Spain Day 5: Arrival in Seville

Our train arrived in Seville after a very comfortable and speedy journey from Madrid. As we stepped outside of a side entrance of the station Seville instantly felt hotter and dustier than the Madrid we'd left behind.

It also felt less glamorous as we walked through and area of social housing towards the apartment we had rented in the Macarena district. Despite a few twists and turns through the small streets we would our apartment without any issues and the owner was waiting outside to let us in. A bright and modern flat it would prove to be a good base during our time in Seville, even if it was a bit Ikea-tastic.

After a while resting in the flat we decided to do a quick run to the supermarket to buy some food for breakfast and fruit before heading out to explore. In contrast to Madrid's wide streets and boulevards, Seville was a maze of narrow streets. It felt a bit like the pedestrian only medina I visited in Fez, but Seville's tiny streets were open to cars who squeezed along them an into impossibly small garages.

The differences took a bit of a while to get used to. I wasn't sure I liked Seville to begin with, but after a couple of days the charm grew on me, and having permanently shady streets during the heat of day definitely had its advantages.

After our supermarket trip we headed to the nearby Plaza San Marcos to fortify ourselves for a walk round the city. In Madrid we'd become used to every place serving tapas, but the only bar open in the square seemed to just serve drinks. While we were at the bar a few Seville fans started arriving and flags were being hung from nearby balconies. We realised that the Europa League final was being played that night and lots of fans were turning out to cheer their home team on.

After our drinks we set off, first booking a table at nearby ConTendedor for the following evening before heading off towards the centre of the city. We were heading for La Brunilda restaurant which Becks had chosen for dinner.

We got a little disorientated walking in the small and twisty streets, finding ourselves in the large public square of Alamedia de Hércules before eventually getting back on track and finding the restaurant, which was packed. Deciding we didn't fancy the forty five minute wait we traced our steps to a nearby plaza where we'd seen a few other places.

Dinner was at a pretty average tourist joint. We decide against dessert and to buy ice creams from a nearby shop to eat as we walked home. We took the more direct route back through the central shopping district, past the impressive Metro Parasol and a lively wine bar not too from our apartment that we took a mental note to visit again.