Seville

27th December – 31st December 2022

I was hoping all the disruption was behind me it wasn’t! I was to fly from Porto to Seville.

The Aircraft couldn’t land in Seville due to fog and had to divert to Lisbon. On arrival in Lisbon there no customer service from TAP Air Portugal, so I proceeded to their Frequent Flyer Lounge for assistance. Even though it was their main Hub the lounge was contracted out and couldn’t access any flight bookings and I had to join a massive queue of 300 people. I called up their reservations and they re-booked me on a new flight.

Only problem was all direct flights were full, so they rebooked me on Lisbon to Madrid, then Madrid to Seville. I did ask if it was possible to get my bags and I would make my own arrangements, they declined and said if I skipped a sector on the ticket it would cancel the rest of the ticket. No common sense at all from TAP Air Portugal.

I now had a 7 hour layover and 2 more flights to catch, what turned out to be a quick 1 hour flight turned into 3 flights and a whole days travel. The customer service with TAP Air Portugal was non-existent usually Star Alliance carriers go above and beyond to look after their frequent flyers.

Where I stayed

Ibis Sevilla City Santa Justa, €100 a night. Was centrally located and the hotel had great customer service.

Background on Seville

Until the mid 1200’s Seville was a Muslim region of Spain, King Ferdinand III began the conquest of Andalusia and turned it into a Catholic Region.

After the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus Seville become the economic hub for trade.

These days Seville is known as the Orange Capital of Spain. Over 5,000 Seville Oranges grow in the streets, they are a Bitter Orange and the Council harvests them in January to make marmalade.

What I visited

Royal Alcázar of Seville is a Palace built for King Peter of Castile after the Christian conquest of Seville in 1248. Is built in the style of Mudéjar art, which is a combination of Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance styles. Has large well kept gardens, photos below.

Catedral de Sevilla (Seville Cathedral) is a Cathedral built on the site of a former mosque. Is currently the 4th largest Cathedral in the world. It houses the remains of Cristopher Columbus. Interesting fact his remains were moved 3 times, then when the Spain lost the Cuba America War his remains were moved back to Seville Cathedral. Photos below.

Flamenco

Seville is the birthplace to Flamenco, it originates in the Triana region of Seville. Went to a night time performance.

Highlights

The outdoor dining in Cafes with the streets lined with Orange Trees

My Tips

If you are going to visit the Royal Alcazar or Cathedral make sure you book tickets in advanced.

My Photos

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