SEVILLA

I wanted to be close to Andalucia during my placement and one of the main reasons for that was so that I could easily visit the community’s biggest and most famous city, Sevilla. So, when the end of my contract at the language school in Castilla La-Mancha was approaching and I still hadn’t been, it quickly became my travel priority. It turns out that despite Castilla La-Mancha bordering Andalucia, it was still quicker to head up to Madrid and get a connecting train! But anyway, I didn’t mind, as my experience of using the trains in Spain throughout my time there was outstanding. The locals in my town often complained about the national provider, Renfe, but I found their service to be brilliant for tourism purposes. I read somewhere that Spain is up there with Japan and China in terms of the quantity of high-speed trains, which really surprised me as I wouldn’t have guessed that before living there.

Most of the time I used the Renfe network to travel around the country but on this occasion, I used Iryo for my journey from Madrid down to Seville. Despite it being a private company the tickets were still very affordable (approx. 20 euros each way) and the trains were beautifully modern. Imagine paying 20 euros for a 2-hour high-speed rail journey from London in the UK. No chance! I arrived late afternoon into Sevilla after a smooth train journey, and then I only had a short walk from the station to my Airbnb room in the barrio of Nervión. It’s a really nice neighbourhood. Lovely wide streets lined with pretty houses and of course, orange trees! I knew that Sevilla was famous for oranges, but I didn’t expect them to be lining the streets which I absolutely loved.

I was always staying in Airbnb rooms so I could save some money as opposed to having the entire place to myself. My various experiences with hosts were generally always positive and on this occasion my host was particularly lovely. I stayed in the spare room of a retired Sevillana, and she was so friendly and helpful. I really felt like I was getting an extra authentic experience by staying with her. In a way it is a shame how Airbnb has developed into primarily being for private rentals. Whilst it is convenient to find private accommodation that’s often considerable cheaper than a hotel, staying in a host’s actual residence - as per the original concept of the company - has really added an amazing element to many of my trips as a solo traveller.

It was clear by some of the photos and decorations in the host’s house that her family were Real Betis fans, so I broke it to her gently that I would be attending a match of their great rivals on the Sunday! I then headed out to see the city, with my first stop actually being the stadium that I would be returning to a few days later. It was conveniently located in the same area of the Airbnb, and it is one of the prettiest stadiums I have seen. There is a particularly beautiful mosaic on one side of the stadium. The sun was now pretty much set, and I trotted on down to the centre to get my first glimpse of the city under the night sky. Before I arrived at the centre I noticed how wide a lot of the avenues are around the city. It makes it really pleasant to walk around, especially as at the time there was a pleasant early-Spring temperature. My first impressions of the historic city centre were very positive. I didn’t have too much time to explore as I had an early start the next morning, but I walked around and inside the stunning cathedral, and I couldn’t wait to see it again with all the other landmarks in a few days’ time.

I would have to wait an extra day to see the city in daylight, as on my first full day I took an early morning train down to Cadiz in order to spend the day there. I’d read that the coastal city of Cadiz was a very interesting place due to its history and good-humoured people. This had perked my interest in the city, and this was heightened after experiencing the way that some of the locals in my town spoke about Cadiz. The city clearly has a strong reputation amongst Spaniards, and so I decided to extend my trip to Sevilla by a day so I could travel down to Cadiz whilst I was there. After arriving at Cadiz station, I quickly made a plan that I would grab a coffee and go for a long walk to the port and beach area, and then back again to tour the historic centre and visit the museum before I got the train back. The beach is a wide and long beach facing the Atlantic Ocean. It’s pleasant enough, with lots of bars and restaurants near the front, but it’s not really necessary to go there if you only have a day to spare like me. At the time I felt like being near the ocean for a few hours as my home location in La-Mancha was inland and very dry. I also wanted to see Cadiz’s stadium and club shop as I have a bit of a soft spot for the team!

