Seville - The New (Throwback post)

Metropol Parasol, Seville

Whilst Seville does the old bit very well, that really isn't all it has to offer. It is a vibrant and modern city too. We were, as in most places in Andalucia, staying in an Airbnb. Our host was great at offering suggestions for good places where the locals choose to eat, and indeed, she took us to try out one of her favourite tapas bars, called Eslava. I would highly recommend it, but be prepared for it to be very busy.

We were pretty impressed with the eating options here in Seville in general actually, including a few simple but good quality places (that I can't remember the names of,) around Plaza Hercules, and some great pinchos places.

Flamenco, Seville

And as I am talking about food and drink, even though they aren't new, I must mention a couple of tiny little traditional bars that we rather liked. There was the Taberna Manolo Cateca, and the Alvaro Peregil. Both are places where you can try out the local wines, including the Vino de Naranja, which is perhaps something of an acquired taste, but I liked it.

Whilst in Seville, it would almost seem wrong not to get along to a bit of flamenco. If you read our earlier post, you will know that we caught a bit of the music in the more natural setting of bars, or penas, in Cadiz and Jerez. Here, we decided to find a flamenco show.

Flamenco, Seville

We didn't want anything too tackily touristy so went for the much recommended Casa de la Memoria. The show was simple, with one guitar player, a singer and a couple of dancers, and had a more modern influence in both style and dress. Obviously most people there were tourists, but it didn't feel like quite such a clichéd experience as I suspect many do.
One thing we particularly liked in Seville was the Metropol Parasol. Built in March 2011, it is a modern building that houses the once open air market that used to be in the square, a restaurant and a concert space, as well as a small exhibition of the archaeological remains that were found during the development.

The real attraction though, is the fabulous walkway over the top. It looks great from the ground, but really comes into its own when you are on it. The structure flows organically, undulating and winding around to provide excellent views across Seville.

Flamenco, Seville

It may seem strange to include the Conjunto Monumental de la Cartuja, an old Carthusian Monastery, in a post about the 'new' bit of the city, but bear with me. The monastery has not housed monks for quite some years, being turned into a porcelain factory by Englishman Charles Pickman in 1839, hence the row of lovely bottle kilns.

The porcelain factory closed in the 1980s and the site is now the home of a modern art gallery, with some rather wacky installations. Honestly, I can't say that I especially enjoyed most of the artworks, but a few were interesting and it is a pleasant place to wander around on a nice day.


Sadly, my loss of photos problem hit badly from Seville onwards, so again there are some missing from this post, and I have none at all from here on in Spain.