Although we were a little off balance with time zones, Sophia and I managed to get up on time to run to our first train ride on this trip. I figured a two-hour train ride wouldn’t hurt us. A scenic view would be nice as we’re traveling in the southern part of Spain! Unfortunately, our bodies were still catching up and we knocked out for a good one hour and 45 minutes of the train ride. Once we arrived, I followed my map screenshot to the meeting point with our new Air BNB host. He was a very kind man who had provided us with all kinds of maps and books to guide us during our stay. He had printed a map and highlighted places he recommended to eat and enjoy life in Sevilla. His air BNB was very spacious and quaint.
Tip: Andalusia is a beautiful area of Spain, and almost every town is walkable. You won’t need a car to get around much. The streets are quite narrow and are not always parallel to each other like a grid. There are a lot of forks and dead ends. Keeping a map handy is ideal or turn on your international phone data if you have it handy to activate Google Maps.
We rested at our Air BNB for about an hour and then headed to the Alcazar Gardens. I was in search of the place where they shot some scenes from Game of Thrones where Dorne’s Sunspear was filmed. It was also the summer home of the royal Martell family. We got lost and didn’t make it to the gardens in time as they had closed by 5 pm.
Since we had a bit of time to kill, we decided to look for the palace that everyone in our travel books raves about, Plaza de España. Once we found it, we were smacked in the face with grandeur and breathtaking architecture. The accents of royal blue around gave the plaza a soft look. I felt as if I was in art heaven.
I found a bridge ideal for a few photoshoot pics! We then walked around admiring (and posing) the medium-sized murals located around the plaza.
Food was calling us around 7 pm and we found a small food stop where we had tapas for dinner outside while enjoying the sunset near a bridge. Close to 9 PM we arrived at this (FREE) Flamenco show that Paola had recommended to see, La Carboneria. We only paid for a pitcher of Sangria and watched a Spanish man tap dance like there was no tomorrow. He danced with vigor and passion. The singer was very eloquent as well and he really made us feel the music. After the 2-hour show, we ventured to more streets of Sevilla and did some souvenir shopping. We walked around most of the night and found a flamenco show on a rooftop. We joined some onlookers from the street for about 20 minutes.
The next day we packed our bags before we ventured for one more try at the Alcazar Gardens. We were able to hop on a long line. It felt like we were really pushing it, but with luck, we made it inside with about 45 minutes to explore. We found a place where one of the scenes took place in Game of Thrones. I was in my TV feels, standing “on set” as other characters from this show were on. I recommend visiting the Alcazar. It was both historical and beautiful. Imagine walking on the same paths that kings and queens took. Incredible!
We then went back to our Air BNB, picked up our bags and took a train to Cordoba!
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