You can’t spend a semester in Andalucía without visiting the capital of Sevilla, which luckily we got to do with our program! So a few weeks back, I got to spend a weekend in Sevilla and get a brief look at all the highlights of this Andalusian capital.
I’m so lucky to live in Spain, I think of that every single day. Every single city I go to is amazing, from Barcelona to Granada and everywhere in between, I can’t believe I’m over halfway done with my semester.
Plaza de España
The Plaza de España is a notable building in Sevilla, built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition. Each participating country built a monument to showcase themselves, some are now used as consulates or university buildings, and this Plaza is by far the most grandiose. It pays homage to all the different provinces and capitals of Spain with murals and mosaics that depict all the highlights of the country.
Royal Palace of Sevilla
Any Game of Thrones fans will recognize this setting! The Royal Palace is built similarly to the Alhambra in Granada- old Moorish style, grandiose architecture, mosaics and pointed arches- it was incredible. But the best part by far were the gardens. We climbed up to the balconies and overlooked this outrageously amazing garden.
Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla
I honestly don’t have too much to say about this bull ring, it’s one of the most well-known bullrings in the world. When we went to Madrid, we got tickets for an actual bull fight, and I don’t know what I expected, but I expected something more humane than the outright glorified slaughter of an animal, and no one informed me that would occur, and that I should have made that assumption on my own (which I still disagree with, I think any time anybody is going to be exposed to slaughter, they should be made aware, but that’s just my own personal opinion). Morally, I am so opposed to this form of “entertainment” and I’m glad to know it’s becoming more and more outlawed, because as a society, as a race, as humanitarians, to gather around and watch someone “fight” an unfair battle should not be seen as entertainment, and the fact that it’s still so popular is really confusing to me, and my stomach is once again churning just at the thought.
On a brighter note, we had a free afternoon one day, which we spent exploring the city, eating gelato, and leisurely venturing.
Catedral de Seville
VIEWS. The best part of visiting a city is seeing the views from the tops of cathedrals/ other notable buildings. The inside of the Sevilla Cathedral was closed due to a holiday, but honestly, getting to climb to the top of the bell tower was way better. We got such a beautiful panoramic view of the city.
Contemporary Art Museum Festival
Somehow we made our way to a contemporary music festival at one of the facultades in the Universidad de Sevilla. It was such a cool experience! I have no idea who was playing, but the vibe of music festivals is always awesome, even if it was super small in comparison. We had a nice walk back in which we walked along the river and took some fun pictures by a huge graffiti wall (note Sydney’s sick pose).
I can’t get enough of these good trips. I love Sevilla, I love Spain, I love Europe, I don’t know how I’ll go back to real life after this semester.
Next week I’m going to show you guys our day trip to Gibraltar, which was insane! A once in a lifetime experience. Can’t wait to share it.
Until next time,
Ashley
Ashley Whitwell 