Sevilla

Sevilla

I think I’m going to have to shorten my stories or else I will get to Miami before finishing the blog. I arrived to Sevilla around 11 o’clock at night where my friend Sandra picked me up. I also met Sandra at the German course in Munich and she is now back home in Sevilla working on a PhD in journalism. I was so tired I did not feel like going out that night. Ever since the beginning of my backpacking trip I was hopeful that the weather would get better, meaning that it would be warmer and warmer (specially as I moved south) and I would not have to be wearing a winter coat, gloves and a scarf. But that was not the case. It was cold everywhere I went. I thought for sure than in the south of Italy it would be warmer but no luck. When I arrived to Sevilla it was also cold and windy. I was about to give up, but the following day things changed and I finally got some warmth and no need to wear a coat. The day was beautiful as was the city. When I went to Sevilla with my family 2 years ago the city center was undergoing a lot of construction because of a tram system being build. It was really chaotic back then to walk around the city center because of all the noise, you could not walk on certain sidewalks, there was dust all over and then when it rained everything became muddy. Now, that project is complete and the city looks really pretty with very wide and walkable boulevards, lots of lanes for bicycles only (it reminded me a lot about Munich) and of course lots of tourists; many of them arriving in the city just in time for the famous fair being held the following week.

La Giralda - With Sandra by the Cathedral

Unfortunately my friend was going to be away in Berlin during that week so I was not able to be there for that one week the fair lasts. During the 4 days I was in Sevilla I visited all the must-visit places in the city: the Cathedral, La Giralda, Plaza España, El Parque de Maria Luisa; the neighborhoods of Santa Cruz and Triana with the very very tiny streets, colorful buildings with their typical balconies and inside patios. We walked along the Guadalquivir passed the Torre del Oro and crossed the bridge to the site where the world expo was held back in 1992. And all of a sudden I found what I had been looking for the longest time: a Mascarpone ice cream. I was so happy. It was delicious. Even though by now I believe that for me more than the taste of the ice cream itself it has become the challenge of finding a mascarpone ice cream. I have all of my friends going crazy looking for one in every city I go and of course they all want to try it.

By the city center - Entrance to La Feria (the fair)

I did a lot of walking in the city center in Sevilla but I also took it easy some days and just stayed home with my friend and her mother watching movies. It was great to just chill and relax and share some family time at home. I had lots of fun and I laughed a lot. The people from Sevilla are very funny and my friend and some of her friends I met are not the exception. On Wednesday morning I left early in the morning to the airport to catch my flight to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. There were no direct flights in any of the low cost airlines so I had to fly to Barcelona and then on to Lanzarote where I arrived around 3 o’clock in the afternoon after making a very short connection and being the last one to board the plane.