I was now heading back to the historic centre, and I wanted to check out the Cadiz Museum. During my walk there I was getting the usual glimpses of amazing alleys and plazas I’d seen so often in Spain. It was a Friday afternoon, and you could sense the weekend atmosphere building, with a noticeable number of Spanish visitors arriving as well as the international tourists. The museum itself is pretty small but displays how historic Cadiz is. Originally a Phoenician settlement over 1000 years before Christ, it has since had many influences including Roman and Moorish. Seeing all the artifacts and information inside made walking around the streets after even more interesting.

After visiting the museum, I found my way onto the coastal path of the historic area which has beautiful gardens and tiled pavements. The city really has a lot of character. Then I walked around a centuries old fort overlooking the sea, before finishing up at the cathedral. The cathedral is uniquely placed right on the coastline, so you can see its gold dome and two towers from far away in the distance. I took some photos of the cathedral as dusk was approaching, as was my return train to Seville. All in all, it really is a charming place and definitely worth more than just the 1-day visit that I was able to make on this occasion.

With my trip to Cadiz complete, I now had my first full day to experience Seville, and from what I’d see briefly so far, I couldn’t wait for it. It was a really lovely morning and so I walked from Nervión all the way to the historic centre, stopping for breakfast on the way. It is almost a 40- minute walk, and I could sense the build-up of tourists as I got close to the historic centre. The canal that diverts from the Guadalquivir River and runs through the city was looking glorious in the morning sun.

The first thing that caught my attention was the barrio of Triana that is on the other side of the canal from the centre. I’d heard that it is a pretty famous barrio in Seville, and I’d heard it mentioned in some Flamenco songs so I was intrigued to see what it was like. The buildings on that side of the canal looked really pretty, and as I walked over the bridge it got even better. The intersection next to the market is beautiful. So historic and colourful. Even by Spain’s high standards I was very impressed. I continued walking along the main street and soon came to the end of what is a small but lively area which was unsurprisingly very busy with many weekend tourists.

I made a bit of a loop back round and had another coffee before crossing back over the canal and arriving close to the Plaza de Espana. The centre of Seville is for me the most impressive city centre I have visited so far. It is packed with beautiful, historic landmarks, and so it is a great compliment to the Plaza de Espana to say that I think it is the best of the lot. It is the very famous horseshoe shaped building so often used as an icon of Seville. It has a similarly shaped canal in front of it, and many blue and white tiled mosaics on and around the plaza. Adjacent to it there is also a beautiful big park and the whole area is just a lovely place to be.

I’d already taken so many videos and photos in the morning that I had to dash back to the Airbnb to charge my phone for the afternoon. After charging my phone I went back to the centre to have another look at the cathedral area. The barrio of Triana had left a big impression on me in the morning as well, so I headed back there to further explore along the river and to buy some gifts. From Triana I was attracted to what seemed like pretty much the only skyscraper in the city, which is the Sevilla Tower. I thought it looked really striking and I took some nice snaps from the distance in Triana and then gradually got closer. Up close it’s just an office block with a nice shopping centre at the bottom, so I had a quick bite to eat and fuelled my energy for one big last walk back to Nervión, with a little stop off in a bar to watch some football of course! I counted that I must have walked steadily for at least 8 hours. The ambience of the city was so pleasant that doing so much walking didn’t feel like a chore at all. I imagine that in the summer months it would be near on impossible though due to the heat.

My final day in the city was dedicated to the football match I was attending in the afternoon. In the morning, I had time for a long run over to the area of La Cartuja stadium which is also surrounded by a big park. It’s a very open and green space but quite far from the centre, and despite the stadium appearing pretty cool on TV it is rather uninspiring on the outside. You wouldn’t even guess it was a stadium if it weren’t for the glass panels at one end which allow you a little peak inside! The next morning I had my return train booked to Madrid, and it was safe to say that Seville had more than lived up to my expectations. I love city breaks and have been to so many cities around the world, but I would be hard pushed to think of one that I enjoyed more than Seville. The historic centre is incredible. The wide canal that runs through the middle of the city adds another great dimension. And the wide avenues that surround the centre are very pleasant to wander around in. Hopefully it won’t be the last time that I get to experience such a fantastic place.