Sevilla

Sevilla was our last stop in Andalucia before heading north to Barcelona. It was a perfect place to take in quintessential Spain. Sevilla is a hot-bed for Flamenco, and is known for a unique style called Sevillanas.

Sevilla is divided by the Quadalquivir river with the Triana district on one side, famous for its ceramics. Its buildings are beautiful, colorful and the streets are brimming with fragrant orange trees.

I was in Sevilla in 1992 where I attended a Spanish language program. It is easy to get lost in the narrow, maze-like streets of the barrio Santa Cruz. However, Mitch and I were able to find the home that I lived in with mi familia.
In 1992 Sevilla hosted the World Expo. It was neat to see how they kept some of the unique pavillions which are now used for offices. In fact, the entire Expo area is now a business park that employs around 9,000 people.

Mitch had a chance to research his Spanish ancestry at the Archivo de los Indios, where all the records from the new world have been kept since the 1400s. One of Mitch's ancestors was the Chamberlain to Cortez and went with Cortez to Cuba. A researcher was helpful, but they found that there are thousands of Escobars in Spain so the search will have to continue on the database website he learned about.

View our photo slideshow

Highlights of Sevilla included:

• Horse & carriage tour
  
• Ferry boat ride on the Guadalquivir
  
• Two flamenco shows
  
• Taking an Arab Bath at "Aire de Sevilla"
  
• Touring the largest Cathedral in the world, and going to the top of its bell tower for great views of the city
  
• Eating great food, drinking great wine and fresh squeezed orange juice
  
• Exploring the Santa Cruz district and finding great little stores and restaurants