many Italian churches that feature paintings of Jesus and the saints, Spanish churches have much more statues in place of paintings.

We also saw the famous Macarena gate, which in ancient times allowed entrance to downtown Seville (surrounded by walls).

We attended a Flamenco performance at the Museum of Flamenco in the evening. We sat in the front row, with the performers being very close. There were two male singers, one flamenco guitar player, one female, and one male dancer. When they danced, their tapping was very loud.

The dancers change costumes a few times during the dance.

For dinner, we decided to try the highly recommended Mamarracha restaurant. 

We had difficulty finding it because my iPhone’s Google Maps GPS failed. 

Eventually, we found it and ordered a few tapas, including:

• Ensaladilla Russe (Russian Salad) - like an olive but smoother (and better!)
• Pimientos de Padron con mayo Koreana ( peppers with Korean mayonnaise)
• Magret
• Tiradito de salmon
• Infusion

Mamarracha, along with El Pinton, was our favorite restaurant in Seville.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

After eating breakfast at Gusto restaurant in the morning, we rented Segways with Ana and toured all over Seville, stopping by at significant sites along the way. 

It was a lot of fun, and we quickly rode past Seville’s Cathedral to Plaza de Espagna and onto the enormous Parque de Maria Luisa. 

Ana explained the significance of the Plaza de Espagna, where the central Spanish provinces are displayed. Seville was the first stop of gold and treasure bound from America.

Here is a short video I filmed of our Segway tour of Seville:

We decided to return to our favorite Mamarracha restaurant with Alex for lunch.

We had a few more delicious tapas!

Upon completion, we dropped off Alex at our Airbnb apartment and headed to the famous Alfonso XIII Hotel.

This hotel was one of the most famous and lavish hotels in Spain.

The insides of the hotel are lavishly furnished.

We decided to order a few cups of coffee to savor the experience. The indoor courtyard is finely decorated with Moorish influence, which is clearly evident.

The coffee was quite refreshing but expensive (as expected).

We walked back to Plaza Espagna and enjoyed the late afternoon air. It was not overly hot.

In the evening, we enjoyed the relaxing waters of Banos Arabes. Inna had a 45-minute massage while I wanted the salt water, hot water, and cold water baths.

After the beautiful, restful baths, we had dinner at our favorite “El Pinton” restaurant. 

We ordered our favorite red wine, Sangrias (this time getting the full jar). I started with Bloody Red Gazpacho (which was served in a glass). We also ordered a few delicious tapas to share, including:

• a Burrata Salad
• a Bao roll
• a sun-dried tomato salad
• a risotto
• a mini burger for Alex.

Friday, April 8, 2016

For breakfast, we stopped by at our usual Gusto restaurant. I ordered a croissant with ham, Alex ordered a Croque Monsieur sandwich, and Inna ate a Croque Madame sandwich.

Afterward, we strolled to Plaza De Espagna, renting bicycles at Maria Louisa Park. We rode all over the park for bike rental, which was 4.00 euros per hour. We saw a lake with two white Swans.

There was a small waterfall in the park and many fountains sprinkled everywhere.

I recorded a short video, using my Canon G7x camera, of us riding bicycles in the park:

For lunch, we stopped by the nearby local Albarama restaurant, where we ordered a few tapas, including:

• “Salmorejo” cold tomato soup with boiled quail egg and Iberian ham
• Rare Done Tuna with black olives powder, grilled ear asparagus, and sun-dried tomatoes
• Homemade Croquettes
• Mushroom Risotto with duck breast and truffle

For dessert, we had a couple of cappuccinos with a brownie.

After lunch, we decided to explore the secret spots mentioned by Jose - our Airbnb host. The first spot was located in the El Rey Moro Boutique Hotel. The hotel's design is unique, and visiting its courtyard was a pleasure.

The second secret spot was in Bar Alfalfa. The uniqueness of this bar is that it serves an exceptional Andalucian dish called Bruschetta Andaluza - toasted bread with gazpacho, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, and oil.

We tried this tapa and the sweet wine with it. I liked the Bruschetta Andaluza, but I can’t say that it’s my favorite tapa of all time.

There were too many delicious tapas at El Pinton that could have been my favorite. We tasted an exciting wine - “El Marido de mi Amiga” Rioja by Vollebera. It was a bit dry.

We noticed the vast crowds walking down Sevilla’s streets when we returned home. Being Friday night, the streets were packed with shoppers. All of the local bars and tapa restaurants were packed!

We looked around for dresses for Inna and shoes for me. Although we saw some very well-made Italian and Spanish shoes, I never found a pair I liked.

We thought about going to one of the higher-rated restaurants for dinner, but they were all jammed with people - even at 10pm at night! We stopped by a touristy place next to our “Gusto” restaurant -

Doña Francisquita. It was as mediocre as expected - there were no tapas, so Alex ordered a “Sevilla Pizza,” while Inna and I shared a plate of “Paella dell Senorita.”

Alex ended up removing the slices of sausages from his pizza (which he did not like). We also shared a delicious sangria - but it was not as tasty as the ones from El Pinton or Mamarrachi.

Many street musicians were entertaining us - first, a guy came around singing Bob Marley tunes. Next, a few traditional Spanish musicians carrying lutes and guitars came around. This was followed by 4 girls dressed in traditional Spanish clothing, singing conventional Spanish songs. We were undoubtedly amply entertained.

This was our last full day in Seville, so we were a bit sad. We really enjoyed our time in Seville!

Saturday, April 9, 2016

In the morning, we walked up early and packed our bags. We wanted our last breakfast at our favorite local “Gusto” restaurant, but it only opened at 8:30am. We decided to walk around the Seville Cathedral to pass the time and enjoy Seville’s early morning hours. We were surprised by the total lack of people! We seemed to be the only people at 8:00am - as if the whole town was still sleeping.

After enjoying our fresh morning walk and taking lots of great photos, we stopped by our “Gusto” restaurant and ordered our usual breakfast: I ordered an Italian breakfast (Orange Juice, Cappuccino, and fresh Croissant), Inna ordered a Croque Madame sandwich with a cappuccino, and Alex ordered an American breakfast (3 pancakes with fruit and decaf cappuccino).

After finishing breakfast, we returned to our apartment, picked up our luggage, and headed for the side of Seville’s Cathedral, where most taxis usually awaited.

We found a taxi to take us to the central train station where our Hertz car rental was. We planned to pick up a car and drive to Ronda, where we would spend a day exploring.

Once at Hertz, we rented an Opel Meriva. It was a small 4-seater compact car with a 6-speed manual transmission. Hertz promised me that the gas tank was full - but it turned out to be only ½ full. I only noticed when I was already a few miles out (so it was a bit of an annoyance). I decided to get additional insurance since I was unsure how I would fare through the small towns in Spain. It turned out to be entirely unnecessary (and highly overpriced). Next time, I will thoroughly check gas gauges or pick up a car and skip the insurance.

According to Google Maps, the drive from Seville to Rondo was about 120km or 1.5 hours, which turned out to be about right. The Spanish freeways were in excellent condition, but most freeway speeds were limited to 100-120 km/h. On the way there, we found many road bicyclists and many more motorcycles than I expected.

We contemplated stopping in Zahara, a small city that overlooks a beautiful lake. Rick Steves mentioned it, so when we saw an exit for it, we decided to stop there for a bit.

Zahara is a beautiful white-walled town on a hilltop overlooking a beautiful lake. The very top-held ruins of a medieval fortress. We drove around the city for a bit but could not find parking. So, having taken a few photos, we decided to continue to Ronda.