March, 2017; Sevilla, Spain
Dan & Betsy, 4 year old son, 2 year old daughter
It’s about time to start sharing some destination information. We can’t compete with a good guidebook but we can give you a firsthand account from earlier this spring on our trip to Spain.
Sevilla smells like orange blossoms. The entire city. Streets are lined with the bitter species of orange tree (citrus aurantium in case you were wondering) which happens to be evergreen,a great idea for year-round shade. But it’s that cool fresh scent we look forward to every time we leave the flat. (We were there a few weeks before Semana Santa, the biggest of big deals in Sevilla, and we were told the blossoms are even stronger during that week. Amazing.)
To get to know the city before the sights we decided to join this walking tour with local tour guide Concepción, who was fantastic.
We followed her through the narrow winding streets you picture Sevilla has. Bold, bright colors, lots of classic building with ornate balconies. Every street seems to have it’s our amazing church, neighborhood cafe, and a series of streets meant for shopping once you get into the center of the center. It would be easy to get lost if you didn’t see the cathedral tower around every turn.
Our 2 year old was on Betsy’s back for most of the walking tour (15€ x 2 adults well spent) while the big boy 4 year old just took Dan’s hand and did a great job. (Having a water bottle and some small snacks were helpful.) The center buzzes with people; more town market than, say, the noisy streets of Rome. Everyone is going somewhere but usually with someone and not really in a big hurry.
We made great use of green spaces, which are plentiful, in our time in Sevilla. Our apartment was near the beautiful Maria Luisa Park, right next to Plaza de España, but we even found little squares with fountains to play around (in a passing-through manner so as to not disturb people) and some places like the Alcazar had giant gardens included. We took full advantage, coming back at sundown and on our designated “green day” when nothing was on our itinerary except outdoors and what the kids wanted to see and do.
Sevilla makes a great impression; even before the Cathedral, Alcazar, and flamenco dancing knock your socks off.
Talk soon,
Dan & Betsy
Family Conversation topic: What about Sevilla would your family be interested in? Weather, food, history, architecture?
Discussing like/dislikes, interests/concerns helps develop a better sense of what might work as a destination and where you might stretch outside of your comfort zone.