Seville, Spain

Tapas, orange trees, flamenco, church bells, shopping…..that was what Seville was all about for us when we spent a weekend there about two weeks ago. Europe’s recent cold snap meant that it wasn’t as warm as we’d hoped but I was just grateful that I didn’t have to layer up like the Michelin man as I have been recently in London. The food was absolutely amazing and by far the best was at Bodega Belmonte on the main drag in Santa Cruz (old quarter) – mouthwatering sizzling prawns, succulent chicken pieces wrapped in cream and smothered with a creamy spinach sauce…everything we had here was excellent and we dined out on the pavement under orange trees. Speaking of orange trees – they were everywhere! Along the streets, in the courtyard of the Cathedral (the largest in the world), in the sprawling gardens of the Alcazar…it made the whole place look gorgeous but the fruit looked a bit dodge so we stopped short of actually having a taste. Each morning we would have breakfast at a café opposite the Cathedral which consisted of crusty bread with “jamon serrano’ (Spanish ham) and a cappuccino with a dollop of cream…YUM! The ham was so tasty and the cappuccino delicious! I’m not a coffee connoisseur but Paul claims that it was the best coffee he’d had in a very long time. Being located so centrally just off the main drag of Santa Cruz meant that we were within walking distance of all the main sites so most of the weekend was spent walking, talking and eating when we got tired or hungry. We walked from Santa Cruz to Parque Maria Luisa where all the park benches were decorated with colourful tiles, to the gorgeous Plaza de Espana which is decorated with mosaics of all the Spanish towns. We explored the old Jewish quarter and became proficient at navigating its narrow laneways during our search for tapas bars; I dragged Paul up and down the main shopping streets of Calle Sierpes and Calle Tetuan and somehow we managed to catch a flamenco show as well as spend a couple of hours at the Alcazar and the Cathedral. It was a full weekend of wandering, exploring, sight seeing, eating and shopping but funnily enough, it was also amazingly relaxed and chilled. Seville is a gorgeous, charming city and I would go back in a second – if only for those sizzling prawns!