Read informative and entertaining blog posts about life in Seville by three of our members – including handy information on different areas to live in; which tapas you must try; fun things you can do in, and near to, the city; plus practical advice on important topics like filing your taxes!
Fiona Flores Watson is an English writer, guide and translator who has lived in Seville since 2003. Married to a Sevillano, with two children, she contributes to The Guardian, The Telegraph, and Lonely Planet. Fiona always enjoys researching her favorite subjects – the city´s restaurant scene, history and architecture.
Inside the Palacio de las Dueñas – home of a Seville icon
Casa de las Dueñas
The Casa de las Dueñas is the official residence of the Dukes of Alba in the city, and was the favoured residence of Cayetana, 18th Duchess of Alba. She spent much time here during her nearly nine decades, and said that she felt most at home in Seville. More recently, Cayetana married her third husband, Alfonso Diaz, at the palace chapel in 2011.
A century of tradition: Seville’s olive oil biscuits go global
Famous Seville foods – Ines Rosales Tortas
Over 100 years ago, a young woman in a town near Seville started making and selling snacks called tortas de aceite, using an old family recipe. Made from nothing more than flour, water, sugar and olive oil, with a little aniseed and sesame for flavouring, these thin, round biscuits were individually wrapped in greaseproof paper, printed with their inventor’s distinctive logo, to protect them.
Game of Thrones Season 7: locations around Seville
Castillo de Almodovar
Back in March, I went on a bloggers’ weekend, “A Una Hora de Sevilla” (An Hour from Seville), themed around Game of Thrones. Some locations had already appeared in the HBO series, watched by around 25 million people, and others you’ll be able to see in the next few weeks and months.
Game of Thrones Season 5: the Water Gardens of Dorne, aka the Alcazar of Seville
Salon de Embajadores
Appearing shortly on your television, if you’re as hooked on Game of Thrones as I am, will be the episode of Season 5 when we are fortunate to feast our eyes on Seville’s majestic Alcazar. Our mudejar gem takes on the role of the Water Gardens, private residence of the House Martell.
Seville on two wheels
Cycling along Avenida de la Constitucion
Cycling is a perfect pastime for getting around Seville. The city is flat, with 130km of marked bike lanes, so you can ride safely in most areas. On two wheels you can see a large section of the city in a short time, much more than you could manage on foot – and all while taking gentle exercise and looking after the environment.
The Biggest Misconceptions about Seville
Sevillanas at the Feria de Abril
This one has been nudging me for a while now. Being a long-term resident of Seville, and working in several fields including journalism, tourism, social media, I see and hear lots of conflicting information about the city, provided both by the well-informed (should know better) and the less so (we’ll let you off). These are some of the commonest myths I’ve come across.
Cat Gaa left the skyscrapers of Chicago to teach English in Seville shortly after finishing college. More than a decade later, she works in the communications field and is raising two bilingual children with her sevillano husband – children who are more inclined to let out a, mi arma, than a Go, Cubs!
Where to Live in Seville: The Best Neighborhoods in Andalusia’s Capital City
Central Seville Neighborhood Map
So, you’ve gotten the visa, packed your bags and moved to Seville. The first order of business (after your cervecita and tapita, of course) is looking for a piso and a place to call home while you’re abroad. While living in the center of Seville can mean a long commute or blowing half of your salary on rent, it is undoubtedly one of the most liveable and lively cities in all of Spain.
How to Spend an Afternoon in Triana
Plaza del Altozano Seville
Most people leave Triana off of their Seville itinerary – there isn’t much by way of museums or grandiose churches, and it’s across the Guadalquivir from the city’s major draws. But what the historic neighborhood lacks in monuments, it more than makes up for in feeling.
How to Stay in Spain legally as an American and other FAQ to a US expat in Spain
Spanish documents and paperwork
I have lived in Spain for eleven years – we are now in the double digits. The only things I’ve stuck to for longer have been gymnastics (12 years) and driving a car (17 years). As September comes and goes each year, the nostalgia kicks in as I remember lugging two overstuffed suitcases from Chicago to Madrid to Granada to Triana. What a long, strange, tapa-filled journey it’s been.
A Guiri Guide to Having a Baby in Spain: 1st Trimester
Having a baby in Spain
Having a baby in Spain was something that my mind had been programmed since the Novio and I got serious. We’d talked about offspring quite early on in our relationship, bought a house with said offspring in mind, and began conditioning our minds to nights nursing babies instead of beers (oh, and I bought a pregnancy book, which thoroughly scared the Novio).
Parenting in Spain: the differences between raising children in Spain and the USA
Baby Clothes
The 48 hours I spent in the hospital post-birth were a bit of a blur. Between doctors and nurses coming in and out, trying to figure out breastfeeding and the cycle of 20 minutes of dozing before I was interrupted by doctors or a hungry child, it wasn’t until I was back home and fumbling through the first few days and dozens of dirty diapers that the habits of Spanish parents – and just how different they were to my own upbringing – shook my baby-lagged brain.
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Filing Your Taxes as an Expat in Spain
Filing Your Taxes
If life abroad weren’t complicated enough, filing taxes from abroad becomes even more complicated. As he drove me to the airport in 2007 for a year in Spain, my dad casually mentioned that I’d need to fax my first paycheck so that he could get a handle on my tax situation as soon as possible. “You’ll lose your passport otherwise.”
Karen McCann is an American writer living in Seville and traveling the world with her husband, Rich. Karen’s travel tips and adventure stories have appeared in Huffington Post, International Living Magazine, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, and Lonely Planet as well as her own travel memoirs and guides.
The 3 Food Tribes of Seville; Which Is Yours?
Shrimp and Rice at Bar Castizo
“This place has the worst food in all of Seville,” I told a new acquaintance, as we sat down at a small outdoor table. “And the staff is downright hostile. We eat here every week.”
The restaurant (which shall remain nameless) is strictly old school with dark wood, tile floors, a long bar, and a giant espresso machine. It happens to be the only eatery within shouting distance of the yoga studio I go to on Saturday mornings, and as everyone’s weekends are busy, we opt for the convenience
7 Classic Spanish Tapas You Must Try
Salmorejo at Vineria San Telmo
You don’t find jabalí on many menus these days, and as the price was just 5€ ($5.67) we figured it would be an appetizer we could sample before moving on to the main meal. What arrived was a heaping platter of slowly simmered meat swimming in gravy (by which I mean boar fat loaded with salt). The flavor was magnificent. As we tucked in, sopping up the gravy with crusty bread, I could feel my arteries hardening and waist thickening and absolutely did not care.
Connect with Seville’s Vibrant Art Community & Bring Home Memories & Mementos You’ll Treasure
Who could resist a talisman capable of warding off the evil eye, especially one priced at less than $5? This nazar seemed like a lot of good karma for the money — until I got home from Athens and the lapel-pin promptly snapped off the back of the amulet so I couldn’t fix it to my jacket as planned. I was going to repair it, but then it dawned on me that any fetish without sufficient juju to protect itself from harm probably wasn’t capable of safeguarding me, either.
My Game of Thrones Tour of Seville
Italica Dragonpit
“Hey, this is the Dragonpit!” exclaimed my sister Kate. “The actual Dragonpit from Game of Thrones.”
“Yep,” I said. “Although sadly, it doesn’t have any actual dragons in it at this time.”
We were in the ancient Roman city of Italica, just six miles northwest of Seville, visiting the remains of the massive amphitheater built to enable 25,000 bloodthirsty spectators to watch gladiators fight to the death.
The Art of Breakfast in Seville
Bar Alfalfa
I have to admit, it felt strange — surreal, even — the first time I ate breakfast in the same bar I’d been drinking in the night before. But this isn’t uncommon in Seville, where the line between coffee house and tavern is a blurry one. Then there was the morning I found myself sipping café con leche next to a man downing a glass of anís seco (aniseed liqueur with a paint-thinner aftertaste), and I began to wonder if some folks never went home at all, but simply settled onto their barstool from sundown to sunup and beyond.
Seville’s Best Eats
Bar XIX (interior)
I update this page often, so check back to discover new entries.
Best Breakfasts in the City
Bar Alfalfa, corner of Alfalfa & Candilejo.
I love this one for relaxed breakfasts and afternoon snacks; at night it’s jammed to the rafters and deafeningly noisy.