We started the day with a walking tour of historic Seville. Our guide’s name was Carmen, and we found her on Airbnb. I thought the tour was excellent. There was a ton of information, and it moved at a very steady clip. On our tour, there was 2 french woman as well. We did not go into any place but learned about the Cathedral, Alcázar, University, and Plaza de España. The Plaza de España was designed for the World’s Fair in 1920. I strongly recommend this tour, and I suggest doing it as soon as you get to Seville. It’s a great way to orient yourself to the history surrounding your visit.
When our tour ended, we walked through Parque de María Luisa and found a coffee in a small cafe. During our time in Spain, we had toast with pureed tomatoes on it. I thought it was delicious, and I’d seen other people order. I ordered a pan con tomate and got bread with thinly sliced tomatoes. Ugh, I wanted the puree, but now I wasn’t sure what to call it. These are the best types of traveler problems. Your hunt isn’t for gold or treasurer, but to try and figure out how to correctly order toast with pureed tomatoes on it.
Afterward, we decided to find lunch at the shops underneath the Setas. We made a mistake and got there about 20 minutes before everything closed. Shops were starting to close, and there really wasn’t a comfortable place to get a seat to enjoy food. We stopped by one stall and ordered some ham and cheese to take back to the U.S. and left the Setas while it was closing.
We used the afternoon to explore the nooks and crannies of Seville by wandering through the streets and looking into shops. We found an actual perfume shop where they still hand mix perfumes. We did find a quick snack at a local bar on a side street. A glass of beer and a quick sandwich was plenty to beat the hunger and let us continue our exploration of the city. Eventually, we crossed the river to the neighborhood of Triana. This neighborhood is often considered the non-tourist part of Seville.
We really wanted to eat at a restaurant called Manolo Leon’s House for dinner. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a reservation, and when we arrived, they were booked for the night. Disappointed, we hit the streets looking for something else. We walked up to a bustling tapas bar that got good reviews and asked if they had space. The only opening was in their restaurant across the street, and we said “yes.” This turned out to be a weird decision because we were the only people in the whole place. The restaurant was Taplato Centro, and we were utterly alone; I was a bit disappointed, but I decided to stick it out and eat.
Here comes our next mistake. We were both hungry for some greens, and I saw ensaladilla on the menu. I assumed this was a side salad and ordered. What came out was potato salad with shrimp in it. It was good, but barely a vegetable could be found.
After a day filled with a lot of walking and some culinary misfires, we decided to head home after dinner and simply relax. We were just getting into Seville, and we didn’t want to run out of steam.
Next: Spain Day 6 – Seville
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