Sevilla – my impressions

Many of you may ask:“How does Sevilla look like from  the point of view of the students on the immersion program ?“. I would say that it has got a lot of  faces.

Sevilla itself – What kind of city Sevilla really is? 

Seville, in Spanish Sevilla, is a capital of Andalusia and the fourth biggest city in Spain. It is a river city. There is the river Guadalquivir winding all through Seville. Additionally,  the Seville harbour is the only river port in Spain. The metropolitan population reaches around 1.5 million citizens. 

 

The city is divided into the Old Town, which contains extremely important UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the New Town. When it comes to the first impressions, they are impressively strong. That is because Sevilla is a walkable city, in which every corner hides something astonishing. What is more, most of the ´´must see´´ sites are situated close to each other, which makes it easy to explore the Old Town. Which ones are the ´´must see´´ places, I have mentioned?

• Plaza de España
• Royal Alcazar
• La Catedral de Sevilla & La Giralda
• Santa Cruz district and historical center
• Torre del Oro
• Plaza de Toros
• Setas de Sevilla – Metropol Parasol

How do places correspond with the atmosphere of Sevilla?

Seville, especially during your first day here, is extremely confusing. Maybe it is because of adorable and really narrow streets, maybe because of the omnipresent cacophony. However, after some time of  being here, you will quickly understand how logically the city is built and you will definitely find your favourite spots. Seville is an ambient city, which is a mix of the impact of two main events, which took place here in the past .

 

The first event, I mentioned, is The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. The buildings constructed for this EXPO are still being used for example as museums. The most important and the most significant, not only for Spanish people, but also for the whole Europe, Plaza de España was built at the time. Later on, the second event was EXPO in 1992. Thanks to this, right now Sevilla has a theme park Isla Magica, some unique buildings in a modern part of the city, Jardín Americano (American Gardens) or the famous Santiago Calatrava´s bridge called Alamillo. As a reference the architect has also designed world-known buildings of Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia or World Trade Center in NYC. He is not the only famous architect, who visited and created something in Sevilla. The Eiffel Tower´s creator, Gustave Eiffel himself, designed the Isabel II Bridge, known as the Triana Bridge. Sevilla surely has experienced some gran influence.

Coming back to cacophony, Seville is a flamenco/sevillana city full of singing and dancing. There are lots of places such as tablaos de flamenco, street singers and passionate Plaza de España dancers.The music is a big part of Seville. It completes the atmosphere.

 

So…How does this atmosphere feel?

One word. AMAZING.

If you are a traveller, who prefers watching sunsets, getting to know real people who love flamenco, eating at restaurants which combine both european and exotic food, Seville is a place for you. If I had to list most evoking emotions moments, I would say:

 

• Watching a sunset next to the river
• Kayaking with your friends also during the sunset
• Walking around Royal Alcazar all alone, just giving yourself time to think
• Going to Plaza de España on Sunday morning to see the national heritage sight while observing and listening to people who are passionate about flamenco (they voluntarily dance and sing)
• Visiting Setas while it´s getting dark

 

Additionally, if you love biking, you should visit Seville this way. If you are keen on architecture, check out the remaining EXPO buildings. If you are interested in art, visit Seville Museum of Fine Arts or Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo. If you are an epicure, try everything from Spanish tapas, through cute cafes´ Napolitana de chocolate and Moroccan couscous.

Seville is a big city that does not feel like a big one.

 

To sum up, Seville is a great city. Full of events, amazing sights, good food and full of music. In summer it surly is a really hot city, that is true. However, the heat does not bother you as much as you could think. Additionally, I must highlight that if you have any free time, while being in Seville, you should visit Cádiz. Enjoy Seville!