Sevilla Con Mi Familia!

Josh at Plaza de España

My family and I spent the last week exploring Sevilla. It was so wonderful having them there to see what I experience all the time. They arrived on Thursday. I met them at their hotel just as they were checking in. It was amazing being able to give my parents huge hugs. I walked around with my mom a bit through Santa Cruz and we met Josh at the bus stop. We were all reunited for the first time since I graduated from college. We had dinner at Los Coloniales, which they were not huge fans of because it was mostly potatoes.

On Friday, I took them to Plaza de España and Parque Maria Luisa, which they thought were beautiful. In the park, my dad bought bird food and poured it all over himself, which means he was covered in pigeons and doves. It was hilarious and a wonderful photo op. My brother loves modern architecture, so we took a cab to the Alamillo Bridge. We walked on the bridge for a while and then along the river before heading back to the center. We attended the midnight Christmas Eve mass at the Cathedral, which was a really cool experience. I met friends who were sitting in the front row, so I had a great view. I was proud of myself because I understood most of the Spanish throughout the mass. That was certainly the largest cathedral I’ve ever attended mass in and probably ever will.

Dad at Parque Maria Luisa

We explored more areas of Sevilla on Saturday, including Santa Cruz and Triana. We satiated Josh’s desire for jamón iberico for lunch. I had no idea my brother was so obsessed with Spanish ham. In the afternoon, I took my parents to see my apartment and get stuff for the upcoming trip. We got tickets to see a flamenco show near the hotel. It was incredible! It was much more interesting and lively, with both a male and female dancer, than the flamenco I had seen for free. I guess you get what you pay for. My family was really happy to have seen the show. We went out for dinner after the show at Carmela and enjoyed some more tapas. After my parents headed back to their hotel, Josh and I stayed out for a crepe. Shhhh…it’s a secret.

Mom and Dad at the Cathedral

On Sunday, my parents took me to the Museo de Bellas Artes. Museums are not my favorite parts of cities, but we did it fairly quickly and there were certainly some good paintings there and a really nice courtyard. I found a painting where it looked like the guy lying on his deathbed was texting, so we all had a good laugh over that. Then we headed to the art festival in Plaza Nueva, where my parents bought me a handmade bag I had been eyeing. We ran into Rebecca’s parents on the way to a delicious lunch of paella. It truly is a tiny city. After lunch, we spent a while exploring the Alcázar. It was gorgeous, as always. Later, on a nighttime walk to the Alameda, some kids stopped us right outside of the cathedral and asked, “Where is the cathedral?” It couldn’t have been more obvious, and my mom replied, “Are you serious?” It was hilarious and my brother compared it to standing on the beach and asking, “Where’s the ocean?” We settled on dinner at Cervecería Giralda, right by our hotels, and had a variety of delicious and authentic tapas. My dad told the waiters at the end that it was the best tapas he has had but I’m not sure they understood him. We said, “Buenas noches” to Sevilla and headed back to our hotels to sleep before our grand adventure to Morocco the next day.