Sevilla

I actually started writing this post on the day I got back from Sevilla but quickly abandoned it when I realised that my laptop was way too full to actually import my photos from my camera and start compiling the visual part of this post. I kept telling myself I'd get around to it and lo-and-behold it's now the 24th of March and I've finally stopped procrastinating the gruelling job of sorting through and deleting files to make space of the 276 photos taken on this trip. Looking through these photos was lovely and has made me so excited for my upcoming trip to Spain (Valencia this time!)

There's something about Spain which makes me feel so content. It's a country that I will return to over and over again and never get bored of (as you can probably tell by my recent trips) and I would go as far as saying it's my favourite country so far. The history, the art, the language, the food, the people...I guess there's a reason I'm studying it at university!

Despite having already been to Seville back in 2016, I feel like I still managed to take on the city with a fresh mind and fell in love with it all over again. My dad and I had only spent a few days in Seville and used it as our base when embarking on our inter-rail journey around Andalusia so my memories of my previous trip to Seville were very hazy and definitely written over by the experiences I had in the multiple other cities my dad and I visited during our journey.



I returned 3 years later with a whole new proficiency in the language, so I could actually converse confidently instead of having to rely on my dad to do all the talking for me when we had previously visited (he lived in Ibiza for 2 years so his Spanish is perfect) Now I could actually order food in over-crowded tapas bars, listen to 45 minute guided tours of museums in Spanish (I did have to record a few clips to refer back to though), hold almost 1 hour conversations with our AirBnB host and more.

As well as knowing the language, my knowledge of Spanish history and culture has infinitely multiplied and I came back to Seville with a much more solid understanding of the history of the region as well as utter adoration for Spanish artists. I think that when you have these extra layers of connection to a place, you really do enjoy it more and feel so much more immersed in it all.


Seville is a beautiful city. Think orange tree lined streets, cobble stones, tiles, warm light, blue skies and sun. Moorish, renaissance and gothic influences everywhere. Those of you that dont know, the Iberian peninsula was under the Muslim Moor control from 711AD up until la Reconquista in 1492 by the Catholic monarchs. The period from then saw the Spanish Inquisition and fleeing of a high proportion of Muslims and Jews that had resided in the peninsula and enjoyed a degree of religious coexistence between the three faiths. When the Catholic monarchs returned and put the Inquisition into full force, Muslims and Jews were given the choice to either convert to Catholicism (which some did) whereas others left the land and mostly dispersed across North Africa, particularly Morocco which is why there are such large communities of Moroccan-Jews to this day. So much so that the king Mohammed V actually blocked the Vichy's efforts to implement anti-Jew legislation in Morocco and also prevented the deportation of 250,000 Jews from Morocco to concentration camps in Europe.


I digress.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the history of this city is incredibly detailed and intricate due to so many different civilisations being established there. I've grown more and more appreciative of art and art history and was absolutely spoilt by exhibitions showing the works of Spanish painters like Murillo, Zurbaran and Velasquez. The fine arts museum had a special exhibition dedicated to Murillo and I loved each and every room. Seville has an incredible artistic history so try and visit every art museum there is in the city!





Have you visited Sevilla? If not, go!!!
-Dalal