Moorish Charm at Sevilla’s Real Alcázar

April 24, 2015

Spending my childhood in the Middle East has created a lifelong love affair with Arabic design. My favorite architectural designs and patterns always stem from a Middle Eastern influence and so it’s safe to say that I knew I would fall head over heels in love with the Real Alcazár in Sevilla. After our morning at the Sevilla Cathedral and the Giralda Tower, we headed right across the plaza, bought our tickets and entered this famous monument. This royal palace is complete with Moorish architecture, intricate designs and details, lush gardens with water features and groves of orange trees abounding. Wandering through the grounds felt like our own slice of paradise, an oasis in the middle of beautiful Sevilla.

The Real Alcazár is in one way totally in sync with the city, the colors, the feel, the lushness and yet also completely unique, made to feel as if you were wandering through a foreign, exotic land all at the same time. The tiles, the archways, the wooden beams, it’s truly spectacular and not a site to be missed when visiting Sevilla. I fell more and more in love with this place as we wandered through, taking our time and looking at every detail. It’s truly a remarkable and breathtakingly beautiful spot in the middle of Sevilla.

Traveling to Spain?

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Views and Windy Stairs : Sevilla Cathedral + Giralda Tower

April 23, 2015

After taking in the dawn in Sevilla, we headed back to the hotel, slept a bit more and then got going to explore the city during the day. Our first stop: the Sevilla Cathedral and Giralda Tower. Our fantastic hotel was only about a 5 minute walk from this area, so we wandered the tiny streets until it let open into the lovely plaza in front of the cathedral. We waited in line for about 10 minutes to buy tickets into the church and the tower, then took our time wandering through the incredible cathedral and its grounds. Taking in the masterpieces of art and design as we went, we meandered our way to the entrance of Giralda Tower. (Side note here: It was a heck of a climb to the top.)

The climb itself is not easy, curved uneven cobblestone stairs all the way to the top coupled with groups of school children pushing and shoving their way through the crowds climbing the stairs, but the views, oh they are oh so worth it. Along the way up, there are little alcoves with incredible spots for views and a spot for a respite from the climb, so take advantage of those. They are actually better views because you’re in these small areas alone, without the mass of crowds like at the top. But truly, the views from the top are really incredible too. Looking out over Sevilla to see the white and yellow city emerge, with its bull fighting ring, the many apartments we remarked we would love to call our own, complete with iron balconies and flowers flowing over the sides; the views are simply stunning.

After we made our way down again, we were hungry and tired, so we stopped at the Estrella Dorada Bodega across the street for some of the best churros con chocolate we had our entire trip; the perfect way to rest and refuel for our adventures at the Real Alcazar later that afternoon.

A couple notes about the Seville Cathedral and Giralda Tower:

-You can buy your tickets ahead, which I would recommend if you’re going during peak times of the year. We bought ours at the door and had to wait in line for about 10 minutes but could have skipped the line if we had bought ahead.

-Be careful climbing the tower, the steps are curved and uneven and we had groups of school children pummeling through us, so take your time and walk carefully.

-After your visit, don’t miss Churros and chocolate across the street at Estrella Dorada Bodega.

Traveling to Spain?

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Moments Before the Dawn in Sevilla

April 22, 2015

We arrived in Sevilla in the evening and upon seeing the city a bit as the night was falling, we knew we wanted to start exploring bright and early the next day so we got up before the dawn in Sevilla to see the city. Nick always loves getting up for a few sunrises while we travel, to capture the city in the quiet early morning hours and take in the gorgeous daybreak light. So we woke ourselves bright and early the next morning, I threw on leggings and a big scarf and we headed out of our lovely Corral Del Rey hotel. First we wandered the empty and totally peaceful windy cobblestone streets in our neighborhood, wandered a little farther to find a little plaza and a quiet church and finally made a loop back to our hotel to check out the rooftop right as the sun was rising. We climbed the narrow little stairs to get up to the top and watched as the dawn colors spilled across Sevilla’s sky. I was so tired but standing up there on that rooftop will be a moment I will always remember from our trip to Spain, a moment when you look around and can’t quite believe how fortunate you are to experience it. Those are the moments I live for, the moments that make you feel so small and yet so in sync with the world around you. Traveling brings many of those moments but sometimes, there are moments while standing on top of a rooftop in Sevilla, watching the sunrise alongside the person you love that just seem all beyond perfect.

Traveling to Spain?

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Sevilla : An Ancient Paradise

April 20, 2015

Ahh Sevilla… we’re finally talking about this incredible city that I’ve been waiting to share with you! You know those moments somewhere in a foreign place when you completely fall in love with your surroundings? When you are immediately picturing yourself living there, wandering around with a basket on your arm, collecting fruit from the local market and enjoying long dinners at your local bodega? Yea, that was Sevilla for me.

I can’t tell you how much charm and magic exists in this ancient city, from the windy cobblestone streets to the white and yellow buildings surrounding by orange trees bursting with fruit. From the Moorish influence to the ornate balconies, from the incredible food and bustling cafes at every corner to the hours spent drinking sangria and cafe con leche. Sevilla is one of those places in the world that seems way too good to be true. The ancient buildings should be falling apart, the white washed walls should be dirty…but they’re not. The orange trees should only show a couple pieces of fruit, but they are full to the brim. The sky shouldn’t be that shade of blue, but it is. The people shouldn’t be so nice and cheerful, but they are. Sevilla is in essence an ancient paradise, a place that just exudes a calmness, a serenity, a very specific kind of charm. When I used to imagine what it must be like to live in a small town on the Mediterranean, I imagined exactly what it felt like in Sevilla and it’s not even on the Med.

Some places just stick with us; Sevilla will stick with me for a long time. As we wandered the streets Nick and I spoke many times about someday having a little apartment here on a windy cobblestone street, with an iron balcony overlooking the surrounding area. We could wake up late, wander to the market, ride a Vespa through the tiny streets, spend our evenings drinking sangria and eating tapas for hours. It’s a place that seems like the perfect place to escape the craziness of normal life, the perfect city to long for when you need a bit of sunshine and rest. And I know in the years to come, it will definitely become that place for us. I can’t wait to share more of this magical city with you in the days to come! We fell hard for Sevilla and it will always be an ancient paradise we will long to escape to.

Traveling to Spain?

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Travel Tips : How to Travel Like a Local

April 16, 2015

I think one of the things that sets Nick and I apart from other tourists when we travel is that we don’t base our trip around what the guide books say we should do. We make a list of things we want to see and do, but if we don’t get to all of them, it’s not a big deal. Travel for us is much more about seeing a place like the locals see it, experiencing a city like its residents would and really being in the moment while there. When you start to travel like a local, you’ll experience a place so much more and will leave with a new found understanding of the difference between being a tourist and a traveler. There are a lot of easy ways to do this, so the next time you’re traveling, try these tips to travel like a local and you’ll enjoy it so much more!

Keep a list of local favorites.

When we know we are headed somewhere in the year to come, I start saving spots I see on people’s Instagrams accounts or when I read a blog post from a local. I keep them in a folder on my computer and when the trip gets closer, I go back and search through, finding the ones that we really want to try. I’ve found some of the best local restaurants (like Can Paixano (La Xampanyeria) in Barcelona or local off the beaten track spots (like sunrise at Lanikai Beach on Oahu) by doing this.

Don’t miss the outer neighborhoods.

One of the things a lot of travelers do is stay right in the tourist zones in cities. And yes, sometimes that makes things easier but staying in an outer reach neighborhood like we did in Amsterdam or in an apartment like we did in Paris allows you to really see the city where the locals live. You will have better local restaurants nearby and a more genuine feeling.

Use public transportation.

When we travel around a city, we do as the locals do, at least we try to. That goes for public transportation too. If you’re in New York City, use the subway or hail a cab but if you’re in India, grab a tuk tuk. Usually using the local form of transportation will be quicker and cheaper than what most tourists are using.

Ask a local’s advice.

Some of our very best memories of traveling, whether they be restaurants or experiences, come from local’s advice. Like when our guide in Iceland pulled off on a side road and took us to an incredible stone quarry off the beaten path or our hotel reception’s recommendation for dinner in Barcelona. Local’s are always willing to share their home with visitors, all you have to do is ask!

Train Travel in Spain : Tips and Tricks

April 15, 2015

Whenever we travel, one of our favorite ways to get from place to place is by train. It’s something I wish the West Coast of the US did better, because in Europe and other places in the world it’s so convenient and the pros almost always outweigh the cons: you don’t have to get to the station as early as an airport, you actually have some space on a train, they are comfortable and you can bring as much luggage as you want. But even though I love traveling by train, we found out a few tips and tricks about making it easier for train travel in Spain in particular on our recent trip. We took the train from Madrid to Sevilla, and then another from Sevilla to Granada – both trips were wonderful, but we learned a few lessons along the way, so I’m here to share those lessons with you so you have an easy trip!

Buying train tickets on RENFE’s website + using Paypal.

Let me tell you, this was not easy. When I went on to book our tickets on RENFE’s website, it was seriously a struggle. Their English version wasn’t working and everything kept defaulting to Spanish. Needless to say, by the end of it I just gave us and went through it in Spanish as best I could (I did understand most of it, but of course you want to be sure when booking travel). When I got to the end, it would take my American credit card (Courtney of Adelante had warned me about this) so I opted for the Paypal choice of payment instead. It worked really easy with Paypal, processed immediately and I was sent my tickets. For all the hassle, it worked out alright but just know ahead, brush up on your Spanish and use Paypal instead of a credit card.

Local trains only open booking close to travel dates.

For our train from Madrid to Sevilla, I had no problem booking a few months ahead, but when I tried to book our Sevilla to Granada ticket, it wasn’t showing any availability. After googling it, I found out that Spain’s local trains many times don’t open up booking until about 2 weeks prior to the travel date. So mark your calendar and go back then to try again. I had no issue when I went back later and these I actually booked through Rail Europe since the price was the same as RENFE’s website and I could do it all in English, which I just felt better about.

Speaking of Rail Europe…

I generally use Rail Europe’s website a lot to book train travel in Europe, though this time, I found their prices for our Madrid to Sevilla segment a lot higher than RENFE’s website. When that happens, go to the source and book on the country’s own train system.

You only need to arrive about 20 minutes before your train.

I’m always early for everything, it drives me crazy to be late. So it’s actually a struggle for me not to show up to the train station like an hour early, but you really don’t need to. 20 minutes before your train is fine.

Spain’s trains are well marked, so no need to spend time searching for your carriage.

In many countries where I’ve taken trains, there is a seat assignment on your ticket but finding that coach number and seat can be very confusing without the coaches being well marked. I usually have to ask someone what coach I need to head to, but not in Spain. Each train we took had digital boards on each coach marking coach numbers and seat numbers were well marked. We remarked many times how efficient they were.

Don’t forget to take in the countryside.

One of the things I love most about train travel is that you actually get to see the countryside you’re spending through. Spain’s countryside is breathtakingly beautiful, so don’t forget to take it all in while you travel.

Traveling to Spain?

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Gardens, Alleyways + Landmarks : Madrid’s Retiro Park & Metropolis Building

April 14, 2015

Our final day in Madrid we caught the train to Sevilla around 4pm, so we spent the remaining time taking in alleyways that surrounded our hotel, wandering through Retiro Park, checking out the famous Metropolis building and ending with a long Italian lunch in the sun. We started at our hotel on the Plaza Santa Ana, wandered through the tiny hilly alleyways and cobblestone streets of the Cortes neighborhood toward Retiro Park. Along the way we took in the Caixa Forum, a hanging garden across the street from the entrance to the Real Jardin Botanico. Then we wandered pathways through Parque del Buen Retiro, towards Calle de Alcala, taking in the gorgeous buildings. We finished our wanderings at the famous Metropolis building, sadly it was under construction but beautiful all the same. After winding our way back to the Plaza Santa Ana, we had a long lunch on the plaza in the sun at a wonderful Italian spot, enjoying what was left of our time in the lovely city that is Madrid.

Traveling to Spain?

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Plazas, Churros + Wanderings : Madrid’s Cortes and Centro

April 13, 2015

We only had 1 overnight in Madrid at the lovely ME Madrid but since it was so centrally located, we still got to see a lot of the city. Madrid had a very different feel than Barcelona, it’s more ornate in a way, more traditional. I find it hard to put Madrid into words, but being there, it feels so centrally Spanish and that’s about as close as I can get. We spent our first day in the city wandering the area near our hotel, starting first in the Cortes area, then wandering toward the highlights of the Centro neighborhood like Plaza Mayor and Mercado San Miguel. We wandered, had sangria and tapas at a small cafe, wandered some more, enjoyed plaza after plaza with colorful buildings around every corner. We stopped at the famed Chocolatería San Ginés for a café con leche and their famous churros con chocolate. For our first experience with the true Spanish churro, we were in love immediately! So much denser than the American churro covered in cinnamon and sugar, the Spanish version is not coated with any sweeteners, but left to dip in rich dark chocolate. The experience would not be our last in Spain!

We finished off our indulgent afternoon and wandered the back alleyways heading toward our hotel for a siesta and to watch the sunset over the Plaza Santa Ana from our room. For our first day in Madrid, we couldn’t complain!

Don’t Miss in Madrid’s Cortes and Centro Neighborhoods:

-Mercado San Miguel

-Plaza Mayor

-Plaza Santa Ana – Eat at Lateral for great Spanish tapas or Restaurante O Cacho do Jose for great Italian.

-Chocolatería San Ginés – Make sure to get a coffee or something to drink here too… the chocolate is really rich!

Traveling to Spain?

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And here are all my recs for where to stay!

Travel Tips : How to Get Upgraded at Hotels

April 9, 2015

We’ve started getting upgraded a lot at hotels when we travel and one of my favorite things is getting an upgrade to a beautiful room with more space and a gorgeous view. The thing is, getting upgraded at hotels is a whole lot easier than getting upgraded on flights, so I try to really take advantage of upgrades at hotels when traveling. It’s actually a lot simpler than you think and here are some good options to try to get that beautiful corner room!

Contact the Manager Before Your Stay

Even if I’m not working with a hotel on a media stay for a trip through my blog, I will often email the general manager of the property a couple weeks before our stay and introduce myself, mention I’m a travel blogger and that I’ll be reviewing the hotel after my stay. Even if I’m not getting a deal on the hotel through my blog, the majority of the time they will offer a complimentary upgrade because they want you to have the best experience possible for your review. Hotels hate nothing more than bad reviews online that anyone can find on the internet, so when you can, ask. It definitely can’t hurt!

Create Connections with Staff

I work a lot with hotels and hotel chains when we travel and keep a list of contacts for major brands or companies so that when I know I’ll be heading to another one of their hotels, I can keep that connection alive. Keep your network active and when you know where you’ll be headed, many times those connections you’ve already made can really help to put you in for an upgrade.

Ask at Check In

If all else fails, go ahead and ask if there are any upgrades possible at check in. Explain that you’ve had a horribly long travel day or you’re celebrating a special occasion and chances are if you ask nicely and they have a room available, they’ll offer some sort of upgrade.

Join Loyalty Programs

Travel really is becoming all about loyalties, whether it’s airlines or hotels, companies really want to promote their brands and they want your loyalty. Some hotel loyalty programs offer upgrades when available as well as offering free nights that you could potentially use for your own upgrade down the road.

Tapas at Tickets : A Restaurant Review

April 8, 2015

Sometime months ago, Nick saw something about a restaurant called Tickets in Barcelona. It was a world renowned chef who gave up his popular restaurant for something different, a fresh start. He then opened a new tapas bar in Barcelona called Tickets, themed like a circus and as it turns out, one of the hardest restaurants to get into in Spain and honestly in Europe as well. Reservations open a month before and within 10 minutes of them opening, usually every spot is taken.

Long story short, Nick really wanted to see if we could try Tickets while in Barcelona, famous for their unique take on modern tapas. He logged on their website at exactly the moment of the reservations opening for the day we had in mind and had no luck. They were all gone by the time he got the website going. We were disappointed for sure, after all Nick had been talking about it for months. But here’s where this little blog becomes much more than just a blog; I emailed the restaurant, not expecting to hear back, but mentioning my travel blog, mentioning our time in Barcelona and the date were were looking at and after not hearing a reply for a couple weeks, I figured they get so many emails they just can’t answer them. But, low and behold, about three weeks after I sent the email, I received a reply with a reservation for us on the date we had requested. Granted it was at 7pm, which in Spain is basically the early bird special, but we didn’t care, we were in!

Anyways, fast forward a month and we had our dinner at the famous Tickets in Barcelona, complete with their famous “olives” (which aren’t really olives at all but delicious all the same), the spicy lobster (my fave of the evening), their tomato bread which was divine, their incredible sangria and their chicken skewers which were to die for, served on sugarcane over a small barbecue. The food itself was a story, each of the tapas meant to evoke a certain taste, for you to linger on each bite, to eat everything in a precise order as to get the best version of the food experience.

All in all, we enjoyed the theatrical evening, the feeling of exclusivity by being able to experience the remarkable tastes of the tapas at Tickets. Would I go back? Yes. Would I recommend the experience? Yes. So whenever you might find yourself in Barcelona in the future, see if you can get into Tickets and don’t forget to try the spicy lobster!l

This post is in no way sponsored by the restaurant and in their reservation they didn’t mention any need for a review, so as always, all opinions are totally my own.

Photos by Nick Nieto Photography

Moorish Charm at Sevilla’s Real Alcázar

Views and Windy Stairs : Sevilla Cathedral + Giralda Tower

A couple notes about the Seville Cathedral and Giralda Tower:

Moments Before the Dawn in Sevilla

Sevilla : An Ancient Paradise