Jet Lagged Gianna

I have one word to describe Sevilla, Spain: HOT. I knew it was going to be warm when I was traveling, especially in early June, but I did not expect the 100+ degree weather that I experienced the entire time I was in Sevilla. 

The strangest part about Sevilla is that even though it’s constantly boiling, everybody dresses as if it were early fall. Jeans and long sleeve shirts. If it were up to me, I would be walking around naked all day. 

I got off the bus and decided to walk the 30 minutes to my hostel, WITH my gigantic backpack on my back. I could have easily taken public transportation, but I feel like you experience a city best by walking through it. I showed up to my hostel drenched in sweat and regretting the past 30 minutes.

I’ve never known Spain to be a particularly friendly country. The people aren’t UNfriendly, just not as smiley and welcoming as other places I’ve been. But that was until I visited southern Spain. I have a theory that the more south you go, the nicer the people. Maybe because they get to experience warm weather all year round, it affects their personalities. 

The girl at the front desk of the hostel gave me a welcoming smile when I walked in, and showed me to my (thankfully) air-conditioned room. She was extremely helpful in giving me tips of where I should visit and how to use the bus system. 

When I was finally alone, I took a long, much needed shower. Looking at the few articles of clothing I had left to wear, I realized that I would need to do laundry soon. I didn’t even know where to begin to solve that problem. 

I found an outfit that I deemed wearable in the heat and set off to explore Sevilla. 

Sevilla is quintessential Spain. Colorful buildings with balconies full of drying clothes line the cobblestone streets. Every local is sitting outside, having a drink or coffee. I found a vegan restaurant two minutes away from my hostel. I couldn’t bear to sit outside this time. I opted for an indoor seat next to the air conditioning. I would eat like a local next time, I told myself.

I had another pleasant experience with my Spanish waiter. The last time I’d been in Spain, I’d had an allergic reaction to a brazil nut in something I ate. I explained my allergy to the waiter and he spend 10 minutes talking to all the chefs and making sure that they didn’t use the nut in anything on the menu. I was incredibly thankful for his kindness. 

I felt like an American ordering a veggie burger off the menu. The restaurant wasn’t a Spanish restaurant. It had a lot of American, Asian, and Italian food. But it was cheap, tasty, and it filled the hole. 

After lunch, it seemed like the entire city had shut down. The restaurants and shops had all closed, and no one was sitting outside anymore. The sun was at its highest point, and the heat struck like nothing I’d felt before. It was time for a siesta. 

And siesta I did. Hard. For many hours. Jet lag and overall lack of sleep got the better of me. When I woke up, the sun was setting. I felt drained, even after the nap. I made a quick hostel dinner of pasta with tomato sauce and zucchini (I am not very original when it comes to cooking on a budget apparently). I ate alone in the dining room and quickly went back to sleep. I promised myself I would wake up early the next day to do all the sight seeing and al-fresco eating Sevilla had to offer. 

I started the day off at the Plaza de Espana, located in in the Parque de María Luis. It was full of tourists, but for a good reason. Even though it was only built in 1928, it looked like it belonged in a fairy tale. I wandered through the opulent archways, and even offered to take pictures for tourist families. Afterwards, I took a short-lived stroll through the park. 

My next stop was too far away to walk to in the heat. I needed to take public transportation, and I had no idea how it worked. I followed google maps to the nearest bus stop. There was no sign indicating how much it cost. I used what limited Spanish I knew to ask someone how much it was to ride the bus. The man helped me figure out how much I needed to hand the bus driver, and then I hopped on a bus to head towards the Real Alcazar. 

Word to the wise: book your tickets ahead of time. Luckily, I arrived early and the line wasn’t too long. But it got worse as the day went on. After waiting about 20 minutes, I was allowed entry. Another word to the wise students or ex-students: bring your student ID (even if you’ve graduated already). My fare was reduced significantly.  

The Real Alcazar is an incredible garden and fortress that was build in the 14th century. It has tons of history, and was one of the most beautiful places I visited in Spain. Some scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed there, adding to its popularity. It was definitely worth the long wait in line. 

I don’t like to hate on massive crowds of tourists, because I am a tourist. However, this was also a place that I feel like tourists ruined. It’s extremely aesthetic, meaning people were trying to get photos EVERYWHERE. Tourists were holding up entire groups of people just to get that perfect photo. I like a good insta photo as much as the next girl, but this was ridiculous. Which is why I highly suggest you get there when it opens. Less people, less instagrammers, more beauty. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I needed to get away from the stampede. 

Next I visited the Cathedral de Sevilla. I didn’t go up to the top because A. I thought I was going to die of heatstroke if I walked up to many steps and B. it was closed for construction. I stopped at a cuban restaurant for lunch (the only place nearby with vegan options).

After lunch, I decided to walk to Las Setas de Sevilla, which are basically these giant mushrooms  constructed in the middle of the city. Only pictures can give you an accurate visual of these.

It was getting hotter as the day got later. I decided to celebrate the Spanish culture with a siesta. Afterwards, I had one of the best meals of my trip at a tapas restaurant called Arte y Sabor. I originally ventured there for a single glass of wine and to get some writing done. But the evening was so lovely, and the house wine made me feel so comfortable, that I ordered some tapas. The best dish was the Patatas Alinadas, which is basically Spanish potato salad. 

When I returned to the hostel, I met my two new dorm mates – South Korean brothers named Kim and June. They offered to share their wine with me, and we sat in the common area using google translate to try to communicate. It was hilarious. 

The most interesting aspect of Kim and June was that they were obsessed with tomatoes. When we sat down to drink the wine, they whipped out a massive bag of tomatoes that they had bought from the grocery store and sliced them up like apples. I’ve never seen someone eat so many tomatoes. Apparently, tomatoes are a delicacy in South Korea, or at least in the area they were from, or at least that’s what I could figure from what they typed in on google translate. 

Even though they did not know much English, they knew all the American bands. They loved Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5, and knew the words to all the songs. 

We went to bed around 1 in the morning. They asked me if I wanted to tour the city with them the next day, but I had a train to catch in the morning. 

The next day, they bid me farewell before setting off to see Sevilla. I had some time to spare before my train, so I stopped at a cafe for breakfast. I stared at the menu, trying to figure out the most vegan friendly option. I settled on fruit salad with orange juice. I’m not sure if there was a mix up in the translation, or if this is a normal Spanish breakfast, but the server brought me fruit salad with orange juice poured into the bowl. Like fruit cereal?

It was very strange, but still refreshing in the heat. I laughed off the experience, and then made my way to the train station. Solo traveling was becoming better and better with each day. 

Up Next -> Old Town Cordoba

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