First stop: Seville

Colorful streets of Seville

We just returned from our first lengthy family vacation in Spain and Portugal, enjoying quite a bit of sun and sand. We headed south for ten days, and even had a few days back at home with BK during the remainder of his two weeks off.

We hit Seville, Spain first, flying from Geneva directly to Seville. Baby K slept the whole way there, which was awesome, and perfect timing for her afternoon nap. We arrived in Seville later in the afternoon, just in time to do a little exploring around the city, enjoy some tapas, and let Baby K get some energy out in a park near the river. We stayed at Palacio Villapanes, which is a former palace, was really nice, and is near all of the sights in the central city.

People enjoying the evening on a plaza in Seville

The city is beautiful and has quite a variety of architecture. This was my first time in Spain (BK's been to Barcelona) and Seville really feels like Spain and has the typical Spanish lifestyle. We first stopped at Metropol Parasol, which is a big wooden sculpture located near old town. It was a quick walk from our hotel, and is just really interesting to look at. It stands out, is huge, and is completely different from anything else around.

Metropol Parasol

We also stopped and had some tapas then thought we should let Baby K get a little energy out, so we took her to a park for some walking and swinging (her favorite). After that we headed back to the hotel to put Baby K down, meet the babysitter, and then go to dinner at a tapas bar by the Cathedral. Which, by the way, tapas are perfect for BK and I, just little plates of a taste of good Spanish food.

Perfect weather for a park in Seville

Saturday I reserved a tour of the city for us with Feel the City Tours. It was just not that great, but I think it's because the guide assigned to our group wasn't good. I wouldn't recommend them. Our guide spoke rather softly (not great when walking around the city), would turn away when explaining things, and many other things. It was really unfortunate. BK and I actually used Baby K needing to eat lunch as an excuse and ducked out of the tour early. Even though the tour wasn't great we did get some good info.

Moorish architecture

After leaving the tour we went to the city bullring and then climbed Torre del Oro to enjoy some views, before enjoying more tapas for lunch. One good thing our tour guide did recommend was to hit the palace around 2ish for the least crowded time, so we went there after lunch.

Torre del Oro

Bull fighting ring

I would say the palace is somewhat similar to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, in that it has a lot of Moorish influence in the design. The Palace is really beautiful, with lots of ceramic tile and ornate Spanish decor. Additionally, the gardens surrounding the palace are very nice, with lots of lush greenery and native plants. There were many people there just enjoying the beautiful weather and outdoor space.

Palace courtyard

Interior palace room

Family pic in the gardens

After the palace we went to Seville's Cathedral. It is massive. The day before I kept walking around it commenting about how big it was. Turns out it is the third largest cathedral in the world, behind St. Peter's Basilica and St. Paul's in London; crazy. In addition, Christopher Columbus' tomb is in the cathedral. My pictures don't do it justice, but it is an amazing place to see.

Cathedral exterior

View from Torro del Oro

Columbus' tomb

Cathedral interior

While we were visiting the cathedral, BK and I also go back into one of our pre-Baby K habits of climbing towers. Giralda Tower is the bell tower of the cathedral, and is a former minaret from Moorish times. The tower provides great views, especially if the weather is perfect, like it was for us.

Cathedral tower

Baby K and I at the top

Last, but not least for the sights of the day, we went to Plaza de Espana. It is a plaza that was built for an exposition in the 1920s, and is quite large. Located in a park, it has a large plaza, and a moat-type thing around it with some fountains. It's a landmark you should see when in the the city, and we also stopped to feed Baby K dinner in the park as well. I think this might have been the day when we walked 30,000 steps!!

Plaza de Espana

That night BK and I quickly visited the oldest tapas bar in Seville, which I didn't think much of, then we went to see a flamenco show. We wanted a traditional experience, so we went to Casa de la Guitarra; no meal, no fancy anything, just flamenco. I really enjoyed it and thought it was great. BK wasn't such a fan, as he thought the musicians were a little over the top. I liked the whole thing, and think it's something you should definitely do when in Spain.

Oldest tapas bar in Seville

Traditional flamenco

The next day we went to the Straight of Gibralter, but more on that later. Still to come from this trip: Straight of Gibralter, road tripping in Portugal, Sagres and the Algarve in Portugal, and Lisbon. Baby K is doing some serious teething and because of that needs some serious cuddling this week, so not sure how far I'll get, but hopefully I'll get to update you soon!