Sevilla

After a short afternoon in Córdoba, we drove two hours to Sevilla. Sevilla is also situated on the Guadalquivir River, but further south than Córdoba. There are several bridges that span across the river, connecting the two sides of the city. Our beautiful hotel, Abba Triana, was right on the river in the area called Triana. Sevilla has a heavy Arabic influence, which is obvious in its Moorish architecture. We arrived around 8 p.m., so we were free to go out, grab dinner and experience the Sevilliana nightlife.

The following day, we woke up and ate an amazing breakfast buffet at our hotel. Then, we walked through the main square in the town to get to the Alcázar, which is a royal palace. The top levels in the massive palace are still used by the royal family as an official residence in Sevilla. The rooms inside the palace were beautiful and regal, but I loved the outdoor gardens. There was a lovely pond with a waterfall, which contained these scary, giant fish and cute little ducks. Visitors were feeding them and they were going crazy! I walked around the gardens with Kristen and we admired the orange trees, flowers, peacocks, and even a few stray cats!

Afterwards, we visited the stunning Sevilla Cathedral, which is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world. It is also the burial site of Christopher Columbus. Before the Cathedral was built in 1402, Sevillianas said "Let a church so beautiful and so great that those who see it built will think we were mad!” The construction lasted until 1506. The interior of the cathedral contains the longest nave in Spain and is lavishly decorated with gold leaf. There are also 80 side chapels and a tall bell tower. We climbed the bell tower, which is about 345 feet. “The Giralda,” as the tower is called, has ramps instead of stairs that lead to the top. We walked up the ramps, which were put in place so carts could be taken up the tower. At the top, there was a beautiful view of the city. For lunch, we ate a great lunch of paella at a restaurant on the river. To end our day, we walked around the Jewish quarter and Maria Jose showed us a shop where we could buy a famous perfume called “Agua de Sevilla,” which smells like the oranges and blossoms that grow all around the city.

We ended our trip at Plaza de España, which was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. This building is an example of Renaissance architecture style mixed with typical Spanish architecture. The building is situated in the front of Maria Luisa Park. We all got to ride four-person tandem bicycles around the park, which was a blast! They were like golf carts with bike peddles and wheels. I was in a bike with Kristen, Brian, and Fernando. All of the boys in our group were going crazy and racing each other, having the time of their lives. It was WILD. I thought we were going to crash about a hundred times but I loved it. After riding for a half hour, we boarded the bus headed back to Alcala. I loved my weekend in the South!