City where history and contemporary intersect
It can be said that Seville - the capital of the Andalucia region, lying gently in the middle of the fertile southern plains, where the poetic Guadalquivir River flows through - is a city with a long history. Seville began to be inhabited and operated as a large city since the Roman period. Traces of time remain in countless religious buildings, public buildings and paved sidewalks. The ancient architecture surrounding the center of Seville is interspersed with modern architecture, creating a harmonious landscape. All of that made me stay in Seville longer than usual, because I wanted to slowly savor the flavor of southern Spain.
The best thing about living in Seville is that I can live slowly, walking a lot until my feet are tired. There is no shortage of public transportation in Seville, but because the city is not too big, not too small, exploring every corner of Seville on my feet is an indescribable feeling. The city has enough space for a slow-moving traveler like me to let my soul wander gently on the cobblestone streets.
Seville is like a giant open-air museum, every street corner is a story of a hundred years that we cannot tell. The oldest and largest architecture in Seville is the Catedral de Santa María de la Sede, which is also the third largest church in the world and the largest Gothic church in the world. With an area covering the entire central area of Seville, the construction of the church lasted more than a century, from 1401 to 1506. It is said that when the architectural plans were drafted, the elders in the church declared: "Let's build a church so beautiful and magnificent that those who see it completed will think we are crazy." And indeed, true to their declaration, the Seville Cathedral was completed and surpassed the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul at that time to become the largest church in the world. It was not until after 1626 that St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican pushed Seville Cathedral down a notch, and at the end of the 20th century, the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil was completed, which dropped it to third place.
The nave is longer than any other church in Spain, with a dome 42 meters high. Most notable is the lavishly decorated main altar and gothic sculpture depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The altar is the lifelong work of a single artist, Pierre Dancart. When I arrived, there was a long line of visitors waiting to see it. Since I was not allowed to take pictures inside the church, all I could take away were the memories and the stunning beauty of the place.
But near the church is the building that attracted me the most because it was the filming location of the TV series Game of Thrones that I love: Reales Alcázares de Sevilla (Royal Palace Alcázar). This place was already loved by architecture lovers and tourists, but Game of Thrones made the Alcázar even more popular.
The shimmering gold details on the dome inside the Alcázar Royal Palace.
Combining architectural beauty and garden art, the Alcázar Royal Palace is a classic representative of Mudéjar architecture in the Iberian Peninsula. Mudéjar is a meeting place of Moorish and European cultures, characterized by the use of brick as the main material, especially for the bell towers, accompanied by decorative details of ancient Arabic calligraphy, Kufic and Naskhi in repetitive rhythmic patterns. These patterns are intricately carved and combined with shimmering gold motifs on the domes inside the Alcázar Royal Palace.
The royal garden in the palace grounds is also a place that strongly attracts me because of the fresh green orange trees covering the garden. I came here right in the orange season so the royal garden has many more colorful colors, really admirable!
The light rain made me plan to leave the Alcázar and return to the hostel, but the sudden sunny weather kept me on the road. I strolled through the shopping area near the hostel to watch the passersby, like Murakami went to Shinjuku Station to watch people coming and going to the busy train station. Reading Murakami's books, I suddenly realized that I like to watch the busyness, but the slowness lingers in my soul. The slowness of exploring Seville makes me happy. This is also something I never thought I would do when I came to Europe.
The next morning I spent at Las Setas - a strange structure almost isolated from all the ancient remains of Seville - which I had suddenly seen on a poster, just a 10-minute walk from the hostel I was staying at.
Completed in April 2011, Las Setas (locally known as “the mushrooms”) was designed by German architect Jurgen Mayer. The structures are made of wood and joined together by sturdy metal joints, forming sunshade domes that look like mushrooms from afar. There are a total of 6 mushrooms. To get to Las Setas, I had to go down to the basement to buy a ticket for 3 EUR/person, then take the elevator to the top of the mushrooms.
This is where you can see the whole of Seville. The yellow color of the wood on the architecture blends gently with the ancient yellow walls of Seville. At the top of Las Setas, you can freely walk on the bridges that are cleverly assembled so that you can go around 6 straw mushrooms and have a 360-degree view right in the heart of the city.
Satisfied with the architecture, I had a few more days to spend in Seville. Time to indulge my palate in the delicious food this southern city has to offer!
The capital of delicious restaurants
Seville is known by locals and tourists as the capital of tapas (which means “small portion” in Spanish). If you have the opportunity to visit Spain, try ordering tapas because this portion is very suitable for Vietnamese people.
When people think of tapas, they think of bread topped with various toppings like salmon, salami, iberico. But that’s just part of it. Not only does it have hundreds of tapas bars and fusion food, Seville is where I can satisfy my curious taste buds with some of the best restaurants I’ve ever visited.
I have to use the word “excellent” for La Brunilda because this is the restaurant that made me stop by twice to try 5 dishes. Here, I had the opportunity to have tapas style dishes including duck confit with pureed carrots, foie gras with poached pear, salad with goat cheese, fish with truffle cream sauce, beef tenderloin with baked potatoes. All the dishes were from good to excellent. Don’t forget to order a glass of sweet sherry to make the meal more delicious.
The biggest downside is that the restaurant is very crowded and has limited opening hours. You should arrive 15 minutes before opening to reduce the waiting time. But trust me, this restaurant is worth the money and your wait.
Chifa is the next restaurant that impressed me. Located in a quiet area of the city, Chifa has an extremely interesting culinary style, combining Spanish ingredients such as Iberico pork with Japanese dishes. I highly recommend the Nguiris (like rice rolls) using Spanish ingredients and sauces. The restaurant's website suggests trying ceviche, but after eating it, the taste is not very suitable for Vietnamese people.
The famous beer in Spain is Cruzcampo, however, you can try the homemade beer at Maquila for a change. Online people praise the restaurant for its delicious food, but I only tried their beer which costs 3 EUR/small glass, which is quite expensive for such a small glass. Unfortunately, the restaurant only has 2 homemade beers but both are quite normal (compared to the craft beer market in Vietnam).
Cafetería Pastelería La Canasta is a shop I accidentally visited but the flutes (or baguettes) here are amazing. You should order the best bread, 10 seeds, priced from only 2.50 EUR/baguette and the fillings inside can be salmon, Iberico pork.
MORE INFORMATION
WHERE TO GO IN SEVILLE?
- Ayuntamiento: Town hall built in the 15th century in the Plateresque style by Diego de Riaño.
- The Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) is a 17th-century structure. It is considered to have the most valuable collection in Spain, after the Prado in Madrid.
- Barrio Santa Cruz: Seville's most charming neighborhood, it was the Judería (Jewish quarter) during the Middle Ages under Moorish rule.
- Parque de María Luisa, with Plaza de España at its center, covers an area of 50,000 m2.
SOME RESTAURANTS IN SEVILLE
- La Brunilda - Modern Tapas
- Taste: 4/5, best being duck confit and foie gras with poached pear
- Price: 4/5, the most expensive dish is the beef, only 6.90 EUR and enough to fill you up
- Space: 4/5, the shop is a bit small and is full just 10 minutes after opening
- Service: 5/5, fast and attentive
- Address: Calle Galera, 5
- Opening hours: 14:00 - 16:00 weekdays and 20:30 - 22:30, except Sundays
- Chifa - Japanese - Spanish Fusion Cuisine
- Taste: 4/5, the ceviche wasn't great, but plus points for the rice rolls
- Price: 3/5, a bit expensive, from 7 EUR/rice roll portion
- Space: 5/5, has 2 floors so the space is very comfortable
- Service: 5/5, staff do not speak English
- Address: Calle Barco, 2
- Opening hours: 13:30 - 16:30 and 20:30 - 24:00 daily
- Maquila - Craft Beer Bar
- Taste: 3/5
- Price: 3/5
- Space: 5/5, rustic style decor
- Service: 5/5
- Address: Calle Delgado, 4
- Opening hours: 13:00 - 16:30 and 20:00 - 24:00 daily
- Cafetería Pastelería La Canasta - Sandwich Shop
- Taste: 5/5, very good, crispy bread and quality meat inside
- Price: 4/5, good price compared to the quality of the cake but minus 1 star because sitting at the table will cost 50 cents more, sitting at the bar will be cheaper
- Space: 5/5, beautiful restaurant and spacious space, with a view overlooking the cool green park
- Service: 3/5, huge minus point because it takes a long time to order and pay
- Address: Av. de la Constitución, 16
- Open: 8:00 - 23:00, Friday and Saturday open until 23:30
