Alright folks, grabbed my notebook and comfy shoes this morning feeling ready to tackle Sevilla. Heard so much about this place, figured it was time to see it for myself. Here’s exactly how it went down, step by step.
First Stop: The Big Orange Tree Spot
Rolled out of bed kinda late, blame that on the jet lag. Scoffed some toast at the little place downstairs, cheap and cheerful. Then walked straight to this massive cathedral everyone talks about, La Catedral. Seriously massive. Paid the entry fee – yeah, stung a bit – and climbed those ramps up the tower thing, the Giralda. My legs were burning halfway up! Totally worth it though. Stunning view from the top. Saw the whole city sprawled out, all those orange trees everywhere. Snapped way too many photos.
Fumbling My Way Through Tiny Streets
Crawled back down, legs shaky now. Wandered into this maze of streets right by the cathedral, Santa Cruz they call it. Narrow, shaded, all white buildings with flower pots. Perfect. No real plan, just turned left or right whenever something looked interesting. Got lost. Like, properly lost. Ended up in this tiny plaza with a busted fountain, some cats napping. No clue where I was, didn’t care. Smelled oranges and something sweet baking. Just kept walking. Stumbled out near some palace walls eventually.
Trying Not To Look Like A Total Idiot Ordering Food
Stomach started rumbling loud. Found a tapas bar tucked away, looked busy with locals. Went in. Bit intimidating. Menu? Mostly a mystery. Just pointed at what other folks were having. Successes: Got some jamón ibérico (melts in your mouth!), patatas bravas (spicy!), and these fried fish things – tiny but tasty. Failures: Ordered something thinking it was meat… turned out to be fried squid rings. Texture was… chewy. Lesson learned. Drank a tiny beer, Cruzcampo, nice and cold. Watched the locals, loud and fast, having a grand old time.
Sunset and Flamenco? Maybe.
Heard Triana was the spot for flamenco. Took the bridge over the river around sunset. Sky looked insane, orange and pink washing over everything. Walked through Triana streets. Saw posters for shows everywhere. Picked one, small place down an alley. Cost a few euros more than I wanted. Went in. Tiny room, packed tight. Musicians came out, no fanfare. Woman in a dress stood up. Then it hit. Guitar starts, she slaps her feet, her voice sounds raw. Didn’t understand a word, but felt it deep down. Goosebumps stuff. Never seen anything like that. Clapped until my hands hurt.
The Nighttime Wander (And Getting Lost. Again.)
Stumbled out buzzing. Wandered along the river for ages, soaking up the warm night air. Saw couples strolling, groups laughing. Crossed back over. Wanted to see the big plaza, Plaza de España. Walked and walked. Felt huge at night, lit up golden. Empty compared to daytime. Kinda magical, kinda creepy. Tried walking back towards my bit, zig-zagged through more alleys. Streets look different in the dark! Ended up near the university before finally spotting a landmark I recognized. Made it back late, feet absolutely killing me.
So yeah. That was my day in Sevilla. Full? Absolutely. Walked miles. Saw the big sights, yes. But the best bits? Getting lost in the alleyways. That flamenco hit. Sitting with a beer watching the world rush by. And yeah, still thinking about that jamón. Perfectly imperfect day.