I am horribly behind on blogging and still posting trips from September! Oh well, I will get to 2018 some day. I am happy to finally share our lovely trip with Megan and David.

Before I tell you about our sunshine filled trip to the beautiful southern Spanish city, I want to share two photos of when Megan and David were in Amsterdam. Can you believe how chilly it can be in September?  We took them out on our little boat anyway.

 

We also took them to one of our favorite spots in Amsterdam, Worst,which has some of the best cheese, wine, and meat in town.

---

Ok, back to Spain. We flew from Amsterdam to Sevilla, Spain on the earliest flight out on Friday, September 29th.

I highly recommend the Airbnb we stayed in. Lovely and clean, the place was exactly what we needed. Our host was probably our favorite part of the place because he gave us amazing recommendations. Jose Luis spent more than twenty minutes explaining the layout of the city when we arrived, his favorite spots to eat, and the best times to visit museums and tours.

For lunch, Jose Luis recommended a restaurant walking distance from our apartment, la Brunilda. Packed with people, the restaurant had a long waiting list, so we wrote our names down and headed across the street for some Sangria while we waited! We devoured all of our tapas: from unique grilled Octopus, to amazing potato dishes.

He told us that it is a hotspot for Asian tourists because so many famous Asian bloggers write about it. You wont be sorry, you must go there while you are in Sevilla!

After lunch, we walked to a very interesting structure called the Metropol Parasol. The biggest wooden structure in the world, Metropol Parasol takes up a giant area of the city. The locals loathe it, but we loved climbing around the top because of the sensational views of the city at the top.

The weather was perfect every day; it was hot, but not too hot. We loved being outside in the sun!

We went on a food and wine tour that evening. The tour took us to several restaurants and local wine spots we never would have found on our own.

The next morning, we hopped on a free walking tour of the city. I highly recommend going on a walking tour in any city, because it is the best way to see everything and get oriented.

One of the most memorable places on the tour for me was the Plaza de España in the Parque de María Luisa. It was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and is stunning. Every region in Spain has their own beautiful tiled bench.

After our tour, we visited the large Cathedral of the city and the Real Alcazar of Sevilla, a royal palace originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. While the cathedral was gorgeous, the palace was unlike anything I had ever seen.

Fun fact: they filmed Game of Thrones here!

I cannot neglect to tell you about our Flamenco show at the Casa de Memoria.

 

There was something about the intimate setting, the loud stomps, claps, and strums that made this night truly special. I expected the beautiful dresses and gorgeous guitar strums, but I did not expect the singing! The two men in the middle of the picture above sang with such passion and emotion.

After the show, we grabbed dinner at this neat restuarant ConTenedor (highly recommend!) and a drink at the top of a hotel overlooking Sevilla at night.

David and Megan’s flight back to the States left from Madrid, so we took the train there to spend a few more hours with them before heading back to Amsterdam.

We strolled around Parque el Retiro..

..but did not take the paddle boats out because the line was too long! 🙂

What makes a perfect trip?

Endless sunshine, a lot of laughter, too much food, interesting culture, and great company. We loved showing Megan and David our home in Amsterdam and venturing to incredible Sevilla.

Sevilla checked all my boxes and I cannot wait to return.