2 hours and 40 minutes from Gatwick airport. Stepping off the plane after a 2 hours and 40 minute flight from Gatwick airport, we were greeted to a warm evening of 18 degrees Celsius – a pleasant change to the particularly cold December in Brighton, UK.
Our apartment was in the heart of the old city, Calle Alvaraz de Quintero, surrounded by small independent shops, tapas bars and delis selling exquisite high-end food.
A 3-minute walk away we hit the Plaza de San Francisco with a charming music and lights display over a double domed structure that crowds had gathered to watch and cheer on – we remarked how opulent the Christmas lights looked there, and everywhere we went over the next 5 days.
The highlights of our trip were:
Zelai, C. Albareda, 22, bajo b, Seville
A modern tapas bar with some of the best croquetas we’ve ever had.
Ispal: Pl. San Sebastián, 1, 41004 Sevilla,
A New Year’s Day tasting menu was hugely enjoyable. Highlights included:
Fried Sea Nettle Beignets topped with marinate Tuna Loin
Carrot Pickle Almadraba Red Tuna
Grilled Deer from Sierra Morena, Pumpkin, Orange & PX Sauce
Sometimes we like to go self-catering which is what we did in Seville. We enjoy the tiny supermarkets with fresh deli and meat counters you find in Spanish cities and it’s not hard to find everything you need.
New discoveries this time: a Lindt D’Or pick and mix with flavours we’d never heard of (and some we don’t want to try: eg coconut – the best are still the milk and white choc versions IMHO) – plus their tinned tomatoes have oil in them – and are called tomato frites, which we weren’t so keen on. Nevertheless, there are lots of really great ingredients in these stores, especially in the ham and Manchego categories. If you’re looking for something really high end there are lots of small delis, plus the food hall at El Corte Del Ingles was superb and had a café /bar/ restaurant with an outdoor terrace that looked out over the city.
Alcázar palace and gardens, built in the 1300s, is a world heritage sight – features in Game Of Thrones.
Plaza de España – built in 1929 for the Exposición Iberoamericana, – features in one of the Star Wars films. Enjoyable tiled alcoves and maps of all the different Spanish regions.
Las Setas, translates as ‘the mushroom’ a huge wooden structure in Plaza de la Encarnación, built in 2011, which has fabulous views across the city and beyond.
