Nobody wants to feel like a tourist. Who us? No no, we’re trailblazers – so you can imagine our surprise when we discovered our destination of choice is Lonely Planet’s No.1 city to visit in 2018.
If like me you have to work through some guilt before enjoying your summer holiday then Seville is your sun blessed escape. My pre-trip guilt stemmed from a) taking a holiday when I work for myself and b) taking flights when I’m also working on what it means to live green.
Beyond sustainability shaming yourself, holiday stresses come from many things; your work to-do list is longer than your list of tapas bars to try; you splurged on that collab bikini between Tanja’s Crochet and Adornment Studios; your pet-sitter pulled out; you’re already anticipating the urge to Instagram whilst being present; you didn’t buy that cute collab bikini between Tanja’s Crochet and Adornment Studios; the reasons to stress continue…
The most stressful thing about Seville is scaring yourself into thinking you might never experience that much joy again. From the moment we arrived in the city we were soothed by purple flower blossoms on the jacaranda trees. It’s like 2018’s city teamed-up with Pantone’s colour of the year to deliver the promise of intrigue for what was to come.
Purple is also the colour of mindfulness, so it’s no surprise that the Andalucian capital has a captivating way of bringing your attention to the present moment.
Eat & Drink
Seville attracts Game of Thrones fans as scenes from the series were shot in the city’s Alcázar Palace – which is stunning and absolutely on the list of things to do – but for us the main game was tapas bar crawls.
Seville is home to thousands of tapas bars so it’s good to do as the locals do and have a drink with one or two tapas and then move on to try another place. Wine by the glass is really great value so you don’t get stuck in one bar with a bottle and you get to sample more and branch out into the local speciality – sherry. My husband took to ordering deliciously dry manzanilla to mix things up.
The food is incredible so it’s hard to go wrong, but here are my absolute favourites.
You have to have breakfast at Bar El Comercio. Take tips from the local old ladies on how to eat churros – dipped in coffee without spoiling your lipstick.
I’m not a local lady so I also went for a cup of melted chocolate to dip my churros
We loved Bar Estrella for lunch. Away from the bustle, we stumbled across it when we lost our way trying to return to a tiny tapas bar we liked, but couldn’t remember the name of (which incidentally is La Taberna del Rey Calle Corral del Rey, 2, Sevilla). It’s definitely a city to get lost in and we were glad we did. We got chatting to a local guy that took us down the street from Bar Estrella to see Iglesia de San Isidoro, a church and a living example of how the building was once peacefully used by both jewish and muslim worshipers with the Star of David over one entrance and the muslim horseshoe arch decorating the other. He pointed out Moorish tiles as we meandered back to Bar Estrella and helpfully warned us not to over order here as the tapas are generously portioned.
Casa Morales is a wonderful place to stand and eat by the wooden bar or pull up a chair surrounding the giant wine vats. Originally opened as a winery in 1850, the family run place still attracts locals and is charming in a hectic kind of way with a printed menu that’s not worth ordering from as the dishes they actually have that day are all on the blackboards. Definitely sample the sherry here.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the modern Maquilla Bar. Scrumptious croquettes, really friendly service and especially good if you like beer.
Eslava is on every list you’ll read so there’s a lot of hype and you have to queue, but as this was the only time we did it was part of the experience, plus you get to people watch and sip sangria whilst you wait. Expect interestingly arranged tapas.
We chose Abaceria La Nina Bonita for our final dinner. Situated in what was once a grocery opened in 1931, the setting and menu are full of character. They deliver the food from their sister restaurant Bar Antojo, but this is absolutely the best setting to enjoy it.
The only evening we didn’t eat tapas and booked ahead was for slow food restaurant ConTenedor. The menu is presented in alternating coloured chalk on a blackboard propped on mismatched chairs that the waiter kindly translates, explaining the fifteen or so daily dishes. We loved everything about this place from the live music (on Tuesdays) to the unique wine list to the eclectic interior. Definitely save space for dessert.
When not taking in tiles and more traditional sights – such as the Alcázar and Iglesia de San Luis de los Franceses pictured below – here’s some other ideas to get your heart going.
Shop local
I picked-up this silver pendant below in the Sunday morning market in Plaza del Cabildo. It’s mainly for coin lovers, but worth it just to see the local men trading stamps in this monumental square.
My best flamenco experience came in the form of a visit to local flamenco atelier, Aurora Gaviño. The shop has two cabinets of earrings ranging from big to huge. I got these hand-painted tiles for earrings.
Vintage and preloved fashion can be found on Feria, the street that is transformed into a flea market every Thursday morning. I noted Crispa2 Vintage for the cute preloved Fendi bag I saw in the window, but it wasn’t on Feria street so there’s ironically a second Crispa2 somewhere else in the city.
Near the Metrosol Parasol, the giant controversial wooden mushroom structure that we thought was stunning, sits some good places for conscious shopping. Verde Moscú is a great little boutique selling eco-fashion for women and men with their own brand of clothing alongside other sustainable Spanish and European brands such as Thinking Mu, Tiralahilacha and Armedangels. I also discovered the Barcelona backpack brand Urbanita here. Isadora is another women’s boutique just in front of Verde Moscú that is more cutesy, but stocks some cool pieces by Skunkfunk.
There are lots of shoe shops, and I couldn’t leave Spain without a pair of espadrilles. La Mallorquina, Calle Córdoba, 7, Sevilla had the best classic styles in bold colours by brands that are part of the espadrille association from the town of Cervera del Río Alhama in Rioja.
Jazz
There’s an intimate little club called Jazz Naima Sevilla in Alameda, which is the hip district with a beautiful square and lots of bars and restaurants. It’s free so you can poke your head in to see if you like the vibe of the music which ranges from jazz to swing, blues to funk fusion from night to night.
Triana
Check out the Triana neighbourhood across the river where the flamenco artists, bullfighters and gypsies used to reside. Triana looks a lot more ordinary than the other side, but when you explore there are some real gems like casual local bakeries and tapas bars where we sampled our first salmorejo soup (like gazpacho, but creamier). Note: If you’re veggie then it’s worth making sure they don’t garnish it with serrano ham. The indoor food market, Mercado de Triana is also worth a visit for genuinely great local food.
Packing list with what I wore from the Indigo crop at the top
Indigo crop top VIMPELOVA, preloved Balenciaga skirt, Luna bag Cult Gaia (also below), sandals The poet sandal maker of Athens, jewellery The Sablon Antiques Market in Brussels, ’60s sunglasses from Klasik
Black ’80s Katherine Hamnett dress from Wolf & Gypsy Vintage, George basket bag by MUUN from LN-CC, rope sandals Nomadic State of Mind, antique cross necklace The Sablon Antiques Market
Loyalty 2 Gaia dress Vivienne Westwood
Hollyhock dyed silk slip Local Dialect, preloved Yves Saint Laurent jacket, bag Abacá worn with a Vegan pouch inside from Noumenon, earrings Aurora Gaviño
Organic cotton shirt MUJI, skirt, sandals and sunglasses as before, preloved Fendi bag from Isabelle Bajart
Dress Naya Rea, preloved Fendi bag as before, shell earrings from Brighton
Old Stella McCartney dress that comes out every summer holiday or wedding since I bought it in a sample sale in 2011
And finally, How bad are bananas? Mike Berners-Lee provided my reading material about the carbon footprint of EVERYTHING.
©Photographs Reclaimed Woman