Our second day in Sevilla was filled with walking (and shade-hopping) in the extreme heat. We visited a number of the most notable sites in Spain that we didn´t get the chance to see our first day, so keep reading if you would like to know my impression and opinions on what is worth your time in the city.
La Universidad de Sevilla
On our way to the famed Plaza de España, we passed the University of Seville. A university that originated in the 16th century as the Colegio de Santa María de Jesús, it operates today as a well-regarded university internationally. While we didn´t enter the building itself, we wandered around the ground and admired the old building. We were surprised by the number of stray cats in the area, sunning themselves on lawn and in the dry canal beside the campus. We continued on our route toward the plaza and found another beautiful spot.
Jardines del Prado de San Sebastián
Something that I had a difficult time adjusting to in Europe as a Canadian was the difference between their parks and the parks in Canada. A park in my city means an area that is largely left wild, where native trees and grasses are able to thrive. In Europe, many inner city gardens and parks have no grass. Instead, they exhibit carefully manicured trees and shrubs with a dirt ground, no grass in sight.
With my prejudice in mind, I still enjoyed walking through the Gardens of San Sebastián. The trees offered excellent shade from the 45ºC weather, and we were very thankful for it. There was a beautiful reflecting pond in the park where we took some family photos before coming across a cocktail bar in the park. As overheated tourists, we stopped for a drink before continuing our walk.
Plaza de España
Will most Spanish cities have their own Plaza de España, Seville’s is probably the most internationally recognized. Famous for the intericate tile work and semi-cirlce shape (canal included!) it is a must-see in Sevilla. However, I do recommend that tourists keep as sharp eye out. This is a very popular area for tourists, so it is also a popular area for pickpocketers and other scammers. In fact, my sister was nearly held captive by a man who was trying to convince us to buy flamenco fans as souvenirs. Stay aware of your surroundings and stand your ground and you’ll be fine!
Plaza de España is beautiful, but busy. If you are smarter than we were, I’d recommend going early to avoid the crowds, and stay out of the heat if you are travelling in the summer. We wandered around the plaza for a while before heading inside the monument to catch a break from the afternoon sun. Along the ground level, there are tiled alcoves dedicated to each city in Spain which was amazing. The alcoves depicted different moments that are relevant to the history or culture of each area.
Beyond the beauty of the monument, there are many tourist activities here such as carriage rides and boat rides through the canal, but we were content to just explore the space without gimmicks. If you are travelling on a budget, forgoing activities like these and walking as your primary form of transportation will help you save money (and see monuments or other amazing sites you didn’t know about!).
Siesta is a Necessary Thing
After our exploration of Plaza de España, we melted our way back to our hotel and enjoyed some time cooling off in the rooftop pool. We relaxed and took our time getting ready in our hotel rooms after the pool, before heading to a late (by Canadian standards) dinner at the Hard Rock Café so my mom could add another glass to her collection.
The Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of Seville
On our final morning in Sevilla, we attended a mass at the Cathedral of Seville. The altarpiece of the Cathedral is the most expensive in the world for any Catholic church, so we were excited to see the extravagance. I found the mass a little off-putting to be fully honest. There was no choir, and the priest seemed intent on getting through the service as quickly as possible. It seemed as more of another tourist exhibition rather than a religious ceremony. I also had a hard time looking at the expensive decorations and acknowledging the money, pain, and suffering that civilians must have sacrificed in order to create such an elaborate shrine. For a religion that preaches modesty and caring for the less fortunate, it appeared to me as a testament of Catholic hypocrisy. But for those who have a less personal (or complicated) relationship with the Catholic Church, this may be a location worth your time.
Hotel Alfonso XIII
After mass, we checked out the Hotel Alfonso XIII. This luxury hotel is a beautiful landmark in the city centre, located next to the University of Seville. We toured the lobby and public spaces before getting lunch at L’Oca Giuliva, an Italian restaurant close to our hotel.
After lunch we collected our bags and headed to the train station for the last city on the trip and my new home, Madrid.