Storyline: Winter 2025: Portugal and Spain
In the country of sangria, the most disappointing thing in Sevilla was … the sangria!
Goodbye Sevilla. Alex liked you. Me, not so much. Although we agreed you are not our favourite. I won’t miss the feeling of being rushed into bolting down my meal at a restaurant.
At first, I typed, “I won’t miss you” translating from my native Bulgarian, but Alex said it has a very negative connotation in English. We’ve travelled around the world. We’ve been to Malacca, Malaysia! We’ve been to several other Spanish cities, yet this thought never came to my mind. Our last visit to this country in November 2016 took us to Madrid and the area around. The most southern point being Toledo. Thus Seville, Ronda and Cordoba are new to us. And about 9 years later things may have changed anyway.
Though a beautiful old city, packed with history, streets lined with orange trees, cobble-stoned streets, old architecture, and quaint neighbourhoods, Sevilla did not impress.
But on our way out when boarding the bus to Ronda we met a Toronto couple spending 7 weeks in Sevilla and loving it. Of course it is not Toronto, but we’ve been travelling internationally for long enough to have our favourites and not so favourites. It is the capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and has been one of the most important cities in the Iberian Peninsula since ancient times.
The old city with its back to the River Guadalquivir is fascinating to walk through. Just watch out for those cars trying to negotiate the narrow streets in neighbourhoods like Barrio Santa Cruz never built for cars.
Although we had a week to enjoy what we expected to be a slow life, we felt rushed. Is it the fast Spanish chatter or is it something else? The moment we sit at a table, before even having time to read the menu (let alone translate), a waiter will come to take our orders, and impatiently move on if we aren’t ready, only for a different waiter to appear a minute later.
I observed the servers. They hurried everywhere. It felt to me they literally ran. Even when there were just a few people to serve.
I observed many locals gobbling down some food and leaving. I can understand at the bus station, us saying thank you to the lady at the ticket counter and someone behind us, perhaps rushing to buy a ticket for a soon departing bus, shouting at us to hurry up, and not to waste time thanking her… but at a restaurant? Have to say that most of our experiences were at places where mainly the locals eat.
We did enjoy a long soak in the sun on the patio of a café in a touristy area. No one rushed us there (but we paid for it – affogato, apple pie and a coffee cost us the same as two “menu del dia” three-course meals and drinks elsewhere). Perhaps it is a local mentality. Most of the places don’t even have a second sitting.
And so, after some delay our bus from Faro arrived at the Plaza De Armas bus station, Sevilla. It was in my plans to buy our bus tickets to Ronda, our next destination after Sevilla, but because of the bus delay and last moment change of the way the keys were going to be delivered to us we had to rush (!) to get them. Initially the host was going to meet us at the apartment.
But when on the road we received a text (glad Alex had the Booking app, otherwise we would have had no idea of this change). The host had left the keys with an Asian family running a small convenience store, they called a bazar. But they were closing at 3:30pm.
And despite what Google says about time, we don’t know the city, the ups and downs (if any), the false turns Alex usually takes (although he’s been better – but still far from perfect – recently with his phone in hand). We’d return for bus tickets later.
Following Google maps we rushed through the city. Note that after 4 hours on the road I have not used WC and the line up in the bus station was intimidating. So aside from the keys, I was motivated to get inside our Sevilla apartment for the week.
It was Tuesday, Jan 14. We schlepped our suitcases along cobblestone streets barely wide enough for cars to squeeze by. No sidewalks. We’ve been to many cities of this sort in Europe, but streets that narrow, where a horse carriage could hardly fit, are usually restricted to traffic.
Not in this city. If a car is arriving one moves fast to a building entrance or a small widening to let the car go by. We’d master the skill during the week. We are in old Sevilla, close to all the attractions and more with mostly local people living in this part of city.
We had read last year that there were protests against tourists in Sevilla. I can see why. It is early January. We didn’t notice many tourists.
But the city is busy with locals. The fascinating thing was during the weekend. I have the feeling that all the Spaniards were out on the streets. Sunny but cool. They all were eating out. Entire families, often big, sitting around the tables outside in the sun. It was a bit too chilly and too noisy – (Spanish loud chatter) for us to join them. So during the weekend we sought out inside tables, where the noise and the crowds were less.
After dropping our suitcases in the apartment and christening the WC, we had to find a grocery store and a place to have a bite. We found a Cervezeria (cerveza=beer). Something like a pub, where they mainly serve beer. Their food menu was good, so Alex had a beer and I had a disappointing local drink they called “Tinto”. They claimed it was red wine with spritzer, but I bet there was no wine in the drink at all. Some sweet red juice. (We later learned that this was a popular Spanish summer drink, but it didn’t work for me in January.) Local Lidl grocery store nearby. Must have been hungry. Leaving for Ronda today Jan 21 we are taking with us lots of the food we bought then.
The next day we’d walk back to the bus station for tickets to Ronda, walk through the narrow streets, by the famous wooden structure Setas de Sevilla, through some pedestrian shopping areas,
by the river and find a “menu del dia” for 12€. Since we rarely eat a 3-course menu, we usually share one. But Alex is hungry so we get two.
A reminder for the North Americans, service and tax all included. No tip necessary. They don’t even have this on credit card machines, although one can tell them to round up a euro or two on the machine when one feels a tip is appropriate.
So for 24€ we both order 3 courses, each different so we can try 6 different menu items. Wine was included. Forget the wine. Try to get one main course dish for that price, before tax and tips in Toronto.
Barbara, our host, has left us some recommendations, but we are still somewhat jetlagged and probably won’t have time for everything. We read somewhere that there was a Thursday market very close to where we lived.
On Thursday morning we decided to give it a try. It is after all where one can catch up with the locals, eat where they do and observe local life. Are we getting old or is it just the area? It was like a flea market, similar to the Alfama market in Lisbon, but too busy and loud for us and we didn’t find appropriate place to sit and eat. Could grab a sandwich and a drink, but all were standing. Perhaps a few years earlier, as in 2016 in Venice, we’d do it. But not these days.
We walked through the market and decided that perhaps we’d visit Plaza de España. Zigging through the streets we spotted a small empanada bakery. Selected a few and ate them standing (no tables inside or out). This was our lunch.
Then at Plaza del Salvador we noticed a nice café (they actually call it a brunch restaurant) and decided to have a bio-break and some drinks. They had my affogato! No, not the ice-cream with coffee or coffee with ice-cream.
The real affogato with liquor in it! I had this in Adelaide, Australia in 2019 and ever since have been asking for it. We sat outside facing Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador, sipped our drinks and enjoyed the sun.
Then off we went to Plaza de España. It still was fairly early in the afternoon. But before all we needed to find a WC again. We went into one of the doors of the main building and asked a guard there. He pointed out towards a big sign WC on a wall across the street in a park.
Crossed the streets again, but the WC was closed (little did we know they had a siesta time, and that it would open an hour later – although that hour was 90 minutes beyond comfort). We left the grounds of Plaza de España looking for a café or any place with WC.
Nothing around the plaza. About 10 min or so later, we noticed people going in and out of a building. A hotel. We walked in, and there was a conference of a sort. If it was up to Alex, he would just keep walking and looking around. But I didn’t care. I asked a lady participant of the conference (she as everyone else had a name tag). With little English, she just came with me and showed me the toilets. Phew! This was painful. In hindsight, I should not have had the affogato. But who knew the toilets in the park across from Plaza de España would be closed for lunch break? (Or maybe long cleaning break – A).
I really liked Plaza de España. We spent time walking around, taking photos,
watching the old lady dancing flamenco, the fountains,
the canal with the row boats, … Not too busy at this time of the year, but not empty either. It is not old, built in 1928 for the Ibero-American exposition with the main buildings built to be permanent.
It chronicles each of the regions of Spain in ceramic provincial alcoves and benches.
After spending a good time in the area we made our way through the narrow semi-pedestrian streets towards home. I tried to take a few photos in golden hour, but the streets were too narrow for a good display.
Our host had recommended Triana and a flamenco show there. The problem these days is that we fall asleep before any show starts. And Triana was on the other side of the canal, which is part of the River Guadalquivir.
Triana was for Friday Jan 17. We walked to Puente de Triana, also known as Puente de Isabel II, crossed the canal and continued down the apparently main largo.
Quite busy, but again mainly Spanish speaking. Whether they were Spanish tourists from other areas or locals, we don’t know. We then turned away from the human traffic on a much quieter street.
Quite far from everything else we spotted literally a hole in the wall. A few tables outside and nothing inside. We shared a menu del dia (a reminder again it is a 3-course menu and one alcohol drink). Who can believe that in this little place I’d have the first nice white sangria!
Alex had the beer included in the menu. We then went for another two beers for Alex and two more sangrias for me! We also ordered a portion of patatas bravas (roasted potatoes with mildly spicy sauce). So in total 3 sangrias (should have ordered a jug), 3 beers (Alex should have ordered a jug!), 3 course menu and a portion of roasted potatoes, all for 31€.
After lunch we walked through Plaza de Cuba, crossed the canal on Puente de San Telmo (nice views),
passed by Torre del Oro, Plaza de Toros (one could visit but neither of us is a fan of bull fighting, so no thank you!),
stopped for another bio-break and some more desert for Alex and eventually got home for his late afternoon nap.
Enjoying the walks and the food scene, we had mistakenly left a few of the must sees for the weekend. Boy, was it busy! Again, with Spanish speaking people. There were lineups for everything. Families with young children, being educated in history.
We decided that climbing the Giralda Tower of Seville Cathedral was not for us. After walking around the city the previous days my knees were hurting and Alex is not a fan of visiting catholic churches (I find the display of enormous wealth in a religious setting disgusting – A).
There was one more thing for the weekend. We wanted to try the Sevillian paella. As mentioned above, all outside tables were busy with local people. We preferred inside. Not that it was less busy on Saturday, but they had a somewhat protected table by the window. And it wasn’t in the city outskirts so paella wasn’t cheap. Valencia paella that is.
We also had a jug of sangria, which wasn’t the best, but was OK. Another thing that will persist is the colour of the sangria. We often ask for a white wine base and they bring us red. It was the case here too. Although we know a few Spanish words and blanco (white) and tinto (red) are among them. In a busy place like this they didn’t care much. After some rest for Alex in late afternoon we walked to the train station and bought our seniors’ discount cards for the trains – Tarjeta Dorada. Valid for a year, these cards (6€ each) saves you 40% on the weekends and 25% during the week of the tickets. They paid off with the first train ticket. And we had 4 different destinations.
On Sunday we visited the Royal Alcázar of Seville. One could buy tickets online for a selected time slot. It was nice to walk through its premises and gardens and due to controlled crowds, it wasn’t too busy.
It is the oldest royal palace in Europe that is still in use today and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It dates back to the 11th century, when the Muslim authorities decided to build a fortress in a strategic location to protect the city.
Today it is showcasing the unique fusion between Christian and Moorish architecture.
After the nice walk through the lush gardens, we found a place serving tapas, followed their recommendations and had a jug of white sangria! Yes, they actually listened to us this time. Walking back home we revisited the affogato place (not too far from our apartment so no WC concerns – A). It was a bit chilly and very busy outside so this time we found a quiet table by the window inside. Nice people.
This pretty much concluded our Sevilla visit. There was Monday, but it was rainy, we were tired of walking (note that we walk to everywhere far or near to get the impression of the city) and had covered most of the attractions and food scene we wanted to.
It was time to pack for our departure next day, finish the wine, although we packed some of the food with us. Now finishing this post in Cordoba, we still have the cheese (one unopened) we bought during our first grocery shopping.
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