Winter is not my favorite season. For years I have been taking a faraway trip in the winter, off to the sun. Always to a different destination, which I like because I want to see as much of the world as possible. Until now, I thought that only the tropics had really nice weather in winter, but now I have a big tip for you: Seville! I didn’t know it could be so lovely this close to home in January. I suddenly found myself in full summer weather. It was about 20 degrees on average, with highs of 23 degrees. And when the sun shines, you can walk around in shorts. How wonderful is that! In the evening it is still chilly, but all restaurants have heaters, so you will not get cold.
Favorite place
I spent a week in Seville. This gave me time to discover the city at my leisure. Of course I want to have seen all the highlights, but I wanted to take my time and not rush around. My ultimate, maybe even favorite place in all of Spain, is Plaza España. This is so beautiful and so pure.
There is a horse and cart, the building is breathtaking and it is huge and spacious. But most of all, there is flamenco.
In the middle of the building, it is a coming and going of locals performing flamenco. Ladies in beautiful dresses, tough men, authentic singers and amazing guitarists. Pure passion. I sat here for at least 2 hours and ultimately enjoyed all the beauty. Goosebumps truly!
Where I stayed
After a busy work week, I wanted to stay somewhere I could also enjoy working. Surely that gives just a little more peace and quiet than going out to a flex work place. I had chosen a social hostel in the center for the first few days, Oasis Backpackers’ Seville Palace (note, there are 2 in the city, this is the best one). Before this I had my own apartment and was mostly on my own, now I wanted some coziness. Most important therefore was a nice lobby to work in and preferably also a chill roof terrace. It is not really convenient to sit in the sun for a long time with your laptop, but for a while it is possible. There were an awful lot of people working and I sometimes wondered if that was the same years ago, or if there are many more remote workers because of corona now. I suspect the latter. The last few days I had done a little less and thus spent less money. So I treated myself to a day of flexi work at La Mala Brunch with a delicious lunch. And in a great spot, under Metropole Parasol, the iconic “mushroom artwork.
I also spent 4 nights at the fine Casa del Maestro Boutique Hotel. There I had my own room, with a cute balcony and roof terrace, double celebration. During the day I worked on my own little terrace, which my colleagues in a meeting did notice given the sunshine in the background. And at the end of the day I went for an hour of “baking” on a lounger on the roof terrace. What a life.
The bucket list
Rarely do I do a walking tour because I prefer to walk around on my own, but decided to give it a try anyway. It was a good choice. The tour from the hostel was free! You just have to tip a little. An incredibly enthusiastic guide told me more about the history of this beautiful city. I also met a nice German girl and a French guy, with whom I later went for a drink in town. Through the city flows a river and around it is a lot of life. People are sitting in a park next to the water, restaurants with beautiful views, lots of athletes. The place is buzzing! So bring a change of clothes, sit on the quay and enjoy everything going on around you. Like almost every Spanish city, Seville is full of nice streets and attractive squares.
You can eat delicious food everywhere and I certainly did. Cooking for myself was out of the question this week, I could be found on a terrace every day. One time on a large busy square, people-watching while enjoying a glass of red wine. The other time I went to a small street and sat near a heater with my book and delicious tapas.
Reading tip: Tips for a workation in Valencia